Paul Levitz (/ˈlɛvɪts/; born October 21, 1956[1]) is an American comic book writer,editor andexecutive. The president ofDC Comics from 2002 to 2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisherJenette Kahn and managing editorDick Giordano, Levitz was responsible for hiring such writers asMarv Wolfman andAlan Moore, artists such asGeorge Pérez,Keith Giffen, andJohn Byrne, and editorKaren Berger, who contributed to the 1980s revitalization of the company's line of comic book heroes.
He attendedStuyvesant High School,[6][7] during which time he revived the defunct comic newsfanzine,The Comic Reader, which according to Levitz, was the first regularly published comics industry news fanzine. Under Levitz's editorshipThe Comic Reader won two Best Fanzine Comic Art Fan Awards.[8] One of Levitz's teachers,Frank McCourt,[7] was impressed enough with Levitz's work that he arranged for Levitz to appear on McCourt's brotherMalachy's radio show.[citation needed]
During the course of his research forThe Comic Reader, Levitz became well known at the offices ofDC Comics, where in December 1972, editorJoe Orlando gave him his first freelance work, initially writing text pages andletter pages, and later working as aper diem assistant editor before writing stories. Levitz later studied business atNew York University but had taken no formal education in writing, other than a journalism course. He dropped out after three years in order to concentrate on his writing career.[9]
After serving as Joe Orlando's assistant editor, in 1976 Levitz "fulfilled a lifelong dream" by becoming the editor ofAdventure Comics on the eve of his 20th birthday.[10] In 1978, he succeededJulius Schwartz as the editor of theBatman line of comics.[11]
As a writer, Levitz is best known for his work on the titleThe Legion of Super-Heroes, which he wrote from 1977–1979 and 1981–1989. Levitz wroteAll-New Collectors' Edition #C-55 (1978), a treasury-sized special drawn byMike Grell, in which longtime Legion membersSaturn Girl andLightning Lad were married.[12][13] Levitz and artistsJames Sherman andJoe Staton crafted "Earthwar" a five-issue storyline inSuperboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #241–245 (July–Nov. 1978).[14] He andKeith Giffen produced "The Great Darkness Saga", one of the best known Legion stories, inLegion of Super-Heroes vol. 2, #290–294.[15] Comics historianLes Daniels observed that "Working with artist Keith Giffen, Levitz completed the transformation ofLegion into a science-fiction saga of considerable scope and depth."[16] In August 1984, a newLegion of Super-Heroes series was launched by Levitz and Giffen.[17]
Levitz eventually became an editor, and served as vice president and executive vice president, before assuming the role of president and publisher in 2002. Levitz consciously chose the combined title instead of "editor-in-chief", citing the negative results of the title he'd seen duringJim Shooter's tenure atMarvel and his desire to stay connected to the publishing arm of DC which he had help create.[2] In 2006, Levitz returned to writing the Justice Society with issue #82 ofJSA, completing that volume before writerGeoff Johns' relaunch.
On September 9, 2009, it was announced that Levitz would step down as president and publisher of DC Comics to serve as the Contributing Editor and Overall Consultant for the newly formed DC Entertainment,[23] and become the writer of bothAdventure Comics vol. 2[24] andLegion of Super-Heroes vol. 6.[25]
Levitz mentioned in an August 2010 interview that he was working on "my first genuine book."[26] His75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking (ISBN9783836519816) was published byTaschen America, LLC, in November 2010.[27]
In addition toLegion of Super-Heroes, Levitz wrote theWorlds' Finest series, which was initially drawn byGeorge Pérez andKevin Maguire.[28] Levitz and Keith Giffen collaborated on theLegion of Super-Heroes issues #17 and 18 in 2013.[29][30] In 2015, Levitz wroteWill Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel, an oversized, illustrated biography/art book on Eisner’s work forAbrams ComicArts. The book would garner Levitz a nomination in the 2016 Eisner Awards for “Best Comics-Related Book.”[31][32] He joined the board of directors ofBoom! Studios in February 2014.[33] He wrote a new five-page story titled "The Game", which was drawn byNeal Adams, for theAction Comics: 80 Years of Superman hardcover collection.[34]
In 2004, Levitz joined the board of theComic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit organization founded in 1986 chartered to protect theFirst Amendment rights of the comics community.[35] He retired from the board in 2020.[36]
On December 31, 2020, Levitz announced his retirement from DC via a posting onFacebook, saying it's “the end of an era for me personally, as I go off the payroll of Warner/DC after so many decades: over 47 years on 'staff', 36 of them on employment contracts.”[37]
From January[5][38] to May 2023, the 5-issue miniseriesAvengers: War Across Time, which Levitz wrote, was published.[39] It his first work for Marvel Comics,[5] and received positive reviews.[38][40][41][42]
Levitz isJewish.[4][47] Levitz has three children: Nicole, a public health executive; Philip, a lawyer; and Garret, who works in the entertainment industry.[48]
^Manning, Matthew K.; Dougall, Alastair, ed. (2014). "1970s".Batman: A Visual History. London:Dorling Kindersley. p. 130.ISBN978-1465424563.As the decade drew to a close, longtime Batman editor Julius Schwartz finally passed the torch on to Paul Levitz, marking the end of an era.{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Ford, Jim (December 2012). "Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes".Back Issue! (61). Raleigh, North Carolina:TwoMorrows Publishing:55–58.
^McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1970s".DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 177.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.Only an oversized treasury edition could have contained Superboy and the entire Legion of Super-Heroes' battle with the Time Trapper...and the long-awaited wedding of Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl...Legion favorites Paul Levitz and Mike Grell were up to the enormous challenge with the popular tale 'The Millennium Massacre'.{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 178: "[Paul Levitz] demonstrated his great affinity for the Legion...when he and artist James Sherman waged "Earthwar".
^Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 198 "When [Levitz] wrote "The Great Darkness Saga", a five-issue epic that pitted the Legion against one of the most notorious villains of DC's long history, he and artist Keith Giffen crafted the most famous Legion story of all time and became fast fan favorites."
^Daniels, Les (1995). "The Legion of Super-Heroes Teenagers from Outer Space".DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes. New York, New York:Bulfinch Press. p. 123.ISBN0821220764.
^Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 208: "As DC began to toy with the idea of relaunching some of their more popular titles using high-quality Baxter paper, theLegion of Super-Heroes was an obvious chioice. Utilizing the talents of writer Paul Levitz and artist Keith Giffen...the Legion was off and running in their own new title with a major new storyline...the Legion's other monthly comic changed its moniker toTales of the Legion of Super-Heroes with issue #314."
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 164: "This sword and sorcery title by scripter Paul Levitz and artist Steve Ditko epitomized the credo 'Be careful what you wish for.' The series' anti-hero was a nameless wanderer whose dreams of becoming a warrior brought him first slavery, then worse."
^Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 186: "The second [feature inAdventure Comics #467] debuted a new version of Starman by writer Paul Levitz and illustrator Steve Ditko."
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 175: "DC Super-Stars #17 (December 1977) While writer Paul Levitz and artist Joe Staton introduced the Huntress to the JSA in this month'sAll Star Comics #69, they concurrently shaped her origin inDC Super-Stars."
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 175: "The genesis of comics' first superhero team...had been a mystery since the JSA's debut...Writer Paul Levitz and artist Joe Staton decided to present the definitive origin story."
^Greenberger, Robert (August 2017). "It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time: A Look at theDC Challenge!".Back Issue! (98). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing:37–38.
^Gerding, Stephen (November 9, 2012)."Exclusive: Levitz, Giffen Reunite onLegion of Super-Heroes".Comic Book Resources.Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. RetrievedJanuary 30, 2013.Arguably the most popular creative team the 31st century has ever seen, Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen are reuniting once again to tell the tales of DC Comics' teenage heroes from the future.
