Mart Nodell

There was a period of time when a circuit of comic conventions would run up and down California, and EVERYONE who was active in the industry ended up at these things. Of course, San Diego was always the main show of the year, but in the San Francisco Bay Are where I grew up, there were also a few shows a year where you were absolutely certain loads of industry people would be in attendance. Whether or not this is still the case I cannot say, but I can't imagine that it's quite the same as it used to be - with the possible exception of the San Diego Con (which is nothing like it used to be AT ALL).

About fifteen years ago I was at a show in the San Francisco area, and there behind a table was Martin Nodell, creator of the original Green Lantern back in 1940. At that time I was going through a major Green Lantern phase, getting everything I could to build out an eventual run of GL from Showcase 22 on. Naturally, I became very aware and very interested in the Alan Scott GL character as well, but this was at a time when almost nothing was happening with the Golden Age DC heroes, and they were certainly nowhere near the prominence they're at now.

At this point, for those who aren't familiar with Martin Nodell as a personality beyond comics creator, you need to know that he and his wife, Carrie, were practically inseparable. If Mart Nodell was at a show, his wife was there too. And she was his BIGGEST fan. She took a lot of interest in what he did and knew his work quite well- just about anyone who's been involved in conventions will tell you that the two of them were two of a kind and a joy to behold.

I talked with the Nodells for a little while and asked if I might be able to get a Green Lantern sketch. He replied "Well, I don't really do that." It was perfectly understandable - he wasn't a hot artist in the spotlight or anything, he was there to meet fans and enjoy his time later in life, not produce anything on request. We talked a bit more and I showed him something I had brought with me, hearing that he would be in attendance at the show. A Green Lantern action figure.

Bearing in mind that this was many years ago, nothing in the way of superhero toys was out there to the extent that we see things in the market today. Even with Mego toys in the 70s and Super Powers in the 80s, a character like Alan Scott being committed to plastic was unimaginable. It was just a generic body with hair made from modeling putty, some paint, and a cannibalized Super Powers Red Tornado cape (boy, this really makes me want to see if I can find it- I'm sure I kept it somewhere), but they probably hadn't ever seen more than a handful of anything like that. I remember that Carrie was especially tickled at the figure. Her delight, I am fairly certain, is why Mart Nodell gave me a sketch he drew up on the spot.



To this day, stories like this are what make me love comics, particularly from a historical standpoint. These men who were simply looking to pay the rent in an industry that was looked down on as the hind end of print media became heroes in their own right, creating cultural icons that will outlast us all. Being able not only to have real interaction with these people, but to come away with such a positive experience, is both a privilege and an honor that we can't take for granted, because so few are left.

Martin Nodell passed away on my birthday in 2006. It was, and likely will be, the saddest one I have.