(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second of a two-part interview with Rik Offenberger. To read the first installment, please click here. My apologies to all of the readers who have been patiently waiting to hear more about these brave Golden Age heroes!)

By JOESEPH SIMON – PM Library Associate Editor

Rik Offenberger is a dedicated comic book professional. He knows what he loves, and it shows in all of his projects and industry-related accomplishments. The co-author of The MLJ Companion: The Complete History of the Archie Super-Heroes and former PR coordinator at Archie Comics talks here about the Shield and the legacy of The Mighty Crusaders.

JOESEPH SIMON

No doubt running a fan club could be fun. Have there been any surprises running the Shield G-Man Fan Club?

RIK OFFENBERGER

“The Shield has a niche following and he hasn’t been published in a lot of comics internationally, but we have international fans in the club and they care a great deal about a patriotic character from a different country. I think that’s great. I have a fondness for both Captain Canuck and Captain Britain so I get it. But it still makes me happy to see the reach these characters have around the world.”

JOESEPH SIMON

You occasionally revise the contents of the Shield G-Man Club that are mailed back to people in the SASE, tell us more about that.

RIK OFFENBERGER

“It is unintentional. I have both of the original Shield G-Man pinback button styles. But you can’t wear them. They are old and fragile and worth a bit of money. I wanted to produce a new button for myself DIY, but you know what? If you make one and want quality, you pay a really large fee for a one off. However, if you produce 200 it really brings down the cost per unit. The other item is a membership card. It’s just a business card. The people who produce our business cards at www.firstcomicsnews.com do a great job at a good price. So that was the membership kit, same as 1941, a card and a pinback button. Better quality than the originals and you can wear the pin and show the card without fear of losing hundreds of dollars of investment.

My cost per button is 26¢ including shipping and they gave me $5.00 off plus free shipping. The membership cards are 10¢ each. My total cost was 36¢ and I could make a lot of super fans happy, maybe not a lot, but at least 200. I get to share my joy for these heroes and the fans share their joy with me. Tons of fan art and a really good time had by all. I can’t really explain the rest, except the bookmark. Mitchell Kwok did an exceptional piece of original art with all the Shield characters on it, and Ric Croxton wanted a bookmark for his Mighty Crusaders Companion. He’s a longtime friend and he reviews books and comics with me, so how could I say no. Also, I thought I would like a bookmark for my Mighty Crusaders Companion too. So, now we all have bookmarks.”

JOESEPH SIMON

What motivated you to write the Twomorrows press book? What interesting stories have resulted from it being published?

RIK OFFENBERGER

“Paul Castiglia is a longtime friend, we both worked at Archie Comics and we both love the Crusaders. He is my editor and co-writer on the book. He asked me, ‘Do you want to write the MLJ Companion for Twomorrows?’ I said sure. I have written for the Comic Buyers Guide, Newsarama and Comic Book Resources. I write for First Comics News daily but this was my first book. I have tons of material from the website but I needed Paul’s help and guidance on a project this size. I started with an outline I turned in to Paul and he made revisions and turned it in to John Morrows. Next thing I know, Twomorrows sends me a contract. It’s really cool to have a book to show people, much cooler than showing the website. But the real joy of the project is when people tell me they enjoyed reading the book. “

JOESEPH SIMON

The original publishers of Shield, MLJ, eventually turns into Archie. Taken together, the company has accomplished quite a lot in its long history. What do you think are some of the noteworthy moments in the way the company handled its super heroes?

RIK OFFENBERGER

“The heroes have been around for 70 years. They have been published in every decade – given many chances to find an audience and they have. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be talking about them now. Archie Comics is a Mom and Pop shop. It’s still owned by the founding family. It’s not a major conglomerate like Warner Bros. or Disney that owns DC and Marvel, so the heroes have always had to take a backseat to Archie who outsells them.

But they have had major pushes with Mighty Comics, Red Circle, DC’s Impact and DC’s Red Circle. Dark Circle continues the heroes legacy and puts out new stories with legacy versions of the classic MLJ heroes. Each venture had some high points. The original Red Circle will always be the high point for me, I loved the handling of the heroes. The historic text pieces and the feeling that I was getting in on something new and special. But I have been excited about every relaunch ever since. I was a comic retailer when Impact launched and very excited to see the heroes at DC, I encouraged all my customers to sample the Impact line.”

JOESEPH SIMON

Now that the Archie & Mighty Crusaders two issue team up is over, is there any news on upcoming Mighty Crusaders releases?

RIK OFFENBERGER

“I don’t work for Archie Comics any more, so I don’t have any inside information to give you. I know there are a few trade paperbacks in the works. But I don’t know what they have planned next.”

JOESEPH SIMON

You also run a site devoted to the team. What might one find at the site?

RIK OFFENBERGER

“www.mightycrusaders.new has literally everything you ever wanted to know about the Mighty Crusaders and MLJ Heroes. A comprehensive who’s who, fan art, fan fiction, history of all the publishing ventures, copies of every Golden Age MLJ comic to read, unpublished comics not seen anywhere else. If you want to know anything about these heroes it is on the site. “

JOESEPH SIMON

You are a spokesperson for Archie. It has to be an exciting time, with the successes of many of the story lines of late to the TV Show. I loved how elements of the Mighty Crusaders made it to the Riverdale TV show. Who was behind that?

RIK OFFENBERGER

“I was the public relations coordinator for Archie Comics for 10 years but it’s been 3 years since Archie eliminated my position, so I don’t have a lot of current inside information. I do know that in the first season, the producers had elements of DC Comics in Riverdale because it was the same production company that does Arrow, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Black Lightning. After the first season they stated using elements for Archie’s own heroes. Part of the fun watching Riverdale is all the “Easter eggs”.

JOESEPH SIMON

Marvel Comics and Archie have collaborated to get Marvel digests out to the general market (non direct comic market). Even under Disney ownership, this shows the incredible fan base Archie has on the newsstand. My very first contact with the Archie superheroes were the digests. Those digests were great and influenced me even to today.

RIK OFFENBERGER

“The digest has been one of the most innovative comic formats, and no one had done as well with it as Archie. Michael Silberkleit told me his father came up with the idea. It’s amazing how many decades you have been able to find Archie Digests at the checkout line.”

JOESEPH SIMON

My very first contact with the Archie superheroes were the Archie Super Hero Special and Super Hero Comics Digest Magazine from 1978 and 1979. Those digests were great and influenced me even to today. It would be incredible if Archie did super hero digests of their own! Any thoughts on those coming back?

RIK OFFENBERGER

“I loved those super hero digests, I have both the American editions. I have the French and German Star Team editions as well. When I was first hired by Archie, I asked about more superhero digests and was told the sales under performed. The thinking was the smaller panel size was still good for a joke but too small for the action needed for a superhero story. DC also abandoned their superhero digests.”

JOESEPH SIMON

The original publishers of Shield, MLJ, eventually turns into Archie Comic Publication, Inc. Taken together, the company has accomplished quite a lot in its long history. It is noteworthy, that, with its start as MLJ, Archie will be turning 80 next year! What do you think are some of the noteworthy moments in its the companies handling of its super heroes?

RIK OFFENBERGER

“The Shield was the star of Pep Comics and was so popular they did a second series Shield/Wizard Comic. Dusty also expanded to Boy Buddies. They were really excited about the heroes until Archie came along. Then it was all a matter of the marketplace telling them what to do. Archie outsold everything else they did. They keep bringing the heroes back and testing the waters.

The Silver Age brought Private Strong and the Fly both by Simon and Kirby, what’s not to love about that? Later Mighty Comics, The Mighty Crusaders and Jaguar. When the direct market started, they were one of the initial publishers to start the entire direct market and they launched the Red Circle line to bring their heroes back. That was the high point for me and my collecting. Even the new Dark Circle was an attempt to do something different and unique with the heroes. Not every version resonated with the market but I appreciate that they keep trying new ideas.”

JOESEPH SIMON

Speaking of comic history, I am a fan of the Archie Super Heroes from all different periods. MLJ’s version was different than Archie’s take on their heroes in the 1960s. Archie would describe its super hero line at the time as high camp. Archie imprint Belmont released a paperback style comic collection that flashed “Dig Their Crazy Costumes—Marvel at their Deeds! High Camp Super Heroes” (with an introduction and stories from Co-creator of Superman Jerry Siegal)! Its interesting looking back on that style from today’s vantage point, what exactly it encompasses. High Camp was deemed as a “thing to be” due to the success of the Batman TV show. Tower Comics attempted to jump on that band wagon with the T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents and Archie saw it as an opportunity to take their heroes in.

I think Camp might be a vague term that many might be unfamiliar with and not understand completely.

Camp has been defined as an aesthetic style that sees something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. Another definition says that Camp opposes satisfaction and seeks to challenge.

Examples of camp can be found in film, cabaret and pantomime. Camp is amazingly diverse. In addition to the 60’s Batman TV show, you can find camp in film like Flaming Creatures, most of John Waters films, Beat The Devil, Valley of the Dolls, Mommie Dearest, Duck and Cover, Toxic Avenger, Pulp Fiction, Rocky Horror Picture Show and TV shows like Mod Squad, the 60’s Avengers, Adams Family, Munsters, Gilligans Island, Lost in Space, Wild Wild West, Get Smart, Dallas, and Dynasty. Even in music, Cher has been called Queen of Camp and Dusty Springfield and others have performed under a camp styling.

I find comments in Christopher Isherwood’s 1954 novel “The World in the Evening” to be insightful to the ideals of camp where he wrote “You can’t camp about something you don’t take seriously. You’re not making fun of it, you’re making fun out of it. You’re expressing what’s basically serious to you in terms of fun and artifice and elegance.” Susan Sontag even included Ishewood’s qoute in an essay “Notes on Camp.”

I am curious what your thoughts are on camp and Archie’s appropriation of it for Archie super heroes in the 1960s as high camp given all the above.

RIK OFFENBERGER

“It didn’t start out as camp in 1959. Adventures of the Fly and Private Strong were very straight forward arch type superheroes. As time went on Archie ran superhero stories in both Pep Comics and Laugh Comics. As primarily a humor publisher, they were trying something different with their heroes. It wasn’t the archetypes from DC nor was it the angst of Marvel. It was camp. The heroes had problems. The Shield couldn’t keep a job and the Web was henpecked. These were problems but they weren’t Marvel style problems.

By analogy, if DC was Coke and Marvel was Pepsi, then Archie was Dr. Pepper. People who think that Archie tried to do the Marvel style and failed don’t understand camp. The heroes were uber-heroic and villains were evil all in a Golden Age type example of how heroes and villains should behave.

But there was humor in the rigidness of the roles and the seriousness of the reactions at a time when the readers were seeing the presentation as passé. It was 8 years from Adventure of the Fly #1 until Mighty Comics #50. So there were fans and they understood and enjoyed the presentation. I think it was a valid presentation of the heroes. Almost all Mighty Crusader fans love “Too Many Super Heroes”, it’s just that Dr. Pepper isn’t everyone’s favorite.

JOESEPH SIMON

How would you classify the MLJ era and the eras after the camp of the 60s?

RIK OFFENBERGER

“I think the MLJ era was very straight forward super heroics. I think they were one of the more successful publishers of their era. Red Circle started out very strong and produced a life long love for the heroes in my mind. It was very influential to my fandom.

Impact was a good idea if Image and Valiant hadn’t launched at about the same time and given unrealistic expectations about what a launch should look like. I liked everything about the DC Red Circle and if JMS had used them exclusively in The Brave & the Bold, with Batman and outside of DC continuity, it would have had a stronger launch and sales would have been better. I was very excited at the Red Circle/Dark Circle launch, and enjoyed every issue, the Fox standing out as trying something different and exciting.”

JOESEPH SIMON

You reprinted a number of stories from the members of the Mighty Crusaders in your book. What did you reprint, and what led you to include those out of the the history of the characters?

RIK OFFENBERGER

“You and I are talking about this because we are both hard core MLJ superfans. However, we wanted the book to appeal to fans and non-fans of MLJ. So if you were a Golden Age comics history buff and wanted to learn more about the MLJ heroes, you would have a few stories to read and get a feel for who they were. “

JOESEPH SIMON

Your site has really cool unpublished scripts and art of the Mighty Crusaders. The deeper you look, the more you find the characters are thriving in all sorts of ways. There is a whole culture of fan art, commissioned art, custom figures and other activities occurring around the Mighty Crusaders. Gwandanaland, a comic publisher who is reprinting much of the Golden Age, has released collections of quite a few of the MLJ publications revolving around the heroes.

It’s a testament to the characters. In talking about that culture, what have you discovered since you released the book or is new and noteworthy that might not be on the radar of every reader?

RIK OFFENBERGER

“I love everything about the MLJ Heroes! I love every era and almost every version of the characters. I have discovered that I may be alone in this. While there is a strong and thriving fan base, they don’t all want the same version of the Mighty Crusaders, and that is why they have had such a difficult time finding their audience. Some people only like the Golden Age version – others only the Silver Age version. Some people only like Impact while others hate the Impact versions of the characters. So the problem is that you can’t make everyone happy and the comics aren’t selling well enough to generate buzz and bring in a large enough new generation of fans to love these heroes too.

As to what new, the greatest part of having the site is it’s a collaborative effort. A lot of people helped with the Who’s Who. A lot of artists have contributed to the galleries. People start sending things to help. I discover new items much more frequently than I would have suspected. When I find them, I share them with the G-Man Club and post them to the site to catalog them for all the MLJ fans to find. I found a reverse colored version of Lancelot Strong by Joe Simon that looks amazing.”

JOESEPH SIMON

In addition, you are part of First Comics News, which by appearance pays homage to First Comics, the famous indie publisher of the past. At one point, it was mentioned First, the publisher, was making a comeback. This was a while back. Any knowledge what happened to that, what I consider, great news?

RIK OFFENBERGER

“I was writing for Newsarama and Comic Book Resources when the Editor-In-Chief at the Pulse quit. I had been the senior feature editor at Silver Bullet comic books, and I understood how the news websites operate. I put together a business plan and made a pitch to take over the Pulse. They made me an offer, but the offer was lower than I expected.

Instead, I decided to start www.firstcomicsnews.com using the business plan I put together for the Pulse. I stared with the above-mentioned Ric Croxton and Phil Latter, both of whom still contribute to the site. I owned Super Hero News, which was a clipping service on one of Yahoo’s platforms, I wanted to use that name but someone else had registered it and was sitting on the domain name. I needed a new name that indicated we loved independent comics and would reliably get you the news to readers quickly.

I loved Nexus, the Badger, Jon Sable Freelance and all the comics at First Comics and First Comics was out of business for 15 years at that point. So, I checked on the availability of the name. We have a trademark for use in journalism. After we started First Comics News, word came out that First Comics was coming back. But they aren’t a comic news site and we don’t publish comics so it’s hard for fans to mistake one for the other.

They did come back as 1First Comics with a “1” in front of the name, so that is a little different too. They publish monthly and are in every issue of preview. The even brought back the Badger! We have an excellent relationship with 1First Comics and cover everything they do, with interviews, previews and reviews. They put out a lot of fun comics.”

***

Thank you, Rik, for your time!

For more information on the heroes of the Mighty Crusaders:

Don’t forget Riks site: www.mightycrusaders.net

Your local comic book store can order the MJL Companion from Diamond or you can buy it from Amazon:
www.amazon.com/MLJ-Companion-Complete-History-Super-Heroes/ and other online seller of comics as well as directly from the publisher Twomorrows Publishing at http://twomorrows.com with other great books on the comic industry.

Gwandanaland has released most of the golden age appearances by the individual members of the team in trade paperbacks. Gwandanaland has also released over 2,000 trade collections from the golden age of comics! You can visit them at their home on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gwandanaland.

The stories are diverse and the adventures plenty. Many known creators have taken part in the Mighty Crusaders history, including Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, Alex Nino, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, Rich Buckler, Dick Ayers, Ian Flynn, Marco Rudy, Marc Guggenheim, J. Michael Straczynski, Mike Parobeck, Len Strazewski, Michael Gaydos, Howard Chaykin, Dean Haspiel, Mark Waid, J.M. DeMatteis and many others.

If you’re looking for something different for super hero comics, there heroes of the Mighty Crusaders might be that something you need!