Jim Shooter

Jim Shooter was born on September 27, 1951 and passed away on June 30, 2025. He is best down as the Editor-in-Chief at Marvel Comics.

Jim's interest in comics began in the hospital at age 12 when he had a lot of time on his hands following a minor surgery. He immediately took a liking to Marvel Comics, which had begun publication only two years earlier. He thought that if he learned to write the types of stories that Marvel published, he would be an asset to DC Comics, who he felt were slightly behind. He spent about a year reading and studying comics from both companies. At age 13, he wrote and drew comics featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes and sent them to DC Comics. The next year, Mort Weisinger, an editor at DC Comics, called Jim and said he wanted to purchase the stories he'd sent and commissioned him to write Supergirl and Superman comics.

Eventually, this led to a full time position, and at age 14, Jim worked for Legion. He was involved on Karate Kid, Ferro Lad, Princess Projectra, and the Fatal Five. He also created the Superman villain Parasite.

In 1969, Jim got into New York University and attended briefly, but simultaneously got a job at Marvel. He found he was unable to juggle all three commitments: school, Marvel, and DC, and decided to quit school and DC Comics. He worked at Marvel for just three weeks after being unable to afford living in New York.

He returned to Pittsburgh, where he grew up, and did a bunch of odd jobs before applying again to marvel and DC. He received offers from both and ultimately landed back at DC, as he was offered the chance to write Superman and The Legion of Super-Heroes.

In 1975, Marvel editor-in-chief Marv Wolfman offered Jim an editorial position. By 1978, he was Editor-in-Chief. During his nine-year tenure in this position, he oversaw Chris Claremont and John Byrne's run on the Uncanny X-Men, Byrne's work on Fantastic Four, Frank Miller's series of Daredevil stories, Walt Simonson's crafting of Norse mythology with the Marvel Universe in Thor, and Roger Stern's runs on both Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man.

After his time at Marvel, he founded a new company: Voyager Communications, which was unde rthe Valiant Comics umbrella. In 1993, he founded Defiant Comics, but this brand failed to secure an audience and went out of business about a year later. In 1995, he founded Broadway Comics, but its parent company, Broadway Videos, sold the properties to Golden Books.

In the early 200s, Jim worked for a number of different companies writing comics, including Illustrated Media, DC Comics, Valiant Entertainment, and Dark Horse Comics. In his later years, he worked as consulting editor and freelance writer for custom comics company Illustrated Media.

Jim Shooter was born on September 27, 1951 and passed away on June 30, 2025. He is best down as the Editor-in-Chief at Marvel Comics. Jim's interest in comics began in the hospital at age 12 when he had a lot of time on his hands following a minor surgery. He immediately took a liking to Marvel Comics, which had begun publication only two years earlier. He thought that if he learned to write the types of stories that Marvel published, he would be an asset to DC Comics, who he felt were slightly behind. He spent about a year reading and studying comics from both companies. At age 13, he wrote and drew comics featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes and sent them to DC Comics. The next year, Mort Weisinger, an editor at DC Comics, called Jim and said he wanted to purchase the stories he'd sent and commissioned him to write Supergirl and Superman comics. Eventually, this led to a full time position, and at age 14, Jim worked for Legion. He was involved on Karate Kid, Ferro Lad, Princess Projectra, and the Fatal Five. He also created the Superman villain Parasite. In 1969, Jim got into New York University and attended briefly, but simultaneously got a job at Marvel. He found he was unable to juggle all three commitments: school, Marvel, and DC, and decided to quit school and DC Comics. He worked at Marvel for just three weeks after being unable to afford living in New York. He returned to Pittsburgh, where he grew up, and did a bunch of odd jobs before applying again to marvel and DC. He received offers from both and ultimately landed back at DC, as he was offered the chance to write Superman and The Legion of Super-Heroes. In 1975, Marvel editor-in-chief Marv Wolfman offered Jim an editorial position. By 1978, he was Editor-in-Chief. During his nine-year tenure in this position, he oversaw Chris Claremont and John Byrne's run on the Uncanny X-Men, Byrne's work on Fantastic Four, Frank Miller's series of Daredevil stories, Walt Simonson's crafting of Norse mythology with the Marvel Universe in Thor, and Roger Stern's runs on both Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man. After his time at Marvel, he founded a new company: Voyager Communications, which was unde rthe Valiant Comics umbrella. In 1993, he founded Defiant Comics, but this brand failed to secure an audience and went out of business about a year later. In 1995, he founded Broadway Comics, but its parent company, Broadway Videos, sold the properties to Golden Books. In the early 200s, Jim worked for a number of different companies writing comics, including Illustrated Media, DC Comics, Valiant Entertainment, and Dark Horse Comics. In his later years, he worked as consulting editor and freelance writer for custom comics company Illustrated Media.

More at : PoPPro >>