sign in sign up
<<
Home , Bill Schelly, Black Owl, Captain Battle, DC Comics, Eando Binder, Grand Comics Database

Roy Thomas’OTTO-matic & $9.95 In the USA No.147 July 2017

Proudly Presenting: The Wondrous Writings Of GOLDEN & SILVER AGE GREAT - Starring – CAPTAIN MARVEL DOLL MAN THE BLACK & A Zillion Others! 1 8 2 6 5 8 0 0 0 9

4 TM & © DC Comics; other new art © Estate of C.C. Beck. 3 Vol. 3, No. 147 / September 2017 Editor Associate Editors Jim Amash Design & Layout Christopher Day Consulting Editor John Morrow FCA Editor P.C. Hamerlinck J.T. Go (Assoc. Editor) Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert Editorial Honor Roll Jerry G. Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White Proofreaders Rob Smentek William J. Dowlding Cover Artist C.C. Beck (probably) Cover Tom Ziuko With Special Thanks to: Heidi Amash Mark Lewis Ger Apeldoorn Art Lortie Dave Armstrong Jim Ludwig Bob Bailey Doug Martin Jean Bails Will Meugniot Shaun Clancy Mark Muller Plus Warren Reece (website) Eric Schumacher Contents Al Dellinges Marc Svensson Shane Foley Writer/Editorial: On Otto-matic ! ...... 2 Stepahn Friedt Tony Thomas Binder’s List ...... 3 Janet Gilbert Steven Thompson Anthony Tollin P.C. Hamerlinck (& the FCA), Bill Schelly, & Roy Thomas visually annotate Grand Comics Otto Binder’s mid-’60s record of his many comic book scripts written from 1939-1965. Database Dr. Michael J. Vassallo (website) Yocitrus Mr . Monster’s Comic Crypt!: It’s An Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World! . . .91 Jim Kealy Mike Zachary Michael T. Gilbert’s tour of some of the strangest comic book ads of all time! Sean Kleefeld On Our Cover: Collector Mike Zachary sent this drawing of the original Captain Marvel and America’s This issue is dedicated to the memory of to P.C. Hamerlinck, who suggested it be used as the central image of this issue’s cover. The illo was probably done, back in the wartime 1940s, by none other than Charles Clarence Beck, the talented Otto Binder cartoonist who was the artistic co-creator of the World’s Mightiest Mortal. We can’t be 100% sure—but it certainly matches his style, and doesn’t seem to have been done by his colleagues or Marc If you’re viewing a Digital Swayze. P.C. and his FCA cover coordinator Mark Lewis framed the two figures amid various pieces of Edition of this publication, classic Fawcett art by Beck, , , & . [This art spot & PLEASE READ THIS: next: Shazam heroes art TM & © DC Comics; other art © the respective copyright holders.] This is copyrighted material, NOT intended Above: Look familiar? Yep, it’s the very same Captain Marvel/Uncle Sam illustration used on our for downloading anywhere except our website or Apps. If you downloaded it from cover—minus Tom Ziuko’s cavortin’ coloring! We wanted you to see it in black-&-white as well as color, another website or torrent, go ahead and and the head of this contents page seemed as good a place as any! We’ve wondered if perhaps it was done read it, and if you decide to keep it, DO THE RIGHT THING and buy a legal down- as possible cover art for Captain #28 (Oct. 1943), which is also on display above, load, or a printed copy. Otherwise, DELETE but then Fawcett had Beck draw a different angle for Cap and his Uncle instead. No way to know…! IT FROM YOUR DEVICE and DO NOT SHARE IT WITH FRIENDS OR POST IT ANYWHERE. If you enjoy our publications Alter EgoTM is published 6 times a year by TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. enough to download them, please pay for Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: 32 Trail, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. them so we can keep producing ones like Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: [email protected]. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. this. Our digital editions should ONLY be Six-issue subscriptions: $65 US, $102 Elsewhere, $29 Digital Only. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © downloaded within our Apps and at their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM www.twomorrows.com of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in China. ISSN: 1932-6890. FIRST PRINTING. 2 writer/editorial On OTTO-Matic Pilot! eah, that’s what I thought this issue was gonna be, all right. Ludwig, Doug Martin, Jim Kealy, Art Lortie, Stephan Friedt, Mark Y Otto-matic = automatic. A snap! Muller, Dr. Michael J. Vassallo, Anthony Tollin, and several others who provided an odd scan or two. You can see my indebtedness I mean, after all, Bill Schelly had turned over to P.C. to them—and to the online Comic Book Plus site—on many of the Hamerlinck and me scans of all 70-plus pages of the list that Golden pages in of this issue. and Silver Age writer Otto Binder had compiled in the mid-1960s (see Bill’s intro on next page)—and P.C. would supply most of the So what I’m saying is, this issue of A/E turned out to be quite a Fawcett illustrations for the sprawling FCA segment that would bit more work than I expected. But hey, nobody ever held a gun to make up more than half of the coverage. And I had enlisted long- my head and said, “You will spend an inordinate amount of time in suffering A/E contributor Bob Bailey to send me scans from a your later years putting out a heavily illustrated magazine about goodly number of the Superman-related and science-fictional yarns the Golden and Silver Ages of Comic Books!” that made up much of Binder’s post-Fawcett career at DC Comics. Bill, P.C., and I had agreed that Otto’s list should be published. All I’d have to do was track down art to spotlight Otto’s Otto was not only one of the greatest and most prolific writers of pre-Fawcett stories, edit P.C.’s drafts of captions and write my the original Captain Marvel… and a major contributor to the “Mort own—stick in a few ads and “Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt” (no Weisinger Mythos” of the 1950s-60s “Superman” comics line… he room for a letters section this time)—and voila! This very different was also one of nature’s nicest people, a gentle soul who, from the issue of Alter Ego would be ready to be sent to press! moment he discovered comics fans (like Dick and Pat Lupoff) in the early 1960s through those of us he befriended a couple of years later Yeah, right. (, Bill Spicer, and myself in particular), was unstinting of Turns out that, though P.C. did indeed send loads of Fawcett his aid and encouragement. scans, he hadn’t had a chance to coordinate them with the Binder In addition, his exhaustive mid-’60s list of his stories was one of pages, so there might be three art spots that should go on one the things that helped jumpstart the Who’s Who of American Comic particular page (where we just had room for two) and only one for Books and today’s . If not for pros like Otto another page (which also needed two). Besides, during the early helping the above Silver Age fans and others, we wouldn’t have the part of Otto’s tenure at Fawcett, he was also writing for Timely, plentiful digitized data that is now at the beck and call of anybody Anglo-American, and other companies, and we needed to with a PC and a typing finger. art from those, as well—yes, even in the FCA section—so it was down to me to come up with it. You were one of the special ones, Otto—and that’s why this issue is dedicated to you, the third patron saint of Alter Ego (along with Which meant that I was, as always, dependent on the kindness and Gardner )! Even above and beyond the of—well, not of strangers, but of correspondents and collectors, a stupendous stories you wrote, we wanted to honor Otto Binder— number of whom came through for A/E… especially Warren Reece the man! (who else owns copies of most of the really early and would photocopy those precious, fragile pages for me?), Jim Bestest, COMING IN AUGUST #148 The LAST—& GREATEST— Golden & Silver Age Comics Convention Ever! • Dynamic cover featuring art by , , & ! • Panels, patter, & pictures from JOE PETRILAK’s ALL TIME CLASSIC NEW YORK , held in White Plains, NY, in 2000—featuring 60th-Anniversary Celebrations of The & & the talents of KUBERT • INFANTINO • SCHWARTZ (JULIE, ALVIN, & LEW SAYRE) • MOLDOFF • NODELL • HASEN • LAMPERT • BUSCEMA • GILL • DRAKE • GREEN • AYERS • SEVERIN • CUIDERA Art TM & © DC Comics NOVICK • BOLLE • FOX • FLESSEL • GOULART • THOMAS, et al.! • Bonus! A spectacular 4-page spread of RUSS RAINBOLT’s magnificent 60-foot mural, done for that con, showcasing the greatest heroes of the Golden & Silver Ages! • Plus—P.C. HAMERLINCK’s FCA [Fawcett Collectors of America]—MICHAEL T. GILBERT EACH ISSUE NOW & MR. MONSTER on Peter Cannon – Thunderbolt creator PETE MORISI—BILL SCHELLY 100 PAGES! with SF/comics aficionado [Part 2]­—& MORE!! Subscribe! Six 100-page issues: $65 Economy US, $83 Expedited US, TwoMorrows. $102 International, $29 Digital Only Phone: 919-449-0344 The Future of Comics History. E-mail: [email protected] TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA : twomorrows.com BINDER’s List Comic Archive 3 an introduction OTTO BINDER’s Big Look Back An Introduction by Bill Schelly n 1960, just when Otto Binder thought he had left his comic I book writing career behind, he came into contact with his first comic book fans. “It just never occurred to me that there could be such a thing Otto Oscar Binder as comics fans,” he told Tom Fagan, J. Randolph Cox, and Frank at the 1965 New York comics convention, with Miller, when they visited him in 1973. “I knew there were science- dealers Carole and as Mary and fiction fans and movie fans and such, but—I just assumed people Captain Marvel. Photo taken by Dave Armstrong. read [the comics], enjoyed them for what they were, and threw them away. I was astounded when Dick Lupoff called me up and do know that Jerry’s interest in fanzine-publishing itself waned invited me to a meeting of comics fans at his house. They all knew in 1962, because he passed the editorship of Alter-Ego to popular Captain Marvel backwards and forwards.” -artist Ronn Foss after A/E #4 appeared in the fall of that year. Bails’ goal of accumulating creator credits had risen to the level of Backwards and forwards? Not quite, although there was one fan obsession, and it soon became the centerpiece of his fan activity. who did aspire to that kind of thoroughness. Enter: Jerry G. Bails. This led eventually to the creation of his Who’s Who in American Comic Books, co-edited by Hames Ware. Jerry read Dick Lupoff’s All in Color for a Dime entry titled “The Big Cheese” in Xero #1 in February of 1961, just as he was At some point early on, Otto Binder informed Bails that he had planning to launch a comics fanzine called Alter-Ego with help written not only many of the stories of the various members of from his correspondent Roy Thomas. The Lupoff science-fiction The Marvel Family and those of other characters at Fawcett, but (and pop culture) fanzine was loaned to him by DC editor Julius had also done a great deal of writing for other publishers, notably Schwartz during or shortly after Bails’ visit to in Timely, National (DC), EC, and numerous smaller houses. Hence, February of that year. it’s no surprise that Bails asked Binder if he had records of those writing credits. Obtaining such information from one as prolific as One can readily imagine Jerry Bails finishing “The Big Red Binder would be an invaluable influx of information for his files. Cheese” and immediately wondering if there was any way to determine how many “Captain Marvel” stories had actually been written by “.” The fact that Otto, not “Eando,” wrote the “Captain Marvel” stories was revealed by Lupoff in Xero #3, which Schwartz had also loaned Bails. Otto had used the “Eando” pseudonym for his science-fiction writing, although his writing partnership with his brother Earl—thus, “E-and-O”—had ended in 1936. It wasn’t long before Jerry, a natural-born data collector, wanted to know who had written and drawn all the comic books from the comics era that Lupoff soon suggested should be deemed a “Golden Age.” Bails wanted to honor those creators, but one needed to identify them first. In Otto Binder, Jerry was presented with a man who was (though neither realized it at the time) likely the most prolific comic book scribe of the 1940s. Bails wasn’t one to let the grass grow under his figurative feet, so it’s safe to assume that he quickly obtained Binder’s address from Lupoff (or Schwartz) and wrote to Otto by late 1961 or early 1962. We Two Who Made A Start Otto Binder and Jerry Bails, over the course of their mid-1960s Dr. Jerry G. Bails correspondence, started the ball rolling for the amassing of The science college prof and #1 comic-book-related data, which would culminate in the 4-volume comics fan of the 1960s—a pic taken 1970s print edition of Who’s Who of American Comic Books and in during the Alley [Awards] Tally held its current online counterpart (see ad on p. 89). Here is part of the at his -area home in 1964. Oct. 18, 1964, letter from Binder to Bails quoted in the main text of Photo courtesy of Jean Bails. this introduction. Thanks to Bill Schelly. 4 Comic Fandom Archive

Binder had kept track of his assignments, especially during the 1940s, in what he called his “sales records.” This allowed him to confirm that he was paid for each story. But those records were far from complete. Also, some tales he As can be seen by the wrote had different titles in his changes in the way he formatted the pages, they were produced in records from those used in the The Men & printed comic books, since editors The Manuscript several spates of activity, as time often changed them. Fortunately, allowed. Ultimately, the list came to The 70-plus sheets of 71 pages, plus 3 pages of addenda. Bails Binder had also kept copies of many Binder’s list are juxtaposed carefully preserved the list until I told him of the comic books that contained his with a photo of Bill Schelly work and thus could fill in some of the gaps by going (on left) and DC editor in 2001 of my intention to write a biography of Otto through them, issue by issue, and writing down the (and OOB friend) Julius Binder. At that point, he donated them to my Comic names of the stories that he remembered writing. Schwartz, circa 1997. Fandom Archive, along with his correspondence with Therefore, he told Bails that he would take on the Thanks to Bill for both. Binder and numerous other items. Since then, I’ve task. made copies of the pages for two or three fans. Otto Binder created the list (seen in this issue) mostly between I’m pleased that Otto Binder’s writing-credits list is now being 1963 and 1966. In a letter to Jerry in October 1964, he wrote: shared with the entire readership of Alter Ego. It’s a fascinating document, and one that answers a lot of questions. It also creates I would judge that some of the stories just never will get questions, for those who attempt to it up against the actual traced down by myself, due to hard-to-get old issues or comic books, and in other ways. ambiguous entries among my records. However, I would estimate that my DC listings are at least 95% accurate and However you approach it, I’m confident you’ll find lots of full, possibly 98%. (My forthcoming Fawcett listings will also jumping-off points for investigations, discussion, and further data- be that accurate, but all else will be woefully full of blank gathering. Have fun, comics fans! holes as I was not terribly interested in them as compared to [Captain] Marvel & Co., and National [DC], which always Bill Schelly is, along with handling the Comic Fandom - received my best scripting.) Archive in Alter Ego, the author of masterful biogra phies of comics geniuses Otto Binder, Joe Kubert, , and John Stanley. BINDER’s List 5 The Early part ONE Comics Years Of EANDO BINDER by Roy Thomas

n January 9, 1965, Otto Binder—who by then had compiled I some, but perhaps not all, of his 1939-1965 listings—sent Jerry Bails the 3-page overview printed on this page and the next two. It gave a quick bird’s-eye look at his comics career, so we felt it was worth printing up front…

Otto, 1938 Not long before he wrote his first comic book . Thanks to Bill Schelly.

Mostly In Black-&-White For A Dime C.C. Beck (with help from staff artists, including Marc Swayze, to meet an impending ) provided the artwork for Otto’s first-ever “Captain Marvel” writing assignment, circa August of 1941—for the Captain Marvel Dime Action Book, a same-format rival of the Big Little Books that featured art and text on facing pages. (See at right a rare glimpse of interior pages, as well as Beck’s cover.) The , incidentally, was “returning” from that year’s Republic movie serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel. Thanks to P.C. Hamerlinck. [Shazam hero & Billy Batson TM & © DC Comics.] 8 Binder’s List—Part One OOB’s Earliest Comics Scripts ince Binder at first freelanced for a number S of different companies, FCA editor P.C. Hamerlinck and Ye A/E Editor agreed that the latter would cover many of OOB’s early features and forays, before P.C. begins the Fawcett Collectors of America section proper. We’ve reprinted all the 70+ pages of the list except a handful of redundant ones....

“Dan Hastings” was reported by Binder as the first comic book story he ever scripted, though it was not done for “Chesler Pub[lication]s” as per his list, but rather for Harry “A” Chesler’s comics shop, which then supplied art and story for MLJ, the future Group. OOB gives the date as “Oct. 1939,” which may represent when he began to write it (he does refer to that as a “starting date”) or some arcane Chesler schedule or something else entirely; the actual cover date of Blue Ribbon Comics #1, which contained the above very first “Dan Hastings” tale, was Nov. 1939. Art probably by Clem Gretter. Thanks to the Comic Book Plus website (abbreviated “CBP” for the remainder of this coverage) for both scans on this page. [TM & © Archie Comic Publications, Inc.]

“Scott Rand” Otto’ second script. On this equally science-fictional effort, he received a byline as “Eando Binder,” the name under which he’d written or co-written all his pulp fiction. From MLJ’s Notch Comics #3 (Feb. 1940). Art probably by his brother Jack. Thanks to CBP. [TM & © Archie Comic Publications, Inc.] The Early Years of Otto Binder 9

“Little Nemo!” Although Robert McCay, son of the great Winsor McCay, is credited as both writer and artist of this continuation of his father’s legendary early-20th-centurty Little Nemo in Slumberland, Otto noted that he “ghosted” the script for McCay the younger in Street & Smith’s Shadow Comics, Vol. 2, #4 (May 1942). Thanks to Jim Ludwig. [TM & © Advance Magazine Publishers Inc., d/b/a Condé Nast.]

“Bulletman” Jack Binder’s shop provided the art for this early Fawcett outing scripted by Otto for Bulletman #3 (Jan. 1941). Thanks to P.C. Hamerlinck. [Bulletman TM & © DC Comics.]

20 Part II OTTO BINDER’s part TWO BINDER’s List Fawcett Universe An Introduction To The Fawcett-Related Pages Of OOB’s Writing Records by P.C. Hamerlinck

ith a tobacco-less pipe planted firmly between W his teeth, and clad in an interplanetary bathrobe uniform, Otto hopped into his spaceship and flew from the prose of pulps over to those colorful new pamphlets curiously called comic books. Otto’s first stop on his sojourn was at Harry “A” Chesler’s studio/comics shop. That experience was okay, but less than a year later he was already searching for something more—a prominent, friendly environment perfect for a freelancer to nurture a promising new art form and run untamed with a sprightly, unstoppable imagination. Hello, Fawcett! Otto fine-tuned his sequential storytelling craft on such B-list adventurers as “Captain Venture,” “Mr. ,” and others (as illustrated in early pages of this issue) before finally meeting his destiny with the World’s Mightiest Mortal. Suddenly, upon editor Ed Herron’s departure, Otto— perhaps reluctantly—accepted an editorial position at Fawcett Otto In His Writing Studio, Circa 1944 in mid-January 1942. He now had a commute, his own desk, a When Binder sent this photo to Roy Thomas in 1964-65, he wrote: “During this era of greatest production, I did up to 200 scripts a year. Pajamas and robe represent ‘working clothes.’ I was so busy I didn’t have time to dress and go out for days at a time—no joke. When my wife was out and I answered the door for random salesmen and callers, I’m sure they thought I was a ‘kept man.’ True irony! I was working like a dog!”

secretary, and morning coffee. He traded in his bathrobe for a shirt and tie. He was at the office day after day, editing and other titles. But his heart wasn’t in it. He quit six months later, returning to freelancing with a mission to write better… hitting full stride, notably in the post-war years, at a wonderful, rhythmic pace (often in unison with artists C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza) where a folksy, good-natured lightheartedness prevailed in his tales… relatable (often satirical) themes reflecting our soul and humanity and the drive and purpose behind the human spirit … varied and absorbing narratives cheerfully set on limitless worlds where seemingly anything could occur at any moment, whether on a distant planet, or in the future, or within an artist’s painting, or downtown at the dry cleaners. Otto’s numbers were staggering. From 1941 to 1953, he authored 986 out of 1,743 “Captain Marvel”/“Marvel Family”-related tales— yes, over half of them. And this doesn’t count his scripts for all those other guys in capes and tights… or the cowboys… or the movie Captain Marvel Adventures #9 (April 1942) adaptations… or the supernatural stuff… or his “Jon Jarl” prose “Captain Marvel Saves the King” was Otto Binder’s first -prose “Captain short stories used as text fillers. Marvel” comic book script, written in December of 1941, on assignment by Prolific, yes. But Otto wasn’t mindlessly hacking them out like editor Ed Herron. (See p. 5 for OOB’s listing.) Still more irony: Binder’s first “CM” outing didn’t rate a Beck art job; the artist of this tale is unknown! All a robot working on the assembly line. He was an architect with art in this super-size FCA section was provided by P.C. Hamerlinck, unless a , building upon and enriching a mythology whose solid otherwise noted. [Shazam hero TM & © DC Comics.] foundation had been set earlier by Parker and Beck, and which 22 Binder’s List—Part Two

Wow Comics #18 (Oct. 1943) “Mikado for a Day” was the published title of this Binder-written tale, whatever name (beyond “Mikado”) the writer may have originally given it. The main villain in this one was the Japanese Emperor Hirohito. Artist unknown. Thanks to CBP for this and the following scan. [Commando Yank TM & © DC Comics.]

Wow Comics #17 (Sept. 1943) Curiously, this “Mr. Scarlet and Pinky” yarn seems to have been scripted after the above “Commando Yank” tale. But at least this time Fawcett’s editor kept Otto’s title: “The Golden Touch.” Rather uniquely, Mr. Scarlet’s civilian identity was an unemployed ex-district attorney, who often had trouble making ends meet for himself and his ward. Not that that stopped him from being a costumed crime-buster! Art by Jack Binder Shop. [Mr. Scarlet & Pinky TM & © DC Comics.] Otto Binder’s Fawcett Universe 67

A Few Wartime Fawcett Extras!

Wow Comics #25 (May 1944) Otto was inspired to write this story after Fawcett received numerous letters with money from young readers who wanted to help out their “starving” heroes Mr. Scarlet and Pinky! In the script, he gently let the young readers know that their kind acts weren’t necessary… and included one of the actual letters, from Suzy Duek of Gila Bend, Arizona, who also co-starred in the story! Art by Jack Binder. [Mr. Scarlet & Pinky TM & © DC Comics.]

Don Winslow Of The Navy #7 (Sept. 1943) Don Winslow was a hero created at the suggestion of the U.S. Navy—and proved very popular indeed for several years. Art by Edd Ashe. [TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

Master Comics #41 (Aug. 1943) Fictional movie hero would get his own comic after the war, but when Otto was assigned to script his adventures in , he couldn’t resist tossing in a bit of science-fiction— a “Time Saddle,” no less! Art by Harry (“H..L.”) Parkhurst. [TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.] BINDER’s List Part III 71 OTTO BINDER part THREE The DC Years by Roy Thomas

rom the 1953 demise of Fawcett’s comics department F through the mid-1960s period when he was preparing these listings for Jerry Bails, Otto worked mostly for DC Comics, primarily under “Superman” line editor and science-fiction editor Julius Schwartz. But before we peruse that work, below (and on the following page, which displays Binder’s sheet) are pages from that era done for Standard and EC, and for a third DC editor (officially , as was also the case with Weisinger’s and Schwartz’s titles, but actually probably )…

Lost Worlds #6 (Dec. 1952) For this Standard/Pines SF comic, Otto scripted “The First Man to the Moon,” which was illustrated by Art Saaf. Here’s the story’s shock ending, which gave the writer yet another shot at toying around with robots. Thanks to Comic Book Plus. [© the respective copyright holders.]

Weird Science- #27 (Jan.-Feb. 1955) OOB teams up with EC star artist —and editor must’ve liked Otto’s title! Thanks to Tony Thomas. [TM & © William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.]

House Of Mystery #32 (Nov. 1954) Moodily drawn for DC’s original (and always very mild-mannered) “horror” comic by Bill Ely. Thanks to Art Lortie. [TM & © DC Comics.] 72 Binder’s List—Part Three

Forbidden Worlds #5 (Sept. 1952) Before Otto Binder collaborated with artist at DC Comics—then mostly known as National—they would’ve shared a byline (if any had been given) on this story in one of Standard’s two science- fiction titles. From 1947 through 1949, Anderson had drawn the newspaper comic strip , and it definitely showed in the final panel on this splash page. Thanks to the Comic Book Plus website for this and the following image. [© the respective copyright holders.]

Forbidden Worlds #7 (Jan. 1953) The woefully underrated penciled this OOB-scripted tale of 21st-century space warfare; inking by his longtime partner . Andru claimed never to have enjoyed a single day in the comic book industry, but you couldn’t tell it by the skill shown in his work. [© the respective copyright holders.] 91 Headline Headline 2 Author

X

(Right:) Cheesey Jail-Jamas ad from Story Pubs.’ Love Diary #33 (Feb. 1953). 92 Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! It’s An Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World! by Michael T. Gilbert K, it’s 1954, and you’re a sweet teenage girl reading a juicy O copy of Brides Romances, dreaming of the day you, too, will be a blissfully romantic bride. Suddenly you turn the page, and what do you see? Why, an ad offering an actual honest-to-God tombstone …”Direct from the Factory to You!” And all for a mere $14.95! Talk about a buzzkill! Death Be Not Cheesy! Now all that sweet young thing can think about is her own fleeting mortality! Ugh! The poor girl then picks up her brother’s Dead-Eye Western comic. Uh-oh. Another, uh, grave mistake! Dear God, it’s a second ad from the Rockdale Monument Company, offering a different -stone. But hey, this one’s even a bigger bargain. These monuments start at a mere $9.95, including shipping that huge slab of granite anywhere in the U.S. For those not feeling particularly flush, they even offer a... ahem... layaway plan. Wow! A tombstone for under ten bucks. Nothing but the best for your future husband, or maybe even mom and dad!

Two “Monumental” Ads! (Above & right:) The first is from Quality’s Brides Romances #5, (May 1954), followed by Hillman’s Dead-Eye Western #3 (March 1949). [© the respective copyright holders.]

Don’t like gravestones? Well, how about owning your very own steam engine... Free!... courtesy of Tip Top Comics? Every kid’s , right? Just plunk down a buck for 24 thrilling issues of The Open Road for Boys and it’s yours. Won’t Mom be surprised? If the idea of and Ella Cinders selling steam engines or a tombstone advertisement in a love comic surprises you, well, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

A Steamy Offer! Tip-Top Comics #20, (Dec. 1937) advertised a free steam engine to all “red-blooded he-boys”! Wow! Sign me up! [© the respective copyright holders.] It’s An Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World! 95

And then there’s that suspicious-sounding ad in YYoungoungou Love #104, concerning the hottie bragging about making a little extra cash just by ”visiting” her friends and neighbors. She claims she’s selling Blair Beauty AAidsids (whatever the that was!), but I’m not convinced....

SSlackslacks with a handy “magic removable crotch.” I think the editors of Quality’s LLoveove Letters should have saved this ad in their little- kknownnown male-oriented comic, Pervert Love, instead. Then there’se’s the questionable ad in #27 for the “Juelene System,” which promises to “Lubricate,” “Massage” and “Stimulate.” Accordingding to them, it’s just an innocent hair product. YYeah,eah, and I’m !Lee

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS PREVIEW, CLICK THE LINK TO ORDER THIS ISSUE IN PRINT OR DIGITAL FORMAT!

ALTER EGO #147 Giant-size Fawcett Collectors of America special with Golden/Sil - ver Age writer OTTO BINDER ’s personal script records and illos from his greatest series ! Intros by P.C. HAMERLINCK and BILL SCHELLY , art by BECK, SIMON & KIRBY, SWAN, SCHAF FEN - BERGER, AVISON, BORING, MOONEY, PLASTINO, and others! Plus MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and an unpublished C.C. BECK cover! (100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_55&products_id=1267

Sick! Sick! Sick! (Clockwise from above:) “Big Bull ” from Ajax-Farrell’s Lonely Heart #9 (March 1955)… a “working girl” from DC’s YYoungoung Love #104 (July 1973)…“Removable Crotch Magic Slacks” ad From Quality’s Love Letters #6 (September 1950)… and a slippery “Lubricate” ad from Black Magic #27 (November 1953). Hmmm… [© the respective copyright holders.]