Elliot S. Maggin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1950-11-14)November 14, 1950 (age 75) |
| Alma mater | Brandeis University Columbia University |
| Employer(s) | DC Comics Atari New Hampshirepublic schools Kaiser Permanente[1] |
| Known for | Action Comics Superman |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | elliot |
Elliot S. Maggin, also spelledElliot S! Maggin (born 1950),[3] is an American writer of comic books, film, television, and novels. He was a main writer forDC Comics during theBronze and earlyModern ages of comics in the 1970s and 1980s. He is particularly associated with the character ofSuperman.
He has been active with theDemocratic Party of the United States, twice running for the nomination of his party for theU.S. House of Representatives—once fromNew Hampshire's 2nd congressional district in 1984 and fromCalifornia's 24th congressional district in 2008.
Maggin started working as a professional writer in his teens, selling historical stories about theBoer War to a boys' magazine. He attendedBrandeis University, where he wrote a term paper titled "What Can One Man Do?" for a class during his junior year.[4][5] When it received a grade of B+, Maggin disagreed with the assessment, remade it as a comic book script, and sent his script toDC Comics.[4] It was passed around the DC offices, andNeal Adams chose to draw the script.[4] The story was published inGreen Lantern #87 (Dec. 1971-Jan. 1972).[6]Green Lantern editorJulius Schwartz commented that "I’ve been a comix editor for over 27 years and never... have I ever come across a ‘first-time’ script... that can come within a light-year of equaling ‘What Can One Man Do?’ in professional slickness and comix know-how. ... Indeed, to equalize this thrilling experience, I must go back three decades when, as a literary agent, I sold the very first story of a youngRay Bradbury!"[7] Though the initial grade was not amended, Maggin became a writer for DC.
During Maggin's time at Brandeis, he befriended the university's vice-president, meeting his family.[8] During one of the meetings, the vice-president's stepson (and future comic book writer)Jeph Loeb suggested a story that would eventually be called "Must There Be a Superman?".[4] Maggin used the idea, which became his initial foray into the Superman franchise,[8] and it was published inSuperman #247 (Jan. 1972).[6] He wroteGreen Arrow stories as well, where his sense of humor was allowed far more freedom in the loose dialogue of the main character.[9]
Superman #300 (June 1976) featured an out-of-continuity story by Maggin andCary Bates which imagined the infant Superman landing on Earth in 1976 and becoming a superhero in 2001. The tale was an inspiration forMark Millar'sSuperman: Red Son limited series published in 2003.[10] He was the initial writer of theBatman Family title and pairedBatgirl andRobin together as a team in the first issue (Sept.-Oct. 1975)[11] Maggin wrote alicensedWelcome Back, Kotter comic book series[12] which was based on theABCsitcom. His credits forMarvel Comics include an adaptation ofTheIliad inMarvel Classics Comics #26 (1977), and two superhero tales,The Spectacular Spider-Man #16 (March 1978) andThe Incredible Hulk #230 (Dec. 1978).[6] The first issue ofDC Graphic Novel featured an adaptation of theStar Raidersvideo game by Maggin and artistJosé Luis García-López.[6]
Maggin wroteSuperman #400 (Oct. 1984) which featured work by several popular comics artists including the only major DC work byJim Steranko as well as an introduction by noted science-fiction authorRay Bradbury.[13][14] Maggin's contributions to theDC Multiverse includeSuperboy-Prime andLexcorp.[15][16][17] His last Superman story, "...And We Are the Dreamers of the Dreams!", appeared inSuperman #420 (June 1986),[6] and he was one of the contributors to theDC Challenge limited series in that same year.[18]
Maggin served as an editor for DC from 1989 to 1991 and oversaw the licensedTSR titlesAdvanced Dungeons and Dragons,Avatar,Dragonlance,Forgotten Realms,Gammarauders, andSpelljammer. He edited theChallengers of the Unknown limited series which was written by Jeph Loeb and drawn byTim Sale.[19]
Because comic book scripts tend to favor theexclamation mark as the punctuation of choice, Maggin routinely used it instead of aperiod. Out of habit, he once signed his own name "Elliot S! Maggin" and editor Julius Schwartz liked the distinctive rhythm of the name, insisting that Maggin's name henceforth be written that way.[5] Explaining in an interview:
I got into the habit of putting exclamation marks at the end of sentences instead of periods because reproduction on pulp paper was so lousy. So once, by accident, when I signed a script I put the exclamation point after my 'S' because I was just used to going to that end of the typewriter at the time. And Julie saw it, and before he told me, he goes into the production room and issues a general order that any mention of Elliot Maggin's name will be punctuated with an exclamation mark rather than a period from now on until eternity.[20]
In addition to the hundreds of stories Maggin wrote for the DC comics universe, he has written television scripts, stories for film, animation and journalistic pieces. Many of them have continued to show his allegiance to comic book characters. He wrote two Superman novels,Last Son of Krypton[21] andMiracle Monday.[22] He wrote the novelization of the graphic novelKingdom Come based on the story byMark Waid, and a novel featuring the Marvel mutant superhero teamGeneration X. He has occasionally sold scripts to non-print versions of superheroes, includingSpider-Man (1994),X-Men (1992), andBatman: The Animated Series.
Besides his work in comics, he has received compensation for raising horses,skiing instruction, teaching at various high schools and colleges, writing stories forAtari video games, and working on websites. As of 2008, he had worked for several years as a developmental learning consultant forKaiser Permanente.[1]
In 1984, Maggin first ran for political office as a candidate for theU.S. House of Representatives inNew Hampshire's 2nd congressional district but was defeated in the Democratic primary.[23] After the election, the campaign was the subject of a lawsuit brought by theFederal Election Commission, in which hiscampaign treasurer and the committee itself had to pay fines for failing to submit a 1984quarterly report.[24]
Maggin was the Democratic nominee for a seat in theNew York State Assembly in 1990. He was defeated by the Republican incumbent.[25]
On May 21, 2007, Maggin announced[26] that he would be running for the 2008 Democratic party nomination forCalifornia's 24th congressional district seat. On February 1, 2008, Maggin posted on the main page of his website that he had decided not to run after all,[27] effectively ending his 2008 campaign. In an essay written the following day, he cited principally financial reasons for his withdrawal.[28] It appears that at no point during this campaign did he ever officially file with theFederal Election Commission.[29]
Maggin's campaign received the endorsement of fellow comics writerTony Isabella.[30]
New Hampshire District 2 September 11, 1984 Democratic primary election result[23]
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Converse | 5,936 | 41.59% |
| Elliot S. Maggin | 4,710 | 33.00% |
| Carmen C. Chimento | 3,554 | 24.90% |
| Judd A. Gregg[Note 1] | 74 | 0.52% |
New York State Assembly District 19 November 6, 1990General election[25]
| Candidate (Party) | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Charles J. O'Shea (R) | 18,645 | 60.65% |
| Elliot S. Maggin (D) | 10,373 | 33.74% |
| Edward J. Brennan (Right to Life) | 1,722 | 5.60% |
Several of his works of fiction are available exclusively online, including the short storyLuthor's Gift and the novellaStarwinds Howl, both of which take place in his Superman continuity. He has presented a novel-in-progress,Lancer, on his personal website.[31]
He also set up a podcast called "Elliot Makes Stuff Up", where he did audiobook readings of his Superman novels.[32]
In 1983, Maggin married Pamela King. The two subsequently divorced in 1988, though they remarried three years later in 1991. They were divorced again in 2011.[2] The couple has two children together, Sarah and Jeremy.
Maggin is himself a character in theDC Universe. During theBronze Age of Comic Books, Maggin was a known resident ofEarth-Prime and a major character inJustice League of America issues #123-124.[33][34] In theModern Age of Comic Books, Maggincameoed asOliver Queen's campaign manager in52.[35] This appearance references a term paper which had been awarded a B− at Brandeis University and was Maggin's first sale to DC, which positedGreen Arrow'smayoral campaign in Star City.[4]
Maggin received anInkpot Award atSan Diego Comic-Con in 2013.[36] In 2016, he received theBill Finger Award.[37]
Green Arrow was the character with whom I most identified.
DC launchedBatman Family with its memorable debut of the Batgirl-Robin team. Scribe Elliot S! Maggin and artist Mike Grell unleashed 'The Invader From Hell'.
| Preceded by | Superman writer 1972–1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Action Comics writer (generally backup stories) 1973–1976 | Succeeded by Cary Bates |
| Preceded by | Shazam! writer 1973–1976 | Succeeded by Dennis O'Neil |
| Preceded by n/a | Batman Family writer 1975–1976 | Succeeded by |
