Ultraman and Crusader were originally conceived to be fairly generic versions of Superman and Batman-type heroes for Megaton Comics in 1981 or so. I wasn’t interested in telling their stories at that point, only those of their successors, Ultragirl and, wait a minute. Sentinel died in his first appearance, murdered by the Headhunter who turned out to be his “brother” and predecessor as the Crusader’s sidekick Sparky. Maybe the idea was for Crusader to come out of retirement? I don’t recall what I was thinking 30 years ago.

Ultragirl was another story though. The plan was for her to be a major part of the new universe, even though she didn’t reappear until issue #’s 7 and 8 where she appeared in the main Megaton stories as well as the back-ups.

Crusader existed before the concept of the Megaton universe did. I have a few drawings and covers featuring the character that were inked and colored with markers from sometime in the early to mid 1970’s. Ultraman, though, was created for Megaton. In fact, these early sketches I’m printing here today are not too different from the earliest Megaton sketches: the mohawk, the goofy cape, all were considered for both characters and used for neither.

Since the actual star was to be Ultragirl, I figured maybe it would be best to design her costume first and then backtrack to her dad’s uniform. I’m running a few of my original designs for her, and eventually (being a major Dave Cockrum fan) decided to go for a Phoenix-y look. A new generation of hero, remember?

Butch Guice, the artist on that first Ultragirl story refined my design and came up with a great look for Christie Kelly’s alter-ego. I merely requested that she be a little younger and lose the eye make-up. We backed up her dad’s look to more of a classic Superman style (which you can see in my previous blog) and that was pretty much it for the 1980’s.

I apologize for so many of my crummy sketches here today. Next time or two I promise much prettier art by Butch Guice, John Thompson and Rob Liefeld.

I think I’ve mentioned before that my Megaton book was going to feature a new generation of super heroes. Back in 1981, time didn’t really pass in comic books. Dick Grayson was still Robin, having only aged from the Boy Wonder into the Teen Wonder in 30 years. Only on DC’s Earth 2 were sidekicks allowed to grow up, but even there Dick Grayson was still Robin, albeit in some very ugly new uniforms. In DC’s imaginary stories, readers were treated to the adventures of Superman and Batman’s Super-Sons during the 1970’s.

In creating a second generation of heroes, it stands to reason that there had to be a first generation and they were represented in Megaton #1 by Ultraman and the Crusader. Each of them appeared in costume for only a single panel that issue. Crusader showed up once again in his civilian guise in a second panel and only reappeared a few years later in the Megaton Explosion, our who’s who promo book. (You can download the Explosion here on my Megaton website: http://megatoncomics.com/Megaton/Megaton_Explosion.html)

Ultraman was all over the first three pages of his story (art by Butch Guice and James Cassara)in his real identity of astronaut turned hero Christopher Kelly before he blew up. Neither were the stars of their first appearances. Crusader showed up in flashback in the Sentinel story, which featured his two grown-up sidekicks (Sentinel and Headhunter) battling each other. Ultraman was there to pass on his powers to his daughter Christie, aka Ultragirl, in her origin story. Unfortunately for Christie, her story didn’t resume until Megaton #’s 7 and 8 a few years later (and Megaton X-Mas a few years after that). Her dad did guest star in #7 and showed up in the Explosion too.

And that was it for those two old-timers, until Chris Ecker, Ed DeGeorge and I resurrected them as the stars of Big Bang Comics. Ultraman underwent a slight name change to Ultiman and the Crusader was transformed into the Knight Watchman. (The Watchman’s metamorphosis was already told in an earlier blog). At Big Bang they were the stars. At Megaton, they were the back story. I don’t recall any plans to tell any Ultiman retro adventures in Megaton, although the Crusader would have reappeared to fight Headhunter and may have stuck around for a while.

I have a number of my own sad, swiped drawings of the Crusader from the late 70’s and early 80’s. To the right is Frank Fosco’s take on one of them from 1982. Chris Ecker, who drew that first story, must have designed the Sentinel but I have a few of my own designs for the character that became Headhunter.

Very few early Ultraman sketches exist, at least in my hoarding piles (and I never throw anything out) but I’ll show you a few of them next time

Just a short note to go with a great new Knight Watchman piece by C.B. Burk to accompany his recent Galahad story “Lady In Waiting”. I’ve been fighting a bit of pneumonia this week and haven’t felt like doing much of anything, but hope to be back in form next week.

Submitted for your approval: the tenth and final page of “Lady In Waiting” by Gary Carlson (writer) and C.B. Burk (artist). Plotted and drawn many many moons ago, but dusted off, dialogued and colored very recently. Let me know if  you’ve enjoyed it and would like to see more stories from the BB vault.

Down below it is another preliminary piece by C.B. of the cast of this epic tale:

Pictured below are Gwen, Shutterbug, Mayor John Princeton, reporter Debbie Dorn and the Knight Watchman’s behind-the-scenes other junior partner, Monroe Willis.

  Patty Wheeler fought crime in the 1960s as the ever-lovin’ Ladybug. She used insect-based super powers including lightning bug super brightness to blind villains, bulletproof wings that also gave her the power of flight and the ability to secrete webbing somehow to tie up crooks. A “magic” cocoon transformed her from Patty into Ladybug. She gave up the super-hero life after a crippling accident in 1975.

Wally Wheeler is Patty’s nephew. When he was young, his aunt used to tell him stories of her crime-fighting days as the Ladybug. When she died and left her belongings to Wally, he was amazed to find out that the stories were true. Instead of becoming a hero, he used the abilities to further his career as a photojournalist, becoming a premier paparazzi photog known as Shutterbug.

Art at left and bottom by Sterling Clark, from Big Bang #34.