Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #3!
This is the third in a series of examination of comic book urban legends and whether they are true or false. The first one can be found here and the second can be found here.
Let's begin!!
COMIC URBAN LEGEND: Al Milgrom was fired by Marvel after sneaking an insult to Bob Harras into a comic book.
STATUS: True
Al Milgrom apparently was not a fan of former Marvel Editor-in-Chief, Bob Harras.
Milgrom was formerly a member of Marvel editorial, but had left to be a freelancer.
In the late 90s/early 00s, Milgrom had a deal with Marvel to do freelance inking for them.
In Auguest of 2000, Bob Harras was replaced as Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics by Joe Quesada.
A few months later, Universe X: Spidey was released, which was a one-shot story tied into the Earth X/Universe X/Paradise X trilogy by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross.
The story was drawn by Jackson Guice, with inks by John Stansici, Johm Romita Sr. and Al Milgrom.
At one point in the story, Al Milgrom snuck into the backround of a panel, along the spines of books on a bookshelf, the phrase, "Harras, ha ha, he's gone! Good riddance to bad rubbish, he was a nasty S.O.B."
Here is a poor scan of the panel, just so you know WHERE it was (if anyone has a better scan, I'd appreciate it).
In any event, this mistake was caught, but somehow STILL managed to end up in the issue, which Marvel pulped and then republished.
Milgrom's freelance contract was terminated, although he is still (in theory) able to work for Marvel as a non-contract employee.
COMIC URBAN LEGEND: Wonder Girl was added to the Teen Titans by mistake.
STATUS: True
In the 1960s, writer Bob Haney was writing The Brave and the Bold. He used the title to team up various DC superheroes, like The Atom and the Metal Men or Aquaman and Hawkman.
In any event, in mid-1964, he teamed up the sidekicks of three major superheroes in The Brave and the Bold #54, which starred Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad.
The pairing was quite popular, so exactly a year later, Haney reintroduced the team in The Brave and the Bold #60, only this time known as the Teen Titans.
However, in the late 50s, writer Robert Kanigher, in the pages of Wonder Woman, had decided to give Wonder Woman the same approach that Superman was given, by telling tales of when Wonder Woman was a toddler (Wonder Tot) and a young girl (Wonder Girl).
These stories proved to be quite popular (so popular that, by 1965, there would be issues where Wonder Girl's name would be larger than Wonder Woman's on the title of the comic), so Kanigher's next step was, in the early 60s, to tell "impossible tales" where there would be a team-up of Wonder Woman, herself as a toddler, herself as a girl, and her mother.
Like this issue, for instance...
Or this one (gotta love how Wonder Tot spoke)...
Or, finally, this one (notice how it stresses that this pairing is IMPOSSIBLE)...
Well, Bob Haney must have casually glanced at one of these issues (which were coming out at the same time he was writing The Brave and the Bold) and when he decided to make a team of sidekicks, he figured that this Wonder Girl was Wonder Woman's sidekick, so he added her to the Teen Titans in #60.
A sea of complicated origins explaining this Wonder Girl were still to come.
COMIC URBAN LEGEND: Swamp Thing is a rip-off of Man-Thing/Man-Thing is a rip-off of Swamp Thing
STATUS: False
Man-Thing first appeared in Savage Tales #1 (May 1971), written by Gerry Conway with art by Gray Morrow.
Swamp Thing first appeared in House of Secrets #92 (June-July 1971), written by Len Wein with art by Bernie Wrightson.
So, since they are both similar in appearance, and since they both live in the swamp, you would think that perhaps that one of them is inspired by the other, but this is not so, according to the writers (note that editor Roy Thomas is also credited with inventing Man-Thing, along with Conway and Morrow).
From a nice interview here, here is Len Wein on the topic:
So while both men might have taken the idea from a THIRD source (and Roy Thomas suggests that they both WERE rip-offs of the Heap), they just did not take the idea from each other.
So there you go!
Feel free to suggest urban legends you'd like to see debunked (or confirmed) in a future installment!
Let's begin!!
COMIC URBAN LEGEND: Al Milgrom was fired by Marvel after sneaking an insult to Bob Harras into a comic book.
STATUS: True
Al Milgrom apparently was not a fan of former Marvel Editor-in-Chief, Bob Harras.
Milgrom was formerly a member of Marvel editorial, but had left to be a freelancer.
In the late 90s/early 00s, Milgrom had a deal with Marvel to do freelance inking for them.
In Auguest of 2000, Bob Harras was replaced as Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics by Joe Quesada.
A few months later, Universe X: Spidey was released, which was a one-shot story tied into the Earth X/Universe X/Paradise X trilogy by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross.
The story was drawn by Jackson Guice, with inks by John Stansici, Johm Romita Sr. and Al Milgrom.
At one point in the story, Al Milgrom snuck into the backround of a panel, along the spines of books on a bookshelf, the phrase, "Harras, ha ha, he's gone! Good riddance to bad rubbish, he was a nasty S.O.B."
Here is a poor scan of the panel, just so you know WHERE it was (if anyone has a better scan, I'd appreciate it).
In any event, this mistake was caught, but somehow STILL managed to end up in the issue, which Marvel pulped and then republished.
Milgrom's freelance contract was terminated, although he is still (in theory) able to work for Marvel as a non-contract employee.
COMIC URBAN LEGEND: Wonder Girl was added to the Teen Titans by mistake.
STATUS: True
In the 1960s, writer Bob Haney was writing The Brave and the Bold. He used the title to team up various DC superheroes, like The Atom and the Metal Men or Aquaman and Hawkman.
In any event, in mid-1964, he teamed up the sidekicks of three major superheroes in The Brave and the Bold #54, which starred Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad.
The pairing was quite popular, so exactly a year later, Haney reintroduced the team in The Brave and the Bold #60, only this time known as the Teen Titans.
However, in the late 50s, writer Robert Kanigher, in the pages of Wonder Woman, had decided to give Wonder Woman the same approach that Superman was given, by telling tales of when Wonder Woman was a toddler (Wonder Tot) and a young girl (Wonder Girl).
These stories proved to be quite popular (so popular that, by 1965, there would be issues where Wonder Girl's name would be larger than Wonder Woman's on the title of the comic), so Kanigher's next step was, in the early 60s, to tell "impossible tales" where there would be a team-up of Wonder Woman, herself as a toddler, herself as a girl, and her mother.
Like this issue, for instance...
Or this one (gotta love how Wonder Tot spoke)...
Or, finally, this one (notice how it stresses that this pairing is IMPOSSIBLE)...
Well, Bob Haney must have casually glanced at one of these issues (which were coming out at the same time he was writing The Brave and the Bold) and when he decided to make a team of sidekicks, he figured that this Wonder Girl was Wonder Woman's sidekick, so he added her to the Teen Titans in #60.
A sea of complicated origins explaining this Wonder Girl were still to come.
COMIC URBAN LEGEND: Swamp Thing is a rip-off of Man-Thing/Man-Thing is a rip-off of Swamp Thing
STATUS: False
Man-Thing first appeared in Savage Tales #1 (May 1971), written by Gerry Conway with art by Gray Morrow.
Swamp Thing first appeared in House of Secrets #92 (June-July 1971), written by Len Wein with art by Bernie Wrightson.
So, since they are both similar in appearance, and since they both live in the swamp, you would think that perhaps that one of them is inspired by the other, but this is not so, according to the writers (note that editor Roy Thomas is also credited with inventing Man-Thing, along with Conway and Morrow).
From a nice interview here, here is Len Wein on the topic:
One of which is that I was rooming with Gerry Conway who wrote the first Man-Thing story. It was just independent creation. We were doing Swamp Thing and Gerry and I think Gray Morrow was doing Man-Thing. Neither of us knew the other was doing the same thing. The weirdest aspect is that I actually wrote the second Man-Thing story; the whole "Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch". In Gerry's first story anything the Man-Thing touched burned. It was a protagonist who could never interact with anybody so I came up with the idea of fear.
So while both men might have taken the idea from a THIRD source (and Roy Thomas suggests that they both WERE rip-offs of the Heap), they just did not take the idea from each other.
So there you go!
Feel free to suggest urban legends you'd like to see debunked (or confirmed) in a future installment!
posted by Brian Cronin at 6/16/2005 10:03:00 PM
13 Comments:
I've heard that both Swamp Thing and Man-Thing were kind of a rip-off of The Heap, an old horror comics character.
IIRC, the Universe X: Spidey one-shot was pulped and printed sans insult, but the insult somehow wound up into printings of the Universe X Vol. 1 trade paperback.
I think in Marvel Universe that it was said Roy Thomas concieved the Man-Thing as "inspired" by the Heap.
kewl blog mate(s).
worth reading.
keep up the good work.
http://krazyteens.blogspot.com
I like all the comics, Marvel, DC comics, indipendent americans, japanese mangas and also european, expecially black and white italians.
I have to criticize your weblog: where're the amazing images of comics superheros?
greetings from Italy
Dan and Matt, you're right, there is definitely a Heap resemblance.
I should have been more clear...I was just clarifying that Wein and Conway just didn't rip EACH OTHER off...the question of whether they each ripped off someone ELSE is another thing...hehe.
And to our blogger front page visitors...welcome! Feel free to check us out some other day!
Similar to the Man-Thing/Swamp Thing coincidence is the Doom Patrol/X-Men coincidence, in which two teams of outcasts led by wheelchair-bound geniuses debuted within months of one another.
Hehe...you're reading my mind Chris...hehe.
Try this link for the origins of Swamp Thing, Man Thing and the Heap. Seems theymay all hark back to a Theodore Sturgeon story:
http://www.lonely.geek.nz/mtothermm.html
There's a better scan (Credo's) on this version of your blog :).
Ed Hardy Mens Tops clothing seem to have the whole fashion world watching. Major celebrities like Sylvester Ed Hardy Mens Hoodies Stallone among many others have been seen in public wearing Ed Hardy Mens Jeans. The appearance of Ed Hardy men’s shirts are stoutly influenced by the tattoos of Ed Hardy Swim Trunks. The characteristic and intricate design of the Ed Hardy clothing can be seen on stars and celebrities Ed Hardy Mens Underwear all over the world .The inventiveness of Ed Hardy surely brings a big difference to the regular cut of every Ed Hardy Mens Shoes shirt sold by the name. Metropolitan culture and alternative lifestyle type art is tailored down Ed Hardy women Swimwear the sleeves of the tattoo-like Ed Hardy clothing . Because of its popularity today, Ed Hardy Womens T-Shirt clothing is very much accessible.
If you are archers, this is an easy and good way for you to hunt and get some FFXIV GIL. There have huge cheap ffxiv gil in our stock. Make order when you need please. And always, always, ALWAYS! Pick up what the monsters drop; this gets you a nice sum of Buy FFXIV Gil to use on skills and potions and all other necessities needed. So it is very important for you to own much FFXIV Power leveling. Remember you can Final Fantasy XIV Gil in good price from our company.
I will bookmark this page and have my friends check up here often. I am quite sure Buy Zocor Online will learn lots of new stuff here than anybody else.
I am not real fantastic with English but I come up this real leisurely to interpret.
Post a Comment
<< Home