BRONZE AGE MINUTE: E-Man #10

Charlton; September 1975
Cover by Joe Staton

Title: “The Witch of Hog Wallow”
Synopsis: A surprise visit from an old acquaintance sees E-Man recollecting his earliest days on Earth.

Writer: Nicola Cuti
Artist: Joe Staton

Review: E-Man comes to a close with a fun but uneven story. On the plus side: An interesting take on the “she’s a witch” trope and some fantastic Disneyesque cartooning from Joe Staton. Working against it: Some far too casual misogyny, including E-Man’s “she’s probably fat and dumpy by now” comment.

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Title: “Rog 2000 vs. The Sog”
Synopsis: With New York under martial law, Rog 2000 finds himself drafted into a battle against The Sog.

Writer: Nicola Cuti
Artist: John Byrne

Review: John Byrne contines to shine on these short backup features, and Nicola Cuti is always good for a fun twist.

Grade (for the entire issue): B+

Cool factor: The entire run of Charlton’s E-Man is a pleasant surprise, featuring fun stories, strong cartooning and interesting backup features.
Not-so-cool factor: It’s a shame this series was unable to find a market. It feels like a viable path – albeit one less traveled – for superhero comics in the Bronze Age.

Notable: Final Charlton issue of E-Man.
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a Modern reprint of this issue from 1977.

Character quotable: “It’s steel against slush!” – Rog 2000, internal monologue as he prepares to battle The Sog
A word from the writer/co-creator: “The only place where E-Man failed was sales – he came in rock bottom. The publishers, encouraged by George Wildman, let E-Man ride for ten instead of the usual three trial issues, hoping that it would catch on. Sadly, sales never rose.” – Nicola Cuti, talking about the end of the first E-Man series, in Art & Story #1 (1976)
A word from the artist/co-creator: “I think that by the time E-Man came out people had been so conditioned by Marvel that a superhero who didn’t take himself morbidly seriously really had no chance of acceptance.” – Joe Staton, on one of the reasons he believed E-Man didn’t catch on, in The Comics Journal #45 (March 1979)

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