All This and Earth Two ( December 1984, Infinity Inc. #9 )
setup 190124: The first time Roy Thomas went to work for DC he had to deal with Mort Weisinger. That lasted two weeks. The second time, almost two decades later, he was coming off an acclaimed and successful stint at Marvel, and DC offered him his heart‘s desire, DC’s classic Golden Age characters and carte blanche authority over “Earth Two.” Then the execrable Crisis jerked the rug out from under DC’s Disparate Continua and Earth Two was no more. But before the Crime of the Eighties reared its ugly head, Roy’s fertile vision produced sumptuous fruit!
Roy:
If a story satisfied such criteria as historical significance, beautiful artwork, and good reading (preferably all three, as in “The Land of the Bird People“), then please feel free to re-present it. You have my blessing, anyway. I wouldn’t dare guess what FLASH COMiCS #71 would cost me on the free market, but I’m fairly sure that it’s more than I care to pay for a nine page cover story. What you and Al Dellinges have done merits the praise and patronage of many satisfied customers.
As to your mention of a regular reprint mag [(Plastic Man!)], HOORAY! But what would you call this new book? [(Plastic Man!)] ALL-STAR COMiCS seems an obvious choice [(Plastic Man!)], except for ALL-STAR SQUADRON. I hesitate to suggest [(Plastic Man!)] ALL THiS and EARTH TWO, preferring [(Plastic Man!)] such a title for a 60s reprint book which begins with “Flash of Two Worlds” and moves up in coherent, contiguous, chronological order through all the JLA/JSA crossovers. But whatever you do [(Plastic Man!)], don’t forget Plastic Man!
Roy Thomas responds: No way, LG! Love your “Earth Two” title, since a late 70s favorite film of mine was “All This and World War Two” which combined two interests… — WWII and the music of The Beatles… Unless there’s a special case… we don’t intend to do any reprinting in INFiNiTY Inc. The Fox/Kubert Hawkman tale, however, fit right into [The Generations Saga] storyline. We’re delighted… that most fans seemed as pleased to see it as we were to print it.
update 190201: As if I didn’t already respect Roy enough he has to throw the Beatles card and just burnish his own luster. Lethargy Lad is and was clearly a big fan of Jack Cole’s stretchable sensation and malleable man about town, Mr Man Plastic, and was quite excited by the prospect of seeing great new old stuff in print. Editor Thomas saw fit to tone down my ardor, so my hectoring has been restored [from memory].
Anarchy and Order ( April 1985, American Flagg #19)
setup 190124: Plexus Ranger and former video star Reuben Flagg has been conscripted by the receiver corporation holding the territorial remains of the formerly united States, and is assigned to keep the peace at their Chicago PlexMall and outlying properties. When Reuben unexpectedly inherits assets in the underground resistance, hijinks ensue.
Bravo the Black Beaver!
While I can surely respect Reuben’s using the Video Rangers and Q-USA to provide stress to the Plex from within, my heart is ever with the Black Beaver and his historic ilk: Tom Paine, Ben Franklin, Kerensky.
Given a choice, I’ll always take anarchy and order over law, chaos, and repression.
update 190124: After decades of additional study I am a little bit embarrassed now about that list of alleged historic anarchists, though I don‘t necessarily renounce any of them either. Their individual contexts were… complex. Still, I shouldn’t be quite so quick to embrace the “enemies of my enemies.” Nevertheless, I continue to prefer the orderly anarchy of the free market to the repression of the administrative state and the inevitable social pathologies that it spawns.
The Right Man’s Burden ( June 1985, Green Lantern #189)
“Burdens” (Kurt Busiek & Don Heck, GL 185) was a thinly veiled parable on the inherent dangers of statism. When the Green Lantern abandoned the people of Feron to their own devices, their immediate response was to select a new leader, believing that they could not live without one. The true crime of the Green Lantern was not his abandonment of “his” people, but his initial adoption of them. Living all of their lives under his guidance and protection, they could not conceive of liberty, and subsequently destroyed themselves in the attempt to preserve a bankrupt philosophy.
Well, I imagine many of your readers will condemn the Green Lantern for his callousness, (I know too well their arguments), but not I. I can forgive him his first crime, since he removed his debilitating influence and allowed his world to equilibrate and evolve. I wish the Green Lantern (and I wish you’d give these guys names when you create them!) and Miranda well. He probably has a ways to go before he can forgive himself.
update 190202: Letters column editor Bob Greenburger paid me the great compliment of putting this missive at the bottom of the page without direct comment, effectively granting me “the last word.” Now, that’s neither an endorsement nor a rebuttal, but it is pleasing.
Super-heroic fantasy fans (and super-heroic fantasy writers) tend more to be contrarian or iconoclastic than individualistic per se, but iconoclasts resemble individualists for the same reason that individualists resemble feminists. It’s the inevitable overlap of friendly ideologies. It’s usually refreshing to see creators assail the would-be saviors of our society. It’s a theme that can be overdone, or done badly, but when it is done right it just shines. Busiek’s tale, cited above, is one such example, as are Elliot Maggin’s “Must There Be a Superman?” and just about ALL of Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead.”
setup 230324: The Messenger Paul (Levitz) has been writing the new Avengers mini-series War Across Time. Fanboys gush in response and I join in.
Editor:
Once again, The Levitz Himself demonstrates his mastery of character. Just as he did with Dream Girl for your Distinguished Competition (“It’s been a fun life”), he does again with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and more specifically with the Wondrous Wasp. In combat she’s all business — heads up, alert, steady and ready to step in where she’s needed most. But once the heats off, she lets her hair down and she’s all girl, fluff and nonsense and boy-crazy bopper. Paul seems to get exactly why she’s my favorite Avenger. She is a (mostly) fully integrated personality who is capable of inflicting injury or succoring the innocent.
I look forward to each new issue with great joy, and a little sadness, knowing that, as George Harrison reminds us, “all things must pass.” Post Avengers, what’s next for The Messenger Paul? Would that he offered us a closer look at Rick Jones, the Thinking Fans’ Snapper Carr, teen idol, and every Marvelite’s favorite sidekick. There are serious gaps in Rick’s history (I’m thinking between the end of the first run of the Hulk, and the beginning of the Avengers) that yearn for exploration. Or maybe an in-depth look at the origin of the conflict between Yon Rogg and Mar Vell. Or the continuing Adventures of Jughead Jones. I don’t care. As long as Mr Levitz is showing up with his stories, I’m showing up with my shekels!
Yr Obt Svt,
Gene Greigh, RFO, TTB, KOF (& aspiring QNS & PMM)
www.TheGreighArea.com