The original Captain Marvel's series was canceled in 1953. But if you thought he didn't appear in comics again till DC comics revived him in the 1970's, you'd be wrong. Captain Marvel would make a comeback in the silver age of comics.
Sort of.
The Captain Marvel in the Lois Lane story above has been defeated again by Superman in the fight over Lois Lane, along with all the other would-be rivals for her affections. Not what you'd call much of a comeback.
There was a reason for this cameo appearance. Lois Lane was drawn by a man who had once drawn Captain Marvel, Kurt Schaffenberger.
Kurt Schaffenberger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kurt Schaffenberger | |
|---|---|
 Schaffenberger self-portrait from Jimmy Olsen #155 (Jan. 1973) | |
| Born | December 15, 1920 Thuringian Forest, Germany |
| Died | January 24, 2002 (aged 81) Brick, Ocean County, New Jersey |
| Nationality | Naturalized American |
| Area(s) | Penciller |
| Notable works | Captain Marvel, Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane |
| Awards | National Cartoonists Society Comic Book Award, 1984. |
Biography
Early career
Schaffenberger was born on a farm in the Thuringian Forest, Germany, where, as a boy, he ". . . tended geese, herded goats, and hoed potatoes."[3] Emigrating to America as a 7-year-old (first to Hartford, Connecticut, and then to New York City),[3] he eventually won a scholarship to the Pratt Institute.[3] After graduation, he joined Jack Binder's studio in 1941, where he worked on key Fawcett titles including Captain Marvel, Bulletman, and Ibis.While working for Binder's studio, which was located in Englewood, New Jersey, Schaffenberger took over an apartment from the local high school football coach, Vince Lombardi (who had yet to achieve success in the National Football League).[3]
During this time, Schaffenberger's work was also published by Prize, Street & Smith, and Pines.
Schaffenberger served in the U.S. military during World War II, including a stint with the Office of Strategic Services,[3] leaving the military with the rank of Master Sergeant.[3]
Schaffenberger returned to the world of professional sequential art soon after war's end. He resumed his work for the Captain Marvel family of titles, and expanded his reach to an even more diverse group of publishing houses, including EC, Gilberton, Premier Magazines, American Comics Group, and Marvel Comics. At Gilberton, Schaffenberger provided the interior art for Classics Illustrated No. 119, Soldiers of Fortune (May 1954).[4]
DC Comics
He was essentially fired from DC in 1970 for helping to organize other artists to protest bad working conditions.[8] He then briefly freelanced and worked for Marvel, but returned to DC in 1972.
When, in the 1970s, DC acquired the rights to the Marvel Family, Schaffenberger was one of the key players in the revival of those characters. The late 1970s saw him contribute well outside the Superman family of titles, including short-lived runs on titles like Wonder Woman and The Super Friends.
In 1980, Schaffenberger was again leading a Superman family title, The New Adventures of Superboy[9] (the final, post-Legion title for the original Superboy). Somewhat metaphorically, the Superboy- and Supergirl-less DC universe that followed the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths turned out to be a mostly Shaffenberger-less one as well. He largely retired from comics soon after helping with the final pre-Crisis Superman tale "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?"
Schaffenberger was a special guest at the 1996 San Diego Comic Con.
Personal life
Schaffenberger was married with two children, and spent most of his adult life living in suburban New Jersey.[3]Awards
Schaffenberger's work won him the 1984 National Cartoonists Society Award in the "Comic Book" division. He also received an Inkpot Award in 1996.Notes
- ^ Miller, John Jackson (June 10, 2005). "Comics Industry Birthdays". Comics Buyer's Guide. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5trAbNQWw. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
- ^ Social Security Death Index, Social Security #040-14-9389.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Jimmy Olsen's Pen-Pals," Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #155 (January 1973).
- ^ William B. Jones Jr., Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, with Illustrations (Jefferson, NC, and London: McFarland & Co., Inc., 2002), p. 101.
- ^ Voger, Mark and Voglesong, Kathy (PHT). "Front Page Romance," Hero Gets Girl!: The Life and Art of Kurt Schaffenberger (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003).
- ^ a b Eury, Michael. "Kurt Schaffenberger: Ladies' Man," in "The Superman Mythology," The Krypton Companion: A Historical Exploration of Superman Comic Books of 1958-1986 (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2006), p. 67.
- ^ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1960s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. "She started trading in her generic blouse-and-pencil skirt combinations for a "mod" wardrobe filled with printed dresses, go-go boots, mini-skirts, and hot pants."
- ^ Barr, Mike W. "The Madames and the Girls: The DC Writers Purge of 1968," Comic Book Artist Collection Volume 2 (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2002), pp.56–61.
- ^ Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 186: "After recently departing the pages of Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy was free to pursue his own adventures...in this premiere issue written by Cary Bates and illustrated by Kurt Schaffenberger."
References
- Kurt Schaffenberger at the Comic Book DB
- Voger, Mark. Hero Gets Girl! The Life and Art of Kurt Schaffenberger (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003). ISBN 1-893905-29-2
- Jones, William B., Jr. Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, with Illustrations. Jefferson, NC, and London: McFarland & Co., Inc., 2002.
Further reading
- Interview, Comic Book Marketplace #59 (May 1998) pp. 18–33. Gemstone Publishing.
External links
- I Love Lois (Lane) (fan site)
* * *
"That was sort of an in joke," Kurt later told an interviewer. "Mort ( Weisinger, DC comics editor ) knew what I was doing. We both figured that Captain Marvel was a thing of the past - dead as the proverbial dodo. I put it in. We both had a chuckle over it, and let it go. He was colored differently - green instead of red, I think. But then when reprinted in a LOIS LANE ANNUAL, they put the red union suit back on him." - HERO GETS GIRL: THE LIFE AND ART OF KURT SCHAFFENBERGER
Actually I thought one of Captain Marvel's more obvious faults was his lack of a love life. There was no Lois Lane in his stories, at least until Lois Lane #42 in 1963, which didn't lead anywhere as he lost the fight with Superman ( again ). Superman and Lois Lane had greater interest to me, and this same element gave the Superman serials something that was missing from the Captain Marvel serial, even if the Superman serials never put any emphasis on this element. Superman would also be more popular on television.
But hey, Captain Marvel at least tried. It just seemed that Lois Lane wasn't interested.
I Love Lois Lane:
Lack Of Lois Lane In Captain Marvel Noted:
A
Interesting that they missed Lois Lane #42 at http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2011/05/superman-vs-captain-marvel.html
ReplyDeleteThanks!