Alter Ego #66 March 2007 (magazine review).
I have to confess I’m not exactly impressed by the cover of the 66th issue of Alter Ego. There’s nothing wrong with the robot, which I agree is nicely designed, but Daredevil looks off because he appears too muscular. Inside, it’s explained that Bob Powell’s original design of the Avenger had been modified to match when he actually drew Daredevil for an issue. The other characters along the bottom of the cover are more in line with what Powell’s art really looks like.
Another confession: I haven’t seen much of the work of the prolific writer/artist Bob Powell (1916-1967), as most of his work was in the 1940s-1950s, with a sprinkling in the next decade. Even he couldn’t remember all the work he’d done. Considering he often worked overnight, barefoot, so when he felt himself falling asleep, he could put his foot in a bucket of iced water to stay awake, it’s understandable. From writer Ed Lane’s feature on him, Powell was also self-effacing. As he saw it, back in the day, comic book artists were seen as bums, not ‘tin gods’ deserving of praise. Looking at the range of his comic book work, he really did everything available.
Writer Nick Caputo looks at Powell’s work at Marvel, and the samples he shows are from comic books I remember reading. I’m still puzzled by the revised Giant-Man, in a Powell-designed costume, needing to have holes in his multi-story home to grow to giant size to fix an aerial when it would probably have been easier just to stand on the roof. The Hulk at the demise of the Leader in Tales To Astonish is a classic, though.
Michael T. Gilbert’s Mr. Monster features correspondence from Powell’s wives and children, filling in a picture of him and his hard work regime, with some of them helping him by rubbing the pencils from the inked work.
What is a surprising bigger gem here is writer David George’s lengthy but funny and informative look at his time in Magazine Management’s magazine department. Publisher Martin Goodman’s empire was more than Marvel Comics, which was one-third of the business; the other two-thirds were books and magazines, and David George worked in the latter. The number of known writers who worked there includes Mickey Spillane, Mario Puzo, and Ernest Tidyman. I think the biggest chuckle came from a supposed assistant editor who didn’t know how to punctuate when told to do so, placing commas next to full stops. He didn’t last the day.
Jim Amash interviewed Blanche Fago, who, along with her late husband, artist Al Fago, were editors at Charlton Comics for a time. They ran a happy ship, although they didn’t like the owners when they realized they were crooks. Her insights into artists like Dick Giordano and Steve Ditko, among others, are fascinating, especially as she didn’t know Ditko went on to create Spider-Man.
Is that enough to entice you to read, or do you need to know about what appears to be an undistributed Captain Marvel promotional mag with some good art as discovered by writer Gregg Clifford? You’ve got to love a picture of Mary Marvel flying a giant butterfly.
GF Willmetts
August 2024
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page illustrated magazine. Price: varies. 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=414
