The Drink Tank 020 (2005).pdf

The Drink Tank

Issue Twomp

Things I am Learning from Doing Claims Department

I know absolutely nothing about the English Postal

Coding System. I have a few folks in the UK that I'm

sending Claims Department to and I have their

addresses in a number of places from a number of

sources. The problem is I have no idea what goes on

what line when and how and why. It's scary, as I've

always thought of myself as pretty smart, but if I see

an English address, I'm doomed.

I've also learned that sometimes wasteful work is

just what the doctor ordered. I print Claims

Department on printers at my work. We have a deal

with HP where they provide us with printers and

supplies. My printing has increased the number of

pages we print a month and that has led us to get

more equipment. That rocks.

I've also found that I'm an attrocious proofer. I've

spent at least three hours on both the issues (issue

two hit the mail on Monday for most folks) and I still

find a bunch of errors that I missed. Part of the

problem is that I'm creating it in Adobe Illustrator

and not a real page layout system. I saw InDesign, and I desperately want it, but at US$199 for

the Educational version, I doubt I'll ever be able to afford it.

All in all, I'd say that Claims Department is a lot of fun. I like having an excuse to go and

spend money on CDs and Movies, and it's also forced me to start working on those hundreds of

books I've never read.

The View From Higher Up

Greg Bear- April 26th, 2004

"Computers have transformed modern art, from the

writing of novels to the creation of motion pictures. The

precise mathematical control of pixels on a screen or in a

printer has had amazing consequences already, and the

revolution has only just begun. Science fiction visions of

virtual reality have clunked along for the last decade, but

soon could leap to commercial viability. And who knows

how that will influence creative types? As well, the ability

to visualize the workings of abstract or unseen

phenomenon--from mathematical equations to the

structure and function of proteins--allows us to more

easily understand nature, and ourselves. I look forward

with keen anticipation to the next twenty years, which

should be just as earthshaking as the last twenty--

though very likely in different and hardly predictable

ways."

The Drink Tank

Issue Twomp

Here's another of the fake comic tales I

wrote for Once Upon A Dime that never got

used. This one references the previous two

and was the one that I showed around at

WonderCon and had a bunch of comic

artists laughing. It's a tragic tale that

shows that not every artist wants

unlimited credit for everything they ever

did. Plus, I just happen to love the concept

of a single character being annoying

enough to bring down a number of series.

Kinda like Scrappy-Doo or Oliver on teh

Brady Bunch!

"When The Bottler was created, Michael Handrower was drawing Hero Tales as J.L. Lane for the

issue. He's the one that should get the blame."

Ray Aldren in Comic Shoppe Memories, June 1978

"Ray created him. I'm clean on this one."

Michael Handrower in Comic Shoppe Memories, July 1978

There have been countless lawsuits over who created various comic characters and what

royalties were due them. Only once in the history of comics was a lawsuit filed to make sure that

a creator was NOT given credit for the character. The character was The Bottler: the unofficial

Killer of Comics. The creators involved were Indy Comic legend Michael Handrower and long-time

artist Ray Aldren.

In the late 1940s, Army photographer Julius Lanewisc returned to his family home in the

Hollywood hills. Lanewisc had been in charge of a magazine for the boys throughout the Pacific

Theatre called On The Islands. He had learned his trade well and by the end of the war could put

out an issue in less than three days, complete with four pages of comic strips that he would write

and draw himself. Lanewisc returned after his stint with hopes for building a publishing empire.

"I had done comic strips for years, so I thought that doing comic books would be the same

thing," Lanewisc said in a 1979 Oral History for the Smithsonian "I got my mother to dip into the

trust fund and spring for a small printing press so that I could try my hand at comic books."

In the beginning, Lanewisc wrote, drew, and printed three titles under the name JL Lane;

Superior Ghost Stories, Ladies Comics, and Hero Tales. The production timetable was based on

his ability to complete the comics and find time to print them. There were 29 total issues of the

three comics in 1947, 18 in 1948, and just 6 in 1949. It was late in 1949 that Lanewisc decided

to parcel out the work for producing the comics to a small team of artists. With help from his

neighbor, fandom legend Forrest J. Ackermann, Lanewisc gathered a troupe of future legends.

Lanewisc's first hire was a grizzled, though supposedly thirty-one year old, artist named

Ray Aldren. Aldren, crippled since a bout with polio, had been drawing editorial cartoons for

almost ten years. His work had many admirers, especially the series of playing cards that

featured a cartoon Hitler in various naughty situations. Aldren suggested that Lanewisc bring in

two other artists from his paper, Stan Kreeper, creator of Dr. Cat, and colorist Morgan Alexander,

the future art director of such 1970s pot-boilers as Princess Petticoat and Smoke on Glass.

Taking the Blame for the Bottler

The Drink Tank

Issue Twomp

The final hire was a fifteen year old artist named Michael Handrower. Handrower had been

reading comic books since birth, often imitating the style of the artists he saw in the paper.

Handrower had been sending samples of his work to Aldren for the better part of four years at the

time Aldren got his gig with Lanewisc.

"Handrower really idolized Ray." said Comic Historian and Curator of the Aldren Comic Art

Archive James "Wizard" Reel. "He had a dozen notebooks filled with perfect imitations of Aldren's

work. He would sit and watch him draw in the office, which annoyed Ray no end."

The team went about creating the comics with Lanewisc editing and supervising the printing of

each issue. To maintain the sense of continuity from the earlier, locally successful comics, each

issue was noted as "Written and Drawn by J.L. Lane." The artists and writers were urged to

maintain a single voice and style throughout each comic.

"It wasn't hard for Handrower to keep in line with my art, since he had been doing it for years."

Aldren said in a 1982 deposition.

Lanewisc charged Aldren and Handrower with Hero Tales. The two collaborated on issues, often

splitting the total duties of an issue in half, with one doing the first 16 pages and the other the last

16.

"Their work was seamless." Noted Lanewisc in his Oral History.

All went well for all three titles until the summer of 1954. While never breaking much beyond the

bounds of the LA basin, Lanewisc had made a deal to get his comics into a few small bookstores in

the San Francisco Bay Area. Lanewisc called a meeting of the staff, which by this time included

future feminist comic artist Janet "Con" Condolense and Earl Whitten, who would go on to become

a California Congressman.

"Jules asked us all to come up with a big issue for the Northern California expansion." Explained

Handrower in the July 1987 issue of Comic Shoppe Memories "Con had decided to take Ladies

Stories all to herself, Earl and Stan were doing a story each in Superior, and me and Ray were

supposed to come up with a big new villain to take on Lord Bannor: The King of the Future."

Here, stories begin to diverge. Handrower says that he took a week-long vacation to San Diego

and when he came back, Aldren had the issue completely written and drawn. Aldren's claim is

that Handrower went to San Diego with his full art kit and came back early, dropping the pile of

art on his desk with a note that read "Ray; would you mind inking this fast?"

"Aldren still has the note," says 'Wizard' "but it wasn't dated, nor even signed. Still, it's the only

physical piece of evidence in the whole case."

There are many stories about what happened next as well. Lanewisc claimed that he was ill a few

days and behind schedule. So he wouldn't miss his promised dates, Lanewisc claimed that he did

not read the issues that were given to him and just went about the business of getting them ready

to be printed. Alexander claims that he was given the pages one at a time and out of order, so he

never realized what was going on. Lanewisc printed nearly twice as many as he had previously

printed, spending a much larger chunk than he ever had before.

"It was his Hail Mary pass. All or nothin'" noted Handrower.

The issue had a picture of Lord Bannor, struggling against a glass wall, crying 'Curse you,

Bottler!' as a hooded figure dressed in green laughed proudly with his back to the viewer in the

corner. The subtitle: Who is The Bottler?

"It was obvious from the cover that Mike had not done well on his trip to San Diego." Aldren said

in the March 1980 issue of Comic Shoppe Memories. "The issue was full of bad gags and stupid

dialogue. I tried to get Lanewisc to pull the issue, but by the time he saw it, it was already on the

road to Frisco."

Handrower disputes all of Aldren's claims.

The Drink Tank

Issue Twomp

"Ray was all over the issue. He usually tried to put in the silly puns and wordplay, but Jules or I

would edit it out. This whole issue was him through and though."

At the time, no one was pointing fingers. The first two titles available in Northern California sold

well by Lane Publishing standards, topping 85% of all printed copies sold in the first two weeks.

They had increased overall sales nearly 40%. Ladies Stories was well received by almost every

reader, with dozens of letters flooding into the Lane Publishing office showering praise on the

issue and on Con. Superior had a similar reaction, with the short Ghost Town Time Warp getting

widespread praise for it's blending of western themes with horror and science fiction. Hero Tales

had no such luck.

"We used to get twenty to thirty letters an issue, almost all of them praising some element of the

story or saying that so-and-so was their favorite character and deserved more time." Said

Lanewisc "but for the Bottler issue, we got nothin'"

The following issue followed the same numbers as the previous, only while Ladies Stories and

Superior sold quickly, Hero Tales sales dropped to less than twelve percent of their pre-expansion

sales. Quickly, the team tried to regroup, but there was no raising sales and series was officially

ended in September of 1955. Lane Publishing continued putting out Superior Ghost Stories until

March of 1957, when Earl Whitten left to work the campaign to elect Edmond G. "Pat" Brown, and

Ladies Stories until Con left in June of that same year. Lane Publishing then turned to printing

cheap paperback books and later to low-grade pornographic material for the Mexican market.

The Bottler did not rest in peace, as both Aldren and Handrower used the character in other

projects. Aldren brought The Bottler back in 1964 for his very short lived series Comic Justice.

The Bottler issue signaled the end of the series as sales began shrinking at that very point. Many

felt that a man who could encase something in glass was not a suitable competition for a man

who could punch through a brick wall. In Handrower's final stab at a mainstream title before

giving in to his independent leanings, Michael used The Bottler as a member of The Undefeated, a

one-shot intended as a test for a potential series. It was never picked up and Handrower

circulated it underground himself in later years as a symbol of the depths to which the comic

industry had sunk.

Nothing else was heard of the Bottler until late 1977. For a cover of Comic Shoppe Memories,

artist Stan Broward drew The Bottler surrounding an edition of "Superman vs. Muhammad Ali"

touting the inside article by "Wizard" Reel on the worst comic book ideas of all-time. The oft-

laughed-at DC title took number one, but a close second belonged to The Bottler.

'Few villains are as stupid as The Bottler. His power over any shard of glass within twenty feet is

good, if he had been able to use it to actually cut things. He could build a wall of glass, but it was

fragile like bone china. Useless. Aldren may be a Hall of Famer, but this was his worst moment.'

Following the publication of the article, and once Aldren was made aware, he sent in the first

rebuttal letter, claiming that then underground favorite Handrower had actually done the work.

Reel, confused by the contradicting claims, contacted Handrower and got a few quotes. This set

off a war that took place in the pages of many fan magazines and at comics conventions. Over the

following three years, each man gave at least twenty interviews, letters or discussions on The

Bottler, all of them blaming the other. The battle escalated until 1982, when Handrower, afraid

that his reputation as a hip, counterculture artist was being harmed, filed a defamation of

character suit against Aldren.

"It was plain, old-fashioned ugly between the two of them." Noted fan editor and publisher

James "Wildcat" Reese, "Comic Shoppe Memories was forced to stop running their counteractions,

so they came to me to get claims into Seriously Comic Details and to Donald and Co. over at Once

Upon A Dime."

The Drink Tank

Issue Twomp

After a round of depositions, a series of health problems for Ray Aldren caused the case to be

delayed. It was never restarted and Aldren passed away in 1989, officially listed as 71, though

most are sure he was at least in his Ninties. Handrower, now in his sixties, lives in San Diego

and has continued to draw his famously dark slice of life comics. Before his death, Aldren had

been working with the Smithsonian on the Comic Book Oral History Project, which had done

interviews with all the important players of the Lane Publishing world. All of these were done

before the controversy over The Bottler, so none of them addressed the issue directly. Julius

Lanewisc passed away in 1975, with the only mention of The Bottler in his memoir reading: 'The

Bottler killed us. Plain and simple.'.

Of the thirteen hundred or so issues of The Bottler's first appearance known to have been

printed, only fifteen have surfaced. None have commanded a price higher than three dollars,

despite the scarcity. There is one in the Aldren Comic Art Archive. It is signed: To Eddy, thanks

for reading, Mike Handrower and Ray Aldren. Eddy had apparently not read the comic prior, and

sent it back with a note attached. No, Thanks, I don't want it anymore .

Something A Little Less Light-hearted

Anyone having any advice on doing a One

Hour Fanzine? I'm teamed up with

Katheryn Daugherty to do just that at

BayCon, and while I have done a few

issues of The Drink Tank in an hour, I was

hoping to make something a little more

substantial. Any advice would be much

appreciated.

Also, if you're planning on going to

BayCon, let me know, especially if you

receive Claims Department, as it will save

me the postage to just give it to you. I'm

planning on debutting LISP there and

having at least 50 issues of Claims

Department for folks. Plus, a special

Drink Tank that you'll like. Trust me.

Sadly, my Pops called me today and announced

that the cancer he had defeated a year or so ago had

regrouped elsewhere. The docs say that this one

isn't really as bad as his last, but still, it's more

than annoying and a bit scary.

What does this mean to you, my loyal readers?

Well, most likely I'll be taking a issue or two off

when the chemo gets bad for Pops. That's pretty

much a given. Otherwise, I'll keep up the steady

stream of work. It also means that I'll be redoubling

my effort to get Pops a few of the fanzines he loved

back in the day, so if anyone has issues of

Granfalloon, Schred or Xero lying around, I'll pretty

much pay ya what you want for 'em.

M Lloyd Prestents: A Very Short Story

My Favorite Club

We've all seen them dancing in the sweat and heat

that makes me fell like we're back in Grandpa's

greenhouse. I'm sure you have too. This girl, Raven

or Syden or Hypna or whatever, she's every girl we

know. She's hip-swinging and beatuiful, deep in-

grained. We've seen her dancing outside of the club,

in the rain, in her stocking feet on a kitchen floor.

We know her, and so do you. She is that girl, THE

GIRL, the one we wish we knew better, knew best.

Her mouth alone brings us to new places.

And of course, when we can't own her, we create

her, short skirt and fish-netted, the pixels showing a

bit too block-like for the tastes of some.

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