Comics Schlock King: From Plagiarism to Pistol Whippings

[@kingbeauregard]

"Please let this be about Myron Fass, please let this be about Myron Fass" ... wish granted, thanks!

[@mikehowlett9663]

Thank you for mentioning my book!

[@ComicTropes]

I’ll definitely be reading it, Mike. I need to know more about Fass.

[@reprintranch]

Hey Mike, just an FYI about Myron Fass winding up in Ocala -- I've spent my entire life in Gainesville (about 40 minutes north of Ocala) and I don't remember ever, ever seeing media coverage about Fass being an Ocala resident. Which is kind of odd to me, because there has been a fair amount of local media attention lavished on other famous folks with Ocala connections (actor John Travolta, drag racer "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, one-hit wonder rock band The Royal Guardsmen, and country singer Mel Tillis). I can only surmise that Mr. Fass was not eager to be well-known to the citizens of Ocala, which is a fairly conservative town.

[@mikehowlett9663]

@@reprintranch He went by the name "Chief" Marion Riley-Foss down there. At any rate, would he really be a famous folk? A magazine publisher? I don't know... you'd know better than I. But considering the name change, he was laying low.

[@reprintranch]

@@mikehowlett9663 Thanks for the reply! No, Myron Foss wouldn't have had celebrity status on the scale of the Ocala-associated folks I mentioned. But local newspapers and TV stations around here like an oddball story now and then, and I can imagine that if it became known to an assignment editor or reporter that "infamous horror-mag publisher has relocated here to operate gun store," a story might be pursued, assuming that Mr. Foss was agreeable to it. But if Mr. Foss kept quiet about his past while in Ocala it might be that no news media folks ever knew of his prior accomplishments. Also, for what it's worth, I don't recall noticing the name "Chief" Marion Riley-Foss in local media, either. But I'll take a look around online. The legendary local gun store owner in this area is the now-deceased Harry Beckwith, who survived numerous shoot-outs with would-be robbers and burglars at his store premises.

[@Shinmsl]

For a foreigner like me I was always fascinated by the existence of these wierd shock magazines, about aliens cloning Elvis and all the bizarre and criminal sexual content, not of them being good or interesting but just the fact that existed , nothing even close to that existed in my country. I remember seeing that for the first time alluded in shows like the Simpsons and Men in Black. So it's not only an interesting show about this quite unique person but also a part of American pop culture of the XX century. Great work Chris!

[@smileyp4535]

3:27 yo wtf

[@kevindavis3234]

Walked around the office with a gun, you say? Dwight Schrute approves.

[@stevena488]

.... It's kind of insane how much of a splash Captain Marvel has had for the history comics and pop culture. Like holy Moses, that is kind of crazy that we're still feeling the effects of this crazy stuff. HA! So THIS is where Captain Marvel with his Split powers came from! Amazing.

[@SudrianTales]

It's also really amazing how shitty a publisher DC was in the way they treated Fawcett.

[@speedmastermarkiii]

I was a devoted Official Ufo reader in Melbourne Australia in my tweens. My best friend's father worked at a paper mill where most of the city's unsold magazines ended up for recycling, so i got my copies ( and every issue of Curtis's Planet of the Apes) for free with title banners clipped off. I just recently bought an almost complete run of Official Ufo and it's remarkable for two things; 1) it was almost completely serious in tone and content at its inception (interviews with Allen Hyneck and Phil Klass) but by 1978 was publishing stories about Elvis Presley's alien-produced clone running amok, and 2) the writers and editors (including Myron Fass) became integral characters in lurid stories about men in black, alien mind control and government harassment seeking to stop Official Ufo from exposing the truth. One thing about Myron Fass you failed to mention; he was a notorious and unrepentant racist, who never missed an opportunity to use the "N" word with an extra hard "r".

[@jimtrue1465]

I am one of the few people in the world who actually bought Fass' Captain Marvel books off the comics rack. They weren't great, but there were far worse super-hero books out there at the time. I was a little too late to have gotten in on the ground floor of DC's silver age heroes or Marvel heroes. Dell's heroes (Frankenstein, Dracula, et al) were abysmal, but here was a comics group I could be with from the very beginning, so I enjoyed it.

[@AABB-bm9kk]

That thumbnail drawing of himself being attacked by the monsters he draws is pretty darn cool 😎

[@njalsand133]

These companies have always been magnificently shady

[@electricgecko8997]

Me, before watching the video: “I love schlock! This will be tons of fun!” Me, after seeing some of those mag covers: “Eeeeeeah, that’s a little too schlocky for me to handle.”

[@tonymiles273]

I remember buying some of those horror mags as kid. They were uber violent and disturbing. There were always eyes, brains and various body parts flying across the pages.

[@reprintranch]

Yeah, one summer in the early '70s my family went camping and I perused a copy of Vampire Tales (or somesuch) at the campground convenience store. There was a panel where some guy named Rubin was being disemboweled and I could not get that image out of my mind for days afterward.

[@tonymiles273]

@@reprintranch funny how those things can search into our minds. The one I remember had this cover with a girl in a see through vat of acid . She was alive and intact from chest up but a skeleton below that. See was screaming while these two ghouls watched in delight.

[@ronhudson3115]

I remember getting the one shown in this video where the loner guy chopped the girl up with an axe. I've wondered for decades what magazine that was from. That was a loooong tiiime ago.

[@tonymiles273]

@@ronhudson3115 crazy how these were coming out in a time of strict censorship on comics. I almost think these should have had an age restriction on them . Just seems a little intense for 10-12 yr olds.

[@ronhudson3115]

@@tonymiles273 Agreed. Very disturbing for a kid that was reading Spider-Man or Superman to pick up one of those.

[@davestier6247]

It may have been done, but I'd love to see an alternate history graphic novel about if the CCA had never existed.

[@TheDropOfTheDay]

Every one of your topics is so interesting. Always a joy when you upload

[@lunarmodule6419]

So true.

[@Loanwolf387]

Nothing like a cup of coffee and comic tropes on a Sunday morning ☕️ Love topics like this one. Many thanks for the content

[@johnlowe5424]

I remember seeing his "Captain Marvel" at the drugstore where I got my comics when I was a kid. I leafed through one issue but it didn't grab me. Sometime later, I saw the horror comics magazines, but again, they didn't appeal to me. I remember reading somewhere that some of his horror comics were reprints of older comics, but I didn't know he'd just "used" them without permission, as well as changing them up. Fascinating stuff!

[@danielwhite4052]

the bell is working

[@shirleydowning9383]

"Holy plagiarism Batman, it's Mister Lawsuit"!

[@danielwhite4052]

Moores Miracle man, good read. The negative legal ranglings and work arounds are sometimes as interesting as the positive and inspired original works. Thanks again Chris, I'm going to go read some comics.

[@federicoarmando8359]

12:35 by that logic my man should’ve had pormstars, aliens, and vampires in the office 😂

[@mitchellalexander9162]

4:16 It's like walking along a Badlands Middle of nowhere Gas Station Convenience Store Rack...

[@ManufacturedMythLegerdemain]

Another awesome video. I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but at 11:58 you can clearly see the gun on his right hip, tucked into the waistband of his pants. Unbelievable.

[@Shinmsl]

Oh I noticed XD

[@ManufacturedMythLegerdemain]

@@Shinmsl Yeah, I wasn't sure about that, because Chris starts talking about carrying the gun in a holster at work a minute or so after, and as a video editor my instinct would have been to point the gun out, or at least synch the comment about the gun up with the appearance of the gun. (I'm not criticizing the edit of the video, I love Chris's work!) If you're not expecting it, a gun in the 'reverse carry position' can be easily missed (which is part of the point of 'reverse carry') -- particularly when the person you're looking at is a Schlock King sitting behind a typewriter!

[@knyght27]

I'm going to read as many Myron Fass comics and magazines as humanly possible in only one weekend, it will be a Fass-bender

[@kenlieck7756]

That was a truly Myron-ic joke...

[@dwaynehendrickson8854]

Dr Fate looked a lot like Stan Lee

[@lunarmodule6419]

True! Looks like he got back at him.

[@maxmatiauda5563]

What a wild story to wake up to!

[@CidemNK]

What a fascinating character this guy was.

[@vincentfranklin17]

I always learn something new watching this channel! Thanks, Chris!

[@samwill7259]

The more I learn about the golden age of comics, the more I learn that it's just as much of the wild west as the beginning of any other medium or business

[@leewidener545]

I've always enjoyed the schlocky energy of Erie Publications, and I actually have one of his Captain Marvel books. Great episode.

[@lunarmodule6419]

I vaguely knew about the guy - but I didn't know he started as an artist. Thank you!

[@DarthPerkins]

Not a bad artist, a better publisher, but he really excelled at threatening people at gunpoint.

[@cajunboy67]

Captain Marvel's "Dr Fate" villain sure looks a lot like Stan Lee.

[@WoobooRidesAgain]

Holy hell, four minutes in and I can tell this video's going to get demonetized harder than a hit from the grip of a .45. Good work on a seriously underreported comics industry story, as always!

[@richmcgee434]

"Gasm?" Really? Subtle. Surprising he didn't use that one for one of his actual porn mags.

[@macsnafu]

Yes, the weirdest entry in the history of "Captain Marvel"!

[@RighteousBrother]

Excellent episode. What a fascinating character, those magazines were so lurid!

[@andreworr4307]

This was a cool episode,i remember those horror mags from my young days,lol

[@ReaperXC]

Love the deep dives in these relative unknowns.

[@Wild4Hockey]

So informative! Outstanding research, Chris. Always appreciate the respect that you show for your subject especially when they are a bit out there. Well done!

[@GhostBusters-wb4un]

A real life comic villain.

[@masonpucci4710]

I would love a comic tropes about the many comic adaptations of the Bible

[@architeuthis3476]

The Florida man of comics!

[@arctrooper999]

I work a double shift on Sundays and its always great to get home, hop in the bathtub and watch a new Comic Tropes. Thanks Chris!

[@smacksalad]

Thanks, Chris, love these episodes.

[@crithon]

wow, that's so weird. If he got into animation, it'd be Ricky Rouse or Monald Muck. Good video.

[@MariaVosa]

Fascinating look into a a corner of comics that I'm aware of but not overly familiar with. I'd like to hear more about how the difference between comics and magazines was defined and why one could be regulated but not the other. And if you ever get the chance to do a crossover episode wih Legal Eagle, comics code violations could be an interesting topic. The longterm lawsuit by DC against the orginal Captain Marvel is reminiscent of the topic of Dicken's novel Bleak House, where a dispute over a will has been going on for over a generation and when one side finally wins there is no money left, because it all went to the lawyers...

[@rocketreindeer]

That dude seemed cheerful, then both creepy AND eerie. Chris, it would be really interesting if you could one day do a story on the Herbie Popnecker character. I never heard of it till a few years ago, but Alan Moore read it as a kid. The artist was really hilarious, but nobody knows what happened to him (the last I read). Thanks! Enjoying all the richly unpredictable content.

[@doctorwolfman5221]

Great video! You’ve really come into your own with these sorts of topics. Thank you for delving into comic books past the super heroes and showcasing the obscure.

[@nubertuberluber]

"Of course I murdered my business partner; my comics feature murder and I must be familiar with the subject matter!"

[@dfailsthemost]

I wonder how much art the world never got because of the comics code.

[@corwin32]

0:50 "Does this feel like a toxic environment to you? Because I'm starting to think this is."

[@jsa141]

Another winner, Chris! Your videos are making Sundays my favorite day of the week.

[@MarsHottentot]

Fantastic! I have one of those Captain Marvel versus the Terrible 5 books and, yeah, it's pretty bad! I don't know what it is about comics but it really draws in some extreme personalities, even today!!

[@kenlieck7756]

The issue with the Bat becoming the Ray is hilarious cuz they didn't catch all the changes they needed to make and at one point the character is called by both names in a single sentence!

[@karl_alan]

I really appreciate your take on things like this. When most of the world thinks of people in black and white, and wants to entirely hate someone that does something negative like plagiarism or trying to intimidate staff with guns, you show the positives and negatives, and still recommend where people can look to see the person's good works after talking about how difficult they were to deal with. Way to look at the grey area & complexity of a person capable of good and bad.

[@lewissonanimations2066]

I have a book that talks about obscure superheroes from all the ages of comics. One of them happened to be Captain Marvel by Carl Burgos.

[@DCPatrol]

The name Myron just feels like you're in for trouble. Great video!

[@bjeh001]

Not trying to be the grammar police here but "O - Kal - La" is the pronunciation of Ocala Florida, my old granddad lived there. Beautiful city. Thank you for covering this topic, Chris. I have some of those old horror titles in my collection and I'm always in awe at the art and layout skills of publishers of that era. There were no computers making it easy for anyone. It took technique to make the artwork pop off the page back then. I'm a huge fan of those gritty old schlock magazines. Enjoyed the video! 👍

[@bryanabbott6169]

"NO! NO! You are not real! I only drew you from my imagination. Go away! AAOW-W!!" Chris from Comic Tropes: "Oh hi! 👋 You've caught me meeting with my creations!" 🧛‍♂🧟‍♂👻👹

[@blackphoenix77]

I've never heard about Myron Fass; that guy was out of his head!

[@AlVainactual]

Wow, all that lead to Miracle Man and Captain Marvel? Strange how many characters involve lawsuits and stuff.

[@carlosmarquez17]

The old magazine industry was the wild west.

[@alexandrebelinge8996]

yeh new ComicTropes ! Coffee set go !

[@lo1bo2]

12:58 JEEZ, what a cover.

[@SchlockAndAweFilms]

I do love Schlock

[@frofrozzty]

Is that a plushie of the robot from Santa Claus vs The Martians behind Chris? Man I hope so

[@Nono-hk3is]

Thanks Chris!

[@jameshutchins3798]

Chris is pumping out the content. Love it!

[@seandarbe2521]

Comic book professionals that are defiantly on serious drugs, Myron was probably using cocaine, drug of choice of sleepy weirdos.

[@50nuccio]

Love your channel, keep up the great work!

[@markmarderosian9657]

3:16 This page from the satire magazine is very true: The comics code wasn't just implemented because of moral outrage, but as a way for the big two publishers to drive the likes of Bill Gaines / EC comics and Charles Biro out of business.

[@richmcgee434]

True that, although the fear of some kind of actual outside regulation was also a factor.

[@wills2140]

The comics code was almost exclusively from congressional hearings on how comics were "scandalous" and "rotting the brains of our youth!" based on bad and misleading "research" by one person. Look it up, it is here on youtube. The "big two" did indeed lead the move to establish the "comics code", mainly so *all the publishers* could have some guidance and self - regulation. The outcome did effect the smaller comic companies more, as you note.

[@robvangessel3766]

Fass was sort of like an Ed Wood of publishing.

[@YAMISOOLD2009]

Interesting story of a hustler/conman in the comics and publishing world of the golden age. Thanks!

[@theajshow]

Do we really have to respect his drive for entrepreneurship? I mean, do we?

[@francomartini4328]

I used to have the October 1970 issue of Crime Does Not Pay shown at 12:57. I remember that specific cover very well. I was 14 years old at the time and it made an impression on me. (My teenage imagination knew exactly what that mobster was going to do with that red-hot poker!) It was about this time that I had discovered that sort of true crime magazine and I was fascinated. It was through those that I learned about Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Bonnie and Clyde, Machine Gun Kelly, John Dillinger and all the other gangsters and criminals of the Twenties and Thirties. Happy days.

[@ianjane75]

Mike Howlett's book on this is essential, glad to see him properly credited for the work he did on this subject. Such a strange little niche corner of the comics history landscape. The Eerie horror mags are getting harder to find, and more expensive to acquire when you do come across them. I regret not picking them up for dirt cheap back when I was a kid. Fun video, nicely done.

[@haystacks6181]

Awesome to hear the history of those shlocky magazine, great vid as always!

[@The.Crystal.Clods.]

Awesome bit of history! Thanks Chris!

[@gensolo83]

Wow, never heard of this guy. Very interesting episode. Must have been a lot of crazy people in comics and magazine publishing back in the day.

[@wills2140]

Yes there were so real characters back early in comics and magazine publishing history! Some of that history is covered fairly well on youtube, check this channel. Never knew Myron Fass bought Guitar World, weird stuff.

[@DarthPerkins]

There are two books about this time in comics history that are absolutely fantastic reads; 'The Weird World of Eerie Publications' which features Myron Fass (as Chris mentions) and 'Empire of Monsters' about James Warren.

[@gavinmarks2302]

Great video, can't say I knew much about Fass so this was great and informative. Thanks!!

[@ShrekonDVD745]

ur the best chris love watching ur show

[@antoniolopez-lr2si]

My reaction: OH COOL!!! Chris uploaded a new video about another comic creator's career and how he pistol whipped his business partne- WAIT! PISTOL WHIPPING!??

[@3dartistguy]

those are the type of comics that unleashed Dr Wertham's book Seduction of the Innocent.

[@allluckyseven]

Hah! I had no idea you would talk about (in passing) about Vampirella when I sent you that tweet. Chris, have you thought about re-recording some bits of audio as you're editing the video? Not just single words of course (it sounds very weird when people insert those as corrections), but whole phrases.

[@DuranFlims]

Rocking that teddy fresh me boy

[@reprintranch]

Cool topic. You could do a similar piece on Stanley Publications, a similarly schlocky operation. A few comments -- Speaking of Fass using horror-mag titles that mimicked EC titles, mentioned at 5:09 -- in 1968 Fass published one issue of a black and white mag called Tales from the Crypt, now a collector's item. Bill Gaines' legal team put an end to that title in short order. The covers of Terror Tales and Witches Tales at 5:22 are not Fass publications. One is a pulp magazine, the other a pre-code Harvey four-color horror comic. Pistol is visible on Fass' hip at the 11:50 mark. The Fass magazine Violent World (random issue seen at 13:10 or so) may have spawned the Misfits song of the same name, though Glenn Danzig would have to answer that question.

[@dennisanderson3895]

Nice depth on a very interesting industry driver. At times arguably shifty, but definitely had the drive to make publishing *whatever* successful enough to pay the bills and kept things covered - NOT necessarily an easy feat! I presume every industry/business line has some Fass'es*: Feisty, devoted, daring...OK, in publishing the social consequences of a publishing line failing are less than other endeavors/industries: I say he still deserves a pat on the back for keeping entertainment of diverse genres produced and even for challenging other comics publishers' stakes (He helped establish boundaries). *I did not render that correctly, did I?

[@michaellombardi1620]

Now this is fascinating!

[@PharaohDom]

Well damn, buddy didn't play.

[@graphosxp]

If Myron Fass were alive today he could just use neural network DALL·E's text descriptions to image generator to create all that art work! Even the x-rated stuff would not require him to hire an actual woman, just use CGI babes. Looks like Myron Fass was actually a man ahead of his time! Chris talks about Myron packing heat to his work place as if THAT would make him an outlier in today's society. 🤣

[@johnkirby8939]

Ah yes, I remember seeing the Crime Does Not Pay issue shown at 12:57 on the newsstand when it came out in 1970. Ten year old me went "ewwww". A common reaction to Fass Publications.

[@scribbledip53]

HOLY MALARKY YOU LOST WEIGHT CRISS. Crime fighting again I suppose?

[@adamderosa9142]

Please never stop, Chris ❤

[@kevinconnor3187]

Thanks!

[@TheReverendRadioShow]

i love your videos! by far one of the better comic book channels on youtube!

[@betitoargento]

Otro interesante episodio, como siempre

[@Superpicl]

Another funny and interesting deep dive on an oddball creator! Thanks for your hard work Chris! Looking forward to this weeks stream!

[@robvangessel3766]

It's a real shame DC won that lawsuit and buried Captain Marvel, because the scripts by Otto Binder teamed with artist CC Beck were brilliant, hilarious, and weird. (One great cover features a guy stealing Captain Marvel's costume near a lake, with our naked hero covering himself with a barrel as he gives chase). Those stand out with originality, and Fawcett should have endured.

[@leyenda6149]

Doggone it! I am subbed and "smashed the bell" years ago when I 1st learned of this great channel. But the algorithm keeps me from getting alerts of any kind in any of my feeds

[@IloveOtherPplsMsry]

Amd here I thought Ken Penders' lawsuit against Sega and Archie was wild.

[@narcolepticchihuahuaproduc1801]

I love the time and work you put in on this stuff. This particular one is amazing (love old horror comics).

[@ivane5110]

Wow, what a wild ride this video was. Have to say, I know Captain Marvel II is a joke to many, but I always had (once I discovered him) a soft spot for the android. I'm pretty sure I still have most not all of his issues, including the 2 villain ones. There was some (very minor) depth to them. Plastic/Elastic Man and Tiny Man (especially TM, as a fan of shrinking heroes) each had the grains of a good character development arc. And there was a Sub-Mariner/Aquaman type that given more to do would've been up there as a 3rd, along with the Fin and Stingray. As for original Captain Marvel, I don't like that he now goes by Shazam and multiple generation have no clue what his name really is, but Mar-vell was a very worthy successor to the name (once he donned the red and blue) and I certainly don't feel sorry for DC after how they acquired him.