Al Hartley
January 9, 2005 9:13 PM Subscribe
The 50-year career of Al Hartley. Part of Stan Lee's early stable of writers at Timely-Atlas, Hartley's perhaps best remembered as the creator of Spire Christian Comics. The series, which included comic book adaptations of popular Christian narratives such as God's Smuggler [pdf], and original stories like The Gospel Blimp [pdf], and Hansi: The Girl Who Loved The Swastika [pdf], also included 19 titles starring Archie [pdf], Jughead and the gang.
How was Hartley able to use another company's property for his own purpose under a different publisher? Did he just pay royalties? I've never heard of anything like this... If i knew about it I woulda done Hasidic-Green Lantern years ago.
posted by TetrisKid at 9:59 PM on January 9, 2005
posted by TetrisKid at 9:59 PM on January 9, 2005
I have vague recollections of these things as well. I remembered then that there were really pretty creepy, particularly how they combine evangelical messages with both American exceptionalism and a view that communism is the root of all evil in the world. I always assumed at the time that, like myself, kids have a pretty sensitive bullshit/propaganda meter, and that people like Al Hartley had taken us for idiots.
posted by psmealey at 7:01 AM on January 10, 2005
posted by psmealey at 7:01 AM on January 10, 2005
Jeez, I just read "Hansi: The Girl Who Loved the Swastika". That's crapulent writing even for didactic comic books. Simply horrendous.
And: I used to live in Germany..."Hansi" is, unless I'm grievously mistaken, a boy's nickname...I remmber a soccer player named Hansi Mueller...a diminutive of "Hans"...
posted by 1016 at 7:35 AM on January 10, 2005
And: I used to live in Germany..."Hansi" is, unless I'm grievously mistaken, a boy's nickname...I remmber a soccer player named Hansi Mueller...a diminutive of "Hans"...
posted by 1016 at 7:35 AM on January 10, 2005
I believe Gospel Blimp is not in fact an original work as mentioned in the post - I believe the story was originally written in the 50's by Joseph Bayly - a well known Christian satirist. There is even a movie by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr., the director who gave us such classic films as The Blob and my personal favorite 4-D Man. The Gospel Blimp movie used to be available online to watch but it looks like it has faded into the ether. I can't seem to find it now.
The comic version of Gospel Blimp, by the way, was discussed in the fantastic zine Comic Book Heaven - emphasizing the ridiculous aspects of the story. I don't think any of the issues of Comic Book Heaven are available online to read (though they are available to buy) but the creator of the zine, Scott Saavedra, has a blog if anyone is curious about what the zine is like.
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:05 AM on January 10, 2005
The comic version of Gospel Blimp, by the way, was discussed in the fantastic zine Comic Book Heaven - emphasizing the ridiculous aspects of the story. I don't think any of the issues of Comic Book Heaven are available online to read (though they are available to buy) but the creator of the zine, Scott Saavedra, has a blog if anyone is curious about what the zine is like.
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:05 AM on January 10, 2005
Wow. That Hansi comic may be the first I've read for kids that contains implied rape. Jeez.
Thanks Terry Bradshaw, for being so candid about your religion . A great football player; a great man.
posted by graventy at 2:33 PM on January 10, 2005
Thanks Terry Bradshaw, for being so candid about your religion . A great football player; a great man.
posted by graventy at 2:33 PM on January 10, 2005
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Al Hartley's heart might have been in the right place, but tricking little kids into being preached at against their will is not cool.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 9:49 PM on January 9, 2005