AC Comics Bill Black-The Man Behind the Vision

We all remember the great western comics of the 1950's, don’t we? Dell, DC, Timely, Atlas, and ME cluttered our rooms and filled our heads with adventures of our favorite western action stars. I was not alive during their first appearances, and have since acquired many through auctions and swaps, but Bill Black of Paragon and AC Comics has given us a rare gift....westerns are back....the great action heroes of AC are back....and we can thank Bill Black for that.

I had a chance to catch up with him and talk about Bill Black, comic book professional, publisher, writer, and editor of the fourth longest comic book line.

Tim: Your professional career includes writing, editing, art, publishing, and now media materials, when did this journey start for you? Every pro has a story of ‘how I decided I wanted to ....’. What’s yours?

Bill- In high school I drew cartoons and wrote a column for the school paper. In college, I was associate editor of CHARLATAN a guerilla, counterculture humor mag distributed throughout the South Eastern states. I drew covers, ads, cartoons and photographed babes, etc. I also started making amateur movies in 8mm and later 16mm in high school and continued to do so through college (BA in art from FSU) and while in the Army. In the army my paintings were entered in a Savannah, GA art exhibit. I took first prize and best in mixed media but knew nothing about it because I was away on my honeymoon at the time. Also while in the service, I submitted stories to Warren Publications CREEPY magazine. Released from the army I began working as artist for an Orlando, FL film production company. Also in 1969, I worked as artist for Warren illustrating horror stories for CREEPY and EERIE mags, even had art in FAMOUS MONSTERS. That year I started Paragon Publications. Worked for various advertising agencies and film production companies and Marvel Comic up until 1982 when I started AC Comics.

Tim: Given your penchant for golden age art and comics, you must have interesting influences, who were they? Are your ‘heroes’ different for the many phases of your publishing life?

Bill- I missed the Golden-Age of comics as I started reading them circa 1950. When I learned about older comics, I was fascinated and started collecting GA comics in 1969. In 1950 my favorite comic was ALL STAR COMICS with the JUSTICE SOCIETY. In those days it was common for kids to trade comics. Doing that I picked up some of the great 68 page ALL STAR Comics from the 1940's. The great influences in my life were Charles Starrett- the Durango Kid and artist Jack Kirby, who, in the 1950's, drew the most exciting comics to be found. The characters I created have not changed over the years. I do what I like to do and do not give in to fads. I honestly like my creations and refuse to change them because times and moral climates change.

Tim: Upon reading Charlton Spotlight, I noticed your name in the credits for the last few Billy the Kid stories. How did you chance upon that opportunity?

Bill- Around 1980-81 I drew covers for BILLY THE KID and GUNFIGHTERS. This was at the end of their existence. I did no stories because the Charlton Westerns sold so poorly that they could afford only to run reprints. Associate Editor at Charlton was Bill Pearson who was a friend of mine. We had joint ventured publishing WITZEND a few years earlier. By 1980, Charlton was the only comics publisher doing Westerns. I guess I did around a dozen covers. Would have done more but didn't have the time.

Tim: You also published a comic for Charlton after the BTK work, what was the impetus for that?

Bill- I worked on Charlton Spotlight on BLUE BEETLE and I did a NIGHTSHADE story for them. In 1983, I acquired the rights to the Charlton superheroes. But BLUE BEETLE, CAPTAIN ATOM, etc. were published by me through AC Comics in 1983, not by Charlton.

Tim: Clearly, AC Comics/Paragon is not your average independent comic company. With your 20^th anniversary, you now rank amongst the longest existing publishers in existence. What was the initial reason for your forming Paragon and seeking out Golden age material?

Bill- I believe that AC Comics is the 4th oldest comic book publisher following DC, Marvel and Archie. I formed PARAGON because I wanted to write and draw my own creations. I'm not much interested in working for other companies to perpetuate somebody else's properties. One of the goals of AC Comics is to keep the memories of defunct heroes and publishers alive. Marvel and DC can fend for themselves. All the others ceased to exist decades ago. I think there is a rich history of material to be preserved and I do what I can to that end.

Tim: Obviously, when you started Paragon and AC Comics in the mid 80's, the copyright laws and owners were friendly to your takeover of many of the characters and titles you acquired. Fem Force is your own creation (which I will ask about later), but how did you get the rights to the ME material you draw on now?

Bill- I started Paragon in 1969 and AC Comics in 1982. I was a personal friend of Charles Starrett and promised him I'd keep the Durango Kid riding as long as I lived. He was my childhood inspiration and as long as it is in my power to repay him for all that early inspiration and enjoyment, I'll do it. The fact that I never grew up is a big help. I still get excited to catch a Durango Kid movie on the Westerns channel. The Durango Kid comics were published by Magazine Enterprises. Through Bill Harper who did a ME fanzine, and I guess Dick Ayers, I got up with Vin Sullivan, ME's publisher. As a kid, ME's BEST OF THE WEST was a favorite comic. I had always wanted to do an AC Comics version. Several years ago as kind of a last ditch effort, I published BEST OF THE WEST No. 1 (this followed the GOLDEN AGE GREATS Vol. 7 BEST OF THE WEST which was a history of the ME Westerns). I never dreamed it would last beyond the first issue. This week we will publish BEST OF THE WEST No. 49. Who knew? Durango is in every issue. The original Durango Kid series ran 41 issues and the original BEST OF THE WEST ran only 12 issues so the Ac series has run far longer than the original ME series!!!

Tim: How much material did you gain access to with the agreement?

Bill- All of it.

Tim: What years and titles does your archives cover?

Bill- if we're talking ME, I have published individual titles on DURANGO KID, RED MASK, TIM HOLT, HAUNTED HORSEMAN (GHOST RIDER), BLACK PHANTOM, B-BAR-B RIDERS, PRESTO KID, LEMONADE KID, CAVE GIRL, THUNDA, STRONG MAN and BEST OF THE WEST. I've also published stories of ME's TRAIL COLT, WHITE INDIAN, CALICO KID, DAN'L BOONE, JOLLY JIM DANDY, JET POWERS and FIGHTING AIR FORCES. Years would be 1948 thru 1957.

Tim: Given your present rate of publishing, how many years of comics can we expect?

Bill- Who knows? Comics are a dead industry. I have material enough to run for the next 20 years, I suppose or until I die, whichever comes first. But the comics industry will never survive that long.

Tim: You got the rights to Masked Rider, Red Mask, and so many other characters. Do you have a personal favorite? I like the Masked Rider myself...

Bill- Again, are you referring to ME material? My favorite is HAUNTED HORSEMAN (GHOST RIDER). This was their most exciting feature. Dick Ayers' art was just amazing... far ahead of his time. I marvel at his panel compositions. His art is very expressive. I also love Frank Bolle's art on REDMASK/TIM HOLT especially circa 1953-55. Very solid stuff. Frank drew a GREAT redmask and beautiful women. I preferred Joe Certa's art on Durango, especially when teamed with inker, John Belfi. All of Bob Powell's work is great, too. I thought ME was a near perfect publishing company. I was rarely disappointed in their titles. MASKED RIDER (aka RAIDER) was a Charlton character, not a ME character. Pete Morisi had a clean, direct art style and it reproduces well. He was NOT a good story teller, though. All of the MASKED RIDER stories are weak. It is far from a favorite. An exception Western that AC prints is WILD BILL PECOS... great writing and art by Syd Shores or John Buscema.

Tim: Let’s talk about Fem Force, being this is their 20^th year. What is the story behind Fem Force?

Bill- My favorite subject! Decades ago I created several individual girl art characters, SYNN being the first. While working at Marvel in the 1970's, I suggested to editor Roy Thomas that he come up with an all girl team of heroines for Marvel. He declined, saying "female characters don't sell well." So I then created FEMFORCE for my own publishing company. FF was the first all female super team. It hasn't been selling well for over 20 years now. You can learn about FEMFORCE at out web site (www.accomics.com). Go to the links page and you will find several other excellent web sites devoted to FEMFORCE which has illustrated character descriptions and all info on all the various characters. There is a FEMFORCE fan club. We have tee shirts, rings, posters, bumper stickers... on and on. All issues of FEMFORCE are available on our web store though some are very pricey. I believe FF characters have appeared in over 200 books. Artist Mark Heike first helped me launch the initial issues. He's still with me at AC.

Tim: 120 plus issues later, they are still popular. That must make you proud to realize your creation still strikes a chord. The number of specials, portfolios, and comics is staggering. How have you kept the Force fresh?

Bill- Latest issue is No. 131. When I get a chance to write the feature, its very easy to keep the stories fresh. The personalities of each character is very well developed. I can become them when I write them. 

Tim: What’s next for the Force? Any movie plans in the works? Mini-series?

Bill- Mini series suck. FEMFORCE is currently licensed to a Russian publisher who is producing eight graphic novels. Plans are in the works with a second European publisher to publish FF and AC Characters in magazine format. We have active licenses with three toy manufacturers to produce AC characters as toys in different formats. These will include FEMFORCE. Cast-A-Way Toys has already done a great FIGHTING YANK toy based on my design. Next they will be doing THE BLACK TERROR and MISS MASQUE. (Last year, Randy Bowen did a spectacular 12" REDDEVIL figure.) ReelArts Studios will be sculpting a series of high-end, very realistic 12" figures beginning with BLUE BULLETEER of FEMFORCE. Fans will get a sneak peek at this figure at Tim Gordon's Comic and Toy Show in Tampa, FL on April 17. They plan to do three figures a year, all of gorgeous female figures. We're very excited about this. Shocker Toys is licensed to do a series of "Shockini" type toys (again, see them at the AC web site). They plan to launch 14 in 2005. I have finished a live action video adventure NIGHTVEIL: WITCH WAR! which tells the origin of the FEMFORCE witch in a humorous, low budget manner. This will be the first of many live action videos based on AC characters. Next out this year will be SYNN VS. BLOODSUCKERS FROM OUTER SPACE. These will be on DVDs with lots of extra features. NIGHTVEIL DVD goes on sale April 1st. At AC Comics we will be doing a series of FEMFORCE graphic novels beginning with FEMFORCE: TO DIE FOR. FEMFORCE 132 will feature an Ed Coutts painted cover illustrating his BUCKAROO BETTY story inside written by Paul Monsky.

Tim: You have managed to attract quite a stable of artists to the Force-I really liked the Dick Ayers Hallowe’en story. Who, in your mind, drew them to their full potential?

Bill- The best team on FEMFORCE is Brad Gorby on pencils, Mark Heike on inks and me doing the scripts. These appeared roughly between FF 73 and 109.

Tim: The first couple of issues I saw of BOTW were color, why did you switch to b/w?

Bill- BEST OF THE WEST was never in color. It was published at a time when all comics sales across the board were too low to support a color book which, obviously, is more expensive to publish. Back in the late 1980's, I did print several Westerns in color... DURANGO KID, REDMASK, LEMONADE KID, SUNSET CARSON, LASH LaRUE, ROY ROGERS, BLACK PHANTOM, TOM MIX. I also published other non-Western GA characters in color such as NYOKA, SHEENA, PHANTOM LADY, TORCHY, MYSTA OF THE MOON, etc. in such titles as GOOD GIRL ART QUARTERLY, FURTHER ADVENTURES OF NYOKA and so on.

Tim: Clearly, with the sheer volume of western comics you print, and the numbers of different characters you use, the logistics of producing a good mix each issue must be difficult at times.

Bill- It's not difficult to come up with a good mix as there is a lot of good material to deal with. What is difficult is to find the time to color drop the better stories.

Tim: If you are like me, your love of the genre and characters would keep you going. What, as a publisher, can you say about interest in the Golden Age western genre?

Bill- There is very little interest in Westerns be it Golden Age or current... comics or movies or TV.

Tim: A few years back, you sent me a pack of issues that contained some outstanding art and stories. I remember seeing Frank Bolle, Dick Ayers, Dick Giordano, Walt Howarth, and.... Which of the golden/silver age artists stand out for you as the ‘best’?

Bill- My favorite Western artists are Gil Kane, Joe Maneely, Syd Shores, Dick Ayers, Frank Bolle, John Severin, Frank Bolle.

Tim: With many of the golden age artists alive still whose work you are now reprinting, how do they view your efforts at reprinting their art? I know you have tapped Mr. Ayers for many covers and stories already. How many have you personally met in the process of printing these books?

Bill- We at AC Comics love the older artists. I have a good friendship going with Mart Nodell, GREEN LANTERN creator, going for over 20 years. Several artists, like Marty, live in Florida so we get to see them. Included are Jim Mooney, Nick Cardy and Chuck Cuidera (now deceased) all of whom we've interviewed, done articles on and have reprinted stories of. They love it. Also have Bob Lubbers and Erwin Hasen (along with Marty and Jim) as permanent fixtures on the AC Comics website (www.accomics.com) where we offer web space for these artists to sell prints and art. Also had a good relationship with the late Will Eisner and Gil Kane. I have interviews with Carmine Infantino, Russ Heath, Jim Mooney and Mart Nodell that I have not, as yet, published. I have a good working relationship with Joe and Jim Simon. All of these great guys seem to love what we're doing. Dick Ayers is special. Besides reprinting his GHOST RIDER (I dunno... probably over 50 of them to date) and AVENGER stories, Dick worked for AC illustrating many issues of FEMFORCE and stories in other titles featuring BLUE BULLETEER, NIGHTVEIL, THE AVENGER, SUNSET CARSON, HAUNTED HORSEMAN, GARGANTA VS THE CLAW, REDDEVIL, LITTLE WISE GUYS, CAT-MAN and KITTEN, SENTINELS OF JUSTICE, BLACK PHANTOM... on and on. I have a good relationship with Alex Toth, who, by the way, is a big Western movie fan. Dick Giordano likes that I've reprinted his ROCKY LANE stories. In fact, he lists AC Comics on his resume because of this!

Tim: Have all of the artists cooperated with you?

Bill- Certainly.

Tim: I remember reading something about how you transform many of the stories into b/w as it is now for Best of The West. What process do you use? Do you actually have any original art that you have used in the process?

Bill- The idea here is to drop out the color from old books so that what remains is the actual ink lines (in B&W) that were drawn by the artists. This is the only way old comics should be reprinted. This gives sharp, clean line work to work with. Once you have that you can add tones or color. It's a lot of work. For AMERICA'S GREATEST COMICS No. 10, I color dropped 114 pages of Alex Toth. On rare occasions I have had original art to work from, couple ME stories, several Fiction House and lots of Fawcett.

Tim: Can fans find AC Comics issues everywhere where fine comic books are sold?

Bill- Unlikely. Go to the AC web store.

Tim: As a fan, I appreciate the depth of material you have produced over the years. What is your greatest achievement in your career thus far?

Bill- I have survived.

Tim: Thanks for your time.