Julius Schwartz

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Julius "Julie" Schwartz (born June 19, 1915 in the Bronx , New York ; † February 8, 2004 ) was an American publisher of comic books and pulp magazines , as well as an agent of science fiction writers such as Ray Bradbury and HP Lovecraft .

Life

Julius Schwartz (right) together with Ray Bradbury during a press conference at the "Comic-Con International" trade fair in 2002

Schwartz began his career as a publicist and publisher as early as 1932: Together with Mort Weisinger and Forrest J Ackerman , he began to publish the highly acclaimed science fiction fanzine Time Traveler that year , one of the very first organs of this type of magazine. Together with Weisinger, he founded Solar Sales Service (SSS) in 1934 , an agency that endeavored to convey the work of unknown science fiction writers to publishers and which continued until 1944.

Schwartz clients at SSS included writers Alfred Bester , Robert Bloch , Ray Bradbury , HP Lovecraft and Stanley G. Weinbaum . Especially Lovecraft's last and Bradbury's early works are among the most important works mediated and influenced by Schwatz.

In 1939 Schwartz took part in the organization of the first World Science Fiction Convention . In 1944 Schwartz began working as an editorial manager at the comic book publisher All American Comics , which later merged with DC Comics, for which he worked for a total of 42 years until he retired in 1986 at the age of 71. In 1952 Schwartz married his secretary Jean, the marriage lasted until her death from emphysema in 1986. Schwartz himself died in 2004 at the age of 88 as a result of pneumonia.

Work as editor at DC Comics

At DC, Schwartz conducted the revival of numerous popular comic books in the late 1950s, which had enjoyed great popularity during the war, but later lost popularity and accordingly " disappeared " . The figures and series that were brought onto the market again in a refurbished form by Schwartz's order included, among others: Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and The Atom . The series headed by Schwartz were particularly praised for their originality, their fresh freshness and their creativity. In the 1960s, Schwartz began the series, also appearing on DC, to edit the comic hero Batman. The “New Look” of the bat man, commissioned by Schwartz, became famous here - Schwartz had it given the famous yellow oval that for years encompassed the bat emblem that was emblazoned on the hero's chest - shortly afterwards with the one from ABC produced the Batman television series with Adam West that adapted New Look .

From 1971 to 1985, Schwartz, head of the Superman department at DC, led the fortunes of what is arguably the most famous character owned by the publisher, by writing the Superman series "Superman" , "Superman in Action Comics" , " Superboy " , " Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen " , " Superman Family " and other regulated. In this area, among other things, he is credited with turning away from “gimmick” stories that focus excessively on certain objects or ideas in favor of “character driven” stories that emphasize the interaction of the characters.

The writers and draftsmen supported by Schwartz during his time at DC include Gardner Fox , Dennis O'Neil , Neal Adams , Carmine Infantino and Gil Kane. As the editor, Schwartz usually had a considerable influence on the content of the comics he edited, which sometimes meant that he personally rewrote a wide range of stories with which he did not agree.

Working as a freelance sci-fi editor

As a freelance editor of science fiction novels, Schwartz edited a total of seven novels by Harlan Ellison , Robert Silverberg , Ray Bradbury and others.

Awards and honors

In the course of his life Schwartz received numerous prizes, such as the 1962 Alley Award for the best comic editor of the past year or the 1972 "Shazam Award" for the greatest achievement by an individual in the comics field. Since 1997, the "Julie Award" named after Schwartz has been awarded at the instigation of Ed Kramer, chairman of the Dragon * Con trade fair.

Works

  • Julius Schwartz / Brian Thomsen: Man of Two Worlds: My Life in Science Fiction and Comics , 2000. (Schwartz's autobiography)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Schwartz, Julius
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schwartz, Julie (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American publisher
DATE OF BIRTH June 19, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH February 8, 2004