Number 1852: Writer of other worlds, Ed Hamilton

Alex Toth and Sy Barry drew “Artist of Other Worlds!” for Strange Adventures #13 (1951). Typical of comic books at that time the artists got no credit, but in an unusual turn, the writers did...at least in the early issues of the science fiction comics edited by Julius Schwartz. Edmond Hamilton is bylined as the author.

Hamilton had a long history of writing science fiction for pulp magazines. His first published story was published in Weird Tales in 1926,* and he remained popular with readers for his entire 50-year career. He went into comics when the pulp markets were drying up in the 1940s. (See the short article below the story, with quotes from Hamilton about his history with DC Comics.)

Hamilton, who had written Captain Future stories in the early forties, was invited into comic books after pulp editors Mort Weisinger, Jack Schiff and Julius Schwartz moved from the pulps to the comic books. Comics seemed a natural for science fiction writers (Otto “Eando” Binder is another example), especially someone who had a reputation for writing stories about heroes who did extraordinary things. That was Hamilton’s history, and it made him a natural for comic books.

 *“Monster-God of Mamurth,“ which can be found here.

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“Fifty Years of Heroes” is an autobiographical piece written by Edmond Hamilton in 1976, and published  in Byron Preiss’s anthology series, Weird Heroes Volume 6. It went to press just after Hamilton’s death in early 1977. In the article Hamilton gives an entertaining view of his long career writing science fiction (including when he was known to fans as World-Saver Hamilton), and a brief history of his 20 years writing comic books. To quote the article:

    “In 1946 I heard again from Mort Weisinger. He had returned from his war service to take up his job again at National Comics Publications, as DC Comics were known at the time. He and Jack Schiff had left Standard Magazines in 1941 to work in the comics field, and later on Julie Schwartz had joined them at DC.

    “Mort wanted me to write comic scripts for DC magazines, to start with Batman. I had some doubts at first, as the format was quite different from fiction stories. In those days after the war, the pulp magazine market was very poor . . . I had to write a few very poor scripts before I began to catch on to the ways of comic writing.

    “For the first year or two, all my scripts for DC were Batman stories. Mort and Jack Schiff were the nicest guys in the world to work for, but they took their work seriously, and if I made a stupid error or scuffed over anything, they told me so at once, and loudly.

    “After a year or two I started to do Superman stories, also. I think I did better on Superman than Batman, simply because it was more science-fictional.

    “Julius Schwartz first edited the science fiction magazines at DC — Strange Adventures, Mystery in Space. . . I did a good many sf stories for those, and when I started doing them I thought, “This will be a breeze . . . writing for an old pal like Julie will be no trouble.” I was wrong! Friendship cut no ties when Julie read a story, and he was as strict with me as with anyone else. I guess that’s why he became one of the greatest editors in the business.

    “I wrote for DC Comics from 1946 to 1966. During that time, I was still writing science fiction and produced a good many sf books and magazine stories. When I resigned from comic work in 1966, it was only because Leigh [Hamilton’s wife, author and screenwriter Leigh Brackett] and I were about to go on some long-deferred world travels — to Egypt, India, and so on — and I would not be able to fill any schedules. But I always enjoyed working for the hero comics, particularly for such a great bunch of guys.”

Number 1667: Strange Robot Adventures: Chris KL99 and the world of giant robots

We are beginning a theme week, Strange Robot Adventures. Our three stories this week come from the long-running Strange Adventures, edited by Julius Schwartz at DC Comics. First up, “The World of Giant Robots” from SA #2 (1950), a tale written by Edmond Hamilton and drawn by Howard Sherman.

Chris KL-99 (or KL99 as he is known here) was an attempt at using a continuing character in a comic book designed primarily as an anthology series. Chris was also known as “the Christopher Columbus of space,” and reminded me of Hamilton’s pulp creation, Captain Future. Chris KL-99 was featured in only nine stories over 15 issues. I don’t know why the series wasn’t more successful. Hamilton was a talented and popular wordsmith in the science fiction field, who besides writing science fiction stories for Schwartz’s titles also wrote Superman and Batman stories for DC editors Jack Schiff and Mort Weisinger.

Number 1561: Hidden people

Having had a close relative, now deceased, who “saw” invisible people I can tell you that those hallucinations can be very real to the person having them.

In this story from Strange Adventures #13 (1951), Scott, our main character, sees invisible people after an eye surgery. Really sees them. That’s because in fantasy and science fiction we accept as literal the extraordinary things happening to the characters. Yet when reality touches fiction, people would react to someone seeing invisible people as the extras do here, by assuming the person seeing said invisible aliens from Venus to be mentally ill. And how do we know they aren’t correct — perhaps Scott Fulton is hallucinating, and we are just seeing what he thinks he sees? Well, because this is a comic book, that’s why.

One thing bothers me, though. At the end of the story Scott is married to the invisible girl from Venus. So who conducted the ceremony? “I now pronounce you husband and, errrrr...uh...invisible wife.”

Story written by Edmond Hamilton using the pseudonym Hugh Davidson, pencils by Bob Oksner with inks by Bernard Sachs.

Number 1013


The Cosmic Secret


Edmond Hamilton, writing here as Hugh Davidson, had a long career in the science fiction, weird tales and comic book field. I believe he wrote mainly, if not all, his comic book stories for DC, under editors Mort Weisinger and Julius Schwartz. The story, "Secret of the Ages" is a fantasy about living for centuries with an "elixir of youth." It's a variation on the type of story I showed Monday, from The Twilight Zone. In "Secret of the Ages" a scientist, Roger Bacon, predicts the scientific miracles that will come to the human race in time. An acolyte, Alleyn (later Allan) Kent takes the elixir, keeping him young for centuries while he follows scientific progress, keeping the formula for the "greatest secret" from his villainous rival.

The artwork is by comic book journeyman John Giunta, who drew comics from the 1940s through the '60s. He died in 1970; Hamilton died in 1977.

From Mystery In Space #2, 1951:

Number 906


Smalle world


I like this story from Strange Adventures #4, 1950; it's fairly typical of Julius Schwartz-edited science fiction comics. Edmond Hamilton wrote it, and the title describes it: "The Crime Chase Through Time."

Ed Smalle drew it. He's another comic book journeyman. I haul out guys like Smalle to present to you because after all, these were the guys who were the backbone of the industry. Smalle was one of the early comic book artists, working for the Harry "A" Chesler shop in the 1930s, and continuing in the comics field until the mid-'50s. Information I have on Smalle says he died in 1957.

My favorite is the splash page, with the symbolic climbing from century to century. Schwartz used these types of symbolic splashes occasionally, because of their strong graphic images.