Date:         Mon, 14 Feb 1994 20:26:32 CDT
From: Vill Hayes <[IANR 012] at [UNLVM.UNL.EDU]>
Subject:      Volume 4 Issue 6 Part 7
To: Multiple recipients of list COMICS-L <[COMICS L] at [UNLVM.UNL.EDU]>

February 14, 1994     The Comics List Weekly      Vol. 4 No. 6 Pt. 7
This Week:
              : Kid Eternity - The Quality Kid
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Date: Wed, 2 Feb 94 22:15:42 CST
From: Leery Canna Gang <[lf 7 z] at [midway.uchicago.edu]>
Subject: Re: Kid Eternity and his creator

> From: [t--e] at [atmel.com] (Bradford Tree)
> Subject: Kid Eternity, et al
>
>   The Kid was owned and published by Fawcett in the 1940s and early 50's.
> I think that the relationship to the Marvel Family was established by
> Fawcett somewhere during that time.  The Kid did appear, at least in
> reprints in the series published by DC in the early 1970's.

Kid Eternity was created by Shelley Moldoff for Quality Comics, home
of Plastic Man, the original Manhunter (the one with the dog named
Thor), Blackhawk, and all the characters that became DC's Freedom Fighters
(Ray, Black Condor, Doll Man, the Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, Uncle Sam,
I think even Firebrand was brought back for a while.).  Quality was
also home to the Spirit reprints and Will Eisner.  The Kid's first
appearance was Hit Comics 25 in '42, and he headlined that mag until
issue 60 in mid-1949, his last appearance.  He also had his own title
that ran 18 issues from '46 to '49, some of the artwork there was done
by Mac Raboy, of Captain Marvel, Jr. fame, which was a Fawcett book.
Reed Crandall did some of the Hit stories, I think, too.  None of the
non-Marvel Family Fawcett characters did all that well in the later
revivals, although Bulletman and several others did show up in a
JLA/JSA crossover.  Moldoff is perhaps better known for creating the
visuals for both the orginal Green Lantern (with Martin Nodell) and
Hawkman (with Gardner Fox), he also created the Black Pirate, but
you've probably never heard of that :).  He did many of the covers of
Green Lantern, Flash and Hawkman, for All-American and Flash Comics.
After a brief absence from comics during WWII, DC left him cold, but
he went back to Quality for some Kid Eternity stories.  He also did
Captain Midnight, some Captain Marvel, Jr., and Tex Ritter for
Fawcett, until DC shut them down.  Quality got into trouble about this
time as well, but I think that was just low sales.  Kid Eternity
became Bucaneers, a pirate comic with some really great Crandall art
with #19, and Quality dropped all their super-heroes around this time.
The last Police Comics with Jack Cole Spirit and Plastic Man was 102,
only a little bit later.  About this time, Shelley got burned pretty
badly in a brief deal with EC.  Then he ghosted Bob Kane on Batman
books for many years, most of '50s and '60s.  After some time in
animation (Captain Courageous & Minute Mouse, and a bunch of other
stuff) he took over doing the Big Boy comics from Bill Everett for a
while.  He still comes to Chicago most years, if you get the chance to
meet him, you should, he's a really nice guy.  He got his break
through Bernard Bailey, who drew Hourman and the Spectre, whom he
cites as his main influence, along with Alex Raymond (some Hawkman
panels are straight out of Flash Gordon, Robin wasn't the only thing
DC got from Raymond :), Hal Foster, Milton Caniff.  I believe I see
some Andrew Wyeth in there, too.  Raboy and Moldoff are my favorite
Golden Age artists and the Kid Eternity and Captain Marvel, Jr. books
are some of the best drawn comics of all time, IMO.  (And if you have
any Hits or Polices you don't need, e-mail me prices :).

We now return you to your regularly scheduled episode of "The Brave
and the Bold." :)

Pax ex machina,
Glenn
......................................................................
"It was all weird names and shit, I can't remember any of that stuff."
   --- Grant Morrison (DP 58), if you must know
[g carnagey] at [uchicago.edu], if you must know
......................................................................

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