Cary Burkett
BornCary D. Burkett[1]
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Writer
Notable works
Detective Comics
"Nemesis"
The Warlord
World's Finest Comics

Cary Burkett is an American radio broadcaster and former comic book writer best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Nemesis with artist Dan Spiegle.

Biography

Cary Burkett attended the University of Texas at Austin and earned a BFA degree in theatre. He moved to New York City and performed in Off-Broadway productions and wrote comic books for DC Comics.[2][1] His first credits for DC were writing text articles and responses to readers' letters in the letter columns of various titles. Burkett's first published comic book story was titled "When You Wish Upon A Star" and appeared in House of Mystery #255 (November–December 1977).[3] His best known comics work is the character Nemesis. The character's civilian secret identity of Thomas Tresser was created by Burkett in 1979 and named for an actor with whom he was rooming with in New Hampshire.[4] The character debuted in an eight-page backup story in The Brave and the Bold #166 (September 1980) written by Burkett and drawn by Dan Spiegle. The "Nemesis" feature ran in issues #166 through 192, and the character teamed-up with the Batman in #170 and #193.[5] Another Burkett-created character, the Swashbuckler, debuted in Detective Comics #493 (Aug. 1980) but never appeared again.[6]

In 1983, artist Rich Buckler recruited Burkett to write the Mighty Crusaders title for Archie Comics.[7] That same year saw Burkett begin a two-year run on DC's The Warlord title. He wrote for Marvel Comics as well, scripting an adaptation of the Sheena film and stories for Marvel Team-Up and The Spectacular Spider-Man. Upon finishing his run on The Warlord with issue #99 (November 1985), Burkett left the comics industry.[3]

Following his departure from comics, Burkett relocated to Pennsylvania and became a radio broadcaster for WITF-FM in Harrisburg. He hosted Classical Air, a classical music program.[8] In 2011, he was a poetry reader for the Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College.[9]

Bibliography

Archie Comics

DC Comics

Collected editions[edit]

  • Tales of the Batman: Don Newton includes The Brave and the Bold #153, 156, and Detective Comics #488, 492–493; 360 pages, December 2011, ISBN 1401232949
  • Batgirl: The Bronze Age Omnibus Volume 2 includes Detective Comics #491-499, 501–502, 505–506, 508–510, 512–517; 576 pages, April 2019, ISBN 978-1401288419

Marvel Comics

References

  1. ^ a b Bails, Jerry (2006). "Burkett, Cary". Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  2. ^ "Cary Burkett". Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: WITF-FM. 2013. Archived from the original on January 9, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Cary Burkett at the Grand Comics Database
  4. ^ Isaacs, Deanna (December 23, 2004). "Nemesis vs. Politics as Usual - Gadfly, former actor, and superhero model Tom Tresser is back, calling on the creative class to claim their piece of the pie". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2012. Tom Tresser, the square-jawed, blond comic-book hero, was created in 1979, when Tom Tresser, the meeker, balder actor, was working at the Merrimack Valley Theatre in Manchester, New Hampshire, and rooming with writer Cary Burkett. Burkett got an assignment from DC Comics to create a new character and came up with Nemesis, a master of martial arts and disguise, who needed a daytime alias. Burkett's Tom Tresser became a mild-mannered, Shakespeare-quoting former FBI agent.
  5. ^ Trumbull, John (May 2013). "Nemesis Balancing the Scales". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (64): 69–75.
  6. ^ Franklin, Chris (April 2014). "Swashbuckled and Hornswoggled: The All-Too-Brief Career of the Swashbuckler". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (71): 60–61.
  7. ^ Cobb, Bradley S. (2001). "Cary Burkett Interview". The Mighty Crusaders Network. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  8. ^ Jandecka, J. A. (2003). "Personality Profiles Cary Burkett Airs Out the Dirty Stereotypes". Modeweekly.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  9. ^ "Cary Burkett Poetry Reader: An Introduction to the Moon - Libby Larsen". Gettysburg College. 2011. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.

External links

Preceded byDennis O'Neil "Batman" feature in Detective Comicswriter 1980 Succeeded byMichael Fleisher Preceded byMike W. Barr "Batgirl" feature in Detective Comicswriter 1980–1982 Succeeded byBarbara Kesel Preceded byDennis O'Neil World's Finest Comicswriter 1980–1983 Succeeded byMike W. Barr and Marv Wolfman Preceded byMike Grell and Sharon Wright Grell The Warlordwriter 1983–1985 Succeeded byMichael Fleisher
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