Company 3: The History of Endgame Comics.

[Igeo654]

Prologue: A Fateful Choice

It was impossible to pretend that Steve Ditko was anything other than one of the biggest names in the comic book world. Right alongside the likes of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Gardener Fox, he had been in the game for one hell of a long time and without a doubt, his work was easy to recognize, and not just because of the slightly square-shaped heads of a few of his characters, but also for it's odd, surreal, psychedelic and sometimes ''flowery'' details in his visuals. The likes of Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Captain Atom, the New Blue Beetle and others owed their iconic designs to a man, who like many in the biz, in the 1960s, had been inspired to be a comic-book artist and writer ever since childhood. Having grown up with the tales of Prince Valient, Batman and The Spirit and having trained under the legendary CB Arist, Jerry Robinson, Ditko certainly knew his heroes and how they should both look and act.

Well, sort of. You see, Steve Ditko was an amazing artist and had the potential to be an even better storyteller. There was just one tiny problem. Steve Ditko, was an Objectivist. A subscriber to a Right-Wing, Libertarian philosophy started by one Ayn Rand, that centres around several ideas, Including That One's own happiness should be the most important part of their lives, that government's should stay out of the affairs of Big Business, there is only Good or Evil and no gray area and that if everyone would look out for themselves and seek their own happiness above all else, the world would be a better place.

You would think that being a writer of Superhero based fiction, a genre that promotes selflessness and putting others first, that Steve Ditko would want to be as far from this line of thought as humanly possible. Instead, it was a major influence on his work, at least, when not put on a leash. After all, Spider-Man's origin alone seemed to decry any kind of selfish philosophical beliefs. And yet, in Ditko's years with the company, his views shined through even when they were difficult to detect. Ditko's Objectivist views gave him a rather right-wing stance on things such as protests and crime itself.

Even his fellow writer, Stan Lee, who was usually on and off when it came to liberal viewpoints in his work which would take a huge upturn by 1967, fell into Objectivism at least once. This being a certain infamous 1966 scene where Spidey's true face, Peter Parker, showed scorn towards his fellow college students during a protest.

(Surprisingly, this particular scene remained in-cannon with the Marvel Timeline and would become one of the Web Head's greatest regrets. (Among many others.))

But back to the matter of Ditko himself, no one is quite sure what lead, after four years of working at Marvel Comics, to the cracks in his Friendship with Stan Lee and his subsequent exit from the company itself. Some say it was over the True Identity of Spider-Man's arch-enemy ''The Green Goblin'', which turned out to be Industrialist and father of Peter's best friend Harry, Industrialist ''Norman Osborn'', which, given Steve's deeply Pro-Capitalist Views and his belief that evil should be faceless, wouldn't be too big a stretch. Ditko, however, disputes that it was over a loss of creative control over his own work, while his successor to the Spider-Man comics, John Romita Sr., insists that due to the changing ideologies of the latter, Steve and Lee simply couldn't agree on anything by the end. Be it Society, Culture or Characters.

As in OTL, Ditko left Marvel and spent some time working on Charlton in 1967, while also drawing illustrations for Horror Magazine series', Creepy and Eerie. But, here is where the story takes its divergence...

Despite a new level of creative freedom that had once been denied him, Ditko still began to feel unfulfilled with his work, even after bringing The Question, Captain Atom and New Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, into the world. And since One's personal fulfilment was the most morally right thing in the world to an Objectivist, he began to wonder if maybe he'd be better off self-employed. Not writing for other comic companies, but starting his own. It was during that thought process that he came up with the idea of ''Mr. A'' AKA Rex Graine. A trenchcoated hero, clad only in white, that embodied his own beliefs to a T and more importantly, was entirely his to own creation. Owned by him and him alone and a chance to not only continue to show off his work as an illustrator, but also hone his lesser-known writing talents. Other ideas that came to his mind would evolve as the years came and went.

He had long toyed with the idea of shipping this character off to some Underground comic whose name has been lost to the sands of time, (but which apparently started with a W.) But having chosen to save the royalties earned from his work at Atlas in the 1950s and Marvel in the 1960s and the lesser sum he was earning at Charlton, along with some careful investments made on the sly, he was more than financially able and ready to start his own company. Besides, he thought, his Charlton Creations would be looked after when he was gone either way. There was little to worry about.

And so, in Early 1968 after his brief Charlton stint, Steve Ditko left the company with cash in hand. Keeping his wise investments going to finance this little venture, Steve bought some offices in a relatively new office building in 277 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhatten, and registered a trademark for a business he would refer to as ''Endgame Comics'' Fitting, what with Ditko's black and white world view and the relation between the word Endgame and Chess. But in Ditko's mind, it was something more. A chance to redefine comics and push the spread the good word of Ayn Rand to the next generation of Americans. Needless to say, he began putting out want ads in several major New York Papers with great enthusiasm.

​

However, unbeknownst to Steve, while his gambol into the world of Comic book Publishing would indeed shake up the industry, it would also shake him up in ways that would change his life and the lives of many others, forever.​

 

[eldandythedoubter]

I like where this premise is going, you have my watch.

 

[HeX]

Watched! I'm a big fan of Ditko and the rest of the masterminds behind the Silver Age of Comics (I grew up reading my dad's old Spider-Man collections from the '60s), so count me in!

 

[Igeo654]

Glad to see people are interested in the idea. I certainly hope the rise of Endgame and the transformation of Steve Ditko doesn't disappoint.

Incidentally, I can't draw at all, so I'll do my damndest to try and describe the Endgame logo to you all. Imagine if you can, in the top left-hand corner of the comic, a vertical, small, black and white chessboard with two-game pieces silhouetted against it. A White Pawn on the left and a Black King on the right. Now, imagine the words endgame comics, with the word Endgame above the picture and the word Comics below it, in this font. (Well, the 70s were on their way in.) Endgame being white with a black outline and Comics being Black with a White outline. (That lower case i is meant to resemble a Queen, BTW.)

 

[Igeo654]

Chapter 1: Send in the Staff
In March of 1968, Endgame comics was established, office space was purchased and in Newspapers everywhere, the call went out to artists and writers everywhere. Whist Ditko himself was an extremely accomplished artist and a pretty good writer, even he, in his individualist mindset, knew that he needed help getting his part in the industry set up and ready. Not only writers but artists who would be willing to do their own colouring, both pencilers and inkers alike. Within two weeks of them being put out, many came to the Offices of Endgame looking for employment in this new company.

Although Ditko had a rep for being a ''Right-Leaning Guy'', the full extent of his nature was as of yet unknown, so many were eager to give this new imprint a shot. 10 from all areas of the biz were chosen to help kickstart the company. 3 were fresh out of college, but the rest were varying degrees of recognition within the industry as a whole. Don Segall for example, was a relative unknown compared to the rest, having worked for Dell Comics on their ''Superhero Monster line'', and Dell's library would become quite a matter of interest to Steve in the near future. Steve Skeates, as a writer, would go on to be indispensable to Steve and the company, collaborating with him on a number of projects. Tom Palmer, having worked on Marvel as a colourist for some time, had been talked into joining the company by Ditko, since he still had contacts with a few people from his old employers. Inker George Roussos, had previously been working at Marvel and had, up till that point, been collaborating with Jack Kirby on a number of books. However, his career had stretched around to nearly every recognizable corner of Comic-dom throughout the 1940s and the Golden Age, with him having with for National Publications, now DC, on characters such as Vigilante, Starman and, most notably, the vast majority of the illustration work on the Air Wave stories.

But not even Ditko could have predicted the 3 men who would come to his door in the days following the release of the want ads. It started small of course on the 18th of March when Quality Comics artist, Reed Crandell, known for his near Photorealistic artwork, which had been seen in everything from the Blackhawk Squadron to the EC Comics Horror stories up until the Comics Code had made the lives of creators a nightmare, came to his desk asking for work. Obviously, Ditko, who had a deep appreciation for the Comic Book Classics, has by no means going to turn him away. the Very same day, another surprise, as Marc Swayze, a man who's artwork for Fawcett's ''Marvel Family'' Line was nothing short of legendary, a man who had supposedly retired from the Industry in 1954 after ending his days making Romance Comics before heading to Charlton briefly, promptly and unexpected ended that retirement by offering his services to endgame.

But the biggest surprise of all came in the form of a man who had been one half of the driving force that had, over 30 years prior, given Birth to the Modern Superhero. A man who had given a voice to Both the Specter and the Legendary Superman. That man was, of course, Jerry Siegel. Jerry had come upon hard times since his second firing from DC, after yet another failed attempt to reclaim copyright of Superman had once again fallen through. Unable to find regular work, the news that Steve Ditko had set up a new publishing firm had given him hope that maybe, he could still pull through. Of course, Siegel was wary about Ditko's political views and Ditko would otherwise have been unwilling to hire a man with a more...socialistic mindset, but in the moment that Siegel had come to his office and asked for work, the younger man had been too Starstruck to comprehend the differences between them. Just like that, one of the most legendary names in the Funnies was on his payroll.

Together, the three elder gentlemen would, in time, be an amazing influence on Steve, as would the rest of those he had signed on. Though at first, their working situation seemed more like a future blacklist from the Industry. At the first-ever Company Staff meeting on March 26th 1968, Ditko, knowing full well that being a legitimate publisher now, he would have to abide by the Comics Code lest anyone outside the building suspect his true goals for Endgame, as he didn't truly trust the Authority or really any kind of committee in general, subtly outlined his Mission Statement for the company to the assembled staff. At the same meeting, he presented several ideas for characters he had been formulating in his mind, including that of Mr. A and laid down some ground rules for how stories by his company should be written. Many were sceptical of these ideas from the getgo, but the final three were the ones that made others uneasy.

1. Villains/Supercriminals within stories should not and therefore WILL not, be Noted figures of society who rightfully preach about an honest day's work for an honest day's pay.
2. No heroes shall team up on a regular basis but rather an occasional basis, as it is more rational for said heroes to focus more upon their own individual goals.
3. There shall be no semblance of so-called ''Moral Grey'' within these stories and no undeserved mercy shall be shown towards the Villains by the heroes. There is only White or Black, Good or Evil, Right or Wrong. A is A and the moral facts cannot nor should not be denied.

It was at this point, despite Ditko's ''efforts'', that a good many in that room began to realise the extent of Ditko's politics and his views on anything leaning towards the left, leading to their admiration towards him to become somewhat strained. Something which very well may have lead to Endgame Comics ceasing business before it even truly began, had it not been for Jerry Siegel and Marc Swayze persuading the others to persevere after the meeting, in the hopes that, somehow, at some time, Steve would change his mind. This, in turn, eased the minds of the younger members of the staff, as the Elder creators brought with them a sense of faith that ultimately, things would work out for the best and that their influence may indeed have a lasting effect on their new Boss. But that was for a later date. Either time would erode the right-leaning guidelines, or time would decimate the company.

For now, there was work to be done and it all started with one man. Clad in white, who believed only in Wrong and Right.

​

 

[Igeo654]

I'd like to apologise if this scenario is starting to become a bit on the improbable side. TBH, I had doubts about the 2nd threadmark while I was typing it down. I'm writing this because I need some ideas for some future supervillains for Mr. A and future characters Static, Missing Man and U.S. Anthem (Liberty Belle IOTL) to fight. I have some ideas of my own, but I still need some help here.

 

[Christopher Marcus]

Good stuff! Keep it going!

 

[Igeo654]

I genuinely did not expect this thread to get as much support as it has done already. I'm so glad so many are enjoying it.

 

[Luke_Starkiller]

I'd like to apologise if this scenario is starting to become a bit on the improbable side. TBH, I had doubts about the 2nd threadmark while I was typing it down. I'm writing this because I need some ideas for some future supervillains for Mr. A and future characters Static, Missing Man and U.S. Anthem (Liberty Belle IOTL) to fight. I have some ideas of my own, but I still need some help here.

Well, for a villain for Anthem, you could go with a stereotypical Russian character whose origin parallels hers. Maybe call him something like "Mad Monk", a Russian super-soldier who has master over chemical elements, but got his wires crossed during the experiments that gave him his powers, and now he believes himself to be Rasputin.

 

[Igeo654]

Well, for a villain for Anthem, you could go with a stereotypical Russian character whose origin parallels hers. Maybe call him something like "Mad Monk", a Russian super-soldier who has master over chemical elements, but got his wires crossed during the experiments that gave him his powers, and now he believes himself to be Rasputin.

Thanks for the suggestion. This is a GREAT idea and I will be using it. However, seeing as how Batman already has aa Mad Monk character, I think I'll saddle him up with Rasputins other nickname. The Black Monk.

 

[Igeo654]

Chapter 3: The Endgame Begins.

Advertising for Endgame Comics, or as it would be known in those early years, Endgame Syndicated, was as to be expected during the late 60s. Fliers, Posters and Billboards went up a week after the board meeting in March and after that, the team of artists, writers, colourists and the editor, Ditko himself, who now found himself being the guy to finalise the whole shebang amoung what had swiftly risen to be a team of 30 men and women, along with Co-Editor Marc Swayze, who had opted to become only an occasional artist and writer. As what he referred to as a ''Starter'', Ditko had made plans for the creation of two titles all to be released within the space of two weeks, with another planned title to be released in May the very same year. Two would be weekly, the upcoming third, Bi-Weekly. The first was Mr A. A comic dedicated to showcasing the adventures of Rex Graine, an uncompromising, Objectivist/Moral Absolutist reporter for the Daily Crusader, a Paper for Windy City, Illinois. With the CCA breathing down his neck, Steve had been voiced to make his portrayal of his beliefs more subtle to fool the sensors and as a result, he'd had more time to focus on other aspects of the character, such as his lore and Origin. In this case, Rex Graine was the son of Police Officer Randel Graine, a Windy City Police Officer who became more and more disillusioned with his job as he watched people from all walks of life embrace ''Moral Grey'' corruption, decrying any person who refused to compromise. Officer Graine would teach his son that there could only be right and wrong and that the choice was his and his alone to make

With the story, readers would see Rex's father be beaten to death by a gang of teens, who were let off after convincing the court that they had been acting in self-defence. Enraged, a 19-year-old Rex Graine would vow to someday continue his father's work in bringing ethics and reason back to the city. This he would do as an adult, working for the crusader, a decidedly right-wing publication, who's offices were filled with the bleeding hearts and corrupt compromisers that Dotko so despised. In those Early Day's Rex's Managing Editor-In-Cheif. All in All, Rex, was the most hated man in the city, an enemy of ''compassion'', a ''Heartless Monster'' for his uncompromising Morals. And while Steve couldn't go as far as he might have wanted too, the symbolism was there. Using his metalwork skills he had developed at college, Steve created armoured gloves and a padded, white steel helmet/mask that he wore, to fight crime as the white-clad vigilante, Mr. A, to fight against and save a crime-ridden world that had rejected reason. His calling card being a piece of rectangular, 2 inch tall paper stock. Half Black, Half White. A symbol for Absolutism and Objectivism.

Ditko was the principal writer and artist of most of the Mr A stories, but some of the younger writers in the staff were given the opportunity to tell some stories for the character. Older writers and artists, including Swayze, were wary of the character and Ditko's obvious motives behind it. However, when the book was released that same month, audiences found themselves instantly hooked and while the Moral Absolutism managed to fly over the heads of a great many within the readership, what truely kept them hooked was the compelling, psychedelic art, the uncoloured, black and white imagery and the writing by Ditko as well as the others. While he initially lacked the colourful rogues of other heroes of his calibre such as Dick Tracy, Batman and Spider-Man, Mr A.'s first big reoccurring villains would show themselves in later works, from the blue-collar worker turned gentleman thief, Count Rogue, to the smog slinging ''Polluter Gang'', to what would become A's greatest foe, the very antithesis of everything he stood for, the irredeemably evil, purple and black-clad ''Mr. B.'' A name suggested by Steve Skeates, as he saw Ditko's original name for the character, The Knifer, to be somewhat generic and unmemorable.

Avenging World, the company's Sci-Fi Anthology Book was a lot more colourful and was a collaboration between several writers including Ditko and a number of multi-faceted individuals who had recently signed onto the company, in the quiet understanding that Endgame would be dead in the water against the competition in a year or two. The specific writers and artists for the book, besides Ditko, were Reed Crandell, Al Feldstein, Spain Rodriguez, Kim Deitch and Alex Toth. The grand majority of which had been discovered by Ditko in the underground comics scene, which he still had a deep respect for. Avenging World had a similar fare to most of its counterparts. Stories of Alien invasions, Robots, the near future, potential apocalypses, space travellers, mad scientists and illustrated retellings of stories from authors such as HP Lovecraft, Cyril M. Kornbluth and Harlan Ellison, who's recent short tale ''I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream'', appeared in issue 5 in a CCA friendly re-edit. What set it apart was, once again, the weird, experimental visuals and of course, the Book's Host. Inspired by the Horror hosts of the Pre-Code days, Ditko had created what was, in his mind, the first-ever legitimate Science Fiction host for comics. this came in the form of the titular ''Avenging World'' A far off, sentient, Paradice Planet with human facial features in a deep part of the cosmos, where only the good and deserving lived. Uncompromising Producers one and all. The Planet itself was not only their home, but their omniscient ruler, who telepathically broadcasted the stories within the comics to its populace for their ''education.''

Despite the less than optimistic expectations by the writing staff, they were both surprised and relieved to see how well the comics were received as time wore on. Both were huge successes and Mr. A, unpowered though he was, has enough of a visual presence to make him stand out. By Mid-May that same year, Ditko had managed to come up with yet another hero to add to the roster of Endgame. A hero that was inspired only partially by Ditko's Objectivism, but mostly by his time working for both Chalton and Marvel Hal Jordan's Green Lantern. His name, Mac O' Rhea AKA Static. A lab assistant and Student of Renowned Scientist of Family City, Wyoming and University science Professor, Edmund Serch and Fiance to Serch's daughter Ferra, gained powers from a Dark blue and yellow ''Energy Suit'' that gained the power to generate and fire Static Electricity and eventually fly, after a lab raid by a group of spies, working for a rival scientist. The suit even incorporated a kind of bootleg Kirby Crackle, which Ditko had deliberately incorporated in homage to his former workmate. A running part of Ferra and Mac's relationship throughout the series would involve Ferra both fearing and distrusting the Power Suit. Seeing it as dangerous and Addictive and trying to save her fiance from it. Static himself would eventually find himself with his own Rogues Gallery, such as the mischievous ''Celtic Spirits'' Tom, Tit and Tot, the Ocean-Going Terrorist ''Daggernose'' the Earth manipulating ''Earthquaker'' and his Arch-Foe, Ozone Jack. A literal human tornado made entirely of wind.

Throughout the rest of that same year, Static and Mr A would find themselves joined by 4 more characters, Co-Created with a now slightly more active Marc Swayze and Steve Skeaves, who had quickly become quite the confidant to Ditko. The first to be introduced in June would be Hawk and Dove aka Hank Hall and his sister Dawn. A teenage sibling, Washington DC High School duo, who fought crime in two very different ways. Hank aka Hawk being more Aggressive and Dawn AKA Dove being more of a pacifist. At first, Ditko had indented for both to be boys, but from the urging of Toth as well as Swayze, he had begrudgingly agreed to make Dawn Hall a ''symbol of Woman's Lib.''

The Success of this title would Lead Ditko to create his next Female character for Endgame, who would be, in his eyes, the late-60s answer to Black Canary. Jackie Ryder AKA The Creeper. A Young, Up and Coming Talk Show Host from the Massive City of Rothesay in the fictional State of New Cornwall, which would become the eternal EGU stand-in for New York City, who fought crime using her fists, feet, wits and impressive acrobatic skills, in green and black tights, a red feather boa, elbow-length red gloves, a Green Wig and Yellow tights/makeup. This oddball addition to The World of Endgame fit right in and quickly caught on well with kids, teens and feminists alike, overshadowing Hawk and Dove in popularity. By the end of that year, Endgame had made an impressive profit and think's to the investments of the Editor in Cheif, more money was soon to be coming there way. But as the final year of the Swingin' 60s came round and Ditko's imagination drifted towards a more ''Patriotic'' fancy, life would soon find a way to shake up his world, to the very core.

(Art credited to Jordan Gibson.)​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Nice work so far.

Can't wait to see what happens with Mirage Studios later on.

 

[Igeo654]

Nice work so far.

Can't wait to see what happens with Mirage Studios later on.

Well, thank you for the feedback, but I'm not quite sure how Mirage Studios would play into any of this. I mean I won't leave them out now that you've mentioned them, but still.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Too early?

 

[Igeo654]

Too early?

Well, we are still in the 60s for the time being and we still have the whole of the 70s to get through sooo....yeah. Still a long way off from all that, I'm afraid.

Now, if you had said Dell/Harvey comics, You would have been in luck because I could have hinted at my plan for those.

 

[Igeo654]

OK, so, thought I'd apologise for the updates being so slow. I've had a lot on my plate recently. Some close friends going through some troubles, etc. Rest asured that I'm working on the next part of this. But it will take some time.