Alter Ego #28 September 2003 (magazine review).
Luck finds its own course. Reading an early issue recently, there was a reference in the letters column to the ‘Alter Ego’ issue featuring the work of comicbook artist Joe Maneely (1926–1958), and instantly on my list to find it, it popped up on auction. Never look a horse-gift in the mouth.
I first came across Maneely’s art in Marvel’s reprint ‘Collector Specials’ back in the doing of the Black Knight in mediaeval times, admiring his technique and wondering what happened to him. Back in the day, there wasn’t much of a comic fandom in the UK, and, even when I got involved, nothing about him. It wasn’t until many years later, in one of TwoMorrows books, that I discovered how he died, falling under a tube train at the age of 32 when tipsy late at night. It was also said that had he lived, he would have had as much attention as Jack Kirby because he was also a fast artist, drawing and inking. Writer Dr. Michael J. Vassallo goes over his history with lots of samples of his work on interiors and covers. At the time, Maneely only did super-hero covers for Timely interiors, but it’s obvious he had a sense of design. Vassallo raises an interesting question as to why Maneely isn’t well-remembered, especially when you see how much of Timely’s books he drew and inked the covers and interiors of in the 1950s, turning his hand to everything, including spoofs and the original Forbush Man. Outside of those Black Knight stories I saw, I can’t recall anything else he did getting reprinted. Granted, we probably wouldn’t have been that interested in the westerns, but there was so much else.
There are also the memories of his youngest daughter, Nancy, who, although she was only two when Maneely died, had access to some of his work. Stan Lee also contributes, pointing out that Maneely could draw anything asked very quickly.
Flipping over the issue, we have an interview with Lee J. Ames (1921–2011) by Jim Amash, who is quite a raconteur with his stories of various artists and editors he knew. He was also trained as an inbetweener at Disney before returning to New York, working his way through the comic book industry there before switching to drawing skill books, many of which are still out there.
Looking at the back cover, the original Captain Marvel by Don Newton looks like a cross between a young Victor Mature and Marc Swayze.
Back inside, writer Bill Schelly interviews John Benson, the editor of the fanzine ‘Spa Tront’, devoted to EC Comics, giving information on how it started and various insights to various people, not to mention why Harvey Kurtzman left ‘Mad Magazine’.
Under ‘Mr. Monster’, Michael T. Gilbert explains he wasn’t the only person of that name, which explains why he uses his middle initial, although he outlives the other chap. He also points out ‘Art Linkletter’s Picture Encyclopaedia for Boys and Girls’ from the 1950s, which had many named comicbook artists contributing work.
Under the Fawcett category, writer Steve Skeates points out his tenure on DC Comics ‘Isis’ comicbook in the mid-1970s. I’m not entirely sure if I agree that women were all stereotypical at that time, especially when Marvel had Storm and Phoenix. However, women with curves do sell better.
Writer Walt Grogan looks at The Monster Society of Evil, the Marvel family’s opponents, and how two of them had their weaknesses by not being able to say their own names. Surely, it would have made sense to have codenames that were different, like Hawk and Dove. No wait…
Never underestimate early issues.
GF Willmetts
March 2024
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page illustrated magazine. Price: $10.95 (US). ISSN: 1932-6890. Direct from them, you can get it digitally for $ 4.99 (US))
check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_55&products_id=479
