Paul Levitz Explained

Birth Date:21 October 1956
Nationality:American
Write:y
Edit:y
Publish:y
Notable Works:Legion of Super-Heroes,
Batman
Awards:Inkpot Award (2002)

Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956[1]) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002 to 2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn and managing editor Dick Giordano, Levitz was responsible for hiring such writers as Marv Wolfman and Alan Moore, artists such as George Pérez, Keith Giffen, and John Byrne, and editor Karen Berger, who contributed to the 1980s revitalization of the company's line of comic book heroes.

Early life

Levitz was born and raised in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York.[2] His father was a clerk for an industrial hardware store, and his mother was a bookkeeper. He was an avid reader as a child, and read the works of writers including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Ed McBain.[3] He also read comics, citing the first he could remember buying off of a newsstand being the first team-up between the Justice League and the Justice Society. He was notably a fan of Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes. Most of what he read was from DC Comics, but cited Marvel Comics' Avengers as a strong influence on his writing.[4]

He attended Stuyvesant High School,[5] [6] during which time he revived the defunct comic news fanzine, The Comic Reader, which according to Levitz, was the first regularly published comics industry news fanzine. Under Levitz's editorship The Comic Reader won two Best Fanzine Comic Art Fan Awards.[7] One of Levitz's teachers, Frank McCourt,[6] was impressed enough with Levitz's work that he arranged for Levitz to appear on McCourt's brother Malachy's radio show.

Career

During the course of his research for The Comic Reader, Levitz became well known at the offices of DC Comics, where in December 1972, editor Joe Orlando gave him his first freelance work, initially writing text pages and letter pages, and later working as a per diem assistant editor before writing stories. Levitz later studied business at New York University but had taken no formal education in writing, other than a journalism course. He dropped out after three years in order to concentrate on his writing career.

After serving as Joe Orlando's assistant editor, in 1976 Levitz "fulfilled a lifelong dream" by becoming the editor of Adventure Comics on the eve of his 20th birthday.[8] In 1978, he succeeded Julius Schwartz as the editor of the Batman line of comics.[9]

As a writer, Levitz is best known for his work on the title The Legion of Super-Heroes, which he wrote from 1977–1979 and 1981–1989. Levitz wrote All-New Collectors' Edition #C-55 (1978), a treasury-sized special drawn by Mike Grell, in which longtime Legion members Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad were married.[10] [11] Levitz and artists James Sherman and Joe Staton crafted "Earthwar" a five-issue storyline in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #241–245 (July–Nov. 1978).[12] He and Keith Giffen produced "The Great Darkness Saga", one of the best known Legion stories, in Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 2, #290–294.[13] Comics historian Les Daniels observed that "Working with artist Keith Giffen, Levitz completed the transformation of Legion into a science-fiction saga of considerable scope and depth."[14] In August 1984, a new Legion of Super-Heroes series was launched by Levitz and Giffen.[15]

With artist Steve Ditko, Levitz co-created the characters Stalker[16] and the Prince Gavyn version of Starman.[17] He wrote the Justice Society series in All Star Comics during the late 1970s and co-created the Earth-2 Huntress with artist Joe Staton.[18] He and Staton provided the JSA with an origin story in DC Special #29.[19] Lucien the Librarian, a character later used in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman series, was created by Levitz and artist Nestor Redondo. Levitz was one of the contributors to the DC Challenge limited series in 1986.[20]

Levitz eventually became an editor, and served as vice president and executive vice president, before assuming the role of president and publisher in 2002. Levitz consciously chose the combined title instead of "editor-in-chief", citing the negative results of the title he'd seen during Jim Shooter's tenure at Marvel and his desire to stay connected to the publishing arm of DC which he had help create. In 2006, Levitz returned to writing the Justice Society with issue #82 of JSA, completing that volume before writer Geoff Johns' relaunch.

On September 9, 2009, it was announced that Levitz would step down as president and publisher of DC Comics to serve as the Contributing Editor and Overall Consultant for the newly formed DC Entertainment,[21] and become the writer of both Adventure Comics vol. 2[22] and Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 6.[23]

Levitz mentioned in an August 2010 interview that he was working on "my first genuine book."[24] His 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking was published by Taschen America, LLC, in November 2010.[25]

In addition to Legion of Super-Heroes, Levitz wrote the Worlds' Finest series, which was initially drawn by George Pérez and Kevin Maguire.[26] Levitz and Keith Giffen collaborated on the Legion of Super-Heroes issues #17 and 18 in 2013.[27] [28] In 2015, Levitz wrote Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel, an oversized, illustrated biography/art book on Eisner’s work for Abrams ComicArts. The book would garner Levitz a nomination in the 2016 Eisner Awards for “Best Comics-Related Book.” [29] [30] He joined the board of directors of Boom! Studios in February 2014.[31] He wrote a new five-page story titled "The Game", which was drawn by Neal Adams, for the Action Comics: 80 Years of Superman hardcover collection.[32]

In 2004, Levitz joined the board of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit organization founded in 1986 chartered to protect the First Amendment rights of the comics community.[33] He retired from the board in 2020.[34]

On December 31, 2020, Levitz announced his retirement from DC via a posting on Facebook, saying it's “the end of an era for me personally, as I go off the payroll of Warner/DC after so many decades: over 47 years on 'staff', 36 of them on employment contracts.”[35]

From January[4] [36] to May 2023, the 5-issue miniseries Avengers: War Across Time, which Levitz wrote, was published.[37] It his first work for Marvel Comics,[4] and received positive reviews.[36] [38] [39] [40]

Awards

Levitz received an Inkpot Award at San Diego Comic-Con in 2002,[41] the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award at San Diego Comic-Con in 2008,[42] and the "Dick Giordano Hero Initiative Humanitarian of the Year Award" in September 2013 at the Baltimore Comic-Con.[43] He was inducted into The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2019 at San Diego Comic-Con.[44]

Personal life

Levitz is Jewish.[3] [45] Levitz has three children: Nicole, a public health executive; Philip, a lawyer; and Garret, who works in the entertainment industry.[46]

Levitz has named the run of All-Star Comics featuring the Justice Society of America as his favorite. He names Roger Zelazny as his favorite science fiction writer, J. R. R. Tolkien as his favorite fantasy writer, David McCullough as his favorite history writer and Agatha Christie as his favorite mystery writer.[24]

Bibliography

Dark Horse

DC Comics

Marvel Comics

War Across Time #1–5 (2023)

Titan Books

Valiant

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Miller . John Jackson. John Jackson Miller. Comics Industry Birthdays . . June 10, 2005 . Iola, Wisconsin . December 12, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110218031356/http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays . February 18, 2011 . dead. mdy-all.
  2. News: Ackerman. Spencer. Legendary Comic Book Writer Paul Levitz Unmasks the Horror Lurking in Brooklyn. 2018-07-17. The Daily Beast. 2024-08-07.
  3. News: Brown. Ruth. Ex-head of DC Comics now tackling the real, bloody history of Brooklyn. 2018-07-19. New York Post. 2024-08-07.
  4. Web site: Dur. Taimur. Paul Levitz makes his Marvel comics writing debut with AVENGERS: WAR ACROSS TIME miniseries this January. 2022-06-16. The Comics Beat. 2024-08-06.
  5. News: DC Comics' Man Upstairs Readjusts His Writer's Cap . George Gene . Gustines . George Gustines . February 7, 2006 . . https://archive.today/20240525170536/https://www.webcitation.org/653rFdprJ?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/07/books/07levi.html%3Fpartner=rssnyt&emc=rss . May 25, 2024 . live . mdy-all . January 29, 2012 .
  6. Web site: Talking Comics With Tim . Tim . O'Shea . September 20, 2010 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20131030093202/http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/09/talking-comics-with-tim-paul-levitz/ . October 30, 2013 . dead. mdy-all.
  7. "Comic-Con International Special Guests," Comic-Con Magazine (Winter 2010), p. 42.
  8. "Dateline: Adventure," Adventure Comics #449 (Jan./Feb. 1977).
  9. Book: Manning, Matthew K. . Dougall . Alastair, ed. . 1970s . Batman: A Visual History . . 2014 . London . 130 . 978-1465424563 . As the decade drew to a close, longtime Batman editor Julius Schwartz finally passed the torch on to Paul Levitz, marking the end of an era..
  10. Ford. Jim. Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. Back Issue!. 61. 55–58. TwoMorrows Publishing. December 2012. Raleigh, North Carolina.
  11. Book: McAvennie, Michael. Dolan. Hannah, ed.. 1970s. DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. 2010. London, United Kingdom. 978-0-7566-6742-9. 177. Only an oversized treasury edition could have contained Superboy and the entire Legion of Super-Heroes' battle with the Time Trapper...and the long-awaited wedding of Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl...Legion favorites Paul Levitz and Mike Grell were up to the enormous challenge with the popular tale 'The Millennium Massacre'..
  12. McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 178: "[Paul Levitz] demonstrated his great affinity for the Legion...when he and artist James Sherman waged "Earthwar".
  13. Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 198 "When [Levitz] wrote "The Great Darkness Saga", a five-issue epic that pitted the Legion against one of the most notorious villains of DC's long history, he and artist Keith Giffen crafted the most famous Legion story of all time and became fast fan favorites."
  14. Book: Daniels, Les. Les Daniels. DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes. The Legion of Super-Heroes Teenagers from Outer Space. Bulfinch Press. 1995. New York, New York. 123. 0821220764.
  15. Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 208: "As DC began to toy with the idea of relaunching some of their more popular titles using high-quality Baxter paper, the Legion of Super-Heroes was an obvious chioice. Utilizing the talents of writer Paul Levitz and artist Keith Giffen...the Legion was off and running in their own new title with a major new storyline...the Legion's other monthly comic changed its moniker to Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes with issue #314."
  16. McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 164: "This sword and sorcery title by scripter Paul Levitz and artist Steve Ditko epitomized the credo 'Be careful what you wish for.' The series' anti-hero was a nameless wanderer whose dreams of becoming a warrior brought him first slavery, then worse."
  17. Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 186: "The second [feature in ''Adventure Comics'' #467] debuted a new version of Starman by writer Paul Levitz and illustrator Steve Ditko."
  18. McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 175: "DC Super-Stars #17 (December 1977) While writer Paul Levitz and artist Joe Staton introduced the Huntress to the JSA in this month's All Star Comics #69, they concurrently shaped her origin in DC Super-Stars."
  19. McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 175: "The genesis of comics' first superhero team...had been a mystery since the JSA's debut...Writer Paul Levitz and artist Joe Staton decided to present the definitive origin story."
  20. Greenberger. Robert. Robert Greenberger. It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time: A Look at the DC Challenge!. Back Issue!. 98. 37–38. TwoMorrows Publishing. August 2017. Raleigh, North Carolina.
  21. News: Warner Bros. Creates DC Entertainment To Maximize DC Brands . Vaneta . Rogers . September 9, 2009 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20130626155002/http://www.newsarama.com/3804-warner-bros-creates-dc-entertainment-to-maximize-dc-brands.html . June 26, 2013 . live. mdy-all.
  22. Web site: Levitz Releases Letter of Resignation, Announced As Adventure Writer. September 9, 2009. Comic Book Resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20130420012019/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22871. April 20, 2013. live. mdy-all.
  23. Web site: Graeme . McMillan . Paul Levitz Returns to the Future With Legion of Super-Heroes . . January 14, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120512050602/http://io9.com/5447430/paul-levitz-returns-to-the-future-with-legion-of-super+heroes . May 12, 2012 . live . mdy-all . January 14, 2010 .
  24. Comics Buyer's Guide #1668, August 2010, page 80
  25. News: Book Shelf 75 Years of DC Comics. George Gene. Gustines. November 18, 2010. The New York Times. https://web.archive.org/web/20120404182525/http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/book-shelf-75-years-of-dc-comics/?scp=1&sq=75%20Years%20of%20DC%20Comics:%20The%20Art%20of%20Modern%20Mythmaking&st=cse. April 4, 2012. live. mdy-all. August 20, 2011.
  26. News: Paul Levitz Explains More About Worlds' Finest, Earth 2 . Vaneta . Rogers . January 13, 2012 . Newsarama . https://web.archive.org/web/20120116093825/http://www.newsarama.com/comics/paul-levitz-worlds-finest-earth-2-120113.html . January 16, 2012 . dead . January 29, 2012 . mdy-all .
  27. Web site: Exclusive: Levitz, Giffen Reunite on Legion of Super-Heroes. Stephen. Gerding. November 9, 2012. Comic Book Resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20121112030002/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=42113. November 12, 2012 . live. mdy-all. January 30, 2013. Arguably the most popular creative team the 31st century has ever seen, Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen are reuniting once again to tell the tales of DC Comics' teenage heroes from the future..
  28. Web site: Keith Giffen Leaves Legion of Superheroes After Two Issues? . Rich . Johnston . Rich Johnston . January 25, 2013 . BleedingCool.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20130407140855/http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/01/25/keith-giffen-leaves-legion-of-superheroes-after-two-issues . April 7, 2013 . live . January 30, 2013 . mdy-all .
  29. Web site: 2016 Eisner Award nominees showcase the year's best comic books. Funk. Matthew. 2016-04-21. SYFY WIRE. en. 2020-02-07.
  30. Web site: REVIEW: Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel. 2016-01-22. ComicMix. en-US. 2020-02-07.
  31. Web site: BOOM! Studios Brings Former DC Comics President Paul Levitz Onto Board Of Directors . Matt D. . Wilson . February 28, 2014 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20160730203637/http://comicsalliance.com/boom-studios-paul-levitz-board-directors-dc-comics-president/ . July 30, 2016 . dead. mdy-all. Boom! Studios announced...that the former DC Publisher and President would be joining its board of directors, where he'll serve as a consultant and adviser for the nine-year-old publisher..
  32. News: What's Inside Action Comics #1000 Hardcover Companion. Chris. Arrant. January 23, 2018. Newsarama. https://web.archive.org/web/20180123202914/https://www.newsarama.com/38292-what-s-inside-action-comics-1000-hardcover-companion.html. January 23, 2018. live. mdy-all.
  33. Web site: Levitz Named to CBLDF Board. September 13, 2004. ICv2.com. June 30, 2020.
  34. Web site: 3 Directors Exit Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Amid Industry Pressure. June 29, 2020. McMillan. Graeme. The Hollywood Reporter. June 30, 2020.
  35. Web site: Levitz . Paul . Today's the end of a year we're all happy to see vanish into infamy . https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/100000547972338/4131116916916533 . 2022-02-26 . limited. Facebook . 2 January 2021.
  36. Web site: Batts. Alan. REVIEW: Marvel's Avengers: War Across Time #1. 2023-01-11. Comic Book Resources. 2024-08-06.
  37. Web site: Terror. Jude. Avengers: War Across Time #5 Preview: Avengers Assemble. 2023-05-02. Bleeding Cool. 2024-08-06.
  38. Web site: Brooke. David. ‘The Avengers: War Across Time’ #1 is a great start to a 60th anniversary celebration. 2023-01-11. AIPT Comics. 2024-08-06.
  39. Web site: O'Brien. Megan. ‘The Avengers: War Across Time’ #2 continues a stellar Avengers story. 2023-02-13. AIPT Comics. 2024-08-06.
  40. Web site: Raguparan. RaguVarman. 9 Biggest Reveals From Avengers: War Across Time (So Far). 2023-03-25. Comic Book Resources. 2024-08-06.
  41. Web site: Comic-Con International's Newest Inkpot Award Winners! . 2013 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20150508040502/http://comic-con.org/toucan/comic-con-internationals-newest-inkpot-award-winners . May 8, 2015 . live. mdy-all.
  42. Web site: DC COMICS Creators and Projects Honored by 2008 Eisner Awards . July 30, 2008. Comic List.
  43. Web site: Your 2013 Harvey Awards Winners. Tom. Spurgeon. Tom Spurgeon. September 8, 2013. The Comics Reporter. https://web.archive.org/web/20140220054704/http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/your_2013_harvey_awards_winners/. February 20, 2014 . live. mdy-all.
  44. Web site: Ed Brubaker, Tom King Shine at 2019 Eisner Awards . 2019 . Publishers Weekly.
  45. News: Cool characters entice kids: Jewish superheroes work wonders in American comics. 1997-01-07. J. The Jewish News of Northern California. 2024-08-07.
  46. Web site: Backstory: Paul Levitz. n.d.. PaulLevitz.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20141223161327/http://paullevitz.com/backstory/. December 23, 2014 . live. mdy-all. October 5, 2015.

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