Carmine Infantino (1925–2013)

I bought all of these comics when they came out originally. As a kid I lived for every new Star Wars story. Rereading them made me chuckle. Their was no canon at the time and the Marvel writers just went hog wild. If you have a problem with Jar Jar you are going to love Jax. This was the only way to get extra Star Wars while you waited for the movie. They sold incredibly well at the time.

Some of the stories are great but others don't hold up well. I would have given them a 5 as a kid now they are more like a 3.5. A great walk down memory lane.… (mais)

In The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino: An Autobiography, Carmine Infantino and J. David Spurlock explore Infantino’s biography from youth, through his Golden Age comics work, the changes of the Silver Age and the 1960s, and his freelancing later on. Infantino, one of the giants of the field, worked for both Marvel and DC as well as smaller companies and animation, so his insights will both entertain and inform comic book aficionados. Further, this volume forefronts the art, both Infantino’s own work and work indicative of the periods he describes, using its unique size to better showcase artistic samples. Most interestingly for fans are some examples of never-before-published work and preliminary sketches.

Discussing the postwar state of the industry after the comic book moral panic, Infantino writes, “The business was wounded pretty badly by the Kefauver hearings and Wertham, really doing a number on us. DC called everyone in and told us we had to take a two- or three-dollar page rate reduction. We were naturally upset, but they said it was either that or no work” (pg. 38). He continues, “DC became a closed shop for years. New artists came by looking for work, including Neal Adams, but no new talent was hired for years. Those of use who were there were lucky to be getting work” (pg. 39).

Infantino writes of the Silver Age revival, “One day in 1956, I brought a job in – I think it was a romance – and, without fanfare, Julie said to me, ‘You’re going to draw a super-hero again.’ I was surprised because they hadn’t been selling. Of the hundreds of costumed characters created in the ’40s, only Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman survived in their own titles. Julie [Julius Schwartz] said, ‘You’re going to be doing The Flash’” (pg. 50). He continues, “The Flash jump-started the whole super-hero business again and went a long way in saving the comic book business from extinction” (pg. 54). Not only did Infantino help revive superheroes, he played a key role in re-designing Batman for the 1960s with a look that influenced the ABC television series. Infantino writes, “Batman became the most popular comic book character in the world. We were getting an unheard of 95% sell-through with print-runs up to 900,000 copies per issue!” (pg. 67).

The book also features several testimonials from Infantino’s compatriots in the business. Arnold Drake discusses his difficulty creating Deadman for DC and the way Infantino helped him: “I told [DC editor Jack] Miller about my idea for a new character named Deadman and even produced a rough sketch of what he might look like. Well, Jack let me know in no uncertain terms that the Comics Code censors would never allow a character named ‘Dead-man.’ Fully rejected and with all the wind out of my sails, I prepared for my exit. At that point I noticed Carmine behind and out of Miller’s view. He was gesturing with his fist up in the air, that I should not give up but really give it to Miller… Following Carmine’s instigation, I proceeded to lay into Miller; that we couldn’t run around paralyzed in constant fear of what the Code might do. I told him the company had to proceed with every good idea and leave the Code’s business to the Code. Well, it worked” (pgs. 70-71).

Spurlock writes, “One of Carmine’s most notable mandates as Editorial Director was the infuse relevancy into the comics line. The most recognized series of its day was the lauded Green Lantern/Green Arrow” (pg. 99). Discussing the business side of things, Infantino writes, “With rare exceptions, like the super-hero boom of the early ’40s and the Batman boom of the mid-’60s, the comic book business tends to make more money on licensing of characters for film, TV, toys, etc., than it does in publishing” (pg. 125). Overall, the book will appeal to fans of Golden- and Silver-Age comic books, particularly with its emphasis on Infantino’s art. Some of the remembrances may be contradicted by other sources, but it’s still a lovely memoir intended more for the fans than cultural historians.… (mais)