Antoinette Carolyn Wheeler-Nicholson Harley, the oldest child of The Major and his wife Elsa and my only surviving aunt passed away May 24^th at the age of 89. She was born February 18, 1921 in Stockholm, Sweden and as she said to me, “I’ve been a heat seeking missile ever since!” I cannot speak about her as intimately as her children and grandchildren, Uncle Douglas and others close to her because I only knew her at the end of her life. So this is not a biography of Aunt Toni but simply my own experience and my appreciation for her contribution to the effort to tell her father, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson’s story.

Aunt Toni, who preferred to be called Toni because “Aunt” made her feel old, had already begun to do her own research after reading Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. Although it was a fictionalized version of the life of Siegel and Shuster, the artists who created Superman, it started a train of thought about her father and what she felt was a conventionally held myth about Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson that needed correcting as well as wanting to address the injustice that occurred with the takeover of DC Comics by Donenfeld and Liebowitz. She was in her teens when her father began his comics publishing efforts and it was always a help to check family myth with her.

Antoinette, Douglas and Malcolm, Jr. circa 1934

Aunt Toni was thrilled to find out how far I had gotten with my own research not only with the assistance of family members but also from an academic pursuit of the story. She had much to add. Before Aunt Toni became so frail in the last year or so of her life we would often talk for hours on the phone about any recent discoveries I had turned up in research and her reactions to it as well as her thoughts about the family. It meant a lot to me to have that kind of support. As the oldest of the five children and a close confidant to her father, the Major, her memories were very important.

One of the ways I have learned about my grandfather’s character is from seeing all the aspects of it revealed through his five children. From Aunt Toni, I saw again the tremendous sense of discipline MWN had which each of the five has embodied in their own way. I also saw his courageousness through her fearlessness in stating her point of view and backing it up with action. She could be challenging but she was not above making fun of herself as when she introduced herself to me as the Wicked Witch of the West. At the same time she was generous to all of us. Just as one small example, when Uncle Douglas’s son married several years ago on the west coast she gave a fabulously elegant party that enabled a great many of our large and far-flung family to gather with one another at her home in celebration of this wonderful event.

It was clear how much Nick or the old Beezer as she called him, thought of her as well from the letters he wrote to her and Aunt Marianne. She loved her father very much but neither was she blind to his faults. There is a type of wit in our family that is akin to gallows humor but is much sharper, more ironic, like guillotine wit and Aunt Toni employed it well as she was a marvelous raconteur in her own right. One of the funniest stories she ever told was about Nick and Elsa deciding to start a “modern” farm just outside Boston in 1923 shortly after MWN lost his fight with the army. Her description of the two of them farming was priceless especially considering that my grandmother hadn’t a clue how to boil an egg much less find one from underneath a chicken! Good friend and pulp historian, John Locke recently sent me a heretofore, unknown newspaper photo from that period of MWN, Elsa, and the two babies, Aunt Toni and Aunt Marianne. John sent it to me right around the time Aunt Toni passed away so I never had the chance to show it to her. She would have loved the caption, which read in part—“…has retired to a little farm in Hopkinton where he is eking out an existence for his wife and children by the sale of milk, eggs and dairy…”

The moves from Sweden to Massachusetts to New York and then to France with nannies, butlers and secretaries gave way in 1930 to a return to New York and the poverty of the depression and the fallout that ensued when the Major’s hard work and dream of comics was lost. Much of the burden of caring for the younger children fell on her shoulders and she did her best. My father, Malcolm, Jr. constantly expressed his appreciation for her care during that time and they were very close until his death in 2003. Like so many of her peers who experienced the depression at a vulnerable age, it left her with a deeply felt determination never to experience that kind of disappointment and poverty ever again. She expressed this to me many times through the various stories she told me of her life and it is obvious she succeeded in that quest.

Upon graduation from high school she worked in the fashion industry in New York and then married a young lieutenant in the Navy, Forrest Moran. They moved to San Francisco and had two children, Mark and Kim. The marriage did not last and in 1951 she married Jack Harley and two subsequent children followed, Christopher and Diane and from all the stories it seems to have been a really good life. There are 9 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild whom she adored and who adored her in return and from my visits the house always appeared to be full of dogs and kids and lots of activity. As far as I can tell practically everybody in her family–my cousins, her children and their children–are all a wonderful reflection upon Toni and Jack Harley who was a great complement to her in his own strength of character and personality. That’s a legacy in itself.

Aunt Toni, Jack Harley, Malcolm, Jr, Aunt Marianne, 1951

However, in addition to her family life she had a career working for Joseph Magnin’s in San Francisco. Aunt Toni was a stylish and handsome woman with exquisite taste (I loved opening a drawer in the kitchen once that was filled with lipsticks as well as the inevitable pens, paper, string, tape, etc.) and she eventually became Director of Advertising for Joseph Magnin’s—a highly successful position for a woman during the 1950’s. Cyril Magnin speaks of her tremendous influence on the store in his book, Call me Cyril. Under her guidance Magnin’s won many industry awards for its sophisticated print advertising during that time.

Aunt Toni, detail, wedding 1951

I am grateful to have known her and happy that she lived to see a beginning acknowledgment of her father’s many contributions in his own life and work. Being the oldest child in a family is a specific path and perhaps that is why I was interested in what Aunt Toni experienced as a young girl and maybe that is why she felt comfortable in revealing her stories to me.

Aunt Toni. Recent photo at family gathering.

In family cultures there is a moment of recognition that goes beyond the spoken words. Sharing those moments with the older generation in a family provides us with a greater understanding of who we are and from where we have come. Because I am so fortunate in the love of my maternal grandparents, James and Azolene Pickens it made me appreciate being with older people and enjoy listening to their stories. I was fortunate to have time with each of my aunts and I miss them all very much. Native elders refer to the sharing of the stories from one generation to the next as the weaving of the rope. Each generation weaves its stories to one another and that is how the culture survives.

I apologize if anyone of Russian descent is offended but the posts were mostly written in the Cyrillic alphabet therefore my assumption that the invasion was Russian. I hereby show my euro-western-centricity as the Cyrillic script is used in many countries in Eastern Europe as well as I think in some parts of Mongolia and Siberia. I’m counting on those of you who are scholarly to instruct me with the precise information.

I wish I had saved some of the “comments” as they were often ridiculously funny. At the time I wasn’t so amused while dealing over and over again for hours at a time with the unnamed big time server whose tech support might as well be paper cups and a string. I knew I was in big trouble when I had to explain in my sterling techno speak to “Robert,” as he called himself, how to navigate their own site. “See that little thingy on the side, the orange button thing, well click that.” You can see how well that worked out with all the time it took to finally get things back up and running sans rats.

The only comment I remember fairly well went something like this, “You so funny, ha ha, write some more funny stuff.” Thank you so much, Mr. Kremlinovsky. It is cheering to get your support.

As an interesting note, Major Malcolm spent part of WWI and after in Siberia and wrote quite a few adventure stories about it in various pulp fiction magazines. He was working in military intelligence as a liaison to the Japanese Embassy and was in the region of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk where the Americans, English, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, local Cossack warlords and Bolsheviks were all attempting to figure out who was going to ultimately be in charge. It was one of the defining moments in World History and the Major was right there. For any naysayers about MWN’s military service this is based on long hours spent scouring through the stacks of files in the National Archives.

Many thanks to Jon Berk for letting us keep his wonderful post up here, which many of you commented on the Facebook discussion page. Obviously much has happened in the interim—some sad and some grand and I’ll do my best to catch up as quickly as I can.

New Fun was the inaugural title of the company, which was soon to produce comic book titles such as New Comics/New Adventure/Adventure Comics, Detective Comics, and, Action Comics, which featured the most significant comic book character of all time- “Superman.” The series ran from February 1935 monthly for the first four issues then in August for the fifth issue and in October 1935 for the sixth issue. (The reincarnation as More Fun 7 did not take place until January 1936.) Rounding out the run is the Big Book of Fun Comics. This was a forty-eight page “annual” with cardboard covers that reprinted-in no particular order- various strips from the first four issues. It was advertised in the sixth issue as follows:

“If you want to follow the antics and adventures of the comic characters that have appeared in previous issues of New Fun, you will find them in that book.”

Although the ad indicated the book could be found at the local 5¢ and 10¢ store, the book, as produced, had no price on it nor any advertising, leading to speculation that, perhaps, it was some sort of premium.

All of the books in this series are extremely rare. Probably for any one issue no more than ten, maybe fifteen copies exist, if that. Of those that do exist, most grade in the Good to Very Good category due to the oversized structure of the book.  Pre-eminent DCologists, Gary M. Carter and Lane Carter have opined that New Fun 2 is the rarest of the series followed by Big Book of Fun Comics. My observations are that the sixth issue, along with Big Book are the rarest of the series. However, at this rarity level, one is splitting hairs. The number count for these issues probably is in the range of five to ten.

At the time of its first issue (February 1935) the only other “comic book” on the newsstand was Famous Funnies 7. Famous Funnies reprinted newspaper strips of the day. As legend goes, the format of Famous Funnies was conceived by Harry Wildenberg, sales manager of Eastern Color Company of Waterbury Connecticut, to take up some of the slack time available on the presses. Eastern Color produced many of the Sunday comic funnies for the New York newspapers. Wildenberg noted that the standard tabloid comic pages when folded in half yielded an appealing sized book which could be run on Eastern’s presses. Adding a glossy cover, Wildenberg, together with M.C. Gaines, a salesman for Eastern Color, came up with the idea in 1933 of reprinting comic strips and giving away the books as premiums. After the initial success of the give-aways of Funnies on Parade, Carnival of Comics and Century of Comics, financial backing was obtained to “experiment” and try to sell a comic book. This resulted in the production of Famous Funnies Series 1 (which was distributed only in the greater New York area) in early 1934.  Apparently, this experiment was successful enough so that Famous Funnies 1 was released under cover of July 1934. This was the first newsstand comic book series of the “modern” format.

New Fun represented the next step in the evolution of this entertainment medium in that the book contained original- not reprint-material. Actually, the idea of all original material had been tried in 1929 with the introduction of The Funnies by George Delacorte. Oversized like the Sunday funnies, the series never caught on.

It was obvious that this periodical was intended to compete directly with the Sunday funnies. It was issued on a weekly basis, each Saturday.  This was an obvious attempt to pre-empt the Sunday funnies by satisfying the customer demand for this medium a day early. The waning demand is evinced by the fact that as the series wound down, its latter issues only cost 5 cents. (Delacorte was to return in 1936 with Popular Comics and The Funnies-now as a “standard” sized comic book. Note the similarity of the logos. Such were the foundational titles for a company, which would be soon known as Dell Comics.)

However, this publication had to have served as a template for New Fun. Not only was the shape of the latter patterned after The Funnies, but the contents also were similar to the extent that text pieces, games, puzzles and chummy news was produced in the interior.  The Funnies had a page for children to submit jokes and cartoons. In other words, the book was “interactive” attempting to spur a dialogue between book and reader. On the other hand, The Funnies was totally newsprint on its cover (not heavier or coated stock). Additionally, most of the interior features actually were in full color unlike New Fun. Clearly, The Funnies are a critical, but little known, evolutionary link in the development of the “comic book.” Additionally, evidencing this ”linkage,” please note that most of the covers were drawn by VEP (Victor E. Pazmino), the same artist who drew many of the earliest covers for Famous Funnies.

Gulf Oil Company also had produced original material in tabloid size beginning in the early 1930s to be given away as premiums at its gas stations. Also appearing in 1933 with original material and sold on the newsstand was Detective Dan and Adventures of Ace King. Although not of the exact format of the modern comic books, these books are important in the developmental history of comics as spotlighted in CBM 36.

New Fun went beyond the predecessor tabloid titles and presented original adventure strips as well as the traditional “funny pages”.

Although greatness was in store for this title and the company that produced it, New Fun had, at best, a shaky start. New Fun was produced at the initiative of Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, a retired major. Wheeler-Nicholson had tried his hand at writing adventure stories for pulp publications. In 1934 he ventured into producing original comic magazine material. According to his auto-biography, as quoted by Ron Goulart, Wheeler-Nicholson was

“born in the South, raised on a western ranch, worked for a while as a cub reporter, became a second lieutenant of cavalry in the regular army, chased bandits on the Mexican border, fought fevers and played polo in the Philippines, led a battalion of infantry against the Bolsheviki in Siberia, helped straighten out the affairs of the army in France, commanded the headquarters cavalry of the American force in the Rhine and left the army as a major equipped with a select assortment of racing and polo cups, a sabre, and a busted typewriter.” [Editor’s note: See AlterEgo August 2009 and Fall 2008 IJCA for more info.]

Cover of AlterEgo magazine, August 2009.

Although it was obviously intended to compete with Famous Funnies, New Fun was, apparently, a tight budget product. Famous Funnies was all in color and sixty-four pages in length. Although New Fun contained a liberal mix of adventure and humor strips, none of these strips, until the third issue, were produced in color (and then only about half were in color- a common occurrence of early original comic books such as New Fun, New Comics, Detective Picture Stories, Funny Picture Stories, etc.) Additionally, the first four issues were only thirty-two pages long. Issues five and six were “expanded” to forty pages. However, many of those pages were taken up with text pieces, puzzles and articles about various topics. Only the first three issues had “slick” covers, while the remaining covers were on uncoated paper stock.

Nonetheless, although lacking in page count and color, it was clear from the outset that something “New” was indeed underway. Right from the first issue the editor, through a character called “Fun the Fantastic,” attempted to establish a dialogue with its readership. Reader reaction to the features was solicited. The letters were summarized at length in the magazines on a page called “Fun Mail.” The results of favorite features were listed (“Don Drake of the Planet Saro,” “2023 Super-Police” and “Sandra of the Secret Police”-two science fiction and an adventure strip- rounded out the top three fan favorites as reported in the second issue. Certainly, this poll reflected the genre of strips from where the early original comic books were to garner their strength.) A fan club was formed called the “Fun Club.” Club membership came with a “Fun Club” pinback-another first for a comic book.

The features were diverse and set the standard for anthology titles that were soon to abound in the marketplace. Spy thrillers were represented by “Sandra of the Secret Service” by Bringham, westerns by “Jack Woods” by Lyman Anderson, science fiction by “Don Drake on the Planet Saro” and “2023 Super-Police” by Clemens Gretter, sea-faring features by “In the Wake of the Wander” and “Mid-Shipman Dewey”, an assortment of adventure and humor strips and horror/supernatural by “Dr. Occult, the Ghost Detective.”

The adventure/science fiction stories were the most important benchmark of the title. These types of stories would form the foundation of  original comic book material as other titles began to proliferate in the late 1930s. However, it is within the last issue of New Fun that the seed of a character is found that was to cause the comic book business to erupt into the lucrative industry it was to become in the 1940s. For the sixth issue (October 1935) ran a strip called “Dr. Occult the Ghost Detective” by Leger and Reuths. This was a pen name for two young men from Cleveland Ohio- Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. (This pen name was used because Siegel and Shuster had contributed another strip in this sixth issue, “Henri Duval.” It became a common practice among comic companies to use aliases for individuals who contributed more than one strip per title to make it appear that their staff was large.) Dr. Occult, in one story arc, incorporated several elements that were the prototypal for “Superman.” For this reason, the historical importance and value of New Fun 6 cannot be overestimated. It is only recently that the Overstreet Price Guide has begun to recognize the relative value of this book compared to its sister issues of New Fun. And it is only recently that collectors have realized the true rarity of this historical gem.

Dr. Occult in his first stories was kept busy fighting the vampire master. At this point the development of the character takes a short detour. Early in 1936 William Cook (National’s managing editor and story contributor) and John Mahon (National’s business manager) left National to form their own short-lived comic company, Comic Magazine Co. Their first title was The Comic Magazine. This title contained slight variations of continuing characters that were appearing in National’s titles. It has been hypothesized that these inventory stories served as payment for monies Cook and Mahon were owed by the financially strapped National. Anyway, in the first issue of this title (May 1936), Dr. Occult became, “Dr. Mystic, the Occult Detective.” (Note, in More Fun 11 (July 1936) he was “Dr. Occult, the Mystic Detective.”) In this story, he joins up with the Seven to battle the evil of Koth. This feature did not continue in the second issue of The Comic Magazine. However, the story continued without missing a beat in the fourteenth issue of More Fun (October 1936). As the story continues, Dr. Occult is given a uniform with a triangular chest emblem and a red cape to fight Koth. After donning the uniform and cape, off he flies…. The elements of costume design were obviously influenced by the character which Siegel and Shuster had tried for years to get off the ground.

Many names that were soon to play dominant and not so dominant roles in the success of the comic book industry were associated with this title:

Lloyd Jacquet was the editor of this title. After leaving National, Jacquet would form one of the key comic book shops of the 1930s and 1940s- Funnies, Inc. With artists such as Bill Everett and Carl Burgos, Funnies Inc. would package material for several golden age companies such as Centaur Publications, Timely Publications (including Marvel Comics 1), etc.

Vincent Sullivan contributed several humor strips for the title such as “Spike Spaulding” and “Charlie Fish.”  He was to be a prominent editor for DC in the 1930s and go on to be the editor for Columbia Publications and ME Comics. He was the cover artist for one of the classic golden age covers of all time- Detective Comics 1.

Ken Fitch wrote several text pieces for New Fun, as well as writing the science fiction strips in the title of “Don Drake” and “2023 Super Police.” He was a prolific contributor to many golden age companies ranging from Chesler and Centaur to Fawcett and Holyoke.

Bert Whitman contributed “Judge Perkins” under the name “Burt.” He had a small comic shop in the early 1940s which produced Whirlwind Comics, Crash Comics and early issues of Green Hornet Comics.

Whitney Ellsworth contributed “Little Linda” starting with the second issue. He became a key editor for the early DC titles.

Leo O’Melia took over the art chores, as of issue 4, on “Barry O’Neil” which was an adventure strip set in the Far East. His towering draftsmanship made the strip a standout. Although overshadowed by the fame of “Superman,” his early Action Comics covers are highly coveted by golden age fans.

Tom Cooper contributed several strips. Although of no lasting notoriety, Cooper is credited with the first “complete short story” appearing in comics. This was the seven-page thriller, “The Golden Idol,” which appeared in Comic Magazine 2 (June 1936). (But compare early “Radio Squad” four page stories in New Comics.) Walter Lantz produced “Oswald the Rabbit,” forerunner of his many funny animal creations such as “Woody Woodpecker.”

Henry Kiefer drew “Wing Brady.” Kiefer produced material for many golden age companies through his association with the Chesler Shop and Iger Shop. He drew many esoteric features, such as “Dr. Nerod” for Green Giant Comics, “Liberty Lads” for Champion Comics and mainstream stories for Classics Illustrated. Jack Warren, who drew the humorous western strip “Loco Luke,” continued in this vein by drawing a variety of humor and  humorous western strips for Novelty Publications, Hillman and others.

Although by modern standards- and even golden age standards- many of the features were hum-drum, the importance of this title to the whole comic book industry cannot be stressed enough. By December 1935, National added New Comics, which was of standard size. The following month New Fun changed its name and size so to more effectively compete in the comic book marketplace. Other publishers, such as the Comic Magazine Company and Henle Publications (Wow! What a Magazine), featuring original material, soon joined these two titles on the newsstand. The seeds sown by New Fun were slowly growing. Soon they would be in full bloom. However, as with any concept/creation that becomes taken for granted, there always has to be a first step, and that first step for the comic book industry is represented by the six ground-breaking issues of New Fun.

[Editor NBrown's note: You can also join the discussion on the Major's fan page on Facebook.]

c respective holders

I have no idea about the ins and outs of corporate politics that are involved other than what seems apparent to a somewhat interested observer. I just hope the good things about the old DC Comics will prevail. Even though my family doesn’t own it at least I can say my grandfather, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson started it. There has always been a history there whether for good or ill exhibited by the badge of honor among many of the comic book artists I’ve met who have a good DC story to tell. What would the history of comics be without them?

Paul Levitz is one of those people who has a long history at DC and thus is connected to the early beginnings in a very old-fashioned small town kind of way where everybody, not only knows who your parents and grandparents are, but all the peccadilloes from your childhood. I trust everything works out well for Mr. Levitz as he has evidently been very supportive of many of the early comic artists and their families.

I have a DC story as well and that involves Jack Liebowitz, who can still spook the employees at DC. The last time I was in the hallowed halls being led around, the person who talked about him did so in lowered tones and kept glancing over his shoulder. Jack Liebowitz had been deceased for several years  at that point but apparently he haunted the place and still scared everybody to death!

So, it looks like gentrification has hit the old village green of DC Comics and here come the lawyers and accountants whose only interest is the bottom line. That’s been working so well in our economy, right? This appears to be a continuation of Jack Liebowitz’s legacy because in a funny kind of way both my grandfather and Harry Donenfeld were true characters no matter which side of the fence they were on. They both had their own special brand of panache. Perhaps Diane Nelson will fall in love with the village green and simply want to clean up some of the alleyways. One can only hope.

The sentence that piques my interest is this one from Alan Horn, President and COO of Warner Brothers, “It’s no secret that DC has myriad rich and untapped possibilities from its deep library of iconic and lesser known characters.” They will be announcing their intentions in early 2010 when the 75^th celebration of DC comics takes place. I wonder if the Major will even be mentioned?

And just so nobody forgets about those early days, we’ve invited Jon Berk to contribute as a guest editor. Jon is a serious collector and has written frequently about the early days of DC and about collecting. I really enjoyed reading this history and loved the pics provided by Jon. It’s a pretty comprehensive piece about how it all began and as usual I learned a lot. Thanks so much, Jon. This article first appeared in Comic Book Marketplace, a great site for anybody who wants to learn about collecting and the history of comics. If you have quibbles, corrections or just want to chime in, go to the Major’s fan page on Facebook and join in the discussion or leave a comment here.

© Cat Garza.

Bravo to one and all for this event. For those of you attending the Big Apple Comic Con this weekend don’t forget to support these young artists in all they are doing as well as your local comic book store. Here’s the link to the Facebook events page. I wish I could go and hang out with this group so someone else has to do it for me. Send pics please. I have my own event the following day and I’ll be slaving away in the studio probably until about an hour before the event per usual.

Those hardworking folks at Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art are doing their bit for the Big Apple Comic Con weekend and here’s the Facebook link for their events. They’re providing children’s programming on Friday to encourage the next generation of comic book readers and artists. Very Important. It’s not as easy to buy comics these days unlike the ancient past where we all went down to the corner drug store. They will also have several different artists doing signings and such all weekend including the talented Jim Salicrup and Alex Simmons. Too much to tell in a short post. Check it all out. You know this is going to be fun and you know you want to go. So do it. Again, pics please so those of us stuck in the hinterlands can see what we’re missing.

© Respective Holders.

Speaking of MOCCA, the esteemed Mr. Danny Fingeroth is teaching an 8-week course on writing for the comics, beginning Tuesday, October, 20 and here’s the link to sign up. This is one you will not want to miss. Those of us who love the history of comics and that would be me, often tout the grand old men (and they are mostly men) of the early comics era but don’t forget that right here amongst us are some of the guys who carry that legacy. Taking a course from someone like Danny means that you’re not only going to learn from one of the best but you get that indefinable something that is passed on from one generation of artists to the next. People who take martial arts sometimes refer to it as chi or ki. It’s a type of unspoken transmission from the teacher to the student that carries the tradition. Go get yourself some ki from Master Fingeroth. We need to keep the good traditions going in the face of the bland corporate machine that seems determined to take over the world.

c Danny Fingeroth.

And doing his bit to kick it up a notch, here’s the amazing Mr. Uslan, not resting on his laurels, thank you very much, but toiling away and turning out the fascinating new story line for Archie Comics. The venerable gray lady herself, The New York Times, opined on the subject so big congratulations to Michael. Be sure and read the article, as the sources for Mr. Uslan’s ideas are wide-ranging and thought provoking. It certainly has everyone talking about Archie and the gang and remembering the comics. Archie Comics should be talked about because besides Michael Uslan, there’s Jim Amash and Alex Simmons among others, who are in the Archie bullpen, and to a man, supremely nice guys and talented. I remember reading Archie Comics long after I gave up on the action guys—sorry, granddad—because there were girls in the storyline and I even had the paper dolls at one point. So a special thank you from the ladies, Michael and we’re all going to be reading to see how things turn out. Now back to the studio and that oncoming event. See you later.

The Haunted Bookshop in downtown Mobile. From University of South Alabama Archives. © Respective holders.

That’s where I bought all my Nancy Drew Mysteries. I loved those stories and I loved Nancy Drew. Since my own life was a mystery to me–my father and a whole other family to which I had few clues–I suppose it was only natural that I would become an amateur detective.

When I reconnected with my family as an adult some 30 years ago, I was still looking for clues and the more questions I asked the more I realized that there were missing pieces to the story. I was fascinated with my grandfather Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson from early childhood. I knew he was a writer and I knew he had some vague connection to Superman. At the age of 5, I used to demand to be Superman against the express wishes of my “boyfriend” Bren who insisted that I was a girl and therefore could not be Superman. We would safety pin towels to our shirts and jump off the picnic table in his backyard. I was determined to bring justice to my life, the justice of a child who could not understand the adult complexities of the missing father.

George Reeves as Superman. From tvparty.com. ©Respective holders.

When I finally made my way back to the gene pool and dove in headfirst as an adult, at first there was the exhilaration of arrival like some salmon making it back upstream and then gradually there were all the nuances both fair and foul that are part of the reality of any family’s life. I missed knowing my grandfather, Nick. Oddly I was the only grandchild out of 20 who ended up being called Nick and that was because my other grandfather, Granddaddy Pickens called me the Wheeler-Nick from day one. Since he was doing the diaper changing and bottle feeding along with my grandmother Azolene, I guess everyone assumed he was entitled to call me as he saw fit.

Struggling through my own creative ups and downs I’m still jumping off picnic tables with towels safety pinned to my shirt. It’s just a lot further to the ground now than back then. But with Nancy Drew as a talisman things are starting to look up. At first my questions about my grandfather to various family members were simply curiosity about the family but the more I heard about him the more determined I became to get to the heart of the matter and to find justice for him as well. His story has a mythic quality–a fallen hero archetype. And what could be more archetypal than his connection to Superman. About 10 years ago I began to search more methodically, to record my aunts and uncle, interview respected comics historians and to read what information I could find and thus I embarked on the decade long epic journey that has finally reached some sense of a possible shore.

I’m not quite ready to close the case but after all the prowling about in graveyards and searching through the dusty bins of our culture, I feel like I’m almost there. Whether or not the moldy papers will provide enough clues to finally answer everyone’s questions is not yet certain. They may just spark more people into looking more carefully and that’s a good thing, In the meantime, it is more than satisfying to know that there are some friends out there who like, Ned and Bess and Georgie are willing to help Nancy along the way.

Cover of AlterEgo magazine, August 2009.

If ever there was a group of Neds, the guys at TwoMorrows Publishing fit the bill. Publisher John Morrow, Editor Roy Thomas and the intrepid Clark Kent of all times, Jim Amash, did a superb job in producing the latest AlterEgo magazine (August 2009) featuring my grandfather on the cover. The cover alone is worth the thousands of words. I admit to misting up when I saw it. They’ve packed the inside with a ton of information and many people contributed from their various collections including David Armstrong–good guy filmmaker and Mike Catron–good guy historian. The issue is getting rave reviews. See Tony Isabella’s “Tony’s Tips” for one and most everyone seems pretty happy. Those that aren’t, well…they can fall into the abyss of their own elipses.

I can’t thank these guys enough for helping to get the Major’s contributions back into the public eye. So far, my grandfather’s life story has turned out to be even more adventurous than even he indicated. His military exploits, his writing, his publishing, his romantic marriage to my grandmother, his involvement with the comics, all of it, so far, is as true as the facts that have now been revealed.

Nancy Drew on the Case. ©Respective holders.

There’s lots more to be done so Nancy’s heading back to yet more graveyards.

Now if I could just get that roadster.

Storefront Artist Project: Cartoon and Comic Art Come Alive

Speaking of super heros Lawrence Klein has done his own version of heroics with this month’s amazing programming at Storefront Artist Project: Cartoon and Comic Art Come Alive. The entire month has been jam-packed with activities featuring major comic books artists, all of it free, kid friendly and accessible to a diverse population. Scott Hanna’s drawings have been in the gallery at 124 Fenn St. in Pittsfield all month and they are beautiful. Next Saturday night is the closing reception from 6-8 pm and Scott will be on hand again so if you haven’t seen this exhibit and you want to meet Scott be sure and go.

Stuck Rubber Baby by Howard Cruse

I was excited to learn that my friend Howard Cruse’s graphic novel, Stuck Rubber Baby is being reissued by Vertigo, DC Comics line of “comics and books for mature readers.” Congratulations, Howard. It’s about time. This is a grown-up tale and it’s one of the best graphic novels I’ve ever read with the most beautifully crafted artwork. If you see it in your local bookstore or in all the usual places grab it. It’s a keepsake. Jump over to Howard’s blog to learn more.

Blackjack, an African-American Action Hero as created by Alex Simmons

And finally with that last sip of coffee, Alex Simmons is over at GraphicNovelReporter for a guest spot. Alex is one of the good guys in comics who tirelessly supports getting kids back into the comics world, using comics as a way to teach kids to read through things like workshops and Kids Comic Con which he created. Alex also writes for Archie comics and he has created Blackjack whom I just discovered and is now one of my favorite characters. You won’t be sorry to check out whatever Alex is doing because it’s always thoughtful and entertaining. Jump over to GraphicNovelReporter before you finish that coffee. See you later.

Since this month’s comics magazine, AlterEgo features Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson on the cover Lawrence Klein curator of the current show at Storefront Artist Project featuring the art of Scott Hanna asked us to participate. Scott is a prolific comics artist and an Eisner award winner. He’s drawn and inked for Marvel and DC Comics and has worked on all the top characters including Spiderman and Batman. I’ve seen the exhibit and it is amazing. The detail and beauty of the artwork should not be missed. And to top it all off Scott is a super nice guy especially to his young fans. The exhibit is ongoing through August 30, 2009 at Storefront Artist Project in Pittsfield.

Scott Hanna with fans at Storefront Artist Project. Photo from Rural Intelligence.

Cartoonist Howard Cruse with some of his creations.

We’ll be there on Saturday afternoon with Eisner award winning cartoonist Howard Cruse who graciously designed the cover art for the audio CD of the Major’s story, The Road Without Turning. Howard will be signing his cover art for the benefit of Storefront Artist Project and we’ll have copies of AlterEgo for sale as a benefit as well. Howard will have examples of some of his prolific work as a cartoonist and we’ll have a short exhibit of the history of the beginnings of the modern comic book. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet Howard who lives here in the Berkshires and to learn a little bit about how this all began back in the pre-historic days of the early 1930’s. Comic books are a unique American art form and the history is a great adventure story.

Besides the exhibit at Storefront Lawrence has scheduled an incredible number of activities that are free and family-friendly throughout the month of August under the theme: Comic and Cartoon Art Come Alive. If you have missed any of these wonderful events go to their website and check it out for this last week. www.storefrontartist.org

We are more than happy to support the work Lawrence Klein and Storefront Artist Project are doing. The gallery is in a beautiful historic building at 124 Fenn St. The current owner has done a great job upgrading the building and Storefront Artist Project always has interesting exhibitions. They also provide studio space for artists and work to bring artists and art to a diverse community.

It’s a great space, a terrific show and a good cause. Stop by as you dash about to all the great summer events in the Berkshires and say hello or come and stay a while.

Once uncle Finn and I arrived in Vic-sur-Aisnes we headed straight to the gates of the chateau. Everything appeared to be closed and Finn told me that he was concerned that we might not be able to get in. However, after years of chasing the elusive myths about my grandparents’ life and traveling across an ocean, a gate was no hindrance. It wasn’t locked so we walked in. And there it was, stone towers with gray tile turrets against the sky, pristine grounds with deep velvet green formal gardens and the only sound, the crunch of the gravel as we walked down the drive to stand in the center courtyard facing the steps where the old family photos had been taken so long ago.

Chateau at vic sur Aisnes, France

All the years of hearing about the chateau and the vague stories of life there from the childhood memories of my aunts and later family repetition of these tales, seeing the photos of great uncle Oscar, and moster Clary and Nick (Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson) and Elsa and the children–Antoinette and Marianne, my aunts–in fashionable summer attire of the late 20’s standing on these same steps were tumbling about in my head–it was all true. They were here and now I was in the very same spot. Considering some of the scurrilous things that have been said about “the Major” and the attempt to discredit him and discount every aspect of his life as something that he made up–being in that setting right out of one of his swashbuckling tales gave me that sense of place that Granddaddy Pickens provided on those long ago southern nights.

We stood in the courtyard with the old part of the castle to our right, the “newer” part to our left and other outbuildings farther to the left including an old carriage house. Finn left me to my time travel and walked over to a woman who appeared to be giving instructions to a gardener.  I saw them speaking and gesticulating and pointing to me. Finn called me over and somehow with my fractured French, Finn’s fluent language skills and Madame Peiffer’s English ability we were able to communicate what we were doing here and why. The Peiffers bought the chateau some years ago to save it from developers and though they do not live there they rent it out for large events and weddings. They have taken great care and everything, the chateau, the grounds, the outbuildings–all are in beautiful condition.

Front Garden, Chateau Vic sur Aisnes

Madame Peiffer is proud of the history of the chateau and when she discovered that we had relatives living there at one time she became excited and insisted on taking us all through the house and grounds. Funny thing, if we had not driven around Paris twice and been late in arriving we would have missed meeting her. Madame Peiffer took us through the house and related some of the history. There are references to the chateau dating from the 8th century as an abbey and parts of the current buildings are from the 12th century. To understand that in American terms–only the native people were living on our continent at that point! It has all the ingredients that a proper French chateau should have, beginning as an abbey, crusading knights and Napoleonic connections. If you can read a little French their website gives more details.

Drawing Room, Vic sur Aisnes, France

It was nice that there was little furniture inside, just the bare bones of the house because it left the imagination free to roam. I could imagine my grandparents and aunts, my father and uncle as small children running through the rooms and playing outside in the garden. I could imagine the parties and all the activity, the comings and goings of friends and various relatives. There was certainly plenty of room! According to my aunt, Toni Harley there were 14 servants who ran the chateau when the family lived there and they would have all been needed simply to keep the place, both inside and out, in running order.

After we went through the main building we walked in the grounds because I wanted to see the tennis courts that I knew existed from photos of my grandmother in her white tennis dress standing in the gardens of the chateau. Madame Peiffer pointed out a garden wall dedicated to one of the sons of the family who died while on the crusades.

Garden wall, Vic sur Aisnes

We then went into the oldest part of the chateau climbing up narrow steep stone steps into the old castle keep. We came in just as a group of French school children were preparing to settle in for a talk about the history of the chateau and the ancient history of their own land. And so it goes, stories passing from one generation to the next, weaving in the rope that connects us.

In that short visit I caught so many glimpses of small details that are part of my grandfather’s stories. He loved history and it is not surprising that with his creative imagination and the beautifully haunted setting of the chateau that he was inspired to write stories based in the rich soil of old Europe. It was not just medieval tales but modern ones as well that were inspired by the chateau. One of my favorite stories, The Road Without Turning which BMA Audio has recorded is a spy story that takes place in WWI and the setting? Why, Vic-sur-Aisnes and its ancient chateau. Naturellement.

The steps from the drawing room to the gardens.

We took leave of Madame Peiffer and the chateau with promises to stay in touch. I was walking on air and ready to move right back in to those proverbial castles. The only thing possible to do after such a perfect encounter in France is find a bistro and have a glass of wine. We decided to continue following the footsteps of the Major and ended the day in his favorite get away spot just down the village street at the Lion D’or. The gracious host joined in with the pleasure of our adventure and we all raised a glass. Skal Grandfather Nick.

Recent photo of Church Street Cemetery, Mobile, Alabama. Many live oaks were destroyed in the last several hurricanes.

I know it sounds weird but stories of the past and exploits of many of those buried in the cemetery were a part of our present lives. The huge live oaks with spanish moss hanging down like gray ghosts provided coolness from the heat and it seemed the perfect place to play and imagine the past. Perhaps that, along with the necessity to be able to reel off one’s ancestors like a proverbial recitation of Navajo clans in answer to the ever present question, “Now, who is your mothah?” gave me a natural inclination to want to know about the past.

I loved sitting with my Granddaddy Pickens on the porch swing in the early evening and listening to him tell stories about his childhood in Louisiana and stories that he heard as a child about his family. It gave me a sense of who I was and where I belonged. I have heard Native Elders refer to this as “weaving the rope.” Since I missed that experience with my paternal grandfather, “the Major” I suppose it is no surprise that I have been inspired to search for those stories.

One of the more exotic tales about my grandparents, Nick and Elsa involved them living in a chateau in France. Although I sort of took this information in, I didn’t quite accept it as there is a family tendency that goes along with very creative people to build those proverbial castles in the air. I’ve moved into one or two and landed on my derriere. So one of the things that I really wanted to do in May and June of this year while I was in Europe was track down the elusive chateau shimmering in the mirage of the minds of my family and see it for myself.

The European trip was due to a family gathering of some 100 people who came to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of our Swedish cousins, Finn and his wife Eva. Finn Andreen, whose mother was my grandmother Elsa’s sister is the keeper of the family history and generously shares photos and wonderful stories. He knew Nick as a young teenager after his own father had died and Nick came to Sweden to help settle Elsa and her sister Clary’s mother’s estate. Finn, who is erudite in the extreme, speaks at least 4-5 languages fluently and has been a wonderful source of information. He helps keep me straight about the family history as he prefers his castles old and made of native stone.

Finn knew that I really wanted to go to the chateau so in the midst of hosting this huge family group including elderly relatives, his own children and grandchildren he graciously offered to drive me to the little village of Vic-sur-Aisnes one of the days while I was in Paris. Vic-sur-Aisnes is about 3 hours or so northeast of Paris on the edge of Champagne country. We set off on a rainy drizzly morning with Finn driving. As French lorries whoosed past us Finn recounted family tales clutching the wheel between his knees while rolling his own cigarettes and then proceeding to envelope us in clouds of tobacco. Perhaps it was the rain or the smoky atmosphere or the cadence of ancient tales but I knew for sure I was in for an adventure of one sort or the other.

After being lost in the time tunnels of family lore and driving around Paris at least twice–hey, there’s Charles DeGaulle airport, again–we finally made it onto the road towards Vic-sur-Aisnes. It dawned on me that I would need to put my not-so-recent college French into action in order to pay attention to road signs and the map. Luckily, with Eva’s excellent directions, which should have been the tip off, we finally arrived near the little village hours later than we should have. I saw a medieval looking castle in the distance but being American and used to the Walt Disneyish landscape of our country I didn’t quite take it in. We were diverted through narrow lanes due to road construction and as we went in circles around the village the castle turrets appeared and disappeared in the misty rain and finally we arrived on the main street of Vic-sur-Aisnes. And there was the ancient stone castle looming up against a gray sky. Finn declared, “Ah, we are here.”

Castle keep in Vic-sur-Aisnes, France

To be continued–what happened at the chateau.