Ro y Th o m a s ’’ Muuck--Miired $$ Comiics Fanzziine 6..95 IInn tthhee USSA No. 62 October 2006 HAPPY HALLO WEEN FROM MIKE PLOOG , AL WILLIAMSON , DICK BRIEFER , RUDY PALAIS, & ACG HORROR! 0 1 5 PPLLUUSS:: 3 6 7 7 2 8 5 6 2 8 1 Arrtt ©2006 Miike Plloog;; Charractterrss TM & ©2006 Marrvell Charracctterrss,, IIncc.... Vol. 3, No. 62 / October 2006 ™ 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 Contents Editors Emeritus Jerry Bails (founder) Writer/Editorial: Happy Horror-Days . 2 Ronn Foss, Biljo White, Mike Friedrich “Marvel Was Doing Practically Nothing But Super-Heroes” . 3 Production Assistant Artist Michael Ploog on his early-1970s work on Marvel’s supernatural stalwarts. Eric Nolen-Weathington ACG Horror And Fantasy. 8 Circulation Director Barry Forshaw looks fondly back at the first publisher of ongoing horror comics. Bob Brodsky, Seastone Marketing Group “If You Can Bring Richard Hughes Back, He’d Be My Favorite Editor”. 18 Cover Artist Michael Vance’s interview with artist great Al Williamson about his work for ACG. Michael Ploog Cover Colorist Forbidden Adventures: The Back Pages . 24 Michael Vance’s appendices re the Sangor Shop and the American Comics Group. Tom Ziuko And Special Thanks to: “I Was So Busy, I Never Read The Stories”. 42 Heidi Amash Jim Ludwig Unique artist Rudy Palais interviewed by Jim Amash about life and comics. Bob Bailey Bruce Mason Dave Bennett Arthur Mather Frankenstein’s Final Funnies. 57 John Benson Raymond Miller The (sob!) last of Dick Briefer’s comic strips about his colorful creature. Bill Black Brian K. Morris Dominic Bongo Frank Motler Robert Boucher Edwin Murray The Shadow: Masked And Unmasked . 60 Chris Brown Will Murray Anthony Tollin celebrates the 75th anniversary of Street & Smith’s grim hero. Mark Cannon Peter Normanton Mike Catron Owen O’Leary Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! Twice-Told Strange Tales . 67 Craig Delich Kevin Patrick Michael T. Gilbert unveils still more Ditko “covers” of non-Ditko covers. Al Dellinges Michael Ploog Michael Dewally Steven Rowe John Dixon Bob Rozakis Tributes To Mickey Spillane & George Kashdan. 74 Rex Ferrell Steve Rude Bill Field Al Russell re: [comments, corrections, and correspondence] . 76 Shane Foley Lew Sayre Schwartz Barry Forshaw Marie Severin Ron Frantz Joe Sinnott FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) #121 . 81 Jeff Gelb David Studham P.C. Hamerlinck presents Steve Rude, Marc Swayze, & Fawcett 1943. Janet Gilbert Dr. Jon Suter About Our Cover: Once Michael Ploog sent us a copy of his beautiful black-&-white art for Howard Hallis Marc Swayze this illustration of Marvel’s Man-Thing and Werewolf by Night, it was inevitable that it wind Jennifer Hamerlinck Greg Theakston up as the cover on an issue of Alter Ego. The story of how Ye Editor co-created those two series John Haufe, Jr. Dann Thomas Heritage Comics Anthony Tollin in the early 1970s and turned them over to Mike to draw (and to Gerry Conway to script) was Chris Irving Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. told in the TwoMorrows run of Comic Book Artist, and will doubtless be related again one of Larry Ivie Michael Vance these days. Meanwhile, enjoy a pocketful of Ploog! [Man-Thing & Werewolf by Night TM & Jonathan G. Jensen Dr. Michael J. ©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.] R.A. Jones Vassallo Larry Kashdan Mike Vosburg Above: C’mon in! The horror art at ACG was as good as it got. You don’t believe us? How Jeffrey Kipper Delmo Walters Jr. about this panel by Golden Age greats Al Williamson and Wally Wood from “Skull of the Denis Kitchen Hames Ware Sorcerer” in Forbidden Worlds #3 (Nov.-Dec. 1951), ACG’s second horror title!? Scan by Henry Kujawa Al Williamson Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.] Keith Lee Alter EgoTM is published monthly, except Jan., April., Sept., and Nov. by TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: 32 Bluebird Trail, St. Matthews, This issue is dedicated to the memory of 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 outside the US). Twelve-issue subscriptions:$72 US, $132 Canada, $144 elsewhere. All characters are George Kashdan & Mickey Spillane © their 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. ISSN: 1932-6890 FIRST PRINTING. 2writer/editorial Title Happy Horror-Days ith that opening line, which has probably been lodged for and an article by Barry Forshaw on ACG horror and fantasy, as well as years in my mental molars like some popcorn kernel of its “3-D effect” comics. WW prose out of Forry Ackerman’s Famous Monsters of Filmland, I welcome you to the fourth annual Halloween We’re sorry that Bill Schelly’s report on the 1966 NYC Kaler Con issue of Alter Ego. got crowded out—but you’ll see it next issue, promise! This time around, we’re shining the light of the Great Pumpkin on Bestest, modern Marvel master Mike Ploog and gothic Golden-Ager Rudy Palais—on the inspired Frankensteinian foolishness of Dick Briefer and the Silver Age strangeness of Steve Ditko—and on the evil that lurks in the hearts of men, as observed by The Shadow for the past three- quarters of a century. P.S.: As I write these words in August, a horrendous 8-to-10-month workload has finally lifted as I complete the text for The All-Star And then, of course, there’s ACG… again. Companion, Vol. 2, due out from TwoMorrows in November (delayed Last issue, we presented Michael Vance’s 1996 book Forbidden a couple of weeks by layout man Chris Day’s change of day jobs and Adventures: The History of the American Comics Group. It related locales—from Chicago to Providence, RI). In addition, two of the three the story of how ACG grew out of the B.W. Sangor art shop, which in hardcover books I’ve written during this period—Stan Lee’s Amazing the 1940s also provided art and story to other companies, especially Marvel Universe, for Sterling Publishing, and featuring audio Standard/Nedor. We didn’t have room in #62 to print the book’s recordings by The Man himself; and DK Publishing’s Conan: The appendices, so we’re doing it this time—and illustrating them just as Ultimate Guide to the World’s Most Savage Barbarian—should be lavishly as we did the main text. on sale even as we speak. See ads on pp. 16 & 41. We also have two other ACG-related treats: the personal interview P.P.S.: Oh, and for those who’ve asked—Anthem #4, the latest issue of Michael conducted with Al Williamson in the mid-1990s re that artist’s my comics series about the heroes of an alternate World War II, goes work for ACG (first in the early 1950s, then again at decade’s end)… on sale at the turn of the year after an unavoidable delay. (See p. 80.) GOINGGOING MONTHLYMONTHLY AGAINAGAIN ININ DECEMBER!DECEMBER! #63 REMEMBERING COMICS LEGEND ALEX TOTH! Tribute To A Titan! • ALEX TOTH does the JSA—first time in fifty years! A fabulous full-color cover! • Special salutes to Toth by JOE KUBERT • IRWIN HASEN • SY BARRY • TERRY AUSTIN • LEW SAYRE SCHWARTZ • MIKE ALLRED • MARK LEWIS • JOHN WORKMAN • JACK MENDEHLSON • SPARKY MOORE • JIM AMASH & others! • Never-before-seen Toth interview by MICHAEL VANCE! • Ever wonder what artists Alex Toth admired? Read his own paeans of praise for CANIFF • SICKLES • CHRISTMAN • COLE • KELLY • BECK • ROBINSON • OKSNER • MAYER • FLESSEL • MESKIN • TUSKA • GUARDINEER • THORNE • WHITNEY • RAY • CRANE, etc.—and see the reasons why! • Our annual Christmas/New Year’s card collection! Season’s greetings from MOLDOFF • MAROTO • BENDER • LEIALOHA • WRIGHT • RIO, et al.! • Plus FCA with TOTH, SWAYZE, & “Freddy Freeman’s Christmas”— MICHAEL T. GILBERT—BILL SCHELLY on the 1966 Kaler Con—& MORE!! Edited by ROY THOMAS SUBSCRIBE NOW! Twelve Issues in the US: $72 Standard, $108 First Class (Canada: $132, Elsewhere: $144 Surface, $192 Airmail). [All characters TM & ©2006 DC Comics.] 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 “Marvel Was Doing Practically Nothing But Super-Heroes” MICHAEL PLOOG On His Work On The Marvel Supernatural Characters Interview & Transcribed by Chris Irving ike Ploog was one of the CI: “Tin Star” was your idea? MM emerging comic book stars of the early 1970s. His PLOOG: I did it up as a sample of my storytelling. work made readers sit up and take I didn’t think, at any time, that they were going to notice the same way the art of Bernie publish it; it was just a sample. At that time, I was Wrightson, Frank Brunner, Michael into Westerns with a twist of the occult, suspense, Kaluta, and a handful of other young and horror... as opposed to cowboys out on the artists was doing. A fuller interview range. with Mike about his Marvel-era CI: What was Roy’s involvement, or was it just monsters saw print in The Comic you? Book Artist (first series) Vol.