ALEX TOTH $6.95 in the USA INDUSTRY TRIBUTES NEVER-SEEN INTERVIEW No
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Roy Tho mas ’ To th & Nail Comics Fan zine REMEMBERING COMICS LEGEND ALEX TOTH $6.95 In the USA INDUSTRY TRIBUTES NEVER-SEEN INTERVIEW No. 63 December UNSEEN ART 2006 2 1 5 3 6 PLUS: 7 7 2 8 5 6 2 8 1 All characters TM & ©2007 DC Comics. Vol. 3, No. 63 / December 2006 ™ Editor Roy Thomas Associate Editors ALEX TOTH Bill Schelly Jim Amash TRIBUTE TO A TITAN Design & Layout Christopher Day Consulting Editor Contents John Morrow Writer/Editorial: Who Cares? Toth Did! . 2 FCA Editor Alex Toth: Edge of Genius . 4 P.C. Hamerlinck Greg Theakston examines the first few years of the master’s career—plus A/E ’s Toth Checklist. Comic Crypt Editor “Let The Imagination Of The Audience Do the Rest” . 15 Michael T. Gilbert A 1978 interview with Toth on media violence, conducted by Michael Vance. Editors Emeritus Jerry Bails (founder) “Alex Toth Had It All !”. 20 Golden/Silver Age great Joe Kubert talks to Jim Amash about his fellow legend. Ronn Foss, Biljo White, Mike Friedrich “This Guy Was A Driven Artist” . 25 Production Assistant Phantom and DC artist Sy Barry on—what else?—Alex Toth. Chris Irving “Alex Was Into Everything ”. 29 Circulation Director “Batman” artist Lew Sayre Schwartz has his own say about the terrific Mr. Toth. Bob Brodsky, Seastone Marketing Group “Photographic Memory Plus” . 31 Cover Artist Artist and producer Jack Mendelsohn discusses Alex and TV animation. Alex Toth “He Was A True Genius In His Field” . 35 Cover Colorist Cartoonist/animator Sparky Moore relates his own close encounters with Toth. Tom Ziuko “It Was Worth The Journey” . 41 With Special Thanks to: Jim Amash remembers his boisterous friendship with Alex Toth. Michael Allred Bill & Sue-On Hillman Heidi Amash Joe Kubert 1941 And All That . 47 Michael Auad Steve Leialoha Terry Austin Zorikh Lequidre John Workman tells why Toth didn’t draw the graphic novel of Stephen Spielberg’s 1979 film. Bob Bailey Dan Makara Tim Barnes Esteban Maroto “A.T.T.A. Boy Productions, Inc.” . 51 Mike W. Barr Jack & Carole Inker Terry Austin on Toth at DC & Marvel in the 1980s. Jack & Carole Bender Mendelsohn Dave & Jill Bennett Clifford Meth TOT Htimonials . 57 Luca Biagini Steve Mitchell Bill Black Sheldon Moldoff By Irwin Hasen, Manuel Auad, Will Murray, Michael Allred, Tony Tallarico, et al. Dominic Bongo Sparky Moore Ray Bottorff, Jr. Joe & Gillian Moores A Colorful Christmas 2006—In Glorious Black-&-White . 67 Frank Brunner Carrie Morash Another year’s worth of holiday hellos sent by comics pros & fans alike. Brett Canavan Brian K. Morris Peter Carlsson Will Murray Comic Crypt: Russ Manning – The Lost Works! . 73 R. Dewey Cassell Mart Nodell Bob Cherry Jerry Ordway Michael T. Gilbert showcases the Tarzan /Magnus artist’s John Carter of Mars project. David Cook Dana Palmer Ray A. Cuthbert John G. Pierce FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America ) #122 . 79 Teresa R. Davidson Paul Power P.C. Hamerlinck presents Marc Swayze, “Freddy Freeman’s Christmas”—& a salute to Alex Toth. Craig Delich Rubén Procopio Al Dellinges Al Rio About Our Cover: No single drawing could possibly fully encompass the colorful career of Shel Dorf Sammy Salfity Alex Toth —but Ye Editor was determined that, because Alter Ego is a magazine devoted Creig Flessel Eric Schumacher primarily to super-hero comics and their creators, this issue’s cover should spotlight the Shane Foley Lew Sayre Schwartz Golden Age Green Lantern, whom Toth drew incomparably in 1947-48. In the end, at the Ron Frantz Robin Snyder suggestion of publisher John Morrow, we opted for (most of) a 1981 illustration that depicts Stephan Friedt Marc Swayze Bill Fugate Tony Tallarico GL with other heroes of the fabled Justice Society of America, whose group adventures Alex Jeff Gelb Greg Theakston likewise chronicled under DC/AA editor Sheldon Mayer. For what this stalwart septet are Joe Giella Dann Thomas looking at, see p. 37 . [JSA heroes TM & ©2006 DC Comics.] Janet Gilbert Damon Toth Above: For the past several decades, the artist’s handwritten letters to correspondents have Walt Grogan Eric Toth Jennifer Hamerlinck Michael Uslan been laced with art studies of people and things. A/E has printed a number of these multi - David Hamilton Michael Vance tudinous montages over the past few years… so what better way to introduce this special issue Bill Harper John Workman dedicated to the life and times of the terrifically talented Alex Toth ? Irwin Hasen Alex Wright Alter Ego TM is published monthly by TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Roy Heritage Comics 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: $9 ($11.00 This issue is dedicated to the memory of outside the US). Twelve-issue subscriptions:$72 US, $132 Canada, $144 elsewhere. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. Alex Toth FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in Canada. ISSN: 1932-6890 FIRST PRINTING. 2 write r/editorial Who Cares? Toth Did! y relationship with Alex Toth was a backward thing, account, at least in terms of the raw facts, if not interpretation. compared to most. It began stormily, but improved. And MM Nor did he ever complain about the art (his own and others’) that I I’m very thankful for the memory of it. printed with his letters and essays. I explained I was doing the best I Since 1947-48, Toth has been one of my favorite comics artists, could to illustrate his points. By and large, his personal remarks to me based primarily on a handful of Golden Age “Green Lantern” and were scribbled in the margins of my own letters which he sent back to “Justice Society of America” stories—and to a lesser extent on his me… and on the envelopes which contained them. Not wishing to use “Johnny Thunder” in All-American Western . Work he himself the same “Before I Forget” heading for his column that CBA had, I eventually disowned, and had moved beyond by the 1960s. His later art utilized a pair of word balloons in one illustration he sent as a title intrigued me, even if he’d journeyed from romantic lyricism into instead: “Who Cares? I Do!” He seemed to enjoy the exposure in A/E ; almost pure graphics. Opening a comic book containing a Toth story, I he wrote a note on one envelope to “keep those $50s coming in.” I always knew at once I was in the presence of a true master of story - tried my best, using his essays and art in most issues. telling and design. But I don’t mind confessing—my heart still belongs to his “Green Lantern.” A year or so ago, Jim Amash (once a friend and familiar of Alex’s) and I toyed with the idea of interviewing him for Alter Ego . When I I’ve related before the story of our sole in-person encounter: While I asked Toth about the possibility, he wrote back that it would depend was casting about for backup stories for The Avengers during that on the questions asked. Jim and I were encouraged… but not long brief time in 1971 when all Marvel comics leaped from 32 to 48 interior afterward I received a postcard from Alex giving a new address—which pages, Stan Lee informed me that Alex Toth, who lived in L.A., had I instantly suspected of being a managed care facility. He scribbled on written him concerning work, and Stan wondered if I had anything I the card that this would be “probably my last address.” Unfortunately, could send him. He added that Toth had said he was only too prescient. I wrote him back he’d like to be a “creative part” of the process. I wishing him well, but never received a reply. quickly typed up what I called “Notes toward a Plot” for a “Black Panther” story of 8 or so Well, in one sense I did : in February of this pages, a racially-charged episode set in year, I received an envelope stuffed with two “Rudyarda,” a stand-in for apartheid South handwritten essays, totaling several sheets. Alex ] had run across them and felt I might be able to Africa. Therein, I explained the kind of tale I . h t o use them. The envelope was emblazoned with wanted to do, and various potential elements of T x his trademark duck (Why a duck? you’d have to e the plot… and I invited Alex to run with it. l A f ask Chico Marx) and a note. I put them with o e A week later, Stan and I received a t other Toth materials I intended to use—and still a t handwritten diatribe from Toth that began: “IS s do, in a future issue, unless Alex’s heirs have E 6 THIS YOUR CORPORATE IDEA OF A 0 other plans for them. (Incidentally, my thanks to 0 2 PLOT?” He then proceeded to lambast the © the four Toth children—Eric Toth, Damon [ “story” because it rambled, lacked structure, Toth, Carrie Morash, and Dana Palmer—for etc.—ignoring the fact that I’d specifically stated that it wasn’t a full their gracious cooperation with this special issue. And check out the plot. I wrote back that I’d been told he wished to be a “creative part” official Alex Toth website at: www.tothfans.com .) of the team, not just the artist… but that I’d gladly send him a complete synopsis—if he’d assure me he would follow it.