Comics I missed - The Human Fly (1977-1979)

© Marvel.

 Back in the period 1977-1979 my interest in American comic collecting was waning, being replaced by enthusiasm for collecting paperback reprints of pulps.  It wasn't until 1980 that I stopped collecting comics completely, and sold my collection in 1983. And it was during this waning period of interest (77-79) that I completely missed Marvel's The Human Fly, a 19-issue run of comics written by Bill Mantlo, drawn by the likes of Lee Elias and Frank Robbins, edited initially by Archie Goodwin.

I recently became aware of the character through listening to a very entertaining podcast by Chris Dingsdale, which is well worth a listen at https://www.darreninform.com/thinkworkspodcast/episode/5126fce7/82-thinkworks-82-adventures-in-comics-2-the-astonishing-true-story-of-the-human-fly

So I’ve tracked down a few issues to see what I missed.

The unique selling proposition of the comic was that The Human Fly was based on a real-life Canadian daredevil Rick Rojatt who had overcome extreme injuries and surgery replacing bones with screws and rods to ride on top of a commercial airliner wearing a full-face mask. Think back to that magical time when Evel Knievel, a fellow enthusiast for having metal hardware inserted into various limbs.

© original photographer. The real Human Fly!

Bill Mantlo came up with the comics concept, and spent an entire editorial page spelling out the lead character’s true story. Each of the nineteen issues revolved around another wild stunt, combined with thrilling do-gooder action and social commentary.

© Marvel. Bill Mantlo explains the origin of Human Fly

© Marvel. Lee Elias splash page to Human Fly #1

I think it is fair to say that the concept would have suited a TV series, and perhaps that was in the back of Marvel’s mind at the time. The Spider-Man live-action TV series was on the air at this point, as was the Hulk TV series.

Looking at the splash page of issue #1 (above) I can't help but think how Lee Elias' work looks like it was inked by Frank Robbins. Incidentally, the book is notable for containing Frank Robbins’ ante-penultimate comics story before retirement (Human Fly #14). 

The comic only lasted less than two years. Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter confirmed the character was based on the real-life Canadian stuntman Rick Rojatt. Shooter stated in 2007 that photographs in the comic were indeed of Rojatt. 

I may try to pick up all nineteen issues. I’ve seen them in the dollar bin from time to time, and I do love a bit of Robbins’ artwork.

Do take a listen to the podcast.

© Ian Baker

Mail-Order Mysteries

 

Back in 2011, when this blog was a mere whippersnapper, fellow SuperStuff co-scrivener and lifetime chum Nigel Brown did a deep dive on how advertising in Batman comics had evolved from the 1940s.  You can read his article here.  Nigel does a run-down on the types of ads to be found within the pages of that great comic. Some products appeared consistently over the decades and generations  (e.g. Daisy Air Rifles, Charles Atlas bodybuilding), while others were fads of a single year (Easy Bake Toy Oven).

Imagine my delight when I was made aware of a book called Mail-Order Mysteries, which arrived in the post over the weekend, which evaluates the reality behind the ads of comics from the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Remember that full-size army tank? Or the Polaris submarine that only cost $6.98? Stuck in the UK, I could only imagine the great toys that American kids were able to buy through the pages of my favourite comics.

Mail-Order Mysteries is the work of Kirk Demarais. It was published around 15 years ago, and copies on eBay are fetching a premium. But it was worth it to learn the secrets behind the ads, and sympathise with the disappointment felt by each kid as buyer's remorse set in.

Go on - you owe it to yourself to snag a copy!

Missed first time around - DC Masterworks Series

Recently I’ve taken to trawling through the back-issue boxes at my local comic shop, or at some of the smaller marts held around Illinois, to find interesting comics that I somehow missed the first time around, or had ignored back in the seventies because they weren’t part of my core collection, and my purchases back then were somewhat limited by available pocket-money.

© DC

Anyway, this past Saturday I picked up a copy of issue #1 of The Masterworks Series of Great Comic Book Artists, a book printed on Baxter paper, and published jointly by DC and Phil Seuling’s Sea Gate distribution company. I have now read that this was the first of an intended series of high-quality comics highlighting the best work of various artists.

The book came out in Spring 1983, right at the point where I was selling my comic collection, so it passed me by. Anyway, issue #1 is dedicated to the work of Frank Frazetta on Shining Knight from years past. It’s a lovely book, as you can see from the interiors.

©DC. Page from issue #1

©DC.

I only knew Frazetta from his painted covers of the Conan paperbacks printed by Sphere in the UK, as well as his later film poster work, and have never investigated his comics heritage.

I’ll track down some decent copies of #2 (more Frazetta) and #3 (Berni Wrightson) as they don’t seem too expensive, although digital copies can be easily located with help from Mr Google.  The back of issue #3 trails the next two issues as being devoted to Neal Adams, but those issues never surfaced, and the comic died a death after three issues. 

The indicia of the books doesn't mention a specific editor, although Junior Woodchuck Allan Asherman wrote some well-researched material on the inside cover on the background to Frazetta's comic book career. Presumably Phil Seuling was involved in the story selection.

©DC

©DC

©DC. Back page of issue #3, trailing the next two unpublished issues

I can find no information on the web about why the comic stopped being published, but I surmise that Phil Seuling’s declining health from a rare liver disease (he died in 1984) was a factor in the termination of the deal between Sea Gate and DC to publish these special editions.

Did any of our readers buy these comics first time around?

Incidentally, I see that Heritage Auctions has a special auction upcoming selling Frazetta’s original painted artwork for the Conan books. Those were amazing covers, and got me to hand over my dosh for the Sphere paperbacks back in January 1974.

Batman in 'A Dandy in Aspic'

© Columbia / Sony pictures. Lionel Stander reads Batman #189

© DC Comics. Batman #189, cd Feb 1967

 Returning to the topic of how long it took DC comics in the 1960s and 1970s to arrive in British newsagents, I recently watched the sixties film A Dandy in Aspic, a spy yarn starring Laurence Harvey, filmed on location in London and Berlin.  In minute 25, we are treated to an image of actor Lionel Stander reading a copy of Batman #189 "Fright of the Scarecrow", cover date Feb 1967, while sat in a car in Cable Street) in London's East End), with St. Mary's Church, Johnson Street in the background. 

Now, according to Mike's, Batman #189 hit US stands on December 6th 1966. 

According to The Kinematograph Weekly, 25 February 1967, production on A Dandy in Aspic had just begun ‘on location in the East End of London.’   Other reports mention that production had moved to Docklands by 28th Feb for location work with Laurence Harvey, and all London location work was complete by April 9th 1967, before the production moved to Berlin. The crew was tied up with filming Mia Farrow's scenes in central London from March 25th onwards.

We cannot see if the comic Stander is holding has a T&P stamp, but as Stander was an American exile in Europe at this time, we can assume the comic was not a special import. 

Anyway, it would appear that Batman #189 was likely filmed around 25th Feb 1967 (81 days after US publication), but potentially as late as April 8th 1967 (123 days after US publication).    Based on the notes I made in the mid 1970s on when DC comics appeared on British spinner racks, the quickest I'd seen a comic turn up was 107 days after US publication (Superman #277), with a mean in the region of 145 days, with some late stragglers (Black Magic #1 at 247 days).

Even if the Batman comic in the movie was 123 days after publication, that would be very fast for a comic to arrive in the pre-containerization era.

Did any of you keep track of when specific DC comics arrived in our shops back in the sixties?

Neal Adams - Western covers

 

© DC comics.

This past Sunday I decided to stop by the Chicago Toy Show, which runs every 4 months at the Kane County Fairgrounds. I’d never been before, so was interested to see what was on sale. Well, it was very crowded, with a lot of tables selling Funko Pops, and relatively few tables selling vintage toys from the sixties and seventies. Lots of original Hot Wheels car and sets. 

Amongst the tables there were a few comic dealers, and I spied a reading copy of Tomahawk #116 priced at $10. As it sports one of the very best covers that Neal Adams drew at DC - perhaps the only one at DC of his that has a painted background - I decided to buy it. 

It really is a striking cover. Reading the feedback on the issue as printed in the letters page of Tomahawk #118 reader reaction was extremely positive.  ………

A certain Tony Isabella from Cleveland, Ohio was full of praise:

I presume from editor Murray Boltinoff's comment that Jack Adler was the colourist and Carmine Infantino layouts.

Having stared at it, it came to me that the composition of the cover was not wholly unlike Adams’ later cover of Detective #412. 

© DC comics.

Adams himself was not above reusing popular cover layouts for books on other comics, as shown by this subsequent cover for Tomahawk #121 and Brave & Bold #85.  However, since Murray Boltinoff was editor on both books, he must have been okay with.

© DC comics.

© DC comics.

The cover for Tomahawk #116 was the first Western cover that Neal Adams did at DC, and he followed up with an excellent run of covers for Tomahawk which graced most issues from #116 to #130.

He subsequently drew covers for All Star Western #2 to #5 , Weird Western Tales #15 and of course the stunning cover of DC Special #6, one of my all-time favourites, shown below.

© DC comics.

Interesting that the only Western issues where Adams illustrated the interiors (AFAIK) were Weird Western Tales #12, #13 and #15.

I’d buy a book of Neal Adams covers, if one existed. That’s unlikely to happen, so I might try to create a digital PDF version for my own enjoyment.

Is anyone aware of other Western covers drawn by Adams?

Downstate to the Springfield ComicCon

 

Yesterday, Sunday, I decided to spend the day driving to Springfield, Illinois and back, so that I could attend the Springfield ComicCon. This entailed a 400-mile round-trip in the MINI Roadster with the top down in glorious weather. I followed the old Route 66 down to Bloomington, before peeling off onto the back roads of 51 and 54. It took me just under four and a half hours to get there (inclusive of a couple of breakast and coffee stops), arriving at 11:30am.

Exterior of Route 66 Hotel & Conference Center

Part of the hotel lobby display about historical Route 66

The Springfield ComicCon was held at the Route 66 Hotel & Conference Center located at 625 E. Saint Joseph St. (I-55 exit 92- Business 55 / 6th St) This is near the intersection of 6th St and Stevenson.

The Springfield ComicCon is just one of a number of cons which run throughout the year in the American Mid-West, usually on one or two Sundays per month.  Details of upcoming cons can be found here =>> https://epguides.com/comics/

So was it worth it? I’d say yes. The actual con was smaller than I expected - more a mart than a con - certainly a single room with perhaps no more than 15 dealers present. But the content was solid - Bronze, Silver and Golden Age books, mostly very sensibly priced with many dealers willing to give 20% discount or more. I believe there is a trend for the price of decent quality Bronze Age comic books to reduce in recent years when bought at marts. 

I ended up picking up some 70s DCs to fill random gaps in my collection from a dealer who turned out to live ten minutes from me west of Chicago, and had made the drive downstate himself that morning.

My haul from the day

Similarities with a British mart?  Well, the age of the clientele was similar - long-time collectors mostly with a smattering of younger fans. But the content went beyond what would normally be found in the UK ; solid runs of Romance, War, Western, Humour books that were sparsely or not at all imported into the UK by Thorpe & Porter in the sixties. Also a lot of dealers with old pop-culture paperbacks and non-sports trading card collections for sale.

I left the con around 1:30pm and was home before 6pm, suitably knackered.

Lampooning in the Bronze Age

My prime comic/collecting years in the Bronze Age were between the ages of 12 and 20, roughly covering the period 1971-1979. From reading Les Daniels’ Comix, I was vaguely aware of Underground comics, but nothing of that ilk ever came my way in those years from 1972-1976. I’d heard of independent comic publishers such as Kitchen Sink, but never saw their wares. As far as I was concerned, the comics world comprised of DC,Marvel, Charlton, Harvey, Gold Key and Atlas/Seaboard.

I was totally unaware that my favourite artists also had work published outside of the comic-book mainstream, one such publication being National Lampoon. 

I never saw an issue of National Lampoon in the wild back in my native Portsmouth in the UK (either due to import restrictions or T&P not seeing a market for it) but I recently snagged a copy on eB*y to see what I had been missing all those years ago.

Per Wikipedia “National Lampoon magazine reached its height of popularity and critical acclaim during the 1970s, when it had a far-reaching effect on American humor and comedy.” 

“Many members of the publication's creative staff went on to contribute creatively to successful media of all types. The magazine often featured parody and surrealist content. Its issues often had long and short written pieces, a section of actual news items (dubbed "True Facts"), cartoons and comic strips. Most issues also included "Foto Funnies" , which often featured nudity.”

The two most famous comic artists to grace National Lampoon’s pages were Barry Windsor-Smith and Neal Adams. 

The issue I picked up recently was the one featuring a Barry Smith parody of Conan featuring famed author and professional hellraiser Norman Mailer, published May 1972. The story was called “Norman the Barbarian: Gomorrah, the World!”. I’ve included the splash page from it below for your delight.

The full strip can be found over at Rip Jagger's Dojo blog.

Splash page as published

Original artwork of the splash page 

The artwork is actually some of Barry Smith’s best work from that period. Sam Rosen does the lettering. The publication of the story falls between Smith’s work on Conan #15. “The Green Empress of Melnibone” and his following Conan story in Conan #19. “Hawks from the Sea”.

According to Roy Thomas, as related in The Chronicles of Conan Vol. 3 , Barry Smith had announced his intention to leave Conan with issue #15.  Roy Thomas then turned to Gil Kane to become the permanent artist, but by the end of issue #18, Kane decided to leave the title citing workload issues.

As Thomas relates “I forget precisely what Barry was doing during the weeks Gil and I were turning out Conan #17 and #18….” (#16 being a reprint issue) “…But at virtually the same time Gil told me he was leaving, Barry asked if he could come back. He was, of course, welcomed with open arms.” 

Obviously during that period Barry Smith was working on the National Lampoon strip. Circulation for National Lampoon was over 1,000,000 , so significantly higher than a typical comic book issue, plus reaching a late teenage/early twenties demographic. So more exposure, and also being spoken of in the same breath as well-known mainstream authors like Norman Mailer was probably seen as a career plus.

Perhaps it turned out to be a bad work experience, for Windsor-Smith only made this single contribution to National Lampoon, unlike Neal Adams who contributed in multiple issues an alternative “Deadman” strip, as well as the parody “Son-O-God”.

Here’s a few other pages excerpted from that issue, so you get a flavour of the magazine’s content.

A spoof inside front cover

A genuine ad for Pioneer!

Looking back, I always regarded these artists with the utmost respect. Illustrating Conan and Batman was serious stuff, and quite a civic responsibility in my teenage eyes. Even now, I can’t escape a feeling it was a waste of Windsor-Smith’s talents, despite being an amusing diversion. It was probably good money.

National Lampoon has long gone. A perusal of its editorial pages conjures up a world of sleaze masquerading as responsible journalism, interspersed with crassly sexist jokes.  It is totally male chauvinistic in its outlook, (even the legitimate ads) with other comic strips drawn in an “Underground” style joking about lesbianism and incest. Back in 1972 I’m sure that I would have enjoyed it immensely , probably laughed like a drain at some of the humour, and placed it at the very bottom of the pile of my Marvel B&W comics to avoid parental eyes and likely censure.