Bill Schelly | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Carl Schelly[1] (1951-11-02)November 2, 1951 Walla Walla, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | September 12, 2019(2019-09-12) (aged 67) |
| Education | University of Idaho |
| Occupation | Author |
| Website | billschelly |
William Carl Schelly (November 2, 1951 – September 12, 2019) was anEisner Award-winning author who chronicled the history ofcomic books and comic bookfandom, and wrote biographies of comic book creators, includingOtto Binder,L.B. Cole,Joe Kubert,Harvey Kurtzman,John Stanley, andJames Warren as well as silent film comedianHarry Langdon.[2]
Bill Schelly was born inWalla Walla, Washington, and had been a comic book enthusiast since 1960.[3] He was living in a suburb ofPittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he heard about comics fandom in 1964. Upon seeing his first amateur publication about comics, a mimeographedfanzine calledBatmania, Schelly decided to become a fanzine publisher himself. He launchedSuper-Heroes Anonymous in February 1965, the first in a string of magazines he edited and published until 1972.
It was for his fanzineSense of Wonder that Schelly became known to the comics community.[1] Begun while living in Pittsburgh, but mostly published after he moved toLewiston, Idaho, in 1967, it began as a collection of amateurcomic strips and stories. In 1970, while attending theUniversity of Idaho, Schelly changed the format ofSense of Wonder to a "general fanzine" made up of articles and artwork about the history of comic books. By the end of its 12-issue run,Sense of Wonder had presented the first attempt to chronicle the whole career of comics innovatorWill Eisner, as well as work bySteve Ditko,Frank Frazetta andStanley Pitt. It was discontinued after he graduated from theUniversity of Idaho with a B.S. in education in 1973.[1]
In 1990, Schelly began researching the history of the classic era of comic book fandom. Eventually, his research culminated in a book-length manuscript calledThe Golden Age of Comic Fandom It was well-received, quickly sold out, and was nominated for aWill Eisner Comic Industry Award.[1] A revised and expanded edition was published in 1998, and another printing was done in 2003.
Schelly won aInkpot Award atSan Diego Comic-Con for Fandom Services in 2011[4] and the 2016Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Book for his biography,Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who CreatedMad and Revolutionized Humor in America (Fantagraphics Books, 2015)[5]
Bill Schelly died September 12, 2019, due to blood clotting in the lungs duringchemotherapy for his recently diagnosedmultiple myeloma.[2]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
