Top 10 DC Comics Writers, and why?

[Jcogginsa]

What are your top ten DC comics Writers, and why do you rate them so highly?

Note: For the purposes of this threat, please only take into consideration the material that they wrote for DC, and not work they wrote for other companies or independently.

[Lindsey]

My top 10, listed in no particular order, with what I feel is their best work for DC

James Robinson - Starman
Neil Gaiman - Sandman
Mark Waid - The Flash
Gail Simone - Birds of Prey
Alan Grant - The Demon
Peter David - Supergirl
Bill Willingham - Fables
Mike Grell - Green Arrow
Grant Morrison - All Star Superman
Geoff Johns - The Flash

Honorable mention:

John Ostrander - The Spectre

[caj]

Steve Englehart - Justice League of America
Paul Levitz - Legion of Super Heroes (80s run)
Keith Giffen - Justice League International / L.E.G.I.O.N. '89
Roy Thomas - All Star Squadron
Jeph Loeb - The Long Halloween
Marv Wolfman - New Teen Titans
David Goyer - JSA
Chuck Dixon - Nightwing / Birds of Prey
Dan Jurgens - Superman books (90s run)
Mark Waid - Flash / Kingdom Come

[K7P5V]

1. Keith Giffen - Formerly Known as the Justice League
2. J.M. DeMatteis - Speeding Bullets
3. Mike W. Barr - Son of the Demon
4. Marv Wolfman - Teen Titans
5. Chuck Dixon - Nightwing
6. Jeph Loeb - Superman
7. Jack Kirby - The Fourth World Trilogy
8. Dave Gibbons - World's Finest
9. Alan Moore - Superman
10. Frank Miller - DKR/Batman:Year One/DKSA

Honorable Mentions:
11. Jerry Ordway - The Power of SHAZAM!
12. Arnold Drake - My Greatest Adventure/Doom Patrol

[Jekyll]

Hmmmm this will be tough.

1.James Robinson- Starman
2. Mark Waid- The Flash (Wally)
3. Geoff Johns- JSA
4. Gardner Fox- The Flash (Jay)
5. John Broome- The Flash (Barry)
6. Jan Strand- Sword of The Atom
7. Dan Jurgens- Teen Titans
8.Jerry Ordway- Power of Shazam!
9. Mike Grell- Green Arrow
10. Grant Morrison- Batman & Robin

[Denirac]

10. Frank Miller
9. Alan Moore
8. Marv Wolfman
7. Jack Kirby
6. Dennis O’Neil
5. Chuck Dixon
4. Geoff Johns
3. Grant Morrison
2. Dan Jurgens
1. Mark Waid

[Jim Kelly]

No one seems to have answered the “and why?” in the topic. The following isn’t my favourites list, rather it’s a list of the top ten DC writers according to what they contributed to the company. They have all passed on and if this was more than a top ten list, I could include some newer writers. But these fellows have priority as they built what is DC today. Also keep in mind there are a lot of artists and editors who helped, but I tried to stick to just the writing end of things as per the topic.

1. Jerry Siegel (October 17, 1914 – January 28, 1996)
2. Bill Finger ((February 8, 1914 – January 18, 1974)
3. Gardner Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986)
4. Bob Kanigher (June 18, 1915 – May 7, 2002)
5. John Broome (May 4, 1913 – March 14, 1999)
6. Sheldon Mayer (April 1, 1917 – December 21, 1991)
7. Otto Binder (August 26, 1911 – October 13, 1974)
8. Jack Kirby (August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994)
9. Joe Simon (October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011)
10. William Moulton Marston (May 9, 1893 – May 2, 1947)

Why:

1. Jerry Siegel.

DC Creations: Henri Duval, Dr. Occult, Federal Men, Bart Regan (Spy), Radio Squad, Slam Bradley, Superman, Lois Lane, Metropolis, Krypton, Ultra-Humanite, Luthor, Mr. Mxyztplk, Red, White & Blue, the Spectre, the Star-Spangled Kid & Stripesy, Seven Soldiers of Victory (first story with Mort Weisinger), Robotman, Superboy (legally distinguished from Superman but Clark as a boy), Bizarro World, Lyla Lerrol, Sally Selwyn, Legionnaires--Sun Boy, Triplicate Girl, Brainiac 5, Shrinking Violet, Bouncing Boy, Phantom Girl, Ultra Boy, Matter Eater Lad, Invisible Kid, Colossal Boy, Chameleon Boy--also Computo, Lightning Lord, Cosmic King, Saturn Queen.

Of course, everyone knows that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman, but before their Superman was finally published, the two had been working for Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson’s National Allied (what became DC) since soon after the publisher started up in 1935. With Joe, Jerry created several characters, but even after the success of Superman Siegel went on to create (with various other artists) many more characters for DC. After Siegel and Shuster left DC in 1947, Jerry worked for a number of publishers before returning to DC and Superman again in 1957 until he was once more forced to leave in 1966.

If he had just created Superman, that would be enough to put Jerry Siegel among the top most important writers for DC, but his other creations support his position at the top of the top. And I can say for certain that Jerry was always one of my favourite writers, because a lot of the comics he wrote were uncredited, so I had no idea whose work I was reading and yet I loved these stories (from DC and from Archie, where he worked on the Mighty Crusaders). It was only decades later that I discovered who had written them--Jerry Siegel, “King of the Comic Books.”

2. Bill Finger.

DC Creations: Rusty and His Pals, Batman, Commissioner Gordon, Gotham City, Hugo Strange, Robin, Clayface, the Batmobile, the Batcave, the Joker, Catwoman, the Penguin, Two-Face, the Riddler, Clip Carson, Green Lantern, Wildcat, Little Boy Blue, Killer Moth, Ace the Bat-Hound, Robin Hood (THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD version), Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris, Bat-Mite, Bat-Girl (Betty Kane), Clayface II.

Born Milton Finger, Bill attended the same school as Robert Kahn aka Bob Kane, DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, later attended by Will Eisner and Stan Lee. And it was thanks to Bill living close to Bob Kane and being on friendly terms with him that Finger got his break in comics, writing as a ghost on Bob Kane’s features, before finally Kane admitted to editor Vin Sullivan that Bill Finger was helping him out. After that Finger got more work at DC on other features and would create several characters for the company.

Bill had a keen attention to detail, maintaining idea files for his stories, along with reference files so the artists could capture what he imagined--although he was a notorious procrastinator. Finger became an important Superman family writer, as well, adding some significant tales to the mythology. And he was a frequent contributor to the DC war anthologies in the 1950s. Nor without him would there be a Green Lantern or a Wildcat. But it is his Batman for which he should be remembered, working in the shadows for nearly three decades, creating all of those elements that made Batman the World’s Greatest Detective.

3. Gardner Fox.

DC Creations: The Sandman, Cotton Carver, Cliff Cornwall, the Flash, Hawkman, the King, Hourman, Doctor Fate, Starman (with Jack Schiff), the Justice Society of America, the Gay Ghost, Space Ranger (with Edmond Hamilton), Adam Strange, Matt Savage Trail Boss, the Justice League of America, Snapper Carr, Hawkman (Katar Hol), the Atom (Ray Palmer), the Star Rovers, Earth-Two and Earth-Three, Zatanna, Blockbuster, the Cluemaster, Batgirl (Barbara Gordon).

Fox was a trained lawyer, but with the Great Depression he was in need of work and a friend from school, Vin Sullivan, happened to be an editor at DC who threw opportunity Gardner’s way. He had always loved fantasy novels, so Fox took to the new medium with ease, quickly becoming one of the most prolific writers in comics and handling a wide range of characters--both those created by others before him (like Batman and Zatara) and those of his own. And at the same time, Gardner Fox wrote several pulp novels under various pen names.

Fox was a frequent contributor to DC western anthologies and science fiction anthologies. His early Batman stories introduced the Baterang (sic), Bat-gyro and Julie Madison and Gardner returned to write many of the “New Look” Batman stories in the 1960s, as well as most of the Elongated Man back-up stories in DETECTIVE COMICS. And his long service to both the Justice Society and the Justice League and their members made him DC’s architect of the “Golden Age” and the “Silver Age.”

(to be continued)

[Jim Kelly]

4. Bob Kanigher.

DC Creations: Black Canary, Johnny Thunder (the western hero), Dr. Pat, Lady Danger, the Thorn, the Harlequin, the Gentleman Ghost, the Icicle, Streak the Wonder Dog, Rex the Wonder Dog, King Faraday, Knights of the Galaxy, Trigger Twins, Viking Prince, Silent Knight, the Flash (Barry Allen, also Iris West, with John Broome), Gunner & Sarge, Sgt. Rock & Easy Company (with Bob Haney), Suicide Squad, Johnny Cloud, the Haunted Tank, the War that Time Forgot, Sea Devils, Mademoiselle Marie, the Metal Men, Captain Storm, Enemy Ace, Amy Ames, the Fighting Devil Dog, Balloon Buster, Lt. Hunter’s Hellcats, Death-Man, Poison Ivy, the Eraser, the Losers (Capt. Storm, Johnny Cloud, Gunner & Sarge), the 100, Rose & the Thorn, Outlaw, El Diablo, Hawk Son of Tomahawk, Captain Fear, Rima the Jungle Girl (adapted from GREEN MANSIONS by W.H. Hudson), Lady Cop, Viking Commando, Ragman.

Kanigher spent most of his career working for DC, from the 1940s thru the 1980s, only occasionally doing work for Archie or Marvel. And while he was an editor, sharing an office with Julius Schwartz, he was one of the most prolific writers in the business, writing not just for the titles he edited but for other editors’ titles. He’s closely associated with Wonder Woman (introducing her adventures as Wonder Girl and Wonder Tot), the DC war anthologies and the DC romance anthologies, but he wrote every kind of comic.

In the 1940s, he wrote all the big name heroes on the All-American side of the company--Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Johnny Thunder. And despite being something of a sexist from the old school, yet Kanigher created some of the most memorable women, both heroes and villains (and sometimes a little of both). I don't think there's any writer that I so both love and hate, sometimes for the same story. Kanigher was a beast, but an amazing beast.

5. John Broome.

DC Creations: Captain Comet, Detective Chimp, the Phantom Stranger, the Flash (Barry Allen and Iris West, with Bob Kanigher), the Elongated Man (Ralph and Sue Dibny), Kid Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians of the Universe, Star Sapphire (Carol Ferris), Star Hawkins, Gorilla Grodd, Captain Cold, Heatwave, the Trickster, Captain Boomerang, Sinestro, the Weaponers of Qward, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, Professor Zoom (Eobard Thawne), Abra-Kadabra, Gardner Grayle & the Atomic Knights, Guy Gardner.

Born Irving Broome, the writer started working for a few comics publishers in the late 1930s, but his main pursuit was science fiction stories which he sold to the pulps through his literary agent, Julius Schwartz. When Schwartz came to work at the All-American side of DC in 1944, he brought in a lot of the science fiction writers that had been his clients and got them to write for the comics. John Broome being one of Julie’s newly enlisted writers and one of his most faithful, as from then on Broome seemed to write for no other publisher but DC, up until the day he left comic books in 1970, and almost exclusively for Julius Schwartz.

Only rarely did John write for other DC editors, most notably for Bob Kanigher when Broome wrote and created (with artist Carmine Infantino) Detective Chimp as a back-up feature for THE ADVENTURES OF REX THE WONDER DOG. As went Schwartz, so went Broome, from super-heroes (writing the Justice Society) to western heroes to science fiction to mystery and back to super-heroes. He was the primary writer for reviving DC heroes and he even helped revive Batman, with the “New Look,” starting in DETECTIVE COMICS 327 (May 1964).

Gradually through the 1960s, Broome cut down on his output as he spent a good deal of his time abroad in Europe and eventually in Japan, with his final published new story being in GREEN LANTERN 75 (March 1970), on sale January 13, 1970.

6. Sheldon Mayer.

DC Creations: J. Worthington Blimp, Mr. Weed, Scribbly, the Red Tornado, Popsicle Pete, J. Rufus Lion, the 3 Mouseketeers, Leave it to Binky, McSnurtle the Turtle, Doodles Duck, Sugar & Spike, Bernie the Brain, the Black Orchid.

Already working as a writer by the age of 16, Shelley got a job at the Fleischer Studios, before coming to work for Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson’s National Allied (what would become DC) in 1935. Shortly thereafter he was working with M.C. Gaines at the McClure Syndicate and also providing content for Dell comics--where he created Scribbly. In 1939, he went with Gaines to start up All-American Comics, where he was the editor for all their comics. All-American had a distribution deal with part-owner Jack Liebowitz, who also had a share in National Allied/Detective Comics Inc. Mayer also was instrumental in getting DC to publish Superman, having already seen Siegel & Shuster’s strip when they were trying to sell it to McClure.

Mayer brought Scribbly with him and soon Ma Hunkel was dressing up as the Red Tornado, to copy all the super-heroes in her midst. This feature was often semi-autobiographical about a young cartoonist and anticipated the idiosyncratic work of future underground and independent comics creators. Given that Mayer was busy an editor, a lot of his contributions were behind the scenes, developing characters with other writers and artists. Nevetheless, his contributions were important. Once he left editing in the late 1940s, Mayer devoted himself to writing and drawing many of DC’s humour features like Binky and the Three Mouseketeers.

With Sugar & Spike, Mayer made a deal with DC that only he could write and draw them--which he did from 1956 to 1971 (98 issues). He had to give it up when his eyesight failed him. Nevertheless, Shelley continued to write for DC, including writing the tabloid sized Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and DC’s adaptation of the Bible, before surgery restored his sight and he was able to go back to drawing again. After that he produced several more Sugar & Spike adventures, but mainly for the overseas market--only a few of these stories were published by DC for domestic consumers.

(to be continued)

[Jim Kelly]

7. Otto Binder.

DC Creations: Merry Girl of a Thousand Gimmicks, Krypto the Superdog, the Legion of Super-Heroes (including Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, Star Boy), Bizarro Superboy, Space Cabbie, Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Brainiac, Kandor, Titano the Super-Ape, Beppo the Super-Monkey, Comet the Super-Horse, Lucy Lane, the Phantom Zone, Sylvia DeWitt, Van-Zee, Zha-Vam.

Binder, a science fiction writer and friend of Julie Schwartz and Mort Weisinger, started out in comics doing work for Archie, Timely and Quality but mostly for Fawcett, where he became the leading writer of the Marvel Family. However, by the late 1940s he began working for DC, creating Merry Girl of a Thousand Gimmicks, and for a time in the early 1950s Binder’s output was divided evenly between Fawcett and DC. For DC he also produced features like Tommy Tomorrow, Captain Compass, Green Arrow, Aquaman and Robotman, before stepping into writing the Superman family.

Otto was a significant force on SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN and the Superboy feature in ADVENTURE COMICS, as well as the SUPERBOY title. Which led Binder to create Krypto, the Legion of Super-Heroes--plus Binder did the first Bizarro story in SUPERBOY 68 (although Alvin Schwartz introduced the adult version in the SUPERMAN daily strip around the same time). By the late 1950s, Binder had become one of the most important Superman writers when he created Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), going on to write the bulk of her stories in ACTION COMICS. At the same time, Binder contributed to other DC titles, especially the science fiction anthologies for Julie Schwartz.

Although Otto’s writing was always entertaining, his personal life was clouded in the 1960s. First by money problems and then by the tragic death of his daughter Mary (named after Mary Marvel), who was killed by a car at age 14, in 1967. Binder and his wife were never the same after that and he soon left the comics industry. His final appearance was an imaginary one, in SHAZAM! No. 1 (February 1973). Otto Binder passed away not so long after, on October 13, 1974.

8. & 9. Jack Kirby & Joe Simon.

DC Creations: (Jack & Joe) The Guardian & the Newsboy Legion, Manhunter, the Boy Commandos, the Sandman (Garrett Sanford); (Jack) Challengers of the Unknown (with Dave Wood), the Project, Darkseid, Orion, Highfather, Lightray, Mister Miracle, Big Barda, Granny Goodness, Oberon, the Demon, Kamandi, OMAC, Kobra (with Steve Sherman and Martin Pasko);
(Joe) Brother Power, Prez.

Born Jacob Kurtzberg, Jack had mainly worked as a newspaper cartoonist, before getting a job at the Fleischer Studios as an in-betweener on POPEYE shorts. Around that time, he got work as an artist and writer at the Eisner-Iger shop preparing work for various comics publishers. Joe Simon had mainly worked for the newspapers and for Paramount Pictures as an art director and cartoonist, before taking on freelance work at Lloyd Jackets comics studio, Funnies Inc., creating work for Timely (designing the Human Torch) and about the same time he was an editor for Fox Features. It was while Jack was working on Blue Beetle for Fox that Jack met Joe. They teamed up to work on Blue Bolt (a character that Joe had created) and they continued to collaborate after that, eventually establishing their own shop, which prepared features for Timely, Fawcett and DC.

At DC they brought their own dynamic story telling approach to the Sandman, who was now in a gaudy super-hero costume and had a sidekick named Sandy. The Simon & Kirby team had a knack for writing young character--of which they did plenty for many different publishers--and their work at DC (together and individually) would be no exception.

During the war, Simon served in the Coast Guard, while Kirby joined the U.S. Army’s 11th Infantry. After the war, the two collaborated again and started up the Prize Group, where they published romance comics (YOUNG LOVE and YOUNG ROMANCE) and horror comics (BLACK MAGIC) among other things. They would go their separate ways, but continued to team up from time to time on various projects.

King Kirby’s output for DC was more prodigious, doing Green Arrow and the Challs for a time, before going to Marvel. Then when he left Marvel over creative rights, he introduced his Fourth World to DC readers. After that more Kiriby creations followed and Jack worked on the Losers. And one of his last DC projects was SUPER POWERS, in 1985, which tied in with the toy line.

Joe Simon was also quite productive at DC in the 1970s, writing and editing various projects, even returning to edit BLACK MAGIC, YOUNG LOVE and YOUNG ROMANCE.

10. William Moulton Marston.

DC Creations: Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor, Queen Hippolyte, the Holliday Girls, Etta Candy, Paradise Island, the Cheetah, Dr. Psycho, the Duke of Deception, Baroness Paula von Gunther, Giganta.

Credited as Charles Moulton (the combination of the middle names of Maxwell Charles Gaines and William Moulton Maston), the creator of Wonder Woman only contributed to one character and her world. His term as writer was also brief, beginning in 1941 and ending with his death May 2nd, 1947, although many stories were published posthumously. Yet, no list of the top DC writers can overlook the significance of Moulton’s creation.

Marston was much older than the writers breaking into the comics industry in the 1930s and 1940s, being as he was a graduate from Harvard, with a PhD in psychology, and involved in the invention of the polygraph. It was his feminist ideals that led the university professor to create the Amazing Amazon.

Not only is Wonder Woman a popular female super-hero, she’s also an important symbol. Furthermore, Moulton’s writing stands out as markedly different from the practiced comic book writers who followed the usual formulas. Because he marched to his own drum, Marston’s work has a unique voice and in that way anticipates many other writers to follow who would bring peculiar ideas to DC.

[dancj]

No one seems to have answered the “and why?” in the topic.

I'd argue that the lists of stories that many of us have put after the writers' names is the "and why".