| Mike Carlin | |
|---|---|
 Mike Carlin atSan Diego Comic-Con in 2007 | |
| Born | Michael Carlin (1958-10-06)October 6, 1958 (age 67) |
| Nationality | American |
| Area | Writer,Penciller, Editor |
Notable works | Superman |
| Awards | Eisner Award forBest Editor Inkpot Award (1994) |
Michael Carlin (born October 6, 1958)[1] is an Americancomic bookwriter,editor, and executive. He has worked principally forMarvel Comics andDC Comics since the 1970s. Mike has been married to Janice Cohen since 2005.
Carlin attended theHigh School of Art and Design in Manhattan, graduating in 1976.[2] He received aBachelor of Fine Arts in Cartooning from theSchool of Visual Arts in New York in 1980.[3]
Mike Carlin started out in the business at DC Comics as a high school intern in 1974.[4] He was hired by Marvel Comics as a writer and artist onCrazy Magazine, the company'sblack-and-white humor title at the end of 1980.[3] His first work appeared in print in 1981. He later became an assistant editor underMark Gruenwald[5] in 1982 and wrote a short run of stories inCaptain America andKa-Zar as well as the Assistant Editors' Month issue ofMarvel Team-Up (Aunt May andFranklin Richards vs.Galactus).[6] Carlin moved to DC Comics as of October 6, 1986, his 28th birthday,[7] and became group editor of theSuperman titles. He oversaw "The Death of Superman" storyline and the subsequent introduction of such characters asSuperboy (Kon-El) andJohn Henry Irons.[8] From 1996 to 2002, he served as an executive editor at DC Comics. As of 2011, he was DC Entertainment's Creative Director of Animation.[7]
The backup story "Bernie America, Sentinel of Liberty" inCaptain America #289 (Jan. 1984) features Mike Carlin dressed asThe Watcher, introducing the story.
The Batman Adventures #13 features a screwball trio of incompetent super-villains: the Mastermind (a caricature of Carlin), The Perfessor (a caricature ofDennis O'Neil), and Mr. Nice (a caricature ofArchie Goodwin).[9]
Superman: The Man of Steel #75 (Jan. 1998) is a pastiche of Superman's death inSuperman vol. 2 #75 (Jan. 1993), whereMister Mxyzptlk creates a duplicate of Doomsday. The confrontation culminates with Mxyzptlk meeting the Supreme Being, who turns out to be Carlin.
The January-dated books in 1984 featured a company-wide event that became known as 'Assistant Editor's Month'...a humorous story inMarvel Team-Up #137 featured Aunt May as the new herald of Galactus.
One of the fascinating things about the Superman titles under Mike Carlin's editorship was just how well-oiled their machine was. He oversaw four separate creative teams and managed to tell what amounted to a weekly Superman story throughout the four titles.
| Preceded by | Ka-Zar the Savage writer 1983–1984 | Succeeded by n/a |
| Preceded by | Captain America writer 1984–1985 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Action Comics editor 1987–1996 | Succeeded by K.C. Carlson |
| Preceded by Andy Helfer | Adventures of Superman editor 1987–1996 | Succeeded by K.C. Carlson |
| Preceded by Andy Helfer | Superman vol. 2 editor 1987–1996 | Succeeded by K.C. Carlson |
| Preceded by n/a | Superman: The Man of Steel editor 1991–1996 | Succeeded by K.C. Carlson |
| Preceded by | DC Universe Executive Editor 1996–2002 | Succeeded by |
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