JimShooter.com – Page 18 – Writer. Creator. Large mammal.

The Secret Parts of the Origin of G.I. JOE

On July 6, 2011

(NOTE: “Righting the Ship” will start tomorrow. Here, now, by popular demand is some secret and not so secret intelligence on the origin of G.I. JOE.)Marvel’s involvement with G.I. JOE started in a men’s room.Marvel President Jim Galton and Hasbro CEO Stephen Hassenfeld met at a charity fundraiser in the men’s room, or so Galton told me.

They had a conversation that presumably continued beyond their coincidental visit to the comfort station. Galton talked about Marvel. Hassenfeld talked about Hasbro. And, in particular, Hassenfeld mentioned that Hasbro was planning to reactivate the G.I. JOE trademark. And that they were having difficulty coming up with the underlying conceit. Who is this guy, what does he do and why does he do it?

Galton pitched Marvel’s creative services. Raved to Hassenfeld about the creative prowess of my troops and me. And sold him on the idea of letting Marvel take a crack at developing a concept for G.I. JOE.

Roy Thomas Saved Marvel

By Jim Shooter

On July 5, 2011

In 03 Marvel Comics

As previously mentioned, Marvel was a mess throughout the mid-1970’s and during my two years as “associate editor,” from the beginning of 1976 through the end of 1977. Almost every book was late. There were unscheduled reprints and fill-ins, and we still just plain missed issues here and there. Many books, despite my best efforts to shore up the bottom were unreadable. Not merely bad. Unreadable. Almost all were less than they ought to be.

There were a few exceptions. Roy’s color Conan and B&W Savage Sword. Master of Kung Fu by Moench and Gulacy. Wolfman’s Tomb of Dracula, with Gene Colan and Tom Palmer art. Those were good books. Len’s Fantastic Four, I think, was enjoyable, too. A couple of others, maybe.

A few books had parts that were great and things not so great about them that crippled them.

We can debate the above at length….

However, what can’t be debated is that sales were bad and falling. It was almost all newsstand sales then, by the way. This was before the Direct Market was a significant factor. The comics overall were breakeven at best. Upstairs, the cheesy non-comics magazine department was losing millions. It seemed like the company as a whole was in a death spiral.

The Debut of the Dazzler

By Jim Shooter

On July 4, 2011

In 03 Marvel Comics, 05 Secret Origins

JayJay here. Oops… I left the whole bunch at the end of the story off when I first posted it. So if you read this before… please read the end. Sorry!

Wikipedia has much of it wrong….

Sometime in early 1979, Marvel’s in-house counsel and V.P. of business affairs Alice Donenfeld proposed that we create a super-heroine/singer character. She was hoping to set up a joint venture with a record company—we’d produce comics featuring the character and they’d produce and market music using studio musicians, as was done with the Archies.

Disco was big at the time. Virtually every bar with a dance floor played disco, from upscale nightclubs like the Ice Palace and Studio 54, to dance halls like the one seen in Saturday Night Fever to local joints.

I assigned Tom DeFalco and John Romita, Jr. to take a shot at creating the character. In my initial discussions with them, I believe, we came up with the notion of giving her light powers, and therefore, being able to provide her own light show. Hence the “Dazzler” part of the name “Disco Dazzler.” I don’t remember who came up with which parts of the above. I was the one who came up with the energy-transmutation rationale to explain her powers.

Miscellany

By Jim Shooter

On July 1, 2011

In 12 From Storage

I came across a few miscellaneous pictures….

Visiting the family home in suburban Pittsburgh around my birthday, 1985. I’m the taller one. My sister Carol hooked that rug hanging on the wall.
(JayJay here – He’s 6′ 7 1/2″ in case you’re wondering.)

The Secret Origin of Jim Shooter, Editor in Chief – Part 4

By Jim Shooter

On June 30, 2011

In 03 Marvel Comics, 05 Secret Origins

The Guild and Ditko’s Declaration

Now, I know what you’re thinking…. That Jim Shooter was the champion of Work Made for Hire.

Nah.

I had been on the creator side of the desk too long before the Editor in Chief gig. I was the champion of Best Deal Possible for all creators. If I’d had my way, I would have made Marvel Comic Book Creator Heaven in a heartbeat.

However, I knew that the likelihood of my being able to totally revolutionize and restructure Marvel’s business relationship with its artists and writers during my first few months in office was zero. I knew that it wasn’t bloody likely that any time soon, or maybe ever, that Marvel and the industry in general would give up Work Made for Hire (W4H) and move to an Independent Contractor status for creators, buying specified rights for specified periods.

No way, no how.

The Secret Origin of Jim Shooter, Editor in Chief – Part 3

By Jim Shooter

On June 29, 2011

In 03 Marvel Comics, 05 Secret Origins

Apocalypse Now

On my first official day as Editor in Chief, Tuesday, January 3rd, 1978, I arrived at the office extra early. Normal for me was between seven and eight AM. I think I was in my chair behind my desk at five. And I had a one hour commute in those days.

I had worked all weekend editing scripts and plots and still had more to go. There wasn’t anyone to replace me as associate editor, so for the time being, I had to do my old job as well as my new one.

Shortly after nine, my phone rang. The caller identified herself as Alice Donenfeld, our in-house counsel and V.P. of Business Affairs. I hadn’t had much to do with the brass upstairs previously, so I was aware only from the interoffice phone list that there was such a person.

Alice confirmed that she had the right extension, that she was talking to the EIC, and said, “What have you done about the Copyright Law of 1976?”

Me: “What?”

Ten More Comics’ Creators’ Quips and Quotes

By Jim Shooter

On June 28, 2011

In 09 Reminiscences and Tributes

1. Julius Schwartz explaining his self-inflicted nickname: “They call me ‘B.O. Schwartz.’ B.O. for ‘Be Original.”

2. Artist Paris Cullens one late night at VALIANT when we were ordering burgers, regarding his life-long love affair with cheese: “I’d eat a baby’s butt if it had cheese on it.”

3. Marvel Production Manager Danny Crespi to peripatetic production staffer John “Squid” Morelli: “Squid-o, I’m going to glue you to your chair.”

4. Big poster on Larry Hama’s door: “DOGMA IS.”

5. Marvel Photostat Operator and comedic genius Stu Schwartzberg: “I’m ripping the company off. Every time someone asks for a 90% stat I give them an 89% stat and pocket the difference.”

6. Marvel Publisher Mike Hobson, when things got out of hand (every day): “For the love of God, man, throw me a rope!”

I have often borrowed that line….

Gene Colan

By Jim Shooter

On June 27, 2011

In 09 Reminiscences and Tributes, Uncategorized

On Friday, I found out that Gene Colan had passed away.

Gene was a great artist and a fine man. He will ever remain an honored and revered giant of our industry. I had the privilege once of visiting his home and seeing some of the non-comics art and illustrations he created hanging here and there. Beautiful. Masterful. Breathtaking. Our little business is far poorer for his absence and the wide world has lost far more than it will ever know.

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Please stop by again later today for another post. The Origin series will continue tomorrow.

An Answer to a Comment

By Jim Shooter

On June 25, 2011

In 10 Questions / Answers

JayJay here. Jim wrote the following in response to a comment from yesterday, but I wanted to post it here since it applies to more than just that specific comment.

Jeff wrote:
“For over 30 years, I have read numerous “Jim Shooter screwed me” stories in various interviews from, usually, The Comics Journal, plus other fanzines of the day…”

Jim answered:
“…numerous “Jim Shooter screwed me” stories….

I’ve read a few such interviews and been told about others. I’m always interested in exactly what constituted the screwing. Did I steal their money? Sleep with their wives? Give their kids drugs? What was the crime?

Other than a few over-the-top examples, notably the Doug Moench interview in which he accused me of being responsible for Gene Day’s death, as far as I can tell, these are generally the crimes alleged:

1) I gave the creator in question direction. That is, I told him or her what to do, or refused to allow something he or she wanted to do.

2) I wasn’t warm and fuzzy enough. I didn’t sugar coat things enough. I was “mean.”

The Secret Origin of Jim Shooter, Editor in Chief – Part 2

By Jim Shooter

On June 24, 2011

In 03 Marvel Comics, 05 Secret Origins

The Plotting Thickens the Plot

First, some backfill:

I mentioned that, in a comic book I wrote that Stan went over with me, he asked, “What idiot wrote this line?” It was an issue of Ghost Rider. Gerry Conway plotted it, was supposed to write the dialogue, failed to deliver, and so Archie asked me to write the dialogue. I wrote it literally overnight.

When I say overnight, I mean it. Worked all day at the office. Worked late. Grabbed some food quick. Arrived home to my little apartment in Queens around 9 PM. Stayed up all night writing dialogue, no sleep. Showered, shaved, dressed and subway-ed it to work on time. Delivered the item to John Verpoorten. Worked all day….

That issue was probably crap, but, hey, it was kind of a dumb story to begin with. I think the villain was the “Water Wizard.” Yeesh. There’s only so much one can do with the dialogue to redeem a story with the Water Wizard in it.