Paul Levitz

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox comics creator Paul Levitz (Template:IPAc-en; born October 21, 1956<ref name="CBG">Template:Cite web</ref>) 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.<ref name=GrandThompson>Template:CitationTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His father was a clerk for an industrial hardware store, and his mother was a bookkeeper. He was an avid reader as a child,<ref name=GrandThompson/> and read the works of writers including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Ed McBain.<ref name=NYP>Template:Cite news</ref> 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,<ref name=GrandThompson/> but cited Marvel Comics' Avengers as a strong influence on his writing.<ref name=MarvDeb>Template:Cite web</ref>

He attended Stuyvesant High School,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=CBRTim>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>"Comic-Con International Special Guests," Comic-Con Magazine (Winter 2010), p. 42.</ref> One of Levitz's teachers, Frank McCourt,<ref name=CBRTim/> was impressed enough with Levitz's work that he arranged for Levitz to appear on McCourt's brother Malachy's radio show.Template:Fact

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.<ref name="MidtownInterview">Template:Citation</ref>

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.<ref>"Dateline: Adventure," Adventure Comics #449 (Jan./Feb. 1977).</ref> In 1978, he succeeded Julius Schwartz as the editor of the Batman line of comics.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Levitz and artists James Sherman and Joe Staton worked on "Earthwar", a five-issue storyline in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #241–245 (July–Nov. 1978).<ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 178: "[Paul Levitz] demonstrated his great affinity for the Legion...when he and artist James Sherman waged "Earthwar".</ref> 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.<ref>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."</ref> 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."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In August 1984, Levitz and Giffen launched a new Legion of Super-Heroes series.<ref>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."</ref>

With artist Steve Ditko, Levitz co-created the characters Stalker and the Prince Gavyn version of Starman.<ref>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."</ref><ref>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."</ref> 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.<ref>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."</ref> He and Staton provided the JSA with an origin story in DC Special #29.<ref>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."</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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 saw during Jim Shooter's tenure at Marvel and his desire to stay connected to the publishing arm of DC which he had help create.<ref name=GrandThompson/> 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,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and become the writer of both Adventure Comics vol. 2 and Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Levitz mentioned in an August 2010 interview that he was working on "[his] first genuine book."<ref name=CBG1668>Comics Buyer's Guide #1668, August 2010, page 80</ref> His 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking (Template:ISBN) was published by Taschen America, LLC, in November 2010.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In addition to Legion of Super-Heroes, Levitz wrote the Worlds' Finest series, which was initially drawn by George Pérez and Kevin Maguire.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Levitz and Keith Giffen collaborated on the Legion of Super-Heroes issues #17 and 18 in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.” <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He joined the board of directors of Boom! Studios in February 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He retired from the board in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Three men seated onstage, flanked by Superman material
The Library of Congress hosting a discussion with Dan Jurgens and Levitz for Superman's 80th anniversary and the 1,000th issue of Action Comics.

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.”<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

From January<ref name=MarvDeb/><ref name=Across1>Template:Cite web</ref> to May 2023, the 5-issue miniseries Avengers: War Across Time, which Levitz wrote, was published.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It his first work for Marvel Comics,<ref name=MarvDeb/> and received positive reviews.<ref name=Across1/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards

Levitz received an Inkpot Award at San Diego Comic-Con in 2002,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award at San Diego Comic-Con in 2008,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the "Dick Giordano Hero Initiative Humanitarian of the Year Award" in September 2013 at the Baltimore Comic-Con.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was inducted into The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2019 at San Diego Comic-Con.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Levitz is Jewish.<ref name=NYP/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Levitz has three children: Nicole, a public health executive; Philip, a lawyer; and Garret, who works in the entertainment industry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name=CBG1668/>

Bibliography

Dark Horse

  • Unfinished Business OGN (2021)

DC Comics

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Marvel Comics

Titan Books

  • Icons: The DC Comics and WildStorm Art of Jim Lee (exclusive Legion of Superheroes story) (2010)

Valiant

  • Visitor #1–6 (2019–2021)

See also

References

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