Alter Ego #30 November 2003 (magazine review).
When ‘Alter Egos’ appears on the auction website, I typically review a few details from my checklist: do I already own a copy, can I afford it, and is it located in the UK to reduce postage costs? Only then do I examine the content in detail. The seller had a cover that showed an unrecognisable superhero, which didn’t help matters. Anyway, I pulled it and realised it was an alternative cover. The right one was the Alex Ross cover, which is shown here. It features the Justice League battling Starro. Probably, had it been shown, I might have had some competition for it. My luck. Did I say I was lucky in tracking things down?
‘Alter Ego’ initially featured black and white content, but this time, it’s enhanced by the pencil roughs of Alex Ross, who shares his thoughts on the original Justice League and its influence on his ‘Justice’ graphic novel at the time. Beyond the interview conducted by Walt Grogan, if you want to see the original designs for each of the JLA as stand-ups and a combined poster, they are here, including three that didn’t make the grade.
Dick Dillon (1929-1980) still holds the record for doing the most consecutive issues on any superhero team book. The ‘Justice League Of America’ published 148 issues, with only 4 pre-planned breaks for reprints during this run. In an interview conducted by Walt Grogan, he talks to Dillon’s widow, Estella, and adult children, Richard Jr and girls Leslie and Terry. It’s quite an insight. I mean, how many mean professional artists do you know who could draw and converse with their children and other individuals while they were drawing? There’s also some of his pencil work shown here, showing just how much detail he did.
Writer Michelle Nolan has her third look at the Martian Manhunter, pointing out his early tales didn’t rely on his superpowers but on his role as a New York detective.
Writer Bill Schelly has an excerpt from his book on writer Otto Binder, who wrote so much of the Superman family mythology. He discusses Binder’s meeting with three of his fans, a recording that included Tom Fagan, J. Randolph Cox, and an aspiring artist, Frank Miller.
Flipping the magazine over, we have writer Jean-Marc Lofficier giving the history of pulp heroes and then into their superheroes. Not all of these heroes were active in France; some spread across the world. You really need to read this article yourself, as some, like their first French superhero, Rocambole, came out in 1857–1870 and super-powered Nyctalope in 1908. Of course, after the American Superman came out, that influence spread across the French version, hardly surprising when the likes of the Fantastic Four and X-Men were reprinted over there. To avoid copyright infringement, some characters underwent significant changes. However, a Tarzan-like character named Tarou being raised by tigers seems implausible. The art samples shown indicate there were and probably are talented artists over there with flair.
There are two interviews by Jim Amash with 1950s writer Kim Aamodt and Walter Geier, who both worked for Simon and Kirby, writing scripts mostly off Kirby plots, providing some insights at the time. Both moved on to other things and became early writers for hire.
In the Fawcett section, probably the most significant thing is seeing some early Marc Swayze sketches of Mary Marvel flying.
The Alex Ross connection means this early edition of ‘Alter Ego’ isn’t likely to pop up in online auctions too often, but if you see the alternative cover with a Steve Rude character with an ‘H’ on his chest, then you might be as lucky as me.
GF Willmetts
March 2025
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. page illustrated magazine. Price: varies. ISSN: 1932-6890. Direct from them, you can get it for (US))
check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_55&products_id=477
