Heart Of Gold

In 1944, Ken Crossen (creator of the Golden Age pulp hero, The Green Lama) launched a comic-book company to publish the adventures of his then-famous character as well as a small stable of other heroes.

Called “Spark Publications,” the three titles published by the company prominently featured the work of Mort Meskin, Jerry Robinson and Mac Raboy, who were among the most distinctive and skilled creators of the era.

(Unfortunately, such quality didn’t translate into sales and Spark Publications folded in 1946.)

Aside from the Green Lama, the most notable characters of the Spark line were Atoman and Golden Lad.

Created by Meskin, Golden Lad was a young boy who discovered he could access the strength of a “thousand martyred warriors” by grasping an ancient Aztec artifact and intoning the magic words, “Heart Of Gold.”

The Freddy Freeman-esque hero only lasted five issues, which was at least enough time to introduce a “Golden Girl” spin-off. Meskin’s typically excellent storytelling skills – which included his trademark “Johnny Quick” super-speed effect – made the series memorable enough to win the hearts of most Golden Age comics devotees.

From Golden Lad #5 (Spark Publications, June 1946), here’s “The Chinese Vase” by Mort Meskin.

The Mirror Crack’d

Now let’s get to some actual business …

It’s time to usher in the new year with one of our favorite tropes – the deadly doppelgänger – in a beautifully illustrated tale by the legendary Mort Meskin.

“The Woman In The Mirror” originally appeared in Black Magic #1 (Prize Comics, October-November 1950).

Golden Age husbands were such clueless tools…

Spirit Of America

Here’s a Fighting Yank story illustrated by the all-star team of Jerry Robinson (pencils) and Mort Meskin (inks). If you study the figures closely, it’s apparent just how great an influence Meskin exerted on a young Steve Ditko.

“The Return Of Fingers” originally appeared in The Fighting Yank #27 (Better/Nedor/Standard, January 1949).

As a special bonus for you faithful Time Bulleteers, here’s the original cover of The Fighting Yank #27, illustrated by the one and only Alex Schomburg!

The Artist’s Artist

Mort Meskin ‘s admirers include the likes of Alex Toth, Steve Ditko, Carmine Infantino, Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko. Yet the artist’s name is rarely brought up by fans discussing the all-time greats of comics’ golden and silver ages.

It’s truly a shame. To quote Mr. Ditko …

Meskin was fabulous, I couldn’t believe the ease with which he drew: strong compositions, loose pencils, yet complete; detail without clutter. I loved his stuff

Meskin, like many of his contemporaries, earned his stripes working for the ubiquitous Eisner & Iger shop. However, he soon found himself with Harry A. Chesler illustrating features for MLJ Comics, the future home of Archie Andrews.

He also enjoyed memorable stints on such DC stalwarts as Wildcat, The Vigilante and (especially) Johnny Quick. In 1949 he joined the Simon & Kirby studio and produced classic strips in the horror, crime and romance genres.

After Simon & Kirby went their separate ways, Meskin returned to DC and created the character “Mark Merlin.” The remainder of his time was spent on the company’s war, science-fiction and horror titles.

In 1965, Meskin left the comics field and began a successful career in advertising until his retirement in 1982. He passed away in 1995.

Among Meskin reached many high points during his comics career, many of my personal favorites were created in tandem with the great Jerry Robinson.

The pair turned in especially notable work at Nedor, where they took workmanlike characters like the Black Terror (who had a great costume, but suffered from lackluster art) and Fighting Yank (ditto) and made them every bit the equals of such illustrious counterparts as Batman and Captain America.

Sound far-fectched? The following story, featuring a great Golden Age femme fatale, provides a strong argument for such assertions.

From Black Terror #24, here’s “Lady Serpent Returns” by Mort Meskin and Jerry Robinson.

Fantagraphics recently released a beautiful biography of the artist entitled “From Shadow to Light: The Life & Art of Mort Meskin.” It’s a long overdue appreciation of a top-flight creator whose name truly deserves to be mentioned alongside the field’s giants.