Alter Ego Options

[Glen Davis]

Alter Ego was a mini series from Eclipse comics that introduced me to Golden Age comics, beyond DC and Marvel reprints.

Written by Roy Thomas, it has a long and winding history.

Alter Ego started life as a fanzine, where amateur comic book fans would publish their own material, and write articles (sort of like this one) about comic book history. One of the characters that saw life in that magazine was Alter and Captain Ego, something of a Captain Marvel homage. Thomas went on to work for Marvel and wrote their version of Captain Marvel, wrote the Invaders, Star Wars Conan, went over to DC and wrote All Star Squadron.

In the mid 80s he started this mini series. It's about a kid who is given a bunch of golden age comics by a comic shop owner. In one, Alter Ego, a book so rare it isn't even in Overstreet, he finds a mask. He puts it on, and is turned into a superhero, in a world, much like the one shown in golden age comics. The comic shop owner is himself one of those heroes, who travelled to our world to give the mask to the kid.

This hero, called Captain Battle, is actual golden age hero Captain Combat. A guy with an eyepatch and a patriotic outfit. Never seen any of his strips. Not even Bill Black ever reprinted any of them. I've long wanted to read some, apparently, they're like a golden age Peacemaker, a man who will fight to keep the peace.

Anyway, he finds that the world is in danger of beng conquered by the Purple Claw. He and the golden age heroes must stop the Claw, Iron Jaw, and a whole bunch of Nazis from taking over the world.

It's a great story. Not only do we see superheroes, but also the jungle heroes and the air fighters.

It all works out in the ends, as these kind of stories must. It's something of an anti-Watchmen.

Later, after not being able to find much work for Marvel and DC, he started his magazine, Alter Ego up again, and it continues to be a major force in the comic book world.

[DOC0715]

Alter Ego was a mini series from Eclipse comics that introduced me to Golden Age comics, beyond DC and Marvel reprints.

Written by Roy Thomas, it has a long and winding history.

Alter Ego started life as a fanzine, where amateur comic book fans would publish their own material, and write articles (sort of like this one) about comic book history. One of the characters that saw life in that magazine was Alter and Captain Ego, something of a Captain Marvel homage. Thomas went on to work for Marvel and wrote their version of Captain Marvel, wrote the Invaders, Star Wars Conan, went over to DC and wrote All Star Squadron.

In the mid 80s he started this mini series. It's about a kid who is given a bunch of golden age comics by a comic shop owner. In one, Alter Ego, a book so rare it isn't even in Overstreet, he finds a mask. He puts it on, and is turned into a superhero, in a world, much like the one shown in golden age comics. The comic shop owner is himself one of those heroes, who travelled to our world to give the mask to the kid.

This hero, called Captain Battle, is actual golden age hero Captain Combat. A guy with an eyepatch and a patriotic outfit. Never seen any of his strips. Not even Bill Black ever reprinted any of them. I've long wanted to read some, apparently, they're like a golden age Peacemaker, a man who will fight to keep the peace.

Anyway, he finds that the world is in danger of beng conquered by the Purple Claw. He and the golden age heroes must stop the Claw, Iron Jaw, and a whole bunch of Nazis from taking over the world.

It's a great story. Not only do we see superheroes, but also the jungle heroes and the air fighters.

It all works out in the ends, as these kind of stories must. It's something of an anti-Watchmen.

Later, after not being able to find much work for Marvel and DC, he started his magazine, Alter Ego up again, and it continues to be a major force in the comic book world.

Great synopsis!! Here is a link to a great site for free downladable Public Domain GA Comics, Captain Combat might be there.

http://goldenagecomics.co.uk/