Wednesday, July 23, 2014

A Tribute to Mike Nomad

"Steve Roper and Mike Nomad", a comic with roots that go back almost 78 years ago, 1936 and ultimately ended in December 26th, 2004. Initially it was started as a Western parody called "Big Chief Wahoo". Big-city news photographer-cum-journalist Steve Roper later joined the cast in 1940 and the comic was re-titled "Chief Wahoo and Steve Roper", then "Steve Roper and Wahoo", and then simply "Steve Roper". In 1964, adventurer Mike Nomad was introduced. 

This comics was often published on the last page of the "SF Chronicle" - back then they actually used to print it on green paper


CREATORS
The comic was created by Allen Saunders, and passed down to his son John Saunders, though Allen's signature was on it till 1979 - and drawn by William Overgard. The storytelling by Allen, and later John was full of dangerous He-man adventures, but the characters were sympathetic and well-developed. Mike and Steve were pretty dated by the 1970s, belonging more to pre-Sixties America, but they still seemed like real men. Roper and Nomad were the kind of duo that remains popular to this day, particularly in mystery novels that feature a more cerebral lead character and his quick-with-his-fists buddy.

Nomad, with a flat-top haircut that looked like you could drive a pick-up truck across it without mussing a single hair, was the funnier, flashier character. Mike was the tough, blue-collar counterpart to the urbane, well-educated Steve Roper - but they both were well capable of getting into scrapes with mobsters, spies, femme fatales, and garden-variety crooks. Roper was, fittingly for a journalist, the kind of guy who could not only investigate a crime but think his way out of a tight spot.  

John Saunders once revealed the fact that Nomad was inspired by an article in a military magazine and that his father, Allen, basically created the character. John Saunders used to live in Toledo (Ohio, US) and died on Nov 15th, 2003. 


ARTISTS
Artists over the years included Elmer Woggon and William Overgard. William Overgard's exceptional artwork was vivid and powerful - Nomad being particularly iconic with his square jaw, blond crew-cut, chiseled features and ubiquitous cigarette hanging from his lips. In 1984, Mr. Fran Matera took over as the artist behind Steve Roper and Mike Nomad, which at its peak appeared in 250 newspapers. He worked at all hours, a mug of coffee on his drafting table and a cat or two nearby. 

In 2003, the writer for the Roper strip died and Matera, then 78 years old, took over the writing too. But by then, a mash estimates, only a few dozen newspapers carried the strip. Matera drew the serial from 1984 until its final frame in 2004. 


Mr. Matera ended his relationship with Steve Roper and Mike Nomad after a contract dispute with King Features. On Dec. 26, 2004, 64 years after the Roper character was introduced, Mr. Matera drew its final frame. It was of old, aged Roper visiting his ex-wife's grave alongside the daughter she had kept secret from him. Fran Matera, who rode the wave of the "golden age" of comics and its successive downsizing, died at the age of 87, at home on March 15th, 2012, due to complications from his prostate cancer.

My introduction to Mike Nomad's comics started thru the "Indrajal Comics" back in late 80's  - by then IJC already started fading its real glory and charisma. Altogether a handful of Nomad's stories were published by IJC.



A number of story-strips are struggling these days for several reasons - one being that their art and text work better with more space than many humor strips require. But space for all comics is shrinking day by day... it is very sad, but true.

Download here one of the vintage Steve Roper stories: "Dance of Death




4 comments:

  1. '80s Indrajals were not bad itself, but as ToI introduced so many western heroes which were largely pale in front of their major-league(P/M/F/B),so readers used to pick their issues than buying ALL 52! Also their weekly mode increased the annual issue-count from 24 to 52,which might not went well wid parents! ;) I remember my one friend,Amrtitangshu,an avid-reader of Ijc,used to buy only Betal/Mandrake/Bahadur/Dara & Rip....he completely avoided others...and there were many such!

    Otherwise,each era had it's share of dark-side .In '60s stories were heavily edited and many WD stories were published which were not that good! In '70s readers had to 'bear' those ghastly Charlton Phantom in the pages of Indrajal....those were such worthless that,I would l prefer reading all those '80s new heroes...then,those ACK type one-offs,used to piss-off readers - all happened on '70s!

    Last such issue Charlton/Misc. issue published was No.263(Dass Babshayi) and first of the new-galaxy-of-heroes was No.354(Buz swayer)....so the issues published from No.264 to No.353 ,a total 90 issues,which I consider the best phase of Indrajal where each and every issue were fantastic!! Unfortunately,we don't have much of such uninterrupted go!!

    PS - Today i hate to criticize anything that happened in Indrajal,because all those made the series that we cherish,and all those variety of heroes made the series unique as no publisher ever tried so many in one place!!

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  2. @ kuntalbabu thanks for the information you shared ....................... onek kichu janlam ..................

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  3. Sir
    I got introduced to Mike Nomad through Indrajal- and tis only latger that I came to know that Steve Roper had his own separate series. Regarding Indrajal....have you felt that the illustrations of Kerry Drake and Mike Nomad wer almost similar??

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    1. I think in those golden age of comics there were few talented artists who worked for multiple star-characters - like Fran Matera was the artist behind Steve Roper and Mike Nomad (1985-2004). But he also worked as an assistant to Alfred Androila on the Kerry Drake comic strip, and in this way one character influenced other one. In the same way Edgar Jacobs's Blake & Mortimer series greatly resembles to famous Tintin adventures.

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