Tag: Marvel

Jim Shooter, the prodigy who began his career in comics as a teenager and went on to become editor-in-chief of Marvel, passed away at the age of 73 yesterday. According to writer Mark Waid, Shooter had been battling esophogeal cancer “for some time.”

As Waid points out, Shooter was a somewhat controversial figure in comics, especially during his time at Marvel. But during his tenure, Marvel published Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s Uncanny X-Men, Frank Miller’s Daredevil and Walt Simonson’s Thor — some of the most beloved comic runs of all time. He also introduced Marvel’s first direct-market only title, Dazzler, which was only sold in comic shops, and spearheaded event crossovers like Contest of Champions and Secret Wars (which he also wrote). And he launched the Epic Comics line, giving Marvel a creator-owned imprint. Still, his management style alienated many creators at the time, with many leaving to work for DC or other publishers.

“Jim was an excellent super hero writer, a character creator, an editor with an eagle eye, and a man who gave his all to what he did,” former DC Publisher Paul Levitz wrote. “From my perspective, he was far weaker as an enterprise leader, and unfortunately that was what he most wanted to be. His sense of history was not, in my view, as good as his sense of fiction. But what he did well, he did gloriously…and my inner child will always be grateful for his inspiration.”