The Ultimate Superheroines Forum

Just found out legendary Comic artist, writer, and editor Jim Shooter passed away yesterday at the age of 73. Mr. Shooter led Marvel thru the roaring 80s. His legacy is bizarre if not complicated. But many artists said he was a complicated man. He revolutionized Marvel. Much of the success that marvel enjoys today can be traced back to Jim's work. He laid the foundation for what would be future successes at Marvel. His Secret Wars series is nothing short of remarkable. He made sure comics were published on time and fought for royalties and health insurance for his artists. Some said he returned some oversight and much needed discipline at Marvel. But he was a hard driver and sometimes a micro-manager that alienated talent, such as driving Frank Miller to DC not once but twice. In 1987 he was fired from Marvel as Editor. He then went on to create his own Comic Companies with varying degree of success'. Below is a quote from Paul Levitz, the former president of DC Comics who worked as a comics author and editor in the 1970s and ’80s.

"Jim was an excellent superhero writer, a character creator, an editor with an eagle eye and a man who gave his all to what he did. 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."

I had the pleasure of meeting Jim a few times throughout the years at various Comic Conventions. Most recently this past April at Super Jersey Comic Expo. He always enjoyed interacting with the fans and talking about his storied career.

RIP Jim

Sad news. Shooter was a talented writer and editor, at his best one of the best that ever did it.

He was particularly good at writing big crossover events. He wrote Secret Wars, which is currently being adapted into the next phase of Avengers movies. It still holds up to this day.

He did have a habit of coming in hot with a big idea, doing something great, and then getting fired anyway because he was like a bull in a china shop.

Still, he definitely made the comics industry interesting.

RIP Jim Shooter

I was able to meet Jim Shooter at Terrificon 2023 in Connecticut, by waiting patiently after being told he would have time during the last 15 minutes of his day. I gave him the three issues of Heroineburgh Comics that we had out at the time, and then he and I reminisced about the state of comic book shops in Pittsburgh in the 1970s. He told me about a shop I was unaware of from the mid-1970s where the female owner deliberately put her shop's stamp on all of the books she sold, making them technically worthless for resale at the time. But now, decades later, apparently these comics she sold are sought after for being so unique for having that special rare stamp! (Sorry, I can't remember the name of the store.)

Later on at Hershey Con 2024, I got a chance to meet him again and have him sign a handful of 1980s New Universe titles. For those who weren't aware, Shooter was from Pittsburgh, and when he was fired from Marvel, John Byrne took the liberty to destroy Pittsburgh with the Star Brand (in the famous story called "The Pitt") just to stick it to the former editor. Shooter seemed to me to have a good-natured attitude about it, though.

RIP the greatest Pittsburgh contributor to the comic book industry!
(Technically, our cover artist Jason Wright might come in third or fourth on such a list)