Farewell To Dick Ayers

Dick Ayers passed away on May 4th, 2014 at the age of 90. As a comic book artist he was always a solid, dependable craftsman. As a person he was a class act. Dick was the first pro I ever interviewed and he was both patient and gracious. Over the years I had the pleasure of seeing both him and his lovely wife Lindy often at New York Comic Cons, and was thrilled to be a guest at his house on several occasions with fellow friends and comics scholars  Barry Pearl, Michael J.Vassallo and my esteemed brother John Caputo (AKA The Yancy Street Gang). Dick had a wonderful display of original artwork on his walls and in his studio, and it was an absolute delight to listen to his stories about his comic book career. One of the most amusing anecdotes Dick told was recounted in Barry Pearl's article about our visit ("The Yancy Street Gang visit Dick and Lindy Ayers"; Alter Ego # 90, Dec 2009). Once when Dick's young daughter was in school students were asked what their fathers did for a living. His daughter innocently answered: "My daddy draws monsters". The teacher thought his daughter was fibbing and called the parents in. Needless to say, Dick had to explain that he WAS gainfully employed drawing (or more precisely inking) monsters!

"The Greedy Ghosts of Boot Hill", Gardner Fox story, Dick Ayers art and lettering, The Ghost Rider # 4, 1951. Created with Publisher Vin Sullivan and writer Ray Krank for Magazine Enterprises, The Ghost Rider was Dick Ayers' signature character. Dick's Ghost Rider design was a perfect blending of simplicity and style. Clad in white with a skull like mask and eye sockets that predated Spider-Man's, the western hero would remain a top-seller for years.

       
"Doctor Molnar's Corpse!" Author unknown; Ernie Bache inks, Dick Ayers art and lettering (Dick always lettered all the early stories that he or Ernie Bache inked) Adventures into Terror # 21, July 1953. Ernie Bache assisted Ayers from 1952-1954 and his inking added a layer of depth to the finished work. Ayers spoke highly of Bache's contributions in an interview published in Alter Ego # 10:

"He would put on all the blacks and the Kraft-Tone and bring in all that stuff. So we made a good team. I didn't bother throwing in heavy blacks. I would start them, maybe, but then he would accentuate the lines I'd put in, make them a little stronger. And he was very meticulous in his approach. I mean, everything had to be a certain formula so that we could knock out four pages a day, so he was a good asset for me."

Ayers produced many exceptional horror and mystery stories, particularly in the 1950's . This is one of a number of books in my collection that Ayers signed.

"Shylock Bones" Author unknown; Dick Ayers pencils and lettering; Ernie Bache inks, Wild # 4, June 1954. Some of  Ayers' earliest comic book work was on humor strips for Magazine Enterprises; he drew Funnyman (for Jerry Siegel) and a comic starring popular singer/comedian Jimmy Durante. Ayers also produced humor strips for Charlton and Timely/Atlas. In the same Alter Ego interview Ayers talked about humor and the Durante comic:

"... I was heart-broken that I lost Jimmy Durante, because I loved drawing him. That was the style I would have loved to keep, because you could tell adventure and you could also be funny, like Roy Crane. Then when they started up the westerns, I found out, boy, did I love doing those! [laughs]"

Oddly, when Marvel produced their superhero/parody comic Not Brand Echh in 1967 Ayers was never asked to draw any stories.

"Retribution", writer unknown, Dick Ayers art and lettering, Rawhide Kid # 11, Nov 1955. An atmospheric splash page from the original incarnation of the Rawhide Kid. Ayers' love of drawing westerns is evident in many of the stories he worked on throughout his career, including The Ghost Rider, Wyatt Earp, Two-Gun Kid, Rawhide Kid and countless genre stories. In the late 1970's-early 1980's he had a long run drawing Jonah Hex at DC. A more adult and gritty western than Ayers' earlier efforts, the combination of Michael Fleischer's scripts and detailed inkers such as Tony DeZuniga brought out some of his best storytelling in this period. Clearly, Ayers was at home in the genre.

"Vandoom, The Man Who Made a Creature!", Stan Lee plot ?; Larry Lieber script ?; Jack Kirby pencils, Dick Ayers inks, Artie Simek and Ray Holloway lettering, and - almost certainly - Stan Goldberg colors, Tales to Astonish # 17, March 1961.

Another area of Ayers' expertise was as an inker, particularly over Jack Kirby's pencils. Stan Lee paired Ayers with Kirby, and his thickness of line especially suited the many monsters that overwhelmed the pre-hero Marvel era. Ayers was also an important component of Marvel's early superheroes, inking Fantastic Four, Avengers, Thor, Ant-Man, Human Torch, and my favorite: The Hulk. Coupled with Kirby's rough and tumble visual style, Ayers was instrumental in fashioning a distinctive look to the nascent Marvel line - one far removed from DC's clean-cut house style. Before Lee instituted a credit box that included the writer, artist, inker and letterer, Dick Ayers added the signature "Kirby and Ayers" to the stories he inked.

Dick Ayers cover to Sgt. Fury # 38, Jan 1967. The simplicity of design is complimented by the striking color scheme, probably by either Stan Goldberg or Marie Severin.

Ayers was also skilled at drawing war stories, producing a slew of material for Atlas' genre line. He was later given the assignment to take over Sgt. Fury from Jack Kirby. A World War II veteran, Ayers brought some of his own experiences to the strip and became closely associated with Fury and the Howlers, drawing most issues for over a decade. Under Ayers, and with stories/co-plots by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich, Sgt. Fury was often an entertaining mag, even if the characters were more superhero than ordinary soldier. A top seller for many years, Sgt. Fury survivied in reprint form until 1981.

"The Deserter" Gary Friedrich script, Dick Ayers pencils, John Severin inks; Jean Izzo letters;, Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos # 75, Feb 1970. Ayers pencils were complimented by John Severin, who added a layer of depth and  authenticity to his pencils. Severin's stint inking Ayers was an artistic highlight of the series and Severin was lauded by Ayers as one of his favorite inkers

From the same issue, an example of Ayers' skill at telling a story without the use of dialogue. Inspired by Jim Steranko's silent sequence in Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD # 1, author Friedrich often employed the same device in his plots for artists, although Ayers had done a story years before with Stan Lee in the same manner, "And Not a Word Was Spoken" which appeared in Two-Gun Kid # 61, Jan 1963.

 "Return of the Tarantula!" Gary Friedrich, story; Dick Ayers, art, Tom Sutton inks, Jean Izzo letters, Western Gunfighters # 1, August 1970. Ayers returned to The Ghost Rider when Marvel took the name of the defunct character. Running a scant seven issues, Ghost Rider returned as a feature in the 25 cent Western Gunfighters comic. Tom Sutton's atmospheric inking was perfectly suited to the strip; unfortunately the pair only collaborated on this one story.

Ayers 2008 drawing of the Ghost Rider, inscribed to yours truly. 

Throughout his career Dick Ayers had an individual artistic imprint. His characters were solid and he understood the importance of good storytelling. While his efforts on superhero stories was competent, and at times very good - in particular his rendition of the original Human Torch, the later Lee-Kirby version and Giant-Man - Ayers was clearly comfortable with more down to earth characters and settings. A professional who prided himself on always delivering the work on time, Ayers came from a era when the artist usually toiled away in obscurity; thankfully he lived to see his work appreciated, and was interviewed often, leaving behind a history of over four decades of achievements and experiences in comics. On a personal note, meeting the man behind the pencil and brush elevated his status even further as a fine human being.

I'll close with a 2008 photo of Dick Ayers at his home, displaying a gift from Barry Pearl (with a little assistance from the rest of the Yancy Street Gang) an appreciation/overview/bibliography of Dick's work for Timely/Atlas/Marvel. We'll all miss you, Dick.


To read more about Dick in his own words, go to Barry Pearl's blog: 

http://forbushman.blogspot.com/2014/05/dick-ayers-two-interviews_5.html

In Praise of Rocke

There were many talented artists in the Charlton line-up and Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio is one of the best and most underrated. Born on June 8th,1927 in Staten Island, Rocco exhibited an affinity for drawing early on, and by the age of 17 he began working in comics. Credits for Rocke include pencils and/or inks for ACG, Avon, Harvey, Hillman, Toby and Timely-Atlas. His longest association, though, was with Charlton Press, beginning in 1954 and running until his death in 1968.

This bio of Rocco appeared in Creepy # 16, Aug 1967 and included many interesting facts about the artist. Joe Orlando was a fellow classmate (and friend) at the School of Industrial Arts; Mastroserio enjoyed using different techniques when drawing; influences included Wally Wood, Jack Davis, and in particular, John Severin; Charlton editor Pat Masulli allowed him to experiment on stories and he had ambitions to work on a syndicated strip.      

    
Mastroserio's cover to Wyatt Earp # 18, Nov 1957 has a decidedly Joe Maneely-esque background. Maneely drew a number of stories for Charlton and some of Rocke's covers and stories in this period were clearly influenced by his work. Could the two have met and compared notes at some point? 

Image from the ever-resourceful Grand Comics Database, where you can view all the Wyatt Earp covers by Rocco and a variety of Charlton greats: http://www.comics.org/series/1189/covers/

Rocke's cover art to Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds # 8, June 1958. Mastroserio's art peppered practically the entire Charlton line, from covers to interiors. With the amount of work he turned out some jobs were clearly rushed and weaker than others, but much of his art stands out as above average.  

An explosive (pardon the pun) cover to D-Day # 5, Oct 1967. Covers such as these, lacking copy, draw attention directly to the art. Mastroserio pencilled and/or inked countless covers for Charlton's various war and western titles and the hits outweigh the misses. Image from the GCD.   

A powerful image graces the cover to Fightin' Army # 25, June 1958, with pencils by Charlton editor Pat Masulli and inks by Mastroserio. Rocke inked most of Charlton's artists from time to time, including Charles Nicholas and Bill Molno, usually adding a layer of depth to two of Charlton's workhorses. While both men have often been maligned by fans, sometimes with justification, I've warmed up to their work a little since seeing more examples at Comic Book Plus:  

http://comicbookplus.com/

Molno and Nicholas were clearly capable of producing solid art when time and interest merged. Like many, I've probably been too harsh in assessing their talents, but I've grown to appreciate that they had distinct styles, even if they were not in the same class as Kirby and Ditko.

Mastroserio inks over Dick Giordano. The two produced many outstanding covers over the years. From Outlaws of the West # 61, Nov 1966. Image from the GCD.

Another exciting western cover by Rocke, with layouts possibly by Dick Giordano, from Outlaw of the West # 64, May 1967. Image from the GCD.   

When Ghostly Tales began with issue # 55, May 1966 (in actuality the first issue, which continued the numbering from Blue Beetle), Mastroserio was a major contributor, both as primary cover artist and on interiors. In this issue he provides the intro page, inks a Steve Ditko story and draws two stories of his own! This nicely designed page is from "A Powerful Tale!"   

Anyone for a game of cards? Rocke drew many attractive and inventive introductory pages for Charlton, this one featuring the host Mr. L. Dedd. From Ghostly Tales # 57, Sept 1966. 

Mastroserio was particularly suited to the mystery genre as this cover clearly illustrates. From Ghostly Tales # 60, March 1967.

As noted, Mastroserio inked many of Steve Ditko's stories when he returned to Charlton. Although he did a fine job on Capt. Atom, I believe Rocke's crisp, detailed inking on the mystery stories truly excelled. "If I Had Three Wishes", Gary Freidrich script, from Ghostly Tales # 60. 

Ditko and Rocke are again teamed in the same issue. This page features superb storytelling by Ditko, with each panel perfectly composed. The use of the host is an added treat, and Rocke's inking compliments Ditko's pencils as few have been able to. There are so many gems to be found in Charlton's 1960's comics. This is just one of them. "The Ghost Mover" Joe Gill script?

 Dr. Graves, who had a short feature in Ghostly Tales, usually written by Dave Kaler and drawn by Bill Montes and Ernie Bache, soon became the host and occasional star of his own title. As with GT, Rocke was again employed as main cover and intro artist on many of the early issues. Cover possibly from a Dick Giordano layout. Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves # 4, Nov 1967.

Another simple, effective Rocke cover, with lettering by Jon D'Agostino, from Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves # 5, Jan 1968.

And we close out our look at Rocke's Charlton work with a decidedly Ditkoesque cover, one inspired by the Ditko drawn "Routine" inside. All told, Mastroserio's fourteen year body of work at Charlton includes some extraordinary work.

 
 In 1966 Rocke, along with fellow Charlton artists Steve Ditko, Pat Boyette and Tony Tallarico, began getting assignments from Warren Publishing. Mastroserio's black and white work was effective, as this splash page to "Monster" clearly illustrates. Archie Goodwin script. Creepy # 10, Aug 1966.

While continuing to work for Charlton, Mastroserio drew stories for Warren and received his first assignment from DC editor Murray Boltinoff, a mystery story over Jack Sparling pencils (The Unexpected # 108, Sept 1968). Sadly, it was to be his only DC job, as he died in 1968, at the age of 41. 

Mark Hanerfeld's obituary of Mastroserio, from On The Drawing Board Vol 3, # 2, Apr 1968


Like the tragic early death of Joe Maneely, who knows where the future would have taken Rocco Mastroserio? Mastroserio was excited to be working for DC, and more jobs from editor Murray Boltinoff were pending (according to historian Mark Evanier, Boltinoff was ready to assign him a Challengers of the Unknown story). His command of the form was constantly improving and would likely have continued in that direction. Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio's life may have been short, but his accomplishments in the world of comic art cast a long shadow.

I'll close out with a rare treat: Rocco in his own words, writing about art and storytelling. A letter from Comic Comments # 19, June 1967. Rocke had contributed a cover to issue # 10, which I unfortunately don't have, but if anyone has a copy and would send me a scan I'd love to add it to this tribute.

      

The Comic Reader reaches 100!

With the 11th Anniversary issue The Comic Reader once again returns to its original name. After years of various permutations (On The Drawing Board; the recent double-name of Etcetera and The Comic Reader), publisher Paul Levitz wisely decided that less is more. 

                     
                       Cover to The Comic Reader # 90, October 1972. Art by fan Marc Bilgrey

Levitz's A Letter From The Editor closes the door on "the double name nonsense". He further explains that Etcetera will become a separate fanzine with many of the ongoing columns appearing therein (which did occur). The really good news? The Comic Reader will REMAIN The Comic Reader for the duration (that doesn't mean there won't be ANY changes, though...)    

The Marvel news section tells of the Marvel Origins book being delayed. That was an understatement, since it wouldn't appear for another two years. Barry Smith leaves Conan, as John Buscema takes over what would be a very long and popular run on the character. Don McGregor joins Marvel as an editorial assistant; coincidentally news of the delayed War of The Worlds strip is mentioned, a strip that McGregor would go on to write, most prominently with Craig Russell, another newcomer who was assigned the Ant-Man strip. One item that sadly did not come to fruition was the Spider-Man/Sub-Mariner story to be drawn by Bill Everett. While Everett inked Spider-Man over Ross Andru and Gene Colan, he never had the opportunity to pencil the character. As will soon be noted, Everett passed before he was able to pencil the story. The FF image is from the T-shirt, with art by Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia.

     
In the "news and notes" section Paul Levitz talks of his upcoming visit to the Malachy McCourt program. McCourt had a long-running show on AM Station WMCA in New York which was then a Talk Station that included a range of diverse hosts, including Alex Bennett, Bob Grant, Leon Lewis and late night host Long John Nebel. Paul's teacher, and Malachy's brother Frank McCourt was unknown to the general public at the time, but years later would become celebrated for his best-selling Memoir Angela's Ashes. Frank McCourt died in 2009.   

The Comic Reader # 91, Nov 1972. Cover of Kirby's the Demon by Don Rosa. Rosa has an interesting history in fandom. He wrote the Information Center column for The Rocket's Blast Comicollector for many years, and his comic strip, Pertwillaby Papers, would later appear in The Comic Reader. Rosa was a lifelong fan of Carl Barks, the famous writer/artist of many Donald Duck comics for Western publishing. In later years Rosa would have the opportunity to create his own Duck stories.   

    
 DC news included the return of Joe Simon to editorial duties, although this time he remained largely a solo act, even though ex-partner Jack Kirby was also at DC. Fans were not the only ones who took notice of the two working for DC again. Could that mean a reunion? Stay tuned! The Toth item turned out to be false, though not inaccurate - read my previous blog post for all the sordid details! Secret Origins # 1 cover-repro by Nick Cardy. 

    
A Kirby/Ayers Sub-Mariner illo graces the Marvel news page, which includes news of colorist Glynis Wein joining the staff and Marv Wolfman becoming assistant editor, replacing Steve Gerber who became busy writing stories. Tony Isabella joined the ranks of professionals, assisting on Marvel's British Weeklies! Mad also gets a plug, with its special "comic section" including a pull-out of the original comic version.

The ET AL section posted a variety of popular culture items, including convention news, books on comics and strips and info on newspaper articles. On a personal note I fondly recall listening to WRVR, a Jazz oriented FM radio station in New York that I frequently enjoyed (as a teenager I loved rock and roll, but appreciated all types of music, and really grew to love jazz in the years ahead). WRVR also played old time radio, and along with the Lone Ranger, I particularly recall listening to the Shadow many Saturday nights with my brother John, usually with the lights turned off to create the appropriate mood. One of the sponsors for the show was none other than the Monster Times, a bi-weekly newspaper that featured articles on comics, movies, television...well, why not just read Manny Marris' recap of the 17th and 18th issues in his column:      
    

The Obituary section notes the passing of actor Charles Correll and Animation Pioneer Max Fleischer. A producer and inventor, Fleischer's achievements included Ko Ko the Clown, Betty Boop and most famously, was instrumental in bringing Popeye to the moving screen. Along with his talented studio of animators and voice artists, the Fleischer studio created many unique, decidedly urban and extraordinary cartoons that stand the test of time.  

The one and only ORIGIKANAL! Accept no subskitutes!

I beg your indulgence for a moment, since The Comic Reader # 92 (Dec 1972) was the first fanzine I ever purchased, way back in December of 1972. The cover peered out at me from the little nook of a window of an old bookstore, located in the Ridgewood section of Queens, New York. It was on a Sunday, though, and the store was closed. Neighborhood bookstores were still in evidence in the early 1970's, and this one was known by the proprietors name, Pat. The store sold books, magazines, records and, yes, comics. Since my brother John and I were comics fans and bought them on a regular basis I recognized the character on the cover, Warlock. I was also intrigued by the cryptic copy that dotted the cover: "Dracula Lives, new Marvel B&W"; "In This Issue: EC Comix.  I rushed back the following day and purchased The Comic Reader, discovering it was filled with information on Marvel and DC's line, including reproductions of upcoming covers! What a thrill it was to a kid who only got his news from the companies coming attractions. Plus it had news of other companies! Articles! Ads for other fanzines! The discovery of this small publication led me to an ongoing interest in fanzines; I've collected, studied and enjoyed them ever since that day almost 40 years ago. 

Cover art by Alan Kupperberg. Colors by N. Caputo.

News of the latest paperback releases also appeared in TCR, as seen on the "So What Else Is News?" Column 

Even the ads were exciting! Reprinting of Eisner's The Spirit and EC's Comics. This took place at a time when there were very little early comic books being collected.

  

The Comic Reader # 93, Jan 1973 heralds the return of Simon and Kirby on a new Sandman. The pair would only work on one issue together, and it would not be published for some time, although sales turned out to be very strong. Dreams of further Simon/Kirby collaborations were not to be, though, and the pairs fortunes would remain in separate paths. The proposed Deadman revival never got off the ground; instead the Spectre got the green light. Since horror and weird strips were doing extremely well (note the Swamp Thing's overwhelming success) it might have been worthwhile to try both features. Captain Marvel...excuse me..Shazam # 2 cover by C.C. Beck and Jack Adler.    

ET AL has many interesting tid-bits, not the least of which is Harlan Ellison's unproduced The Dark Forces TV show, which sounded promising, and information and art by Neal Adams on the short lived Warp play.

Howard Chaykin's cover to The Comic Reader # 94 Feb 1973, introduces his new character. IronWolf, who later debuted in Weird Worlds.   

News on Russ Heath's current work, the first German Comiccon, the revival of Weird Tales and old time radio on WRVR. I was glued to my radio every night listening to those old programs, including the comedy Fibber McGee. To show how everything connects, a supporting character that appeared on the show, The Great Gildersleeve, played by character actor Harold Peary, was once mentioned in an essay by Steve Ditko as serving the same function as did his Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man, a character the fans loved to hate. Ditko noted: "I realized that J. Jonah Jameson was Spider-Man's Great Gildersleeve." (A Mini-History 10: "The OO's and JJJ" Robin Snyder's The Comics Vol 14, No 5, May 2003).  And if you ever heard Gildersleeve's laugh on radio and thought of Jameson's leering face from ASM # 18, you'd get the picture.   

DC's apprentice program came on strong with Carl Gafford and Al Milgrom. Gafford was involved in fanzines and went on to become a major colorist, particularly for DC. Milgrom was an artist/inker/editor and writer, producing tons of work for Marvel and DC. Milgrom is also the inker of one of my favorite Kirby covers, Invincible Iron-Man # 80.

The 39 year run of Terry and the Pirates comes to an end and news of Jerry Bails' essential Who's Who of American Comic Books makes this a noteworthy page.

The sad news of Bill Everett's passing, creator of Sub-Mariner, distinctive stylist and a giant of the industry.

Murphy Anderson's expressive Spectre cover announces his return to comics, although Jim Aparo would be drawing the revived version. The Comic Reader # 96 April 1973.

   

Along with Weird horror, Weird war and Weird westerns, DC had Weird humor. Plop debuts, with cover art by the delightfully weird Basil Wolverton. After an absence of many years the Joker returns, reverting to his manically homicidal personality. Neal Adams cover art.   

 News from other companies, including Gold Key and Charlton, begin to filter back into TCR.  E-Man, a new superhero feature by writer Nick Cuti and artist Joe Staton is spotlighted.

No, the X-Men still aren't back, but Al Milgrom awaits their return on the cover of TCR # 97, May 1973

Included in the Marvel news section was the original, unaltered cover art to Savage Tales # 2 by John Buscema.

This Tom Sutton-esque cover to The Comic Reader # 98, June 1973, is actually the work of long-time Marvel editor/current editor-in-chief of Papercutz Jim Salicrup! Jim did a terrific job on this manic cover, but credit for the coloring goes to N. Caputo, who takes the blame for adding a palette to many black and white covers of the period. 

Only a few short months after the news of Everett's passing, another titan of Timely/Atlas dies. Syd Shores was a tremendously talented artist. Versatile and prolific he drew many excellent Captain America stories in the 1940's following Simon and Kirby. He was particularly effective on war and westerns. In later years he was known for distinctive inking. Some of his best was in tandem with Gene Colan on Daredevil. Colan studied under Shores at Timely and was a huge fan of his. Some of Shores last work, appropriately enough, was on the western features Gunhawks and Red Wolf.

DC news includes Paul Levitz filling-in for vacationing Mike Fleischer as a summer temp. Carl Gaffford's Fourth World Nuts panel and cover repos of Mr. Miracle # 16 by Kirby/Royer and Limited Collectors Edition of Tarzan by Joe Kubert.

    

Levitz's editorial states his assisting at DC for the summer is temporary and he has "no desire to make a career for myself in this industry" Why do I get the feeling I'm going to include a different announcement in the 100th issue??

News of  Archie's Red Circle line headed by Gray Morrow as editor sounds promising. Plus news on Warren, Gold Key and Charlton. Cover to E-Man # 1 by Joe Staton.

Walt Simonson's cover to The Comic Reader # 98, July 1973, featuring his new version of the Manhunter, a series that would run in Detective Comics with writer Archie Goodwin. 

  

Gray Morrow's cover to Chilling Adventures in Sorcery # 3 for the short-lived Red Circle line. And news of Fredric Wertham's The World of Fanzines.

A milestone accomplishment deserves a milestone artist. Jack Kirby's wraparound cover to The Comic Reader #100 Aug-Sept 1973, includes Superman, Captain Marvel, Captain America and probably his first depiction of Batman! Colors by Carl Gafford and logo, I believe, by Gaspar Saladino.

News of Kirby's Demon and Mister Miracle cancellations. Omac was the next solo Kirby title, although he would work on Sandman and later a powerful run on The Losers strip in Our Fighting Forces. The Dingbats of Danger Street were featured in one issue of First Issue Special, later episodes have yet to be collected. Other Kirby ideas that only appeared once were Atlas, a new version of Manhunter and Kobra. Rima art by Nestor Redondo.

And, with the 100th issue comes a change of publishers once again. After a three year run Paul Levitz decided to move on. In a short period Levitz would be editorial assistant and soon write stories for DC, particularly noted for the Legion of Super Heroes. He would move up in the editorial ranks until he became publisher from 2002-2009. Levitz wrote the massive 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking published by Taschen. Not too shabby a resume from starting out in fanzines!

  

Following Levitz with issue # 101 would be Mike Tiefenbacher. He, along with Jerome Sinkovec would carry the ball for the remainder of the publications history.