Roy Thomas’ Pug nacious Com ics Fan zine JOJOEE GGIIEELL LALA THE FELLA WHO INKED DC’S SILVER AGE! (AND SOME GOLDEN AGE , TOO!) $6.95 In the USA No. 52 September 2005 ALSO: JAY SCOTT PIKE & MARTIN THALL ] . s c i m o C C D 5 0 0 2 © & M T s r e t c a r a h C ; a l l e PPLLUUSS:: i G e o J 5 0 0 2 © t r A [ Vol. 3, No. 52 / September 2005 ™ Editor Roy Thomas Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash Design & Layout Christopher Day Consulting Editor John Morrow FCA Editor P.C. Hamerlinck Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert Editors Emeritus Jerry Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White, Mike Friedrich Production Assistant Eric Nolen-Weathington Cover Artist Joe Giella Contents Cover Colorist Tom Ziuko Writer/Editorial: “For He’s A Jolly Good Giella…” . 2 And Special Thanks to: “Joe Giella Is Like Fine Wine—He Gets Better With Age!” . 3 Heidi Amash Thomas C. The man who inked DC’s Silver Age, and lots more besides—interviewed by Jim Amash. Michael Ambrose Lammers Ger Apeldoorn Mark Luebker Bob Bailey Boyd Magers “Comic Artists Could Draw Better Than Anybody in the World!” . 33 Mike W. Barr Dan Makara 1950s-70s artist Jay Scott Pike speaks with Jim A. about his years at Marvel & DC. Tom Batiuk Bob Maison Alberto Becattini Joe Marek “I Was All Over The Place, And Enjoying Every Minute Of It!” . 46 Philippe Benoist Sheldon Moldoff Martin Thall tells Mr. A. all about drawing comics in the 1940s and ’50s. Bill Black Matt Moring Dominic Bongo Frank Motler Ray Bottorff, Jr. Mark Muller Comic Crypt: Remembering Will – Part Three . 57 Steve Brumbaugh Jose Carlos Neves Michael T. Gilbert’s long association with Will Eisner—and The Spirit. Jerry K. Boyd Jerry Ordway Bob Cherry Jake Oster Shaun Clancy John G. Pierce “Do The Best Damn Work Possible” . 63 James Clink Jay Scott Pike Alex Toth defines the ever-shifting goals of 1940s comic book artists. Dwight Decker Donald A. Rex Gerry Desrosiers Emir Ribeiro Mark Evanier Ethan Roberts ATalk With Writer, Educator, &Comics Fanatic Glen Johnson: Part Two . 65 Al Dellinges Herb Rogoff A prominent 1960s comics fan talks to Bill Schelly about Russ Manning and more. Roger Dicken Steven Rowe & Wendy Hunt Luiz Antonio re: [comments, correspondence, & corrections] . 71 Michael Feldman Sampaio Shane Foley Mark Shainblum Carl Gafford Robin Snyder In Memoriam: Al Kurzrok & Paul Cassidy . 78 John Gentil Joe Staton Frank Giella Marc Swayze Joe Giella Martin Thall FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America ) #110 . 81 Janet Gilbert Greg Theakston P.C. Hamerlinck presents Marc Swayze, some Fawcett-to-Charlton footnotes, and a Brazilian Matt Gore Dann Thomas encounter between Captain Marvel & The Human Torch! Ron Goulart Alex Toth Arnie Grieves Jim Vadeboncoeur, About Our Cover: Jumpin’ Joe Giella drew this brand new cover especially for this issue of George Hagenauer Jr. Alter Ego , spotlighting the three DC super-heroes with which he’s most closely identified, and a Jennifer Dr. Michael J. trio of their most dastardly enemies. For the full story behind this knockout illo, see p. 19—and Hamerlinck Vassallo to learn who christened him “Jumpin’ Joe Giella,” turn to p. 28. Three guesses, and the first two Paul Handler Delmo Walters, Jr. Mark Heike Hames Ware don’t count! [Art ©2005 Joe Giella; characters TM & ©2005 DC Comics.] Dave Herring Robert Wiener Above: And thanks to Joe yet again, for sending us this splendid illo of the hero he says he most Jonathan Ingersoll Tom Wimbish enjoyed drawing (or even just inking). [Art ©2005 Joe Giella; Batman TM & ©2005 DC Comics.] Glen Johnson Jackie Wolf- Henry R. Kajawa Enrione Alter Ego TM is published monthly by TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Sam Kujava Rodrigo M. Zeidan Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: 32 Bluebird Trail, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: [email protected]. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Single issues: $8 ($10 Canada, $11.00 elsewhere). Twelve-issue subscriptions: $60 US, $120 Canada, $132 elsewhere. All characters are © their This issue is dedicated to the memories of respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in Canada. Paul Cassidy & Al Kurzrok FIRST PRINTING. 2 writer /editorial “For He’s A Jolly Good Giella...” ctually, despite the irresistible pun above (well, irresistible to intrigued us. Besides which, there was that offbeat “Dolphin” one-shot A me , anyway), this issue is a triple-decker in terms of interviews, he wrote and drew for DC in the late 1960s, whose circumstances are A covering a wide spectrum of comics from the 1940s through at related herein. least the 1970s. And Martin Thall spent most of his decade in the comics field When Jim Amash and I confer by phone about all the material that’s working for just about everybody except DC, and likewise has some stacking up in our drawers and PC files for Alter Ego —a considerable great yarns to spin. portion of which, of course, consists of the great interviews he does with comic book artisans of the Golden and Silver Ages—we occasionally get So settle back and enjoy a well-rounded issue. DC—Timely/Marvel— just this side of depressed when we think about how long some of it has Classics Illustrated —Hillman—ACG—Lev Gleason—MikeRoss—even sat on the cyberspace shelf, awaiting a berth in an actual issue of the Fawcett (and not just in the always-fascinating FCA section, either)— mag. you’ll learn something about all those four-color dream factories, and the artists and writers and editors who kept them humming. Recently we decided that, this month, along with an already- scheduled long interview with inking legend Joe Giella, we’d see if we All that—plus Bill Schelly talking to 1960s comics fan Glen Johnson could squeeze in a couple of shorter confabs, as well. Since so much of about Russ Manning, Pete Morisi, et al.—Michael T. Gilbert’s visit with Joe’s career is bound up with DC Comics, from the Golden Age Will Eisner—and letters from talents as diverse as Alex Toth and Shelly through the Silver and Bronze (whatever precisely that is), despite his (“Hawkman”) Moldoff—should make this issue of A/E worth any earlier and later work for Marvel, we wanted to complement his comic fan’s money. interview with a pair of shorter ones, featuring folks more identified Okay, so maybe we had to start asking you for $1 more of it per with other companies and characters. issue… but we’re determined to earn it! And the subscription price Jay Scott Pike certainly fit the bill—for, even though he became a hasn’t gone up a penny! mainstay of DC’s romance department in the 1960s, his well-crafted Bestest, work for Timely/Marvel’s adventure titles in the 1950s particularly CCOOMMIINNGG IINN OOCCTTOOBBEERR #53 DRACULA! FRANKENSTEIN! MIKE ESPOSITO! It’s Our HELLZAPOPPIN’ HALLOWEEN ISSUE! • Direful all-new DICK GIORDANO Dracula cover! • Three Decades of Dracula—and Counting! Artist DICK GIORDANO , writer ROY THOMAS , & editor MARK BEAZLEY rap about the 1974-2005 dark genesis of Marvel’s undead Halloween hit Stoker’s Dracula ! With behind-the-scenes stories and art! • DICK BRIEFER ’s funny Frankenstein of the 1950s! A never-before-seen completely- illustrated story from that awesome artist’s proposed newspaper strip! • Our Gallery of Gruesomeness! A hunk of Halloween comic art by GENE COLAN, BERNIE WRIGHTSON, MIKE MIGNOLA, FRANK BRUNNER, STEVE BISSETTE, MICHAEL W. KALUTA, RUSS HEATH, JOE MANEELY, BILL EVERETT, STEVE DITKO, ERNIE SCHROEDER, ESTEBAN MAROTO, ALFREDO ALCALA, and others! • Fabled Golden/Silver Age inker MIKE ESPOSITO on his 1940s-50s work with peerless partner ROSS ANDRU on Mr. Mystery, Mr. Universe, Get Lost, Up Your Nose, etc.— with more amazing anecdotes than you can shake a Styx at—in the first part of a 2-tier interview by JIM AMASH ! • Plus— FCA with MARC SWAYZE, JERRY DeFUCCIO, et al.— BILL SCHELLY on “1966— the Year of the Three Comicons!”— MICHAEL T. GILBERT ’s Comic Crypt on Little Lulu (pretty scary, huh, kids?) —& MORE!! [Art ©2005 Dick Giordano; Marvel Dracula TM & ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.] Edited by ROY THOMAS SUBSCRIBE NOW! Twelve Issues in the US: $60 Standard, $96 First Class (Canada: $120, Elsewhere: $132 Surface, $180 Airmail). NOTE: IF YOU PREFER A SIX-ISSUE SUB, JUST CUT THE PRICE IN HALF! TwoMorrows. Bringing New Life To Comics Fandom. TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.twomorrows.com 3 “JOE GIELLA Is Like Fine Win e ––He Gets Better With Age!” The Man Who Inked DC’s Silver Age—& Part Of The Golden Age, To Boot! Interview Conducted by Jim Amash Transcribed by Tom Wimbish his year marks Joe Giella’s 60th in the comic book industry— TT and we want to offer our congratulations to him (and to the industry) right up front! Joe was one of the most important inkers of DC Comics’ Silver Age. Joe’s slick, clean line graced the graphite etchings of many great pencilers, from Alex Toth to Carmine Infantino, Mike Sekowsky, Gil Kane, and beyond. Luckily for us, Joe tells us about the people he inked as well as what their pencil work was like—and the editors he worked for.