Jack Schiff | |
---|---|
Born | 1909 |
Died | April 30, 1999 (aged 89) |
Nationality | American |
Area(s) | Writer, editor |
Notable works | Batman Detective Comics |
Jack Schiff (1909[1] – April 30, 1999)[2] was an American comic book writer and editor best known for his work editing various Batman comic book series for DC Comics from 1942 to 1964. He was the co-creator of Starman, Tommy Tomorrow, and the Wyoming Kid.
Jack Schiff entered the comics industry after attending Cornell University.[1] At DC Comics, he co-created the original Starman with artist Jack Burnley and editors Whitney Ellsworth, Murray Boltinoff, Mort Weisinger, and Bernie Breslauer[3] in Adventure Comics #61 (April 1941). DC hired Schiff as an editor in 1942 and he oversaw the various Batman and Superman comic book titles[4] after Weisinger was drafted into military service during World War II.[5][6] He wrote the story "Case of the Costume-Clad Killers" in Detective Comics #60 (Feb. 1942) which introduced the Bat-Signal into the Batman mythos.[7] In addition, he edited and wrote the Batman comic strip for the McClure Newspaper Syndicate[1] and wrote The Vigilante (1947) and Batman and Robin (1949) serials for Columbia Pictures.[1] He developed a series of public service announcements which ran throughout DC's entire publishing line[8] from 1949 to the mid–1960s[9] and scripted the "Johnny Everyman" feature which had been created by Nobel Prize laureate Pearl S. Buck.[10] He launched comic book titles which were licensed from the popular radio programs A Date with Judy,[11] Gang Busters,[12] and Mr. District Attorney[13] and co-created new characters such as Tommy Tomorrow[14][15] and the Wyoming Kid.[16] His introduction of science fiction concepts into the Batman stories met with mixed results.[17][18] In 1958, he became involved in a legal dispute with artist Jack Kirby over the "Sky Masters" newspaper comic strip and Schiff won the resulting lawsuit.[19] The following year, he and Dick Dillin created Lady Blackhawk in Blackhawk #133 (Feb. 1959).[20] DC's upper management removed Schiff as editor of Batman and Detective Comics due to low sales and replaced him with Julius Schwartz in 1964.[21][22] Mystery in Space and Strange Adventures were given to Schiff as replacements to edit.[4][23] He retired from DC after 25 years with the company[1] and his final editing credit appeared in Strange Adventures #203 (Aug. 1967).[4]
Jack Schiff received citations and commendations from such organizations as the Anti-Defamation League (1948), the National Conference of Christians and Jews (1953), the United States Office of War Information (1945), and the United States Department of the Treasury (1945).[1]