Munity, Has an Annual Halloween Parade
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Halloween Heroes — The Rutland Parade — hite River Junction, a town that civic duty. The second Rutland Halloween for themselves, and by 1968, notable DC Wtakes pride in its vibrant artistic com- Parade featured a Batman float, with the writers such as Marv Wolfman, Len Wein, munity, has an annual Halloween Parade Caped Crusader himself (Fagan, incognito) and Mark Hanerfield made the trek sporting human-sized butterfly puppets as parade marshall. Fagan wrote letters to Rutland. swooping above the crowd, a glorious, to Detective Comics, the publisher of Batman In 1970, the bridge between comics flame-belching Fire Organ, and a proces- and other titles starring heroes, such as culture and comics mythology was crossed sion of costumed revelers wending their way Superman, informing readers that Batman when the Rutland Parade was written into through the town center. With over two was now the leader of the Rutland Parade. the Marvel Universe. Roy Thomas (then dozen art studios nestled into the downtown A tradition was established. working for Marvel), was so taken by the this is not your Grandma’s holiday craft Fagan’s love of comics infused the parade parade and its energy that he set Avengers crowd. With the addition of The Center for with an energy that kept Rutland engaged #83, “The Lady Liberators,” in Rutland Cartoon Studies in 2005, a yearly influx of year after year. In that time before spe- during the event. Thomas also drew himself, cartoonists added yet another element of cre- cialized comic book stores and only a very Fagan, and Fagan’s wife Jeanie into the ativity to the town and to the parade. few, small comics conventions, there were book, marking the first of many cameos of As the school gains national and interna- few opportunities for comics fans to cel- real people to be made by Marvel and DC tional notice for its growing contribution to ebrate their interest. With Tom Fagan at staff in subsequent Rutland stories. The the comics field, the town can boast a unique the helm, the Rutland Halloween Parade parade even inspired the first inter-company place in the art world. White River Junction grew from a simple town event to a celebra- crossover in 1973, when Steve Engleheart, is one funky little Vermont town made tion of comics fandom so great it spread not Gerry Conway, and Len Wein teamed up famous by comics. But we have to remember only to fans and to professional writers and to write a three-part story featuring them- that an hour to the west, the slightly larger artists of comics, but even to the content selves, Tom Fagan, and heroes and villains town of Rutland has a venerable connection of the comics themselves. In 1965, Fagan from both the Marvel and DC universes. to comics and Halloween that has exercised attended a convention in New York city Between 1970 and the present, the Rutland some of the most creative and influential hosted by Dave Kaler, fan-turned-writer for Halloween parade was featured in no fewer talents in the comics industry. Charlton Comics. Fagan invited Dave and than fifteen separate issues of multiple titles In 1959, Rutland held its first Halloween another Charlton writer, Roy Thomas, to by Marvel, DC, and WaRP Graphics. Parade, consisting largely of the high school the Rutland Parade. By that time, the single The most recent appearance was in 1997, marching band and one kid in a Casper the Batman float had grown into a cavalcade of in DC’s Superboy and the Ravers #16. Friendly Ghost costume. So how did this more and more comics characters, saluting Although Tom Fagan had retired from quaint bit of rural revelry become one of the the crowds and returning their cheers. his post as parade chairman by the mid- largest and most beloved Halloween events The post-parade party for the vol- 2000s, he continued to attend as a special in the country? How did it garner the noto- unteers added to the event’s appeal and guest and costume judge until his death in riety to inspire DC and Marvel Comics to quickly became legendary. Housed first in 2008, just a few weeks shy of Halloween. set superhero stories in its midst? Ask around an old Victorian home on Pine Street, and Though Fagan is gone, the spirit of the and the locals will tell you about Tom Fagan. later moved to the old Governor’s Mansion parade remains true to his original vision. Rutland local Tom Fagan saw the inau- known as the Clement House, the party was The parade celebrated its 50th anniversary gural parade and thought, “Not bad, but I Fagan’s “thank you” to all those who volun- in 2009, and will continue to bring comics think it could be better.” Recreation Chief teered their time and energy to the parade. fans together for years to come. Commissioner John Cioffredi took him at By the end of the 1960s, some 200 to 300 The Center for Cartoon Studies is proud his word and appointed him general chair- people flocked to the mansion each year. As to present this exhibit about Rutland’s man of the event for 1960. Fagan, an enthu- Fagan attended more comics conventions Halloween Heroes, their parade, and their siastic follower of DC’s Batman comics, chose he found the parade had started to build a comics. Two small Vermont towns, not the all-encompassing theme of “Creatures reputation among cartoonists, some of whom far apart, play unlikely roles in that most of the Night,” and set to work knitting his remembered his letters in Detective Comics. American of art forms, the comic book. passion for comics into his newly-acquired Fagan would invite them to see the parade —Betsey Swardlick, CCS ‘11 The Center for Cartoon Studies White River Junction, Vermont — www.cartoonstudies.org —.