The onion reference is definitely Grandpa (Abe) Simpson while the coal would be any “Back in my day” reference common to many folks. Dana Carvey would be one but I was just last night reading a Terry Pratchett book detailing how two mayflies (who only live 24 hours) were talking about how “you never see the same quality of daylight that you used to see back in the their younger hours”. So it’s a pretty common device.

P.S:- Comics cost about $9 – $10 here in Australia too.

Yeah, I would say that’s the very definition of “drawing the comic”.

Maybe I drew that issue, too. My drawings weren’t published either.

The comics industry today has some reasonably good mechanisms for crediting the work that different creators do on a comic. You can see credits for “Layouts” and “Breakdowns” and “Finishes”, among other terms. Every reference I’ve seen to Shooter’s art being involved in these Legion stories falls under Layouts or Breakdowns. Your use of “drew” is ambiguous at best, misleading at worst. And the very purpose of these columns is to avoid ambiguity and misleading, is it not?

Either in Outpost or DC’s Wide World of Comics, Shooter revealed the sketch that he made when creating Validus, a design that Curt Swan followed with the introduction of the character.

As to Jim Shooter’s ability to draw, he’s given at least pencil credits for Marvel’s “Super-Villian Team-Up” #9. There, he was basically trying to keep Marvel going and seemed to need to have a story drawn but with no artist available.

Talk about comic book price shock — remember going to the newstand on June 1, 1970, with thirty cents to buy two comics, only to discover that DC Comics were now twenty-five cents (with reprint material) and having to decide whether to buy the first issue of “The Forever People” or another DC comic…

Do you have any basis for the “disenchanted with working with Mort Weisinger” comment? I hadn’t heard there was any animosity between Shooter and Weisinger.

No, I just threw that in there to test you. Seriously, it’s in the aforementioned Legion Outpost interview I mentioned.

And why no mention of his current, brilliant run on the title?

It’s a conspiracy, I say! Again, seriously, didn’t seem relevant. Unless, of course, some Legion fans went by Paul Levitz’s house to get Shooter the most recent gig! By the by, the most recent Lying in the Gutters suggests that Shooter is off the title, which would be a shame.

As for the Gumps, I’ve been aware of them for years, ever since I read a collection of books in my high school (pre-Internet) days. A sad, but fascinating story. And a wonderful strip that any fan of good storytelling should seek out.

Most definitely.

As for the Gumps, I’ve been aware of them for years, ever since I read a collection of books in my high school (pre-Internet) days. A sad, but fascinating story. And a wonderful strip that any fan of good storytelling should seek out.

And yep, I featured the Ferro Lad one!

As I said, if you don’t change the text above, you’re just setting up a new urban legend that will need to be debunked. (Probably too late by now, actually.) Then again, this is the Legion’s 50th Anniversary year, so having a few more Legion Legends probably isn’t a bad thing, and to be sure, many aspects of Shooter’s wunderkind status bear repeating and confirming and clarifying. (And fortunately, he’s still around to help with that!)

(Mmm, speaking of which, have you done one on the idea that Ferro Lad was supposed to be a black Legionnaire, years before Tyroc?)

Swan drew the issue, AS WELL.

But Shooter drew the issue.

So start the urban legends running now: if Brian doesn’t modify this, he’s going to have to write up a response in a couple years to the urban legend that runs “Curt Swan was a fake name used by DC to hide that the teenage Jim Shooter was both writing and drawing the Legion of Super-Heroes”. Or some other equally wrong info caused by this very article saying that Shooter was the artist on the feature.

Please save yourself the troubles later on! Shooter had a role in the art, but he didn’t “draw” the comic in the sense we usually think of with comics.

Hate to nitpick, but saying Shooter drew Legion seems to be crediting him with a bit too much

I don’t think it’s a nitpick.

I mean, I disagree, but it’s a fine criticism.

okay I know it’s probably not Tasmia, but you have to admit it looks a lot like her

Well, in the sense that Shooter’s drawings were probably only seen by the artist who then adapted them, like a blueprint, and they never saw print themselves, not exactly (that is, if what I’ve heard is correct). As far as I know- and again, I may be off here- the actual pencillers and inkers of Legion did not draw over Shooter’s work, just looked at it as reference. I don’t really consider that drawing the book.

Hate to nitpick, but saying Shooter drew Legion seems to be crediting him with a bit too much.

I’d never heard that about Smith and The Gumps. Actually, the only thing I’d ever heard about The Gumps was that it was the strip Martin Landau used to assist on before he became an actor. I imagine that was during the later Edson period.

Yep, he was there under Edson.

Just wanted to stop bye and say how much I look forward to this column and lying in the gutters every week, more than anything else in the comic blog-news-sphere…keep up the great work, its very much appreciated.

Why thanks!

Wow… I’m famous! I’m the idiot who made the stoopid comment about Dick Giordano bringing Steve Ditko over to DC in 1968, as evidenced by this link http://cbgxtra.com/default.aspx?tabid=42&view=topic&forumid=30&postid=43951 I had read that comment on a follow a couple of days later and realized I was wrong (I think I meant to type in Steve Skeates), and was hoping nobody would notice! Didn’t mean to make you wince Brian! (Memo to self: No computer access before the first cup of coffee!)

Ha!

Dave, my whole point of not mentioning you was because it IS such a common mistake! So no shame in it!

Would anyone contest that George Perez “drew” Avengers #32 and 33? The ones that Paul Ryan penciled and Al Vey inked (over Perez’ breakdowns). I think laying out/doing breakdowns for a comic constitutes drawing the comic.