| Paul S. Newman | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1924-04-29)April 29, 1924 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 30, 1999(1999-05-30) (aged 75) Columbia, Maryland, U.S. |
| Area | Writer |
Notable works | Turok |
| Awards | Inkpot Award, 1998[1] Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing 2021 (posthumously) |
Paul S. Newman (April 29, 1924 – May 30, 1999)[2] was an American writer of comic books,comic strips, and books, whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s. Credited in theGuinness Book of World Records as the most prolific comic-book writer, with more than 4,100 published stories totaling approximately 36,000 pages, he is otherwise best known for scripting the comic-book seriesTurok for 26 years.
Newman was born in New York City, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Newman.[3] He served hisWorld War IImilitary service in thePo Valley campaign in Italy, earning aservice star as an enlisted man in abomb disposal unit, and, later, as afirst lieutenant special-services officer aboard troop transports.[4] Following his discharge, he attendedDartmouth College, graduating in 1947.[4]
That same year, Newman broke into comic books withDC Comics' teen-humor seriesA Date with Judy, based on theradio program, for which Newman had originally applied to write.[4] He went on to script forAvon Comics,Fawcett Comics,Hillman Periodicals,St. John Publications,Ziff Davis, and, as a staff writer, atMarvel Comics' two predecessor companies,Timely Comics andAtlas Comics.[5]
At Timely/Atlas, where he and other staff writers were officially titled editors, Newman worked on the teen-humor seriesPatsy Walker,Hedy Devine andJeannie under editor-artistAl Jaffee. Under Atlas editor-in-chiefStan Lee, he wrote stories (generally uncredited, as were virtually all those of the staff writers) for suchhorror/mystery titles asJourney into Mystery andMarvel Tales, as well as forromance titles.[5]
Turok, whose uncredited creation is disputed, debuted in an issue of the omnibus titleFour Color Comics and, after a second issue in that series, continued as issue No. 3 ofTurok, Son of Stone (the first issue of that series under its own name), published byWestern Publishing — first through its business partnerDell Comics and then through its own label,Gold Key Comics. The uncredited Newman was one of the series' writers, along withGaylord DuBois, from its inception in 1954.[6]
Newman had an additional decades-long run on the character theLone Ranger, in the Dell Comics comic-book series. With artistTom Gill, Newman chronicled the adventures of the radio,television and comic-stripWestern hero from #38–145 (April 1948 – July 1962), the final issue.[5]
In 1962, Newman andWestern Publishing editor Matt Murphy created the characterDoctor Solar.[7] Later that decade, Newman wrote the comic-book adaptation of theBeatles'animated featureYellow Submarine.[5] By the 1980s, he was writing for theDC Comics seriesG.I. Combat andHouse of Mystery; for theDisney comicDarkwing Duck;[8] andindustrial films and audio-visual presentations.
Newman wrote the September 9, 1951 – February 8, 1953, Sundays and dailies of thecomic strip adaptation ofTom Corbett, Space Cadet, drawn byRay Bailey [fr].[9] Newman additionally wrote issues ofDell Comics'Tom Corbet comic book.
Among his other strips areLaugh-In (with artistRoy Doty), based on the TV show;Smokey Bear;Robin Malone;[citation needed] andThe Lone Ranger.[9]
Newman was also the credited writer of numerous entries inWestern Publishing Company'sBig Little Book series for children, including writing licensed spin-off works based upon the TV series,The Invaders and the comic book character,Aquaman. He also wrote for Western's line of Whitman "Authorized Edition" hardcovers for young readers; among his works included a novel based upon the TV series,Gunsmoke.
Newman won a 1998Inkpot Award for his lifetime contribution to the comic-book field. He was a 1997 nominee for theWill Eisner Award Hall of Fame.
TheGuinness Book of World Records credits Newman as the most prolific comic-book writer, with more than 4,100 published stories totaling approximately 36,000 pages.[10]
Newman was a posthumous recipient of theBill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing in 2021.[11]
In 1985, the once-divorced Newman married his second wife, Carol Wernick, project coordinator of youth leadership for theNew York City Board of Education. The ceremony by Rabbi Max Ticktin took place at Newman's New York City home.[3] Newman was the father of two children, Peter Newman and Lisa Newman.[4] Newman died of a heart attack inColumbia, Maryland, where he and his wife lived.[10][12]
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Comic-Con announced that six writers will posthumously receive the 2021 Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing. The recipients are Robert Bernstein, Audrey "Toni" Blum, Vic Lockman, Robert Morales, Paul S. Newman, and Robert "Bob" White.
