Merry Christmas!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009

It’s a small world and it smells funny,
I’d buy another if it wasn’t for the money.

Someone tell me that 2009 is ending because I can’t really believe it. This past twelve months has been my own, personal, annus horribilis and I’m fully intending to make 2010 the complete opposite, my own annus mirabilis. So what went right and what went wrong?

First, let’s focus on the positives. Blaq Books. We created that out of thin air with almost no funding – indeed we’ve gone into serious debt to both start it up and keep it running. With the help of a few pals it’s starting to do well and should do far better. There may be times when I question its future, but I’m positive that it can keep on keeping on. Friends overseas. Norm Breyfogle. Trevor Von Eeden. Alan Weiss. Alan Kupperberg. Bob Almond, Bob Shaw and many, many others. I’ve been blessed with some very good friends, some of whom I’ve failed and must do better to keep corresponding with. A new job in a place that’s far better than I came from. Strong supports and a partner who just won’t quit, nor judge me when things don’t go as planned.

What went wrong? Too much, far too much to mention here frankly. And, just as frankly, I can’t be bothered going back through it all, wading through all of that merda just to find the buono. The year was marked by death, the death of two people, one who was close to me and one who should have been closer but kept his distance until it was far too late. The year saw me lose control, on more than one occasion; it saw me being taken advantage of, being abused and being pilloried when I attempted to defend myself. My professional life took a serious nose dive, a dive that I am still trying to pull the nose up out of.

No more.

I have a few resolutions to publicly state, so here goes. No longer shall I allow myself to be taken advantage of. If you owe me something for work I’ve done this year, or last year or any year, then consider that debt wiped. However, as of the 1st of January don’t expect work for free unless I know you very well and have a set deal in place. I’m happy to work for free for some people, and they know who they are because I keep telling them, but others can start paying. I’m not talking cash, I’ve always been happy to take payment in kind. If you use my work just send a few copies of the publication for example. But if you send me a message stating that you’re not happy with slow progress, well read the email that I send back carefully. I fully intend to keep all of my professional relationships positive, but if you want, then you must give. And frankly my rates are damned cheap. Now this doesn’t apply to everyone, obviously, and those people know who they are and I’ll be sure to contact them and tell them. I just want some time to complete some projects, both professionally and personally, hit some goals and begin moving forward. I’ve been stagnating for far too long.

If you want to abuse me then go right ahead. Again, those people know full well who they are. However think very carefully as I might just start revealing some home truths – you see, over the years I’ve built up a fine arsenal of gossip, both scurrilous and otherwise, and I’ve always resisted using it. So, fair warning. I’m tired of reading about how this person, or that person, went to a show and spent the whole time telling all and sundry what a bastard I am or began to post on a forum or a newsgroup, or a message board as to how large a failure I am. If you don’t know me then don’t bother commenting on me. And if you do abuse me, or those close to me, then don’t email me down the track and think that it’s fine to use my work and everything is hunky and indeed also dory.

I’m not an endless font of cash. In fact I’m so broke I’ve had to part with a few choice pieces of art just so I can visit my dear ole ma in Queensland and get away for a week, so stop expecting me to pay for everything. Quid pro quo. I’m tired of being made to feel guilty.

For those I’ve inadvertently upset then accept my apologies. For those I deliberately upset, well, what can I say?

There’s more, but those ones I’ll keep to myself for the time being. However I fully intend to break way from some people and re-establish contact with others whose company I more than enjoy. 2009 has been awful, but it has made me realise the value of family, both immediate and extended. Without a few people I’m sure I’d not have made it to this point in time, and they know who they are, and I can’t thank them enough. Two people in particular, people I’d happily throw myself in front of a bullet for, and then get back up and do it again until the gun goes ‘click’. Others who have drifted away from me, both due to my own depression and theirs – I’ll try my best to get them back, but I shan’t beat myself up if I fail.

I want 2010 to be one of light, love and life. Let’s stop tearing each other apart, let’s stop tearing ourselves apart and begin to enjoy each other, and life, once more. No more merda, only buono

LOOKING BACK WITH TOM GRINDBERG

LOOKING BACK WITH TOM GRINDBERG

Tom Grindberg is a polarising artist to a lot of people. For years he was dismissed as being a poor man’s Neal Adams, or a Neal Adams clone at best. This is more than slightly unfair to both Grindberg and Adams, and as much as some of Grindberg's early work is reminiscent of Adams, Grindberg was no more a clone than any amount of other artists, some of whom have managed to get away with swiping Neal for years and never got the criticism that Grindberg received. A lot of people became aware of Grindberg and his unique style when he was assigned the book Warlock, which saw him collaborating with Jim Starlin and Ron Marz in the early 1990s. Since that time Grindberg has been an artist in demand, but a quiet achiever all the same. He has worked on almost every major character for both marvel and DC, has dabbled in advertising art, produced pin-ups and much more.

As good an artist as Grindberg is it’s his sketches where he really shines. His rough work shows almost Frazettaish tendencies and his most recent work has enabled him to draw in his own unique style, which is highly rendered and showcases influences as varied as John Buscema, Neal Adams, Howard Pyle, Wyeth, Schoonover and Mac Raboy.

Tom Grindberg is an artist who has more than earned respect and it is gratifying that such respect is now coming his way.

DANIEL BEST: What is your background, where did you grow up?
TOM GRINDBERG: I grew up in the suburbs of Washington DC. A wonderful place to grow up. Far removed from anything related to struggle or poverty, completely surround by more fortunate but fit in nicely and had many friends who all loved art and appreciated my talents during those years. A great time I remember and lament fondly of those years. Art was secondary and horsing around the neighborhood, getting into trouble you name it. All in an era before computers or video games, but Slurpees from 7 Eleven with Conan and Red Sonja on them, and Luge Cage swearing "Sweet Mother of Jesus" was just the rage! I was a huge Cage fan back then.

DB: What was your first exposure to comic books?
TG: My first exposure to comic books was funny animals and Archie comics and those freebie ashcan books from Buster Brown shoe stores. After a short stint building model airplanes and dreaming of being an astronaut I discovered Superheroes! Soon I was buying every issue of Spiderman, Hulk, FF Avengers, and Conan the only non-superhero. I was a huge Conan fan back then as well as Spider-man which were my two favorite titles. I even went to Conventions which were few and far between back then. I would read comic books in small chunks at a time so that they would last late into the night. 19 pages just were not enough and the 4 or 5 weeks of down time between issues was just tiring. I guess that is why they came out with so many Spider-man titles back then.

DB: What art training did you have?
TG: Quite honestly, I had no formal art training whatsoever. Back in those years, parents frowned on art and would prefer there son or daughters going into business or becoming a lawyer/doctor, heck even a writer would of gotten more respect. Thus, I never went to formal art school other than the cute little assignments you would get in high school. The funny thing was I was teaching other kids art along side my teacher. I knew Bridgemans book of anatomy real well and still to this day look his book for inspiration. The real training started only when I broke into the real world of comic books and advertising which was demanding to say the least. I was slow and I wasn't as good as I thought either but I was very eager full of energy like you wouldn't believe. I worked with Neal Adams studio for a while; I worked only with Marvel comics and also DC comics. Those were the only real deals out there besides the few indie publishers of the day which could not pay as well as the two majors. I just wanted to make a ton of money and make a name for myself. It’s nice to dream you know.

DB: What are your art influences?
TG: As far as influences in comics are concerned...I absolutely loved Berni Wrightsons work! His Swamp Thing work was so inspiring and fun to look at. Then again, so was Frazetta's Conan paperback covers which eventually led to his Famous Funnies covers which really isn't a whole lot of comic book work, but still wonderful. Alex Toth, Al Williamson, Roy Krenkle and Neal Adams' work up at Warren, DC and Marvel comics was a joy to view, Barry Smith which led to Big John Buscema's work on Conan were of utmost important works to have and learn from. Oh, and by the way, the granddaddy of all the great storytellers....Howard Pyle! His work along with NC Wyeth, Schoonover and Hal Foster Are very key foundations to my work. There are so many more to name here. Sorry Rembrandt, Vermeer…I have to say, I always wished that I grew up in 30's and 40's just so I could be a great illustrator like those who graced so many magazines during the heyday of illustration. Kudo's to all those Austin Brigg's out there! You just cannot go wrong with these guys!

DB: What made you want to be a comic book artist, and how did you break into the industry?
TG: I think it was around 14 years old when I decided I wanted to be a comic book artist. I was buying about every Marvel DC book as well as the occasional Warren title like Creepy. I really had become a total comic book junkie by that point plus, I drew better than most of the kids in school anyway and was always being asked to draw stuff for them. It’s a wonder full feeling to be needed and wanted especially as a budding young artist. Everyone knew I could draw real well. A year after high school I had a few nice black and white horror stories in portfolio before embarking on New York and the two major's. I also had a few pages of Spider-man to show them that I could draw superheroes. I flew up to New York with no appointment with Marvel comics but managed to see the editor in chief there and DC's talent coordinator. I had no clue that both would hire me on the same day. I came in with only a few pages of art and both companies offered me work. I still cannot believe I was hired. From that day on I have worked with either Marvel or DC comics as a freelancer.

DB: Your rough sketches show an energy that isn't always apparent in your finished work, how do you approach your preliminary work as opposed to your finished work?
TG: The "rough sketches" are the backbone and foundation to all my work. In preparation to anything committed to paper is done this way. Nothing out the ordinary with my approach it’s just the time-honored-traditional way to go about art. When you compare my pencils to my layouts they are very consistent, clean with a high emphasis to good draftsmanship and plenty of energy. Unfortunately, this stage is seldom seen and in most cases is totally lost in the translation when my worked is passed further down the assembly line.

DB: Do you think that inkers are always able to capture the feel of your pencils?
TG: Yes and No. It’s not fair to say inkers do not know what they are doing nor is it fair to say they ruined my work. Nobody is a mind reader and this is a business. Inkers have only one thing to do and that's make a line look better than pencillers or if they can, to embellish the work. In many cases some have done competent work while others just do not mesh. In those cases, my work has suffered. Many inkers just do not have the control I guess or their style is not suited to my approach.

DB: Do you prefer to ink your own work?
TG: Yes

DB: You worked with Neal Adams - how much did he influence you?
TG: Again, great draftsmanship and compositions. I worked for him for about 5 years. ‘Nuff said!

DB: What was Neal like?
TG: Hmmm, open question huh?! Well lets see...I used to say everyone in the comic book industry should go up to Continuity and see how long they would last working with Neal. Hahahaha! He is a tough person to deal with. In addition, the work that I did for him had nothing but his stamp all over it. Ad agencies wanted Neal's work and that’s exactly what they got. Not Tom Grindbergs art. It was a house style approach. Otherwise, Neal is like a father type figure that likes great art and likes to draw a lot, just like me. He's a big fanboy just like me.

DB: You’ve done a bit of work for Fleetway early in your career, which is slightly unusual for an American artist – how did that come about?
TG: The main reason why I got involved with this project was due to my association/friendship with Sal Qaurtuccio aka S.Q.P. He was the guy who was asked to re-package old material from Fleetway for resale here in the states. I did about 30 covers for them and my ex-wife Eva colored them on greyline. The printing was not the greatest I remember since the budget was tight. Some of the strangest characters I ever worked on.

DB: You name John Buscema as an influence – did you ever get to meet him?
TG: I met John one time up at Marvel's offices and really and sadly didn't get to say much to him since he looked really pissed about something.... It goes without saying how many artists from that generation borrowed a few panels or ideas from this guy and owe a great debt of gratitude for his accomplishments. John is sorely missed by us all.

DB: You’re in an envious position in that you’ve worked at both Marvel and DC and worked on some of their biggest characters – Superman, Batman, Spider-man etc – was there ever a ‘dream job’, so to speak?
TG: Actually, all the characters you mentioned were all dream jobs hahahaha! I still love drawing Surfer, Conan and Batman the most. I wish they would hire me again for anything. They (Marvel and DC) seem to have forgotten little ol' me.

DB: Is there any character or book that you’d love to work on?
TG: Yes, I would love to develop another Surfer story for Marvel and of course a few film niorish stories about Batman. Both characters were by far my best efforts in the business however, secretly, I would love to bring back westerns, romance and science fiction for a little diversion from superheros. The Airboy covers are so far filling that void nicely as is my own publishing venture.

DB: Who are some of your favourite collaborators, and what qualities do you admire in them?
TG: I like collaborating with Jim Starlin and Ron Marz. They both know how to write visually with the artist in mind. I did a number of projects with both of them and I always liked collaborating with each person. It’s been years since I picked up a pencil and worked with either one. I miss those days.

DB: Your recent Airboy cover image was very reminiscent of Fred Kida's classic covers indeed. Were artists like Kida and Alex Schomburg any influence?
TG: I do know of their work and there impact and yes, the look is indirectly inspired. Before starting anything, I like to research the material and getting all the knobs and switches down pat. I like drawin' planes and dames a lot so, this was pure fun for me! It brought out my best effort and many people did appreciate this cover more than anything else I have drawn to date. Thank you all for the nice comments I promise to deliver more.

Ghost Rider In Australia

GHOST RIDER IN AUSTRALIA

The history of Ghost Rider in Australia is a slightly frustrating one. Despite some classic tales being reprinted, there remains a large portion of the title that never saw the light of day in an Australian reprint comic, instead, luckily, these issues were available in their original, American Marvel, form at newsagents and specialty shops during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.

Created by writer Gary Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog, Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) debuted in Marvel Spotlight #5, dated August 1972, to graduate to its own solo title in September 1973. The theory that the character was spawned from an earlier Friedrich concept, Hell-Rider, which was published by Skywald and drawn by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, is supported by similarities between the two characters, and there is a strong argument that the concept of Ghost Rider was the next step in the evolution of the Hell-Rider. Marvel assigned the name, Ghost Rider, in order to lock up the rights to the name in the same vein as they did Captain Marvel. This was necessary as the company had discovered that they didn’t have the full rights to the original Ghost Rider, a western character as developed by Vin Sullivan and Dick Ayers in the 1950s, as they had previously been led to believe. By creating an all new character the name could be used and reserved while the rights to the pre-existing character were sorted out. Once the rights were cleared up the original Ghost Rider was renamed, first as Night Rider and then as the Phantom Rider. In a spirit of conciliation the original Ghost Rider would meet the new Ghost Rider in issue #50 of the first series.

Despite being a perfect character for to be featured in the glut of horror and fantasy titles in Australia in the early 1970s Ghost Rider wasn’t picked up for reprinting until Newton Comics acquired the rights to reprint Marvel. K.G. Murray, via its Kenmure imprint, had been sporadically reprinting Marvel for the first part of the 1970s, after Horwitz, who initially had the rights to reprint Marvel in Australia, had ceased. Oddly enough Page, an imprint of Yaffa which will be discussed in detail shortly, had acquired the rights to reprint the Horwitz material, and by default Marvel (westerns and war), meaning that two companies were reprinting Marvel in the early part of the ‘70s. K.G. Murray, via it's Kenmure imprint had focused on reprinting predominantly fantasy and action titles and had at least four dedicated titles that featured Marvel. These titles were Climax Adventure Comic, a few issues featured stories from Conan, Daredevil, Yellow Claw and Tales To Astonish. Deadly Hands Of Kung Fu began around 1974 and reprinted martial arts stories, mainly Shang-Chi: Master Of Kung Fu stories from the USA Deadly Hands of Kung Fu magazine. Savage Tales was probably the best known of all the titles and contained a healthy mix of fantasy alongside horror and super-hero, in the form of Conan, Kull, Dr Strange, Thor, all alongside stories from Tales To Astonish and Chamber Of Chills and the occasional horror story from Charlton. The fourth title, Super Giant, was probably the longest running of all the K.G. Murray/Kenmure titles with Marvel as the focus. However, Super Giant started out reprinting Marvel, but once Newton entered the scenes the title became a haven for Charlton and ACG reprints. The title ran for twenty seven issues, but only twenty one had Marvel content. Super Giant focused ion reprinting classic monster and horror stories from Jack Kirby, Don Heck and Steve Ditko, via the pages of Tales Of Suspense, Amazing Adult Fantasy, Strange Tales and Tales To Astonish amongst others, but also featured more mainstream fare as Thor, Sub-Mariner, Daredevil, Iron Man, Werewolf By Night, Warlock, The Incredible Hulk and more. The interesting point to note is that K.G. Murray/Kenmure featured fairly recent reprints for the time. In the case of some of the Conan stories the reprints would have been appearing at roughly the same time as then USA originals were arriving into Australia.

NEWTON

Newton Comics acquired the rights to reprint Marvel in late 1974, with a view to publishing by early 1975. This goal was reached and one of the first titles published was Dr Strange. It was in the pages of Dr Strange that the first four issues of Ghost Rider ran as a back-up feature. These reprints were fairly untampered with, although Newton had the frustrating trend of suddenly cutting stories off halfway through in order to fit them into an eight to ten page back-up. Once the Newton Dr Strange ceased publication in January 1976 (as a direct result of the now infamous Newton Comic purge of December 1975) Ghost Rider was also scrapped. Due to the hodgepodge way the stories were published, it took eight issues of Dr Strange to reprint the first four issues of Ghost Rider.

Strangely enough Newton didn’t reprint any of the earlier Ghost Rider issues published in Marvel Spotlight and instead focused on reprinting the first four issues of the main title. This might have been due to the lack of suitable source material at the time, as Newton were dependant upon the distributor/art agency Transworld to supply stats and art as required, and as has been discovered in research elsewhere, Newton had a tendency to publish any and all the material supplied by Transworld (and Marvel). Newton never announced a Ghost Rider title proper, nor where there any moves to ever create one, and no further Ghost Rider stories appeared in any other Newton comic so it is likely that they only ever had access to the first four stories.

Newton Comics published the following Ghost Rider stories:
Doctor Strange #4
Contents:
A Woman Possessed by Gary Friedrich & Mike Ploog (Ghost Rider #1) (Part I)
Doctor Strange #4a
Contents:
A Woman Possessed by Friedrich and Ploog (Ghost Rider #1) (Part II)
Doctor Strange #5
Contents:
Shake Hands With Satan by Friedrich, Jim Mooney & Syd Shores (Ghost Rider #2) (Part I)
Doctor Strange # 6
Contents:
Shake Hands With Satan by Friedrich, Mooney & Shores (Ghost Rider #2) (Part II)
Doctor Strange #7
Contents
Wheels On Fire by Friedrich, Mooney & John Tartaglione (Ghost Rider #3) (Part I)
Doctor Strange #8
Contents
Wheels On Fire by Friedrich, Mooney & Tartaglione (Ghost Rider #3) (Part II)
Doctor Strange #9
Contents
Death Stalks The Demolition Derby by Friedrich, Mooney & Vince Colletta (Ghost Rider #4) (Part I)
Doctor Strange #10
Contents
Death Stalks The Demolition Derby by Friedrich, Mooney & Colletta (Ghost Rider #4) (Part II)

YAFFA/PAGE

Once Newton ceased all publication the Yaffa Publishing Group then stepped in to reprint Marvel within Australia. In addition to reprinting USA publishers, Yaffa had acquired rights and material from Australian publisher Horwitz, who had ceased publishing mainstream comic books. Established by David Yaffa in 1928 to sell comic strips, news stories and other editorial content produced by America’s King Features Syndicate to Australian newspaper and magazine publishers, The Yaffa Syndicate had acquired the rights to reprint Marvel Comics in Australia from 1976/77 through to approximately 1982/83 when those rights were taken over by Federal Publishing. The bulk of these reprints came via an imprint called Page Publishing, which also published magazines. Page Publications was founded in the early 1960s as a separate publishing entry to the Yaffa Syndicate. It began to publish comic books in the mid 1960s and continued until the early 1990s. During its publishing life, Page reprinted comics from companies as diverse as Marvel, Charlton, Skywald, Atlas and Archie.

Yaffa/Page began reprinting Ghost Rider stories in a logical order, as they did the bulk of the material that they reprinted. They overlooked the first few stories from Marvel Spotlight, as did Newton previously, and instead concentrated on reprinting the USA title in numerical order. Yaffa/Page published nine issues of Ghost Rider, from 1977 through to approximately 1982. The oddity here appears to leap in issue numbers. There appears to have been no issue #6 of the title printed, despite an issue #5 and an issue #7. The first five issues were in an oversized, magazine format, the last four were smaller, digest sized issues. Each issue would feature three stories, printed in black and white, and often with covers reprinted inside without any copy.

The first five, magazine sized issues, were:
Ghost Rider #1
Contents:
A Woman Possessed by Gary Friedrich, Tom Sutton & Syd Shores (Ghost Rider #1)
Shake Hands With Satan by Friedrich, Jim Mooney & Shores (Ghost Rider #2)
Wheels On Fire by Friedrich, Mooney & John Tartaglione (Ghost Rider #3)
Ghost Rider #2
Contents:
Death Stalks Demolition Derby by Friedrich, Mooney & Vince Colletta (Ghost Rider #4)
And Vegas Writhes In Flame by Marv Wolfman, Doug Moench, Mooney & Sal Trapani (Ghost Rider #5)
Zodiac II by Tony Isabella, Friedrich, Mooney & Trapani (Ghost Rider #6)
Ghost Rider #3
Contents:
And Lose His Own Soul by Isabella, Mooney & Jack Abel (Ghost Rider #7)
Satan Himself by Isabella, Mooney & Trapani (Ghost Rider #8)
The Hell-Bound Hero by Isabella, Mooney & Trapani (Ghost Rider #9)
Ghost Rider #4
Contents:
Ghost Rider by Friedrich & Mike Ploog (Marvel Spotlight #5)
Desolation Run by Isabella, Sal Buscema, Tartaglione & George Roussos (Ghost Rider #11)
Phantom Of The Killer Skies by Isabella, Frank Robbins, Frank Giacoia & Mike Esposito (Ghost Rider #12)
Ghost Rider #5
Contents:
You've Got A Second Chance, Johnny Blaze by Isabella, George Tuska & Colletta (Ghost Rider #13)
A Specter Stalks The Soundstage by Isabella, Tuska & Colletta (Ghost Rider #14)
Vengeance On The Ventura Freeway by Isabella, Bob Brown & Don Heck (Ghost Rider #15)

The second four, digest sized, issues were:
Ghost Rider #7
Contents:
Blood In The Water by Bill Mantlo, Tuska & Colletta (Ghost Rider #16)
Prelude To A Private Armageddon by Isabella, Robbins & Colletta (Ghost Rider #17)
Salvation Run by Isabella, Robbins & Colletta (Ghost Rider #18)
Ghost Rider #8
Contents:
Resurrection by Isabella, Robbins & Colletta (Ghost Rider #19)
Two Against Death by Wolfman, John Byrne & Don Perlin (Ghost Rider #20)
Deathplay by Gerry Conway, Gil Kane & Sam Grainger (Ghost Rider #21)
Ghost Rider #9
Contents:
Nobody Beats The Enforcer by Conway, Heck & Keith Pollard (Ghost Rider #22)
Wrath Of The Water Wizard by Jim Shooter, Heck & Don Newton (Ghost Rider #23)
I, The Enforcer by Shooter, Heck & Dan Green (Ghost Rider #24)
Ghost Rider #10
Contents:
Menace Is A Man Called Malice by Shooter, Heck & Tony DeZunigia (Ghost Rider #25)
A Doom Named Dr Druid by Shooter, Perlin & Sam Grainger (Ghost Rider #26)
At The Mercy Of The Manticore by Shooter, Perlin & Green (Ghost Rider #27)

In addition to these issues, Yaffa/Page also reprinted all 17 issues of The Champions, a team book that also featured the Ghost Rider. These 17 issues were condensed into six individual reprint books (a Super-Villain Team-Up story fleshed the last issue out) which will be looked at shortly. By the time issue #10 was released, Yaffa had decided to wind the Page imprint up and all Marvel reprints had ceased. Interestingly enough the title had almost caught up with the USA original, in terms of what was available at newsagents in Australia at the time (American comics generally appeared approx 2-3 months after their release in the USA).

FEDERAL

In 1982 Yaffa/Page relinquished the license to reprint Marvel Comics in Australia. Into the void came Federal Publishing. The Federal Publishing Company (FPC) was formed when Hannanprint bought a number of publications from the Packer Family's ACP Publishing. Part of this expansion by Hannaprint included the K.G. Murray comic line, which meant that, for the first time since the early 1970s, both Marvel and DC Comics were being reprinted in Australia. Unlike the early ‘70s though, the two lines would remain separate, although ads for both appeared at random. The result of this relaunch was that all the Marvel Comics (and DC for that matter) were re-started with first issues. Federal also published in both colour and black and white and the emphasis was on recently printed issues, as opposed to reprinting Silver and early Bronze Age material. Prices for Federal Comics started at $0.99 and gradually increased to a cap of $1.25. As with the Yaffa/Page reprints, most of the Federal Comics featured three individual stories in their black and white comics, and one and a half to two stories in their colour comics. Much like their predecessors, Federal also chopped and changed panels to ensure that stories fit into the required page count. This would, at times, mean that three pages would be reduced to fit into two, with reduced panels (mainly splash pages and large panels). In some cases title splash pages were eliminated entirely to give the stories both a seamless feel and a reduced page count. This was most notable in the last issue of Ghost Rider (Federal, issue #6) when all three stories were edited down to one story, minus two splash pages, which gave the issue a sense of continuity that would not have been immediately evident in the sequential issues of the USA originals. Fortunately though, Ghost Rider didn’t suffer as much as other Federal titles when it came to cutting down the individual stories to fit into the required page count and format, which, for the Marvel reprints, were a standard sixty four pages per issue. The other bonus with Federal was that, similar to the Yaffa/Page titles, there was no advertising on the inside pages, unlike the original American counterparts.

Keeping in format with other titles published at the time, Federal ignored where the Yaffa/Page reprints left off and instead began issues that were roughly six to eight months old. This gave them enough leeway, with their policy of three issues in one title, to keep to a regular schedule and also managed to keep the title fresher. The downside to this was that Federal was clearly relying on readers not having already bought the relatively recent USA originals, or, if they had, not minding that they were doubling up. The benefit was that shortly after Federal began to reprint Ghost Rider Marvel relaunched the title with a new creative team, consisting initially of writer Roger Stern, penciler Bob Budiansky and inker Joe Rubenstein. Rubenstein would last for one issue before being replaced by Dave Simons to create one of the best known creative teams on the title for the latter part of the run. Simons left the title after six issues to be replaced by Kevin Dzuban and Stern would also bow out to be replaced by J.M.DeMatties, both of whom remained with the book until cancellation.

The Federal reprints were standard comic book size.

Ghost Rider #1
Contents:
Ghost Rider by Gary Friedrich & Mike Ploog (Marvel Spotlight #5)
The Kiss Of Doom by Michael Fleisher, Jack Sparling & Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider #64)
The Lair Of the Loan Shark by Fleisher, Sparling & Sutton (Ghost Rider #65)
Ghost Rider #2
Contents:
The Witch In The Whirlwind by Fleisher & Sutton (Ghost Rider #66)
Holding On To Sally by J.M. DeMatteis, Don Perlin, Tom Sutton & Dave Simons (Ghost Rider #67)
The Curse Of Jonathan Blaze by Roger Stern, Bob Budiansky & Josef Rubinstein (Ghost Rider #68)
Ghost Rider #3
Contents:
Personal Demons by Stern, Budiansky & Simons (Ghost Rider #69)
Freaks by Stern, Budiansky & Simons (Ghost Rider #70)
The Tears Of Adam Henderson by DeMatteis, Perlin & Danny Bulandi (Ghost Rider #71)
Ghost Rider #4
Contents:
Temptations by Stern, Budiansky & Simons (Ghost Rider #72)
Tears of a Clown by Stern, Budiansky & Simons (Ghost Rider #73)
Remnants! by DeMatteis, Budiansky & Simons (Ghost Rider #74)
Ghost Rider #5
Contents:
Beware The Steel Wind by DeMatteis, Budiansky & Simons (Ghost Rider #75)
Ghost Rider Unleashed by DeMatteis , Budiansky & Kevin Dzuban (Ghost Rider #77)
The Empire of Sleep by DeMatteis, Budiansky & Dzuban (Ghost Rider #78)
Ghost Rider #6
Contents:
Shades Of Gray! by DeMatteis, Budiansky & Dzuban (Ghost Rider #79)
Stained Glass and Shadows by DeMatteis, Budiansky & Dzuban (Ghost Rider #80)
The End of the Ghost Rider by DeMatteis, Budiansky, Dzuban & Budilandi (Ghost Rider #81)

Despite there being ample material for Federal to draw upon to reprint, the decision was made to cancel the title with the last stories, keeping it in line with the USA original series. This means that no issue between the last Yaffa/Page reprint (issue #27) and the first Federal issue (issue #64, not counting the reprint of issue #1) was ever reprinted in Australia. Once Federal was wrapped up, in early 1986, Marvel reprints ceased to be published in Australia until the 2000s. Sadly no Ghost Rider stories would be reprinted in Australia after Federal.

Twenty Something Years Gone - Vintage Tour Posters

Happy Birthday Dave Simons!

If Dave Simons had lived today would have marked his 55th birthday, ironically the same age that a few people believed he was when he passed away earlier this year thanks to their own sloppy research.

Dave, I can't find a person who doesn't miss you. Personally I miss the happy emails that used to come my way, full of gossip, stories of the past, present and plans for the future and how our cats were doing. I keep expecting to get an email from Dave again, and the days don't pass when I don't check. Dave, wherever you are, may every day be a happy birthday and we'll meet again, one day, somewhere.

Original Art Stories: Frank Frazetta's Family Feud

This just keeps getting interesting. I've refrained from making any public comment about the recent alleged attempts by Frank Frazetta Jr to remove art from the Frazetta museum, and the above video is exactly why. I've believed for a long while now that there's a lot more to this story and it's only now just coming out into the open. Watch the above clip very carefully, and especially listen to the comments at the end from the notary who details a visit to her offices by Frank Frazetta Sr.

Also interesting is that the family are now closing the museum for good. Can't help but wonder exactly who the bad guys in this story really are...but time will tell. Until then it's a good idea to stay tuned.

Original Art Stories: Gene Colan, Captain America #601 On Sale

Sometimes an email crosses the desk that just makes you gasp. This was one of them. Gene Colan is selling the original art to what might well be the last comic book story he ever draws: Captain America #601. The art is on-line, in it's entirety, for all to see and bid upon. Seeing the whole story in it's purest form is worth a bid in it's own right, so I strongly suggest that people pop over to Gene's site, check out the pages, and the sweet cover, and then start placing some high bids. But for a spare $50,000, I'd be bidding for the lot.

The auction is being held at Gene's site, in his on-line store. The link is: http://genecolan.com/GeneStore/OriginalArt/Cap601Auction.html#0 The auction does have a very interesting rule - all the pages, and cover, has to have a bid, or nothing will be sold. Thus, if you want to buy a page then you have to be sure that every other page has an opening bid. I like this policy - it ensures maximum results and that no-one can really swing by and cherry pick the pages and cover art. Remember, the money goes directly to Gene, so that should also be a damn good incentive.

For your viewing pleasure I've posted the first twelve pages of the story, plus the cover. Go forth, look, salivate, then buy!

Original Art Stories: Art Theft - A Scenario

Recently on the Jack Kirby Yahoo list there’s been a lot of discussion about stolen artwork, centering on both Kirby’s own Marvel artwork, and the recently donated art for Amazing Fantasy #15 by Steve Ditko. Part of the debate has been to establish the difference between what is classified as ‘theft’ and what is classified as ‘liberated’ when it comes to original comic book art. My views on this subject are very clear, but this illustrates it better than anything.

The following scenario was posted by Joseph, who routinely posts on the Jack Kirby Yahoo list. The scenario is as such:

Company x bought and paid for artwork that rightfully belongs to them. It's awesome artwork on the level of Kirby.

They were going to use it, but for reasons unknown they're sitting in a shelf to be destroyed at a future date to make room for some orange crates coming in as that's now their new business.

They are a Chinese co. with a labyrinth of management that makes it hard to get to a person in authority. And they most likely have NO idea what they have as they bought the comic company (now bankrupt) with no real knowledge of the comic business.

You have access to the building and can take some out with absolute impunity.

Do you liberate the artwork, or treat it like a car to be destroyed?

My answer was as follows:

If the artist is alive I would contact them and alert them to the situation. If they were not in a position to act then I'd take it, with permission from the artist, and hand it over to either the artist, or their family, without hesitation.

Do I steal the artwork? That is, do I take it, store it, and wait for the artist to die or become senile and then sell it for profit? Or do I take the art, contact someone and sell it very silently for profit?

Absolutely not. Massive difference. The people, who stole art from Marvel and DC, and other companies, didn't 'liberate' shit. They stole the art and then sold it for their own personal gain. If they had 'liberated' it then they'd have handed it over to the artists who originally drew it. I actually know people who not only did just that, but got into trouble for doing so.

And therein lays the core to the debate. There are people who will argue this point until they are blue in the face. We know that Marvel stored their art, DC destroyed it outright. Other smaller companies did a combination of both, but very rarely was the art ever willingly given back to the artists. Gene Colan got a lot of his own art back by virtue of walking into Marvel and asking for it. Conversely Mike Esposito saw no DC art, no Metal Men, no Wonder Woman and no Flash art during his career, yet there are pages that appear on the market from time to time, and some covers which sit in the murky ‘underground’. Mike considers the pages stolen; others consider the pages to be ‘liberated’. Mike used to get upset when we'd discuss this issue and was very clear with his views of the dealers and collectors who sold his art, knowing it was stolen. Those views were they were parasites and criminals, not 'liberators'. This is my point, it’s not liberation when a person takes an item with the intent of making a profit from it – that’s theft, pure and simple.

There were some people who took art from either Marvel or DC and promptly handed it over to the artists in question, and there’s a (all too) few dealers and collectors who, when faced with an artist, or the artists family, asking for stolen art to be returned, do the right thing and hand it back. Otherwise those people, dealers and collectors, are merely engaging in dealing with stolen property.

In South Australia there’s a law. This law isn’t little known, it’s very well known. Called ‘Larceny by Finding’, it covers this very subject. Basically the law states that if a person ‘finds’ something, takes it and then sells it, they’re committing theft. If the person finds an item and takes it with the sole purpose of making a profit from it, and/or has no intention of handing it back to the rightful owner, then that’s theft. I expect that there’s a similar law in place in the USA that covers this. Just so you know I’m not funning, here are some basic legal definitions:
Theft is the dishonest taking of property belonging to another person with the intention of depriving the owner permanently of it. For the offence to be committed all the parts of the definition must be present. Another word for theft is Larceny.

Larceny refers to the most common type of stealing offence and what people would typically turn their mind to when thinking of stealing. To be found guilty of larceny, a person must have taken the property of another without their consent, with an intention to permanently deprive them of their property.

It is a defence to larceny if the accused person had a “claim of right” to the property. For instance, if an accused person honestly believed that they were legally entitled to the property taken, even if the belief held is unreasonable, then they are not guilty of larceny. This is a defence to similar “stealing” offences.

There is also a form of larceny that is not as obvious and is known as larceny by finding. This is where someone finds property that is not theirs and keeps it, without making reasonable attempts to find the owner.

If you receive any property which you know or ought to know has been stolen you can be imprisoned. If you are found in possession of property which has recently been stolen without a proper explanation, you may be found guilty of receiving.

I doubt that any judge, anywhere, would be sucked into a defence that a person honestly believed that they were legally entitled to a Jack Kirby Fantastic Four page or cover, for example, when Kirby and/or the inker(s) involved were still alive. In the case of original art correct ownership would have been able to be established (because the artists name is on each piece) and therefore, as no effort was made to return it – it’s theft. If the people who stole the art back in the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and beyond truly wanted to be considered ‘liberators’ then they’d have handed the art back to the artists, the bulk of whom were still very much alive and active in the days that the art went missing, and the bulk of whom made it very clear and well known in both the media and the industry as a whole that their art had been stolen. The fact that the art was taken, then stored and then sold, shows that the intent was never to liberate anything, but to steal it in order to realise a profit, a profit that would never benefit the rightful owner of the art.

Every now and then you hear of a dealer up in arms because art has been stolen from the back of a car, or from a table at a convention. The dealers, and collectors, get very indignant and highly righteous at the mere thought, let alone suggestion, that someone would dare to steal a page, or a cover, from a dealer at a show and then try to re-sell it, but there are some dealers who have made a lot of money over the years by doing just that – stealing art and selling it, or knowingly buying and/or trading in stolen art for the purpose of making a profit. It’s hard for me to feel any sympathy when such a person states how hard done by and upset they are when someone dares steal art that they ‘own’.

There are some who’d know exactly who I’m talking about here, although I doubt that the people who stole the art in the first place would recognise themselves, such is the level of denial and revisionism. The solution, however, really is very simple – stop dealing in stolen art and just hand it back to the artists or their families. At least give them the opportunity to say no to it. And stop insisting that you’re a ‘liberator’, if you took the art and then sold it; you’re a common, garden variety thief. If you took the art and handed it back to the rightful owner, then you can call yourself a ‘liberator’. Otherwise, stop deluding yourself and lying to others. You’re no better than the person who takes the art from your table or breaks into your car to steal the folders you’ve stupidly left on the back seat. The shame lies in the criminal behaviour of the original thieves, and also with the dealers and collectors of today who knowingly own and trade in stolen art. To those people, I hope that one day someone steals something valuable of yours and sells it, and you discover that there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.

So now it's over to the readers of this blog - you have the scenario, what would YOU do?

1939 Letter From Grace Everett, Re: Bill Everett & Amazing Man

The following is the text from a letter that was recently posted onto eBay. Dated, 1st March, 1939, the letter was written by Bill Everett's mother and relates to Bill working on a new creation for Lloyd Jaquet - the man who founded Funnies Inc, a company that produced Marvel Comics #1, which would lead to the formation of Timely Comics, later to become Marvel. As people who read this might well be aware, Bill Everett was one of the pioneers of comic books, and if all he ever did was create Namor, The Sub-Mariner, then his place in history would be well and truly cemented. As it stands he did much, much more.

The letter shows an interesting insight into Bill's life at the time and the frustration he was clearly feeling in attempting to come up with a new character on demand. The general thought is that the letter relates to a character named Amazing Man, which debuted in September, 1939. The letter refers to both Centaur and a new character which makes the theory all the more likely. Amazing Man has more in common with Superman than Namor ever did, and the letter shows the level of pressure, thought and research that went into the creation of characters back in the Golden Age.

Sadly there was a bit of a dispute as to the auction of the letter. A well known collector bought the item only to have the seller recant and relist it in order to increase the amount of money that it would realise. Not a very good sales practice really, but that aside, here it is, for all to enjoy, for it's historical content.
-------------------

414 West 118th Street,
New York City.

Darling:

Carlton’s letter to Bette, which arrived yesterday told us your proposed trip to Clearwater. I wanted to write you yesterday but was so busy on some typing for Professor Barzun that I got no chance until today.

I am delighted that you are going away at last, and to so delightful a place. To have Flodde and Gail with you will mean a great deal -- that I know, and it is lovely for them that they can have some sunshine and warm weather now.

I am wondering how you will make the trip. If you go by train -- and I presume you will – shall you come through new York? If you do, and want to break the trip so that you can get a little rest, I’d love to have you come here. We have plenty of room for all three of you now, and of course we’d be overjoyed to have you here.

Let me know if there is anything at all that I can do for you or for Flodde.

We are all well again and all busy. Professor Barzun is revising part of his book and gives me a little typing now and then. Bill has a lot of work to do on his present three comic strips, and Centaur Publications wants him to do a new one. Lee is entirely recovered, back and work, and busy as a bee.

I had a visit from Lois ten days ago, just for an evening; and Dorothy Dalzell and Rachel Blanchard were in new York for a few days, so that I saw them twice. Bobby Fisk – you will remember him as the little boy who was with us so much when we lived on School Street – will be in town this week end, and we are looking forward to seeing him again.

Lois is in Miami, and writes me that she is very lonely and nervous. Her uncle, who is a surgeon, sent her down there to get some sunshine, warm weather and bathing; but she is all alone and I she is not happy there. She returns on the 17th.

I heard an interesting conversation on the bus the other day. It was about the book “Rebecca”, which I know you have read but which I have not. Did you realize that it was written in the first person, and that the person’s name was not mentioned in the book once? It seems that a reader in new York, which noticed the circumstance, telephoned London, to ask author what the name of her character was; but the author was then in Hollywood and the reader didn’t get the information. A New York newspaper carried an item about the telephone call. Interesting, isn’t it?

I’m feeling very well indeed, and keeping busy as usual. Last week I went out to luncheon once, and to the movies one evening. That’s wild excitement for me in one week.

I’m going to spend all day tomorrow at the Public Library, doing some research work for Bill. He has a new character, for a strip which Jaquet wants him to do in competition with the new one now being syndicated – called the “Superman’ I think. We’ve wracked our brains for a new kind of character; and all I can think of now is to back over some old folk tales, foreign ones if necessary, and try to find some unusual character around which we can build an unusual story for these modern times. Bill is rushing through another strip and two covers, so I am going to help him in this research. I course I love to do it.

By the way, the "Superman" thing I spoke of above was considered to good that it was bought and syndicated before it was ever published. The people I know who have seen it are not impressed, but I suppose children would love it. It’s a story of a man with superhuman strength in these modern times, who can pick up an elephant with one hand – lifts trolley cars off tracks, etc. If you have any brilliant ideas for a competitive strip, for heaven’s sake let us know. Jaquet is on Bill’s heels about this.

I finally got a permanent wave, and it certainly helped my morale. Now if I can pick a new suit and hat out of the All-Encircling-Good, I’ll be all set to knock ‘em Dead! Tho where I shall ever find a hat that I’ll dare to wear – or even consider wearing – I really don’t know. I’ve not seen a single hat yet that wasn’t simply horrible, for me at least.

Carleton wrote that he would let us know has soon as you had definite plans for your trip, and I shall be hoping that they will include a stop-over in new York. This little jaunt, I am absolutely certain, will be the one thing needed to start you on the up-grade. And even though it may take a super-human effort on your part to get there, any discomfort will be well worth while in the improvement that you will certainly make.

My dear love to Carleton, Mardie and Flodde; and a million kisses to Gail.

Ever devotedly,

Grace