Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human

Published 2011 by Spiegle & Grau

Before I get to my own review of Grant Morrison's book, Supergods, I need to say that I have read another review of this book previously, and I found my thoughts on Morrison's work very similar to the reviewer.  To read this review, "Superheroes, Surveyed and Sized Up," by Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times (July 18, 2011), please click on the hot link.

When I finally got to it, I was very excited to dive into Morrison's book.  I had been meaning to read it for some time, but other things kept coming up.  So a few weeks ago, it reached the top of my stack and so I started to read.  I was intrigued by the subtitle, "What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human."  Clearly, this was to be no ordinary history of comic books - though it is that to some degree. Morrison is aiming much higher.  It seems like he is aspiring through this book to become to comics what Joseph Campbell was to myth.  But if that is his goal, he falls short - and not by a little bit, either.

First Appearance of Superman

Roughly, the first third of the book is a summary of the Golden Age of Comics up through the Bronze Age.  It is absolutely riveting.  As a storyteller, Morrison is esteemed company.  He has a way of drawing you in and conveying a sense of newness and urgent importance to something you may have already known - or thought you did.  Morrison's description of the cover of Action Comics #1 is amazing.  I thought I knew all about that cover - that it had nothing new to teach me.  But he deconstructs it, revealing layers of meaning that I had clearly missed.  I won't repeat his exegesis here, but it is certainly worth reading.

I just wish that the entire book had been written like this - a history of modern comics from 1938 to present day and how this medium's myth-making relates to the human condition.  Now that would have been something - that's the book he ought to have written, or tried to write and then found himself lost.

Grant Morrison

I started tuning out in his more biographical sections.  Not that I object to his retelling of the angst of his teen years in Scotland.  Some of it is quite interesting.  But the portions of the book related to his life after he makes his mark in the comic book industry are often very egotistical and self-absorbed.  I was disturbed by his very frank admission to drug experimentation as a means of furthering his creative force.  His recounting of a hallucinogenic, pharmaceutically-induced mystical experience at the foot of Kathmandu is especially tedious and self-involved.  I don't question the importance of his mind-altering pseudo-religious experience to him and his creative process.  As he relates it, it's obviously filled with meaning for him.  But not necessarily for the reader.  And furthermore, it comes across as almost pathetic as he recounts how he tries and fails numerous times to recreate that unique experience.

The last part of the book devolves into a partial history of the modern era in comics and, as the NYT reviewer noted, mere "shout-outs" to his friends and colleagues in the industry.  It could have been - should have been - so much more.

I'm still glad that I read it.  Can I recommend it to others?  It depends on what they are looking for in this book.  I will say this - it is insightful of how the artist's life influences and shapes his writing process.  To read this book is come to some sort of understanding of why Grant Morrison's comics are the way they are - for better and worse.

Peace Out!

Steve Rhodes

Ash Wednesday 2012

Happy Mardi Gras!!!

(or Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday)

Happy President's Day 2012

Happy President's Day!

The Age of Bendis: 2000-2012...

Brian Michael Bendis - the Man himself

The Age of Bendis

Sure, you have your Golden Age of comics (1938-1955), your Silver Age (1956-1969), your Bronze Age (1970-1983) and your Copper (or Modern) Age (1984-?).  Each one has its merits.  But I would argue that we are now in the midst of the greatest periods of comic-booking.  Behold, I present to you the Age of Bendis (2000-2012)!

But first, a moment of personal recollection...

I first started reading and collecting comic books way back in 1965  Then in 1976, upon the discovery of the existence and attractiveness of the female of the species, I boxed up my comics, put them into a closet, bade them farewell, and started dating.  Looking back, I ask my younger self, "What were you thinking???"  Comic books and girls are not mutually exclusive categories.  You can have girls AND comics, too.  The fact that I am now happily married AND a lover of comics proves the point.

Avengers Disassembled, 2005

Fast forward to the summer of 2004, when I walked into Dave's Comics here in Richmond, and realized that the fanboy flame still burned within me.  My passion for comics was reignited.  I started off with recommendations for graphic novels from Dave and his trusty assistant, Marlon.  They guided me through many of the collections of comic events and key stories that I had missed from the late 1970s to the present.  I read Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Kingdom Come, The Watchmen, Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: The Killing Joke, The Avengers: The Kree-Skrull War, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Batman: A Death in the Family, and many, many others that I cannot list here.  Suffice to say, during this period of 2004-2005, I ended up with over three long boxes of graphic novels and trade paperbacks.  You could say that I caught up pretty quickly.

One trade stood out in particular, Avengers Disassembled, by one Brian Michael Bendis.  It was a collection of a crossover miniseries which took the familiar team of the Avengers and essentially blew them apart.  Needless to say, the storytelling also blew me away.  I was awed by it.  In some ways, it reminded me of the Marvel I had grown up with, especially with the heroes turning against each other and having one big throw down.  But one a deeper level, it felt like it was this subversive tome, trying to undo the Marvel Universe and re-make it again in some new and different order.

The New Avengers #1, 2005

About this same time, I had begun to collect single issues again.  First DC, then Marvel, and then some of about everything.  When I told the good folks at Dave's Comics how much I had enjoyed Avengers: Disassembled, they recommended that I check out the new series of The Avengers by the same writer.  And I dutifully added The New Avengers to my pull list.

Issue #1 of The New Avengers made me absolutely giddy with delight!  Here was Captain America putting together a whole new team of Avengers.  When all was said and done just a few issues later, this new team consisted of Cap, Iron Man, Luke Cage, Wolverine, the Sentry, Spider-Woman, Ronin (Maya Lopez) and (gulp!) Spider-Man!  Who had ever heard of an Avengers team that looked like this?  It was awesome and cleverly told.  I was hooked.

At this point, I became a Bendis-oholic.  I simply couldn't get enough of this Brian Michael Bendis guy.  So I started reading The Ultimate Spider-Man (caught up in trades), Powers (both Image Comics and Icon), Daredevil, and basically anything else with his name on it.  And I'm proud to say that I am still addicted though these many years hence.

Powers #1, 2000

Brian Bendis has been at the forefront of so many of the Marvel events and inovations over the past decade.  Helping to launch the Ultimate Marvel universe in 2000 with Spider-Man re-imagined as a teen.  Bendis then re-invigorated the Daredevil franchise, running from 2001-2005.  Also in 2001, He took a Marvel B (or even C) character, Jessica Jones, and made her a detective in Alias, to amazing success, even though it was a Max imprint and geared for adults.  In 2004, he brought his creator-owned books published first at Image Comics, Powers, to the new Marvel creator-owned imprint, Icon Comics.  Powers is a detective mystery series about cops who police the superhero community.

With his hands deeply into the Avengers franchise, Bendis proceeded to take the Marvel universe from one event to another.  He wrote the stories for The Avengers/X-Men cross-over event, House of M in 2005.  Secret Invasion was published in 2008.  It was Bendis response, of sorts, to the earlier published Kree-Skrull War.  This along with House of M and Avengers Disassembled formed a trilogy of sorts.  Dark Reign follow Secret Invasion in 2008, as well as the intriguing comic title, The Dark Avengers.  The events of Dark Reign were brought to a conclusion with yet another event - Seige - in 2009.  In 2010, he relaunched the New Avengers as well as a newly constituted Avengers series bringing Marvel into a new Heroic Age.  In addition to these which I have mentioned are the many other Marvel titles that he wrote, such as Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate X-Men, and Ultimate Fantastic Four to name a few.  I'm sure I will get called out on those I have not mentioned.

Scarlet #1, 2010

Grant Morrison in his book, Supergods, says that when Bendis commits to a book - he really commits.  Take Ultimate Spider-Man (in all it's varied forms), Bendis has been writing that title(s) since 2000, and he's still going.  His partnership with artist, Mark Bagley, lasted over ten years until issue #111, when Bagley left for other pursuits and was replaced by Stuart Immonen.  This partnership between Bendis and Bagley lasted longer than the Stan Lee-Jack Kirby partnership on The Fantastic Four in the 1960s, which went for 102 issues.  Or take his commitment on Powers, which has now lasted over 12 years and two different publishers, as well as his partnership with artist, Michael Avon Oeming.  Then there's the Avengers franchise which he took over in 2004 lasting until this coming summer in 2012, when he will hand over the reigns to a new creative team.  That day will be a sad day indeed.

And Bendis is still going!  He created Scarlet in 2010 with artist Alex Maleev.  He co-wrote, Takio, with his daughter in 2011, a graphic novel geared for kids.  And he's partnered again with Bagley on a new title, Brilliant.  

If this brief survey of his enormous work doesn't convince you that the years, 2000-2012, have been the Age of Bendis, then I don't know what will.  He is, simply, the greatest writer of the modern era of comics.  I will concede that we live in a time of some truly great talent, a new kind of Golden Age for comics if you will, but no one has done more for the medium than Bendis.  Let's hope that this Age of Bendis is not concluding, but still evolving and continuing.

Thank you, Brian, for all the joy you have brought to fanboys and fangirls everywhere!  Here's to the future!

John Severin Passes Away at 90

Mad Magazine #1

"MAD" Founder and Noted Comics Artist John Severin Passes Away at 90

The legendary illustrator helped found MAD and CRACKED and drew "The Incredible Hulk", "Sub-Mariner" and "Conan."

Esteemed comics artist John Severin, whose sixty-year career included gritty war comics, humor magazines like MAD and CRACKED and superhero titles like The Incredible Hulk and Sub-Mariner, passed away on Feb. 12 at age 90, according to a statement released by his family.

Stan Lee, Severin's former boss at Marvel Comics, praised his friend in the statement:

“The minute you looked at his artwork you knew you were looking at a John Severin illustration; it could be no one else. Besides his inimitable style, there was a feeling of total authenticity to whatever he drew, whether it was a Western, a crime story, a superhero saga or a science fiction yarn. … One of my greatest regrets, as an editor, was the fact that John was so busy doing other things that I couldn’t give him as many assignments as I would have wished."

Severin got his first professional gig in 1932, at age 10 when Hobo News purchased some of his drawings. He later attended New York City’s High School of Music and Art, where his classmates included future comics legends Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, Al Jaffee and Al Feldstein.

After World War II, Severin became widely known for his work illustrating war comics and MAD magazine at EC Comics. He illustrated such popular titles as Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat. In 1952, he was part of the original group of five artists who launched MAD magazine under Harvey Kurtzman and William Gaines.

After EC cancelled its comic books in the mid-1950s in response to the public outcry over delinquency started by Fredrick Wertheim over their content, Severin went to work for Marvel Comics forerunner Atlas Comics. His work at Marvel included illustrations for titles ranging from The Incredible Hulk and Sub-Mariner to the popular war anthology The Nam. He continued drawing comics into his eighties, including work on The Punisher, Conan, and the controversial 2003 Rawhide Kid mini-series that re-imagined the Western hero as a gay gunslinger. He also helped launch MAD-competitor CRACKED in 1958. He drew for the magazine for 45 years.

Severin was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. After he graduated from the High School of Music and Art in 1940, he enlisted in the Army, serving in the Pacific in World War II. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Michelina, 6 children, 13 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren, and a step great-granddaughter. In addition, he is survived by his sister, Marie Severin, who is also a well-known comic illustrator and cartoonist. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy

Valentine's

Day!

The Four (nay Five!) Robins: From Dick to Damien

The Five Robins

Did You Know...

Robin the Boy Wonder.  The first and the most iconoclastic of all the Golden Age superhero sidekicks.  Sure, there was Bucky to Captain American, Sandy to the Sandman, Toro to the Human Torch, Kato the Green Hornet, but Robin arrived before all of them.  All who came after were mere imitations.  Robin was the real deal.

Robin first appeared as a partner to Batman in April 1940 in Detective Comics #38.  Batman himself had only just appeared a few months earlier in May 1939 in issue #27.  So the Dark Knight was solo for only eleven issues.  Then Robin arrived to be his sidekick and partner in crime fighting.

Robin's 1st Appearance: Detective Comics #38

For over 40 years, the first and only Robin was Dick Grayson.  Dick belonged to a family of acrobats called, "The Flying Graysons," who performed in the Haly Circus.  Dick overheard two gangsters who had tampered with the trapeze, but before he could act, the trapeze fails and his parents fall to their death.  Batman appears to him and together they work to capture the gangsters' crime boss, Tony Zucco.  Batman reveals how he had also witnessed the murder of his own parents and asks the eight year-old to become his ward and partner.  Dick accepts and thus "Robin" is born.  Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, this team was popularly known as "The Dynamic Duo."  In the 1980s, Dick Grayson (at the age of 19) leaves the company of Batman and pursues a new crime fighting career as the superhero, Nightwing.  (Bonus points for the person who can tell me which superhero suggested the name "Nightwing" to Dick.)

Jason Todd as Robin

Jason Todd made his first appearance in Batman #357 in March 1983 and was introduced as the second Robin in Detective Comics #526.  Though popular to Robin fans originally, after the miniseries, "Crisis on Infinite Earths," in 1985, his character was revamped and his popularity as Robin diminished rapidly.  Fans seemed to reject him as Robin.  In response, DC Comics decided to let the readership decide the fate of Jason Todd.  In 1988, they set up two 1-900 numbers.  Depending on which number was called in a specified 36 hour period, Jason would either live or die.  The vote came in.  5,271 voted that Jason Todd should live and continue as Robin.  5,343 voted that Jason Todd must die.  Thus his fate was sealed.  In a four-part story in Batman, issues 426-429, which was entitled, "A Death in the Family," Jason Todd came face to face with the Joker, who beat him and left to die in a fire.  The deed was done.

In 2005, a character known as the Red Hood in Batman #638 was revealed as a resurrected Jason Todd.  His return was then later explained in Batman Annual #25 in 2006.  Currently, Jason Todd is alive and well in the DCU, but not as the character, Robin.

The third Robin, Tim Drake, was introduced in 1989 in "Batman: A Lonely Place for Dying," in which he introduced himself to Dick Grayson, impressing him with his skills.  Apparently, Tim had been a very young boy who attended the circus performance in which Dick's parents were murdered.  A bond formed between the two.  Soon, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne/Batman's manservant, was advocating for Tim to become the new Robin.  Eventually, Batman accepted Tim as his new partner.

Tim Drake as Robin (note the new uniform)

In the course of being Robin from 1989-2009, Tim Drake's mother died and his father disabled.  For a period, he retired from being Robin out of consideration of his father.  He would later return to the role after his father was killed by Captain Boomerang.

Following the deaths of both his parents, Bruce Wayne adopted Tim as his son, just as he had with Dick Grayson.

During his time as Robin, he had a girlfriend by the name of Stephanie Brown.  After Robin "retired" as Robin, Stephanie stepped-in.

Stephanie Brown as Robin in 2004

Stephanie Brown was first introduce in a story arc in Detective Comics #647-649, 1992, which featured the crimial, the Cluemaster.  Stephanie was his daughter.  She adopted the persona of "The Spoiler" to spoil her father's evil plans.

She was brought back to the DCU the next year, 1989, when Tim Drake got his own title, Robin.  The Spoiler was a kind of nemesis to Robin and Stephanie was the love interest to Tim.  Needless to say, it was a complicated relationship.

When Tim retired as Robin, at his father's request, Stephanie stepped in.  With her own costume, she sneaked into the Batcave and confronted Batman, arguing that she should be the next Robin.  Batman was hesitant, but did agree.  He put her through months of training before allowing her to assume the role.  When she finally became Robin, she did so with a costume that befitted her role.

As Robin, she was portrayed as much more reckless and careless than Tim.  Batman doubted that she measured up to the standards of her position.  Finally, he fired her for disobeying his orders on two occasions.  Trying to redeem herself, she stole plans from Batman that resulted in an all-out gang war in Gotham.  During the fighting, Stephanie was captured and severely beaten.  Even though she managed to escape, she later died of her injuries with Batman at her side.

In 2008, Stephanie reappears.  Her death had been faked in order to save her life.  She later became the fifth Batgirl (or fourth depending upon how you figure continuity).  She had her own series from 2009-2011.

After Stephanie's "death," Tim Drake returned to the role of Robin until Batman was killed at the hands of Darkseid in "Final Crisis."  Then then adopted a new persona as the Red Robin.

Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne

Following the death of Batman in Final Crisis, a miniseries followed in 2009 called, "Battle for the Cowl" in which several people vied for Batman's identity.  Dick Grayson, the first Robin, then picked up the mantle of the Dark Knight and took on Batman's son, Damien Wayne, as the fifth and current Robin.

Damien is the biological child of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul.  Talia is the daughter of immortal, eco-terrorist, Ra's al Ghul.  Damien was genetically engineered from the genes of Bruce and Talia, spending his gestation in a laboratory.  He was raised by Talia and trained by the League of Assassins.  He was both bred and trained to be a killer - the very opposite of his father, who refuses to take a life.  As a pre-teen adolescent, Talia reveals his existence to Bruce and eventually gives Damien to him to raise.  After Batman's death in "Final Crisis," when Dick Grayson assumes the cowl, Damien becomes what he had long wanted to be - Robin.  The relationship between the first-Robin and the current one was dynamic.  Damien grew to truly admire Dick and his abilities.  With the return of Batman, Dick returned to his role as Nightwing, and Bruce put on the cowl again.  Damien remained with him as both Robin and son.

Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder!

Thus concludes the tale of the five Robins.  The reason that I said in the title that there were just four is that some fans dismiss Stephanie's short tenure in the role - that she really wasn't a "true" Robin.  But in my opinion, she made a fine Robin and an even better Batgirl.  With the exception of Jason Todd, I have liked all the Robins, but in my heart and mind, there will always be only one true Robin - Dick Grayson.  He was the greatest of all.

Peace Out,

Steve R.

(This article is dedicated to Steve K., who suggested the topic.)

Which Manservant Would You Choose?

Question of the Day:

If you were a superhero, which manservant would you choose to aid you in your battle against evil?

Leave your response in the comments section and tell us why you chose as you did.

Alfred (Batman)

Jarvis (Tony Stark/Avengers)

Wong (Doctor Strange)

Kato (The Green Hornet)

Smithers (Mr. Burns)

Dan DeCarlo: Comic Creators Profile

She's Josie #4, 1963

Comic Creator Profile

Put simply, Dan DeCarlo was "the" comic artist who established the style of what Archie Comics looked like.  I grew up with Archie and his pals in the 1960s and 1970s.  I loved the antics of Archie, Jughead, Reggie and Moose.  But I really appreciated the beauty of Betty, Veronica, Sabrina and Josie.  Josie was my favorite - mainly because I have a thing about redheads.  As you will read below, Dan created and named Josie after his French wife, whom he met while serving in Europe in World War II.  He also created Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Cheryl Blossom.

I just loved DeCarlo's art.  I think his style was a major factor for why I read Archie Comics so much as a kid.  And also for why I still collect Archie comics from that era.  I shared my love of all things Archie (and DeCarlo) with my own five children.  As soon as they could read, I began buying them Archie Digests, which reprinted older material, at the check-out line at the grocery store.  They grew to love Archie as much as I did.

_________________________________________

December 23, 2001

Dan DeCarlo, Archie Artist and Creator Of Josie and the Pussycats, Is Dead at 82

By Eric Nash

Dan DeCarlo, a top cartoonist for Archie Comics for more than 40 years and a creator of the characters Josie and the Pussycats and Sabrina the teenage witch, died on Tuesday in New Rochelle, N.Y. He was 82, and lived in Scarsdale, N.Y.

The cause was pneumonia, said his wife, Josie.

Mr. DeCarlo defined the look of the prototypical American teenagers Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and their friends at Riverdale High after taking over as chief artist at the comic book company in 1975, when the characters' creator, Bob Montana, died. Archie made his first appearance as a gap-toothed, bow-tie-clad teenager in loud checked trousers in Pep Comics in 1941.

The Archie cast was a combination of real people Mr. Montana remembered from his high school years in Haverhill, Mass., and the idealized small-town America of the Andy Hardy movies. Mr. DeCarlo brought his own distinctive, clean-lined cartoon style, which was soon adopted as the house style for the characters, especially the leggy females with wide eyes and snub noses.

Mr. DeCarlo was renowned for his curvaceous depiction of the female form, so-called ''good girl'' art, which had its origins in the pinup style of World War II. ''He was always interested in drawing shapely girls,'' Mrs. DeCarlo said.

In 1946 he worked for Timely Comics (later Marvel Comics) on cheesecake titles like ''Millie the Model'' and ''My Friend Irma,'' and free-lanced for The Saturday Evening Post, Argosy and Humorama.

''It was the time of Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, so he was drawing that voluptuous type of woman,'' Mrs. DeCarlo said. ''When he went to Archie, he was drawing teenagers, so he changed his style a bit,'' she said. ''But he always had curve.''

Mr. DeCarlo gave the blond Betty Cooper her distinctive ponytail and kept up with what teenagers were wearing, from miniskirts and Nehru jackets in the 1960's to baby T-shirts and cargo pants in the 90's.

Mr. DeCarlo was born in New Rochelle and attended New Rochelle High School and the Art Students League for three years before he was drafted into the Army in 1941; he worked as a draftsman and had a sideline, painting company mascots on the noses of airplanes.

Josie and the Pussycats #46, February 1970

He met his wife, Josie Dumont, a French citizen, in Belgium shortly after the Battle of the Bulge. His French was minimal. ''We communicated with drawing,'' Mrs. DeCarlo said. ''He would draw things for me to make me understand what he had in mind. He was really so amusing. Instead of just using words he would use cartoons to express himself. Right away we knew that we were meant for each other.''

The ever-stylish Josie DeCarlo was the inspiration for the leader of the Pussycats. ''We went on a Caribbean cruise, and I had a costume for the cruise, and that's the way it started,'' Mrs. DeCarlo said about her cat suit, immortalized by the animated cartoon's bubble-gum theme song, ''Josie and the Pussycats/ Long tails and ears for hats.''

''The hairdo came after,'' Mrs. DeCarlo said. ''One day I came in with a new hairdo with a little bow in my hair, and he said, 'That's it!' ''

The exact circumstances of Josie's creation became the subject of a lawsuit involving Mr. DeCarlo and Archie Comics shortly before the cartoon was made into a feature film this year. Mr. DeCarlo said that he created the character on his own in the late 1950's and tried to sell it as a syndicated comic strip called ''Here's Josie.'' At least one syndicate turned him down, he said. ''You know, I threw that letter away,'' he once said. ''If I still had that letter, there wouldn't have been any case. I would have been a shoo-in.''

The position of Archie Comics was that Mr. DeCarlo created the character for them as ''work for hire,'' so the rights belonged to the company. The fallout was rancorous even by the standards of such suits over intellectual property rights: Archie fired Mr. DeCarlo in May 2000 after 43 years of work.

''They could have worked it out,'' Mrs. DeCarlo said. ''My husband was not asking for millions of dollars. They paid him well, but Dan felt that it was not enough. He was looking for them to realize that he was getting on in years and that he deserved to get something back.''

Sabrina the Teenage Witch #8, September 1972

He was listed as a creator in the end credits of ''Josie and the Pussycats,'' which did poorly at the box office. He did receive a bonus and credit as co-creator of Sabrina the teenage witch, which became a popular live-action television show.

The couple's twin sons, Dan Jr. and Jim, both deceased, also worked on their father's comics as inkers.

Mr. DeCarlo is survived by his wife, Josie, and two grandchildren.

Despite his falling out with the company, he loved Archie and his pals. ''Those characters that he drew for Archie were always the subject for our conversation at the dinner table,'' Mrs. DeCarlo said. ''We always wanted to know, what are they going to do tomorrow, what are you drawing, how are they going to dress? Everybody would voice his opinion. They were like part of our family.''

Forrest J Ackerman: The First Fanboy!

Creator of Vampirella, Co-Editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland, Inventor of the term, "Sci-Fi," Forrest J (no period) Ackerman is a man worthy of recognition.  To celebrate his life and creativity, I am sharing his obituary from the New York Times because it enthusiastically sums up Ackerman's many passions.  For even more info about Ackerman, check out the Time article, "Sci-Fi's No. 1 Fanboy, Forrest J Ackerman, Dies at 92."

December 6, 2008

Forrest J Ackerman, High Elder of Fantasy Fans, Is Dead at 92

Forrest J Ackerman at his home in Hollywood, California

By Bruce Webber

It’s a common claim that someone is the world’s biggest fan of such-and-such. Elizabeth Taylor’s biggest fan. The biggest fan of the New York Jets. The world’s biggest country music fan. Hardly anyone takes such a designation seriously, except, perhaps, when it comes to Forrest J Ackerman, whose obsessive devotion to science fiction and horror stories was so fierce that he helped propel their popularity. Indeed, he was widely credited with coining the term sci-fi.

Mr. Ackerman died on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 92. The cause was heart failure, The Associated Press reported, quoting Kevin Burns, who is head of the production company Prometheus Entertainment and a trustee of Mr. Ackerman’s estate.

In the cultural niche defined by monsters, rocket ships and severed body parts, Mr. Ackerman was decreed by acclamation to be its leading citizen. He was a film buff, an editor of pulp magazines and anthologies, a literary agent for dozens of science fiction writers and an amateur historian. No one has evidently disputed his claim that he created the expression sci-fi.

He was also an omnivorous memorabilia collector who once turned a former home of his overlooking Los Angeles into a sort of scream-a-torium. Thousands of science-fiction fans made pilgrimages to the house, a repository of more than 300,000 books, posters, masks, costumes, statuettes, models, film props and other artifacts. (He sold the house several years ago to pay for mounting medical bills.)

“He was the world’s biggest fan,” the writer Stephen King said in a recent phone interview. “If you had been to his house, you wouldn’t doubt it.”

Mr. Ackerman’s appetite for science fiction embraced the highbrow as well as the low. His favorite film, he often said, was Fritz Lang’s futuristic masterpiece from 1927, “Metropolis.” He said he had seen it nearly 100 times. In 2002, when he received a lifetime achievement award at the World Fantasy Convention, he shared honors with one of the most admired writers of fantasy and science fiction, Ursula K. Le Guin, whose book “The Other Wind” was named the year’s best novel.

But Mr. Ackerman spent most of his time in the arena of pop culture. Between 1958 and 1983, he wrote and edited Famous Monsters of Filmland, a seminal black-and-white magazine heavily illustrated with photographs from Mr. Ackerman’s collection. The magazine emphasized the scream-worthy features of movies and was fond of groan-worthy wordplay. “Menace, Anyone?” was a typical title. But it also conveyed the idea that language was flexible and that using it could be fun.

The magazine fired the imaginations of generations of young horror fans, including Mr. King and the filmmakers George Lucas and Joe Dante (“Gremlins”).

“When you think of the size of the business, the dollar amount, that has sprung up out of fantasy, the people who made everything from ‘Star Wars’ to ‘Jaws,’ ” Mr. King said, “well, Forry was a part of their growing up. The first time I met Steven Spielberg, we didn’t talk about movies. We talked about monsters and Forry Ackerman.”

Forrest James Ackerman (he used his middle initial, but without the period) was born in Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 1916. His father was a statistician for an oil company. He saw his first science-fiction film in 1922: “One Glorious Day,” the story of a disembodied spirit that takes over the soul of a tired professor, played by Will Rogers. Four years later he discovered science-fiction magazines, starting with Amazing Stories, and began collecting them and science-fiction memorabilia. His collection eventually included more than 40,000 books and 100,000 film stills.

His wife, Wendayne, a teacher who translated many science-fiction novels from French and German into English, put up with the collection but restricted it to the lower floors of the house, which in the science-fiction world was known as the Ackermansion, in Horrorwood, Karloffornia. (After her death in 1990, the collection began creeping up the stairs.)

The couple had no children, and Mr. Ackerman leaves no immediate survivors.

After serving in the Army during World War II, he started a literary agency that eventually represented, by his count, 200 writers, including, at different times, Ray Bradbury, H. P. Lovecraft and L. Ron Hubbard, who later founded Scientology.

Mr. Ackerman said he came up with “sci-fi” in 1954. He was driving in a car with his wife when he heard a radio announcer say “hi-fi.” The term sci-fi just came reflexively and unbidden out of his mouth, he said.

Over the years he published as many as 50 short stories of his own, wrote most of the articles in Famous Monsters himself under pseudonyms like Dr. Ackula and wrote and edited many other magazines with titles like Monster World. At his induction into the Horror Hall of Fame in 1990, the actor Robert Englund (a k a the serial killer Freddy Krueger in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” films) introduced Mr. Ackerman as “the Hugh Hefner of horror.”

Mr. Ackerman also invented the comic character Vampirella. And as testimony to his ubiquitous presence, he acted (sort of) in more than 50 films, almost always as an extra. His longest screen appearance was a two-minute scene in which he played the president of the United States in the science-fiction spoof “Amazon Women on the Moon” (1987).

“He was an appreciator, a collector, not a creator,” Mr. King said. “Well, he was a creator in the sense that with the magazine he gave us a window into a world we really wanted to see. He was our Hubble telescope.”

Frank Frazetta Obituary (1928-2010)

Though Frank Frazetta died nearly two years ago, I wanted to share his obituary with you because it contains so much about his life and his art.  Most of you will know him for his famous art concerning Conan the Barbarian.  But he was also very involved with Warren Publishing, which we have just tackled in the last four postings.  If you are interested in seeing more of Frank's work, visit the Unofficial Frank Frazetta Fantasy Art Gallery.  Enjoy this celebration of a great comic artist and painter.



May 10, 2010

Frank Frazetta, Illustrator, Dies at 82; Helped Define Comic Book Heroes

Frank Frazetta

By Bruce Weber and Dave Itzkoff


Frank Frazetta, an illustrator of comic books, movie posters and paperback book covers whose visions of musclebound men fighting with swords and axes to defend scantily dressed women helped define fantasy heroes like Conan, Tarzan and John Carter of Mars, died on Monday in Fort Myers, Fla. He was 82.

The cause was complications from a stroke, said Rob Pistella and Stephen Ferzoco, Mr. Frazetta’s business managers.

Mr. Frazetta was a versatile and prolific comic book artist who, in the 1940s and ’50s, drew for comic strips like Al Capp’s “Lil’ Abner” and comic books like “Famous Funnies,” for which he contributed a series of covers depicting the futuristic adventurer Buck Rogers.

A satirical advertisement Mr. Frazetta drew for Mad earned him his first Hollywood job, the movie poster for “What’s New Pussycat?” (1965), a sex farce written by Woody Allen that starred Peter Sellers. In 1983 he collaborated with the director Ralph Bakshi to produce the animated film “Fire and Ice.”

His most prominent work, however, was on the cover of book jackets, where his signature images were of strikingly fierce, hard-bodied heroes and bosomy, callipygian damsels in distress. In 1966, his cover of “Conan the Adventurer,” a collection of four fantasy short stories written by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp, depicted a brawny long-haired warrior standing in repose on top of a pile of skeletons and other detritus, his sword thrust downward into the mound, an apparently naked young woman lying at his feet, hugging his ankle.

The cover created a new look for fantasy adventure novels and established Mr. Frazetta as an artist who could sell books. He illustrated many more Conan books (including “Conan the Conqueror,” “Conan the Usurper” and “Conan the Avenger”) and works by Edgar Rice Burroughs (including “John Carter and the Savage Apes of Mars” and “Tarzan and the Antmen”).

“Paperback publishers have been known to buy one of his paintings for use as a cover, then commission a writer to turn out a novel to go with it,” The New York Times reported in 1977, the same year that a collection of his drawings, “The Fantastic Art of Frank Frazetta,” sold more than 300,000 copies.

Frank Frazzetta was born in Brooklyn on Feb. 9, 1928, and as a boy studied painting at a local art school. (Early in his career, he excised one z from his last name because “with one z it just looked better,” Mr. Pistella said. “He said the two z’s and two t’s was too clumsy.”)

Mr. Frazetta began drawing for comic books of all stripes — westerns, mysteries, fantasies — when he was still a teenager. He was also a good enough baseball player to try out for the New York Giants.

The popularity of Mr. Frazetta’s work coincided with the rise of heavy metal in the early 1970s, and his otherworldly imagery showed up on a number of album covers, including Molly Hatchet’s “Flirtin’ With Disaster” and Nazareth’s “Expect No Mercy.” Last year, Kirk Hammett, the lead guitarist for Metallica, bought Mr. Frazetta’s cover artwork for the paperback reissue of Robert E. Howard’s “Conan the Conqueror” for $1 million.

Conan the Barbarian by Frank Frazetta

Mr. Frazetta married Eleanor Kelly, known as Ellie, in 1956. She served as his occasional model and as his business partner; in 2000 she started a small museum of her husband’s work on their property in East Stroudsburg, Pa. She died last year.

Mr. Frazetta is survived by three sisters, Carol, Adel and Jeanie; two sons, Alfonso Frank Frazetta, known as Frank Jr., and William Frazetta, both of East Stroudsburg; two daughters, Heidi Grabin, of Englewood, Fla., and Holly Frazetta, of Boca Grande, Fla.; and 11 grandchildren.

Vampirella Archives HC Collection

Vampirella Archives Vol. 1, cover art by Frank Frazetta

Warren Publishing Continued ... Part 4

In 1967, Warren Publishing underwent something of a crisis.  They were short on funds, writers and artists came and went.  Instead of new stories, reprints often had to suffice for both Creepy and Eerie.  This was known as a dark period for Warren.

But in 1969, things began to look up for the publisher.  A new influx of cash, new writers and artists, plus returning of old ones heralded a new day.  But what really signaled a change in fortune for James Warren and Company was the launch of the third horror magazine - Vapirella.

Vampirella was the creation and collaboration of Forrest J Ackerman, friend and fellow publisher with Jim Warren, and Trina Robbins.  Forrest wrote the first story and Trina designed the distinctive hairstyle and skimpy costume of Vampirella.  Like Uncle Creepy and Cousin Eerie, Vampirella was to serve as host for the new magazine, but soon she became so popular that she became a character within the stories of the magazine.

Vampirella was no ordinary vampire.  She was an alien.  Born on the planet Drakulon, she came from a race of vampires who were sustained by rivers of blood which ran throughout the planet.  But alas, because of the twin suns of her solar system, the planet was doomed.  Vampirella survived when an American astronaut landed on her planet.  When she discovered that blood ran through the veins of human beings, she commandeered the space craft and returned to Earth.  Soon, she became a "good" vampire and frequently did battle with the forces of evil.

Vampirella was a success.  Like Creepy and Eerie before it, the magazine drew some of the finest talent of the day: Archie Goodwin, Frank Frazetta, John Severin, Alex Toth, Carmine Infanto, Russ Heath, Doug Moench, Bernie Wrightson, Barry Windsor Smith, Jose Gonzales, Frank Brunner, Mike Ploog, Wally Wood and a host of others.  Also, there was a period when a number of Spanish artists were employed.

Frank Frazetta's rendition of Vampirella

Vampirella, like her sister magazines, had a very good run, which ended in 1983 when Warren Publishing went into bankruptcy.  Harris Publications obtained the rights to Warren's library and titles in August of that year.  After a protracted lawsuit, Jim Warren regained the rights to Creepy and Eerie, but not Vampirella.  This remained a Harris property until 2010 when Dynamite Entertainment secured the rights to the character, title, and past magazine publications.  Fortunately, like Dark Horse with Creepy and Eerie, Dynamite Entertainment began to publish the entire Vampirella archives in hardback form in January 2011, featuring the first seven issues.  Three volumes have been published thus far and Vol. 4 is due soon.

Eerie Archives HC Collection

Eerie Archives Vol. 1; Cover painted by Frank Frazetta

Warren Publishing Continued ... Part 3

Warren Publishing's second venture in the the horror genre was the sister magazine to Creepy - Eerie.  Like Creepy, Eerie was a large format, black and white horror anthology published on a bi-monthly basis.  First published in early 1966, it's premier issue had a limited run of about 200 copies.  Archie Goodwin and Gasper Saladino virtually created Eerie overnight in order to establish Warren as a serious publishing company.  Publication of Eeire began in earnest with the second issue in March 1966.

Like Creepy, Eerie had an ogre-like host, Cousin Eerie, created by Jack Davis.  Warren likened Uncle Creepy and Cousin Eerie to Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre.  He felt that Creepy magazine needed a counterpart to play off of.

Cousin Eerie by Jack Davis

Once again, lightening struck and Warren Publishing had another success.  Though Warren was instrumental in the success of his magazines, he took care to make the comic creators the real stars.  Like Creepy, Eerie was equally blessed with great talent, many at the top of their game: Archie Goodwin, Jack Davis, Frank Frazetta, Gene Colon, Gray Morrow, Joe Orlando, Angelo Torres, Alex Toth, Wally Wood, Al Williamson, Neal Adams, Steve Ditko and many, many more.

Eerie lasted until Warren Publishing went into bankruptcy.  The last issue, #139, was published in February 1983.  Fortunately, Eerie and other Warren Publications were acquired in 2007 by New Comic Company LLC, which then merged with Dark Horse.  Dark Horse is currently in the process of reprinting the entire run of Eerie in hardback archive editions.  The first of these editions was published in 2009.  They are absolutely gorgeous and restore the glory that once was Warren Publishing.  See for yourself in a local bookstore near you.

Creepy Archives HC Collection

Creepy Archives Vol. 1; Cover painted by Frank Frazetta

Warren Publishing Continued ... Part 2

Warren Publishers first break-out success was Creepy in 1964.  It was published in magazine format, larger than that of regular comics.  It also cost $.35 as opposed to the usual $.12.  It was published in glorious black & white which brought a unique atmosphere to the horror tales contained within.

Originally published quarterly, because of popularity it quickly moved to a bi-monthly basis.  Jim Warren was more than just a publisher, he was very hands-on in his approach to Creepy.  One of his best assets was luring some of the best writers and artists at the time to work for him.  Much of the early success of the horror magazine was the leadership of Archie Goodwin, who came on as editor in 1965.  Some of the writers and artists who worked for Warren Publishing over the years include: Alex Toth, Frank Frazetta, Joe Orlando, Wally Wood, Neal Adams, Steve Ditko, Angelo Torres, Al Williamson, Carmine Infanto and too many others to name.

Uncle Creepy

This 48-page horror magazine was hosted by none other than Uncle Creepy, who introduced stories and generally guide the reader through the issue.  Creepy was not just EC Comics resurrected under another name, it was it's own creation.  That said, it did employ some of the storytelling techniques that has mad EC Comics so popular.

Creepy debuted in late 1964 and ended in February 1983, with a total run of 145 issues.  These issues are now very rare and hard to come by.  Fortunately, a group of creators and investors, New Comic Company LLC, reached a deal with Jim Warren in 2007 acquiring all rights to publication for Creepy, as well as it's sister magazines, Eerie and Vampirella.  They soon merged with Dark Horse and in 2008, the first archive edition of Creepy was published, containing the first five issues of the magazine.  These hardback archived editions are absolutely beautiful.  Check them out for yourself.

Warren Publishing, 1957-1983

Famous Monsters of Filmland #56, 1969

Warren Publishing, 1957-1983

When you think of comic publishers of the 1960s and 1970s, who do you think about?  DC?  Marvel? Dell?  Charlton?  Gold Key?

Here's one you may have forgotten, but is very important to the history of comics - Warren Publishing.  Started by James Warren in 1957, he published a series of comic-oriented magazine titles.  The reason that they were published in magazine format was to be free from the constraints of the Comic Code Authority, established in the 1950s.

Warren's first major hit was a title called, Monsters of Filmland.  It was the first such magazine aim which focused on the horror movie industry.  It began in 1958 and ran until 1983, reaching 191 issues.  Warren co-edited this magazine with the well known science fiction aficionado, Forrest J Ackerman.  Ackerman is known for many things, but least of which is coining the term "Sci-Fi" for science fiction.

Infamous cover of Crime SuspenStories

By the early 1960s, Warren was inspired by the 1940s-1950s horror comics publisher, EC Comics.  EC was at the center of the famous controversy promoted by Dr. Frederic Wertham that comic books were increasingly detrimental to the lives of youth.  He argued that the violence, sexuality, and horror depicted in many comics caused depravity in youth.  Wertham wrote a controversial best-seller entitled, "Seduction of the Innocent" in 1954.  Congressional hearings were held.  Comic book burnings ensued.  Then the top comic book publishers came together and established The Comic Code Authority, which strictly enforced the new mandates and encouraged a new conformist and positive outlook in comics.  EC Comics, published by Maxwell Gaines and his son, William Gaines, ceased publishing all of its horror comics rather than be censored.  The only comic to survive was Mad Magazine, which ironically led to great financial success.

Warren wanted to re-establish the horror genre in comics publishing.  But instead of publishing in regular comic book format, he chose the route of the magazine format, which allowed him to circumvent the rules of the Comic Code Authority.  His three most famous and successful horror magazines were: Creepy (1964-1983), Eerie (1966-1983) and Vampirella (1969-1983).  More about these in the next three postings.

Star Spangled War Stories (featuring Enemy Ace) #143 & #149

Star Spangled War Stories #143

It Came From the Long Box...

Star Spangled War Stories Vol. 1 was an odd series for a nine year-old boy.  First of all, it was told from the German  perspective in war.  Wait a minute!  Weren't war comics supposed to be about good ol' American G. I. Joes taking on the Germans and kicking their patooties?  And second, this was a comic about World War I.  From the other comics I bought, it was World War II that was the subject at hand.

Nonetheless, this title reached out to me and grabbed me by my shirt collar.  I was entranced by the cover art.  The first issue I bought was Star Spangled War Stories #143.  The art was so kinetic, so alive.  First, there was the dog fight in the air.  Second, an airman was falling to certain death, but instead of fear, he displayed inexplicable heroism, saluting his commanding officer as he fell.  And third, there was the commanding officer in the cockpit saluting back to his comrade in arms and honoring his sacrifice.  What was there not to like?  Little did I know that this wonderful piece of art was the handiwork of Joe Kubert, a comic book artist whose style I would come to admire and collect.

Star Spangled War Stories #149

Issue #143 came out in March 1969.  I skipped the next few issues, but once again was pulled into the series by the cover art of Kubert in issue #149 published in March 1970.  It, too, featured an airman just about to fall to his death.  But unlike #143, this man was holding onto the plane for dear life, while being shot at my an American airplane.  There is both fear and determination on this man's face.  No resolute farewell salute, but instead just sheer will to live.

Death is a character in both covers.  It may not be portrayed as such, but it is clearly there.  These covers evoked all kinds of emotions in me: fear, bravery, determination, the will to live - all emotions I thought real soldiers much feel during war.  Heady stuff for a nine year-old.

A word about the main character of the series - Enemy Ace.  His real name was Hans von Hammer, otherwise known as the Hammer of Hell.  He was a German flying ace, originally created by Joe Kubert and Robert Kanigher.  They based this war weary anti-hero loosely on the real and famous German flyer from WWI, the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen.

Kubert and Kanigher made an otherwise obscure topic into a thrilling and relevant comic about war, during a time when our country was once again at war, but this time in Vietnam.  Soldiers still struggled with all those complex emotions as they fought to live.  They took a war that had taken place 50 years earlier and offered a social commentary for the then current conflict.

Herbie #18 - "Make Way For the Fat Fury..."

It Came From the Long Box...

Last night I pulled out my oldest and most well-read (re: tattered) comics researching for my previous article on The Fantastic Four.  As I thumbed my way through these fragile issues, I was flooded with memories.  Most of the comics I remember reading as a child in the mid-1960s and early 1970s.  One issue in particular stood out, Herbie #18.

Herbie was one of the oddest (and most subversive) comics that I have ever read.  It's about a young, very fat boy, whose father constantly refers to him as a "little fat nothing."  But unknown to his father, Herbie Popnecker is a secret hero, known and well-regarded not just by presidents and prime ministers, but by some of the greatest leaders in human history.  The secret to his heroic identity - the Fat Fury - lies in some very special lollipops.  These lollipops of various flavors and colors transform him into a costumed superhero who could time travel, hypnotize his opponents, fly, become invisible, use magic and do many other stupendous things.

In this issue, #18, Herbie encounters and assists such persons as President Lyndon Johnson, Vice-President Hubert Humphrey, Governor Nelson Rockefeller, President Charles de Gaulle, and Queen Elizabeth II.  Published in June/July of 1966, this issue had two stories, but it's the second story that I want to tell you about.  It's called, "Clear the Road for Skinny."  Herbie's dad is on his back about being so fat, so Herbie calls in a favor from President Johnson to have his father appointed Ambassador to Hongadingia - a land where there has been a civil war between its inhabitants, the Hissians and the Pigturtles.  The Hissians were a snake like people and the Pigturtles were, well, a cross between pigs and turtles.  During his tenure there, Herbie's father is bitten by a Pigturtle and becomes fat and Herbie is bitten by a Hissian and becomes skinny.  By the end of the story, their fates are reversed again.  Herbie's dad, who is known for his quick money schemes, gets a Hissian and Pigturtle to come back to the U.S. with him where he starts a business - for people who was to lose weight, they are bitten by a Hissian, and those who want to put on some weight are bitten by a Pigturtle - all for a fee, of course.

Herbie Figurine

Herbie was a creation of Richard E. Hughes (aka, Shane O'Shea) and Ogden Whitney for the American Comics Group (ACG).  Herbie first appeared in Forbidden Worlds #73 in 1958.  Herbie made several more appearances in ACG's titles until he finally got his own title in 1964.  The comic lasted 23 issues until ACG folded.  The good news is that the Herbie comics have been re-collected by Dark Horse Comics and published in three beautiful hardback editions.  I strongly encourage anyone interested in Herbie to check these out.

Remembering My First Comic

Fantastic Four #19, October 1963

It Came From the Long Box...

Let me begin with a confession... I actually don't remember which comic book that began my odyssey into the world of sequential story-telling.  I suspect it was probably a comic from Dell, Harvey or Gold Key.  From looking at my oldest comics, the time I began reading comics must have been around 1965 or 1966.  As I look through the stack of these earliest relics from my childhood, I notice how worn and well-read they are all.  All but a few are without their covers.  Yellowed and dulled, they nonetheless remind me of a time when I would read this stack over and over again.

But in my search for my oldest comic (a bit like an archaeologist sifting through the ruins to find the earliest civilization), I come across a cover-less, but otherwise intact copy of Fantastic Four #19!  Published in October 1963, it may well be my very first comic - not that I remember reading it in 1963, because at that time, of course, I couldn't read.  My older cousin, George, who helped introduce me to the world of comics must have given this to me sometime later.  But from the shape it's in, it obviously has been read many, many times.  

The story is entitled, "Prisoners of the Pharaoh," this issue was written by none other than Stan "the Man" Lee and his more than able partner, Jack "the King" Kirby, who was the artist.  Talk about finding the Holy Grail, I can't believe that I had this in my collection and had forgot about it.  How could I not remember having and reading such an early issue of The Fantastic Four - THE comic that launched the BIG BANG over at Marvel in 1961?  This was holding history in my very own hands.  From this I deduce that even at a very young age, I had good taste in comic books.  In later years, when Jack Kirby moved to DC Comics, I would become a huge fan of his unique style of drawing.  I longed to be able to draw like him.  I can remember trying to duplicate his art from an issue of Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, but with little success.

Whether this Fantastic Four is indeed my first comic or just one of my early favorites, I cannot tell.  But it's place in my comic collection does remind me of all those wonderful, lost afternoons reading comics just like this one.  It's themes of time travel, special powers, cosmic conflict, battles between good and evil would repeat themselves in comic after comic, year after year, shaping me into an eternal fanboy.