Irwin Donenfeld | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-03-01)March 1, 1926 Bronx, New York, U.S.[1] |
| Died | November 29, 2004(2004-11-29) (aged 78) Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.[1] |
| Occupation | DC Comics publishing executive |
| Spouse(s) | Arlene Levy (first marriage) Alice Greenbaum (second marriage) Carole Schnapp, née Liebowitz (third marriage)[2] |
| Children | 5[1] |
| Parent(s) | Harry Donenfeld and Gussie Weinstein |
| Awards | Inkpot Award (2001) |
Irwin Donenfeld (/ˈdɒnənfɛld/;[3] March 1, 1926 – November 29, 2004[4]) was an Americancomic book publishing executive forDC Comics. Donenfeld co-owned the firm from 1948 to 1967,[2] holding the positions of Editorial Director (1952–1957) andExecutive Vice President (1958 – c. 1968).[5] He was the son ofHarry Donenfeld, co-founder of the company.
Donenfeld was born in theBronx,New York, to aRomanian-Jewish family.[6] A teenager whenSuperman andBatman debuted in 1938/1939, and son of the characters' publisher, Donenfeld often claimed he was the first kid in America to read the adventures of two of the world's most famous superheroes.[5]
Donenfeld attended New York's Columbia Grammar School. He was a notable student athlete, playing baseball and football. DuringWorld War II he served in theAir Force, where he boxed, and was covered byThe Ring magazine. After college, Donenfeld attendedBates College, inLewiston, Maine.[7]
Donenfeld joined DC (officially known by its parent company nameNational Periodical Publications; although it is generally understood to stand for Detective Comics, Irwin insisted in an early 21st Century interview that DC actually stood for Donenfeld Comics) in 1948 at the age of 22, becoming a co-owner with hisfather andJack S. Liebowitz.[2] A recent college graduate, he was already married and had a child.[1]
Becoming the company's editorial director in 1952, in the mid-1950s, Donenfeld and publisher Liebowitz directed editorJulius Schwartz (whose roots lay in thescience-fiction book market) to produce aone-shotFlash story in the try-out titleShowcase. Instead of reviving the old character, Schwartz had writersRobert Kanigher andJohn Broome,pencilerCarmine Infantino, andinkerJoe Kubert create an entirely new super-speedster, updating and modernizing the Flash's civilian identity, costume, and origin with a science-fiction bent. The Flash's reimagining inShowcase #4 (October 1956) proved sufficiently popular that it soon led to a similar revamping of theGreen Lantern character, the introduction of the modern all-star teamJustice League of America (JLA), and many more superheroes, heralding what historians and fans call theSilver Age of comic books.
Donenfeld became the company's executive vice president in 1958. In 1964 he gave editorsJulius Schwartz and top artistCarmine Infantino a deadline of six months to turn the then-flaggingBatman comic around, or it would be cancelled. Jettisoning such lightweight characters asBat-Mite andAce the Bat-Hound in favour ofAunt Harriet (the symbolic figure designed to combatWertham-led claims of implied homosexuality between Batman andRobin), Batman gained his famous yellow chest symbol and moved from operating during the day to truly being a creature of the night.[8]
A1966 Batman TV show on theABC network sparked a temporary spike in comic book sales, and a brief fad for superheroes inSaturday morning animation (Filmation created most of DC's initial cartoons) and other media. DC significantly lightened the tone of many DC comics – particularlyBatman andDetective Comics – to better complement the "camp" tone of the TV series. This tone coincided with the infamous "Go-Go Checks" checkerboard cover-dress which featured a black-and-white checkerboard strip at the top of each comic, a misguided attempt by then-managing editor Donenfeld to make DC's output "stand out on the newsracks."[5]
During this period, Donenfeld perceived a trend in the industry that comics featuring agorilla on the cover, regardless of the context or relevance, would automatically correspond with an increase in sales for that title; he made sure that at least one DC title per month had a gorilla on the cover.[9]
In late 1966/early 1967,Infantino was tasked by Donenfeld with designing covers for the entire DC line. After Donenfeld promoted Infantino to editorial director, they hiredDick Giordano as an editor in April 1968, with Giordano also bringing over to DC some of the creators he had nurtured atCharlton Comics.[10] While none of his titles (such asBat Lash andDeadman) was a commercial hit, many were critical successes.[citation needed]
During his period as Executive Vice President, Donenfeld made the decision to preserve the film negatives of the comics being published. This allowed the company to reprint many of the classic Silver Age comics in later treasury andtrade paperback editions.[1]
In 1967,Kinney National Company acquiredNational Periodical Publications (a.k.a.DC Comics), which shortly led to the ouster of Donenfeld from the company.[5] He moved toWestport, Connecticut, eventually becoming involved in themaritime business (Coastwide Marina).
Donenfeld's last few years were marred by health problems.[7] He died in 2004 ofheart failure at Norwalk Hospital inNorwalk, Connecticut.[11] He is buried in Mount Ararat Cemetery, East Farmingdale, New York.
Donenfeld was married three times.[2] His first marriage was to Arlene Levy in 1946.[12] The marriage ended in divorce in 1961.[2] His second marriage (in 1963) was to Alice Greenbaum, an attorney and divorcee.[13]Bob Kane had introduced them.[14] Their marriage ended in divorce in 1970. Donenfeld's last marriage, in 1970, was to Carole Schnapp, the niece of fellow DC co-ownerJack Liebowitz.[2] Donenfeld's sister Sonia was married for a time toAmerican Comics Group co-ownerFred Iger. (Iger later married Irwin Donenfeld's ex-wife Arlene.)[15]
Donenfeld was the recipient of a 2001Inkpot Award.[16]
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