| Steve Englehart | |
|---|---|
 Englehart in 2024 | |
| Born | (1947-04-22)April 22, 1947 (age 77) Indianapolis,Indiana, U.S.[1] |
| Area(s) | Writer |
| Pseudonym(s) | John Harkness Cliff Garnett |
Notable works | The Avengers Captain America ("Secret Empire") Detective Comics The Defenders Doctor Strange Green Lantern Justice League of America |
| Awards | Eagle Awards Roll of Honour, 1978 Inkpot Award, 1979[2] |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
| http://www.steveenglehart.com | |
Steve Englehart (/ˈɛŋɡəlhɑːrt/;[3] born April 22, 1947[4]) is an American writer ofcomic books and novels. He is best known for his work atMarvel Comics andDC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. Hispseudonyms have includedJohn Harkness andCliff Garnett.
Steve Englehart majored in psychology atWesleyan University, where he was a member of TheKappa Alpha Society, earning hisBachelor of Arts degree in 1969.[5] He had served in theUnited States Army, but washonorably discharged as aconscientious objector to theVietnam War.[6]
Englehart's first work in comics was as an art assistant toNeal Adams on a 10-page story by writerDenny O'Neil inWarren Publishing's black-and-whitehorror comics magazineVampirella #10 (March 1971).[7] After briefly serving as a member of theCrusty Bunkers,[8] Englehart started working as a full-time writer. He began with a co-writing credit, withGardner Fox, on the six-page, Englehart-drawn "Retribution" in Warren'sEerie #35 (Sept. 1971). Then, as Marvel editorRoy Thomas said in a 2007 interview, Englehart became
...a summer replacement or some such for [writer]Gary Friedrich. When Gary wanted to go away for a while, he got Steve, who was sort of a young aspiring artist when he came up to Neal [Adams]'s studio, and he ended up at Marvel as aproofreader. Then he wanted to write, and I believe he wrote a few pages of a sample script. Anyway, I gave him "The Beast" [inAmazing Adventures] to try out on, and that worked out pretty well.[9]
Englehart said he had first done uncredited co-scripting on a number of stories:
When Gary Friedrich'sSgt. Fury #94 came in, de facto editor-in-chief Roy Thomas wanted major revisions in the script and had me do them. Evidently he liked the result, because right after that, Gary turned back a job he'd been holding onto - dialoguing a little story plotted byAl Hewetson - and Roy asked me to script it from scratch. That was [the seven-page] "Terror of the Pterodactyl" [drawn bySyd Shores, inMonsters on the Prowl #15 (Feb. 1972)] and my first credited job.... Over the next six months, even as my credited stories began to appear, I continued to do uncredited collaborations - sometimes by design and sometimes at the last minute."[10]
This uncredited work included Friedrich'sSgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #97,Iron Man #45, andThe Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #152, plus tworomance comics stories and aWestern tale.[10] Englehart then wrote two romance stories under the pseudonymAnne Spencer, inOur Love #18 (Aug. 1972) andMy Love #19 (Sept. 1972), and, under his own name, a standalone supernatural story in the anthologyJourney into Mystery vol. 2, #1 (Oct. 1972)[11]
During his first credited superhero work, on a series starring erstwhileX-Men member theBeast inAmazing Adventures vol. 2, #12–17 (May 1972 – March 1973), Englehart integrated thePatsy Walker character, the star of ateenromantic-comedy series, into theMarvel Universe alongside the company's superheroes.[12] He and artistSal Buscema launchedThe Defenders as an ongoing series in August 1972[13][14] and introduced theValkyrie to the team in issue #4 (Feb. 1973).[15] Englehart has stated that he added the Valkyrie to the Defenders "to provide some texture to the group."[16]
He wroteThe Avengers from issue #105 (Nov. 1972) to #152 (Oct. 1976). During his time on that title, he wrote several major storylines including "The Avengers Defenders War" in issues #115–118 (Sept.–Dec. 1973), crossing over intoThe Defenders #8–11 (Sept.–Dec. 1973);[17] "The Celestial Madonna" in #129–135 (Nov. 1974 – May 1975) andGiant-Size Avengers #2–4 (Nov. 1974 – May 1975);[18][19][20] and "The Serpent Crown" in #141–144 (Nov. 1975 – Feb. 1976) and #147–149 (May–July 1976).[21]
In the fall of 1972, Englehart and writersGerry Conway andLen Wein crafted ametafictional unofficialcrossover spanning titles from both major comics companies. Each comic featured Englehart, Conway, and Wein, as well as Wein's first wifeGlynis,interacting with Marvel or DC characters at theRutland Halloween Parade inRutland, Vermont. Beginning inAmazing Adventures #16 (by Englehart with art byBob Brown andFrank McLaughlin), the story continued inJustice League of America #103 (by Wein,Dick Dillin andDick Giordano), and concluded inThor #207 (by Conway and pencilerJohn Buscema). As Englehart explained in 2010, "It certainly seemed like a radical concept and we knew that we had to be subtle (laughs) and each story had to stand on its own, but we really worked it out. It's really worthwhile to read those stories back to back to back — it didn't matter to us that one was at DC and two were at Marvel — I think it was us being creative, thinking what would be really cool to do."[22][23][24]
Englehart had a run onDoctor Strange (originally with artistFrank Brunner, later withGene Colan), in which Strange's mentor, theAncient One, died, and Strange became the new Sorcerer Supreme. Englehart and Brunner, audaciously, also created a multi-issue storyline in which a sorcerer named Sise-Neg ("Genesis" spelled backward) goes back through history, collecting all magical energies, until he reaches the beginning of the universe, becomes all-powerful and creates it anew, leaving Strange to wonder whether this was, paradoxically, the original creation (Marvel Premiere #14). Editor-in-chiefStan Lee, seeing the issue after publication, ordered Englehart and Brunner to print a retraction saying this was not God buta god, so as to avoid offending religious readers. The writer and artist concocted a fakeletter from a fictitious minister praising the story, and mailed it to Marvel from Texas; Marvel unwittingly printed the letter, and dropped the retraction order.[25] Englehart'sDoctor Strange #14 featured a crossover story withThe Tomb of Dracula #44, another series which was being drawn by Gene Colan at the time.[26] In Englehart's final story for the series, he sent Dr. Strange back in time to meetBenjamin Franklin.[27]
Describing that time, Englehart said in 1998,
We'd rampage around New York City. There was one night when a bunch of us, includingJim Starlin, went out on the town. We partied all day, then did some moreacid, then roamed around town until dawn and saw all sorts of amazing things (most of which ended up inMaster of Kung Fu, which Jim and I were doing at the time).[28]
Englehart and artist Starlin co-created the characterShang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu,[29][30] though they only worked on the early issues of the series. Englehart reconciled the existence ofCaptain America and sidekickBucky in Marvel's 1950s precursor,Atlas Comics, an anomaly that had been ignored since Captain America's 1964 reintroduction to Marvel presented him as having been insuspended animation since 1945. Englehart's newlyretconned history stated that the1950s Captain America and Bucky had been different characters from the ones who had debuted in the 1940s.[31][32][33] This was followed byan extended storyline of Steve Rogers becoming so profoundly disillusioned with the United States[34][35] that he temporarily abandoned his Captain America identity to becomeNomad[36] until he decided to refocus his purpose as the defender of America's ideals, not necessarily its government.[37] The Englehart/Sal Buscema run on theCaptain America title saw the series become one of Marvel's top-sellers.[38] In 2010,Comics Bulletin ranked Englehart's work onCaptain America,The Avengers, andDoctor Strange fourth, eighth, and ninth, respectively, on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels".[39]
In March 1976,[40] Englehart had a falling-out with Marvel and left the company.
Englehart, in fact, planned to quit comics altogether and pursue novels, butDC Comics publisherJenette Kahn persuaded him to come to DC. His only previous credited work for the company had been scripting theBatman story "Night of the Stalker!" inDetective Comics #439 (Feb–March 1974).[41] "I said, 'Okay I'll fixJustice League [of America] for you, but I'm only going to do this for a year."[42] To that end, he wroteJustice League of America #139–146 and 149–150, with artistDick Dillin, and additionally wrote an eight-issue arc of Batman stories inDetective Comics #469–476, withpencilersWalt Simonson andMarshall Rogers. In this arc, he recreated the Batman as a pulp-oriented, dark character;[43] theJoker's persona as a homicidal maniac; and introduced love interestSilver St. Cloud.[44] Englehart claims this storyline was adapted as thefirst Batman film in 1989, with Englehart providing uncredited development.[45] The Englehart and Rogers pairing was described in 2009 by comics writer and historianRobert Greenberger as "one of the greatest" creative teams to work on the Batman character.[46] DC Comics writer and executivePaul Levitz noted that "Arguably fans' best-loved version of Batman in the mid-1970s, writer Steve Englehart and penciller Rogers'sDetective run featured an unambiguously homicidal Joker...in noirish, moodily rendered stories that evoked the classic Kane-Robinson era."[47] In their story "The Laughing Fish", theJoker is brazen enough to disfigure fish with a rictus grin, then expects to be granted a federaltrademark on them, only to start killing bureaucrats who try to explain that obtaining such a claim on a natural resource is legally impossible.[48] TheDetective Comics storyline was reprinted in trade paperback in 1999 asBatman: Strange Apparitions.[49] Englehart and Rogers had a short run on DC's revivedMister Miracle series as well.[50]
His run onJustice League of America included another unofficial crossover between DC and Marvel in issue #142 by reworking his characterMantis into the DC Universe as a character named "Willow".[51] Other contributions to the series were crafting a new origin for the team[52] and the induction of the characterHawkwoman into the team's membership.[53]
Englehart temporarily left comics at this juncture, moving to Europe before his first issue ofDetective was published. During this time he wrote afantasy/occult novel,The Point Man,[54] which was republished in 2010.[55]
A 25-page Englehart-Rogers story featuringMadame Xanadu, originally commissioned forDoorway to Nightmare, sat in inventory for years before being published as theone-shotMadame Xanadu in 1981, in DC's first attempt at marketing comics specifically to the "direct market" of fans and collectors.[56]
In 1983, Marvel'screator-owned imprintEpic Comics publishedCoyote, a series he had earlier created atEclipse Comics with Rogers, in collaboration with artistSteve Leialoha. Among those he collaborated with on the title was a youngTodd McFarlane, whom Englehart hired on the basis of McFarlane'sCoyote art samples, which was McFarlane's first comic book work.[57][58][59]
Englehart returned to mainstream Marvel comics later that decade with stints onWest Coast Avengers, the secondVision and theScarlet Witch limited series (with artistRichard Howell),Silver Surfer (again with Rogers), andFantastic Four (during which editorial disputes led to his using the pseudonymJohn Harkness, a name he had first used on his last issue ofMister Miracle). Englehart was going to be the regular writer ofDaredevil in 1986 but left after only one issue due to an editorial conflict.[60]
Simultaneously, Englehart wrote DC Comics'Green Lantern, overseeing the title's name change toGreen Lantern Corps.[61] During that time he also wrote both the DC weekly crossover seriesMillennium (Jan–Feb 1988)[62] and the first two issues of the spin-offThe New Guardians. Issue #2 was notable for featuring the villainSnowFlame, a superpowered human who derived his powers from cocaine.[63]
In 1992,Jim Shooter hired Englehart to write forValiant Comics where he scripted issue #1–4 ofX-O-Manowar and the first issue ofShadowman.[64]
Also in 1992, he co-created theUltraverse comics universe forMalibu Comics and wroteNight Man and the superhero-team seriesThe Strangers.Night Man was later adapted for asyndicated television series which ran for two seasons. Englehart wrote three episodes of the television series.[65] He also wrote issues of other Malibu comic series likeFreex,Hardcase andPrototype.
ForClaypool Comics, he wrote the supernatural seriesPhantom of Fear City #1–12 (May 1993 – May 1995) and, forTopps Comics, severalJurassic Park limited series in the years 1993 to 1995.
In the early 2000s, Englehart returned to comics to write the miniseriesHellcat,Fantastic Four: Big Town andAvengers: Celestial Quest for Marvel and stories forTheBatman Chronicles andLegends of the DC Universe for DC. In 2005, he reunited with Rogers and Austin on theminiseriesBatman: Dark Detective,[66][67] elements of which he alleged were adapted into the Batman filmThe Dark Knight.[68] The next year, he wrote a storyline featuring theDetroit Era Justice League and theJustice Society of America that ran inJLA Classified #22–25 andJSA Classified #14–16 for DC, and the one-shotStrange Westerns starring theBlack Rider for Marvel.
Starting in 1994, he wrote a series of young adult books forAvon, including theDNAgers series[69] (with his wife, Terry) and theCountdown series.[70]Countdown to Flight[71] was selected byNASA for its school curriculum on theWright Brothers.[72]
In the mid-2000s, Englehart turned his 1980 novel,The Point Man, into Book Zero for a series concerning its hero, Max August. The first sequel,The Long Man,[73] was published in 2009,The Plain Man in 2011,[74] andThe Arena Man in 2013. In the series, Max became immortal in 1985 and is dealing with the consequences two decades later in real time.
He has admitted to writing the novelHellstorm in the TALON Force series under the house pseudonymCliff Garnett.[75]
For producerMichael Uslan, Englehart wrote early treatments and served as script doctor for theBatman film that was based on his comics series; it was later scripted bySam Hamm and directed byTim Burton.[76] He wrote three episodes of the television seriesNight Man, an adaptation of thecomic series of the same name that he had created for Malibu Comics.[65] Englehart also worked in animation, with episodes ofStreet Fighter andG.I. Joe Extreme, and wrote one of the three episodes in Disney'sAtlantis: Milo's Return film. His screenplay for an unproduced film,Majorca, was published as a book by Black Coat Press.[77]
Several of Englehart's characters appear in theMarvel Cinematic Universe. The 2014 filmGuardians of the Galaxy featured his characterStar-Lord.[78] He returned in its 2017 sequelGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which also featuredMantis.[79] Both characters appear inAvengers: Infinity War (2018),Avengers: Endgame (2019),Thor: Love and Thunder,The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (both 2022), andGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).[80] The 2021 filmShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings features his characterShang-Chi.
in 2019, Steve Englehart appeared in the music video for "Welcome To My World" by ZorDonofDoom.[81] In 2021, Englehart created titles and themes based onShang-Chi for the albumPrism Club from InRage Entertainment.[82]
Englehart married Marie-Therese (Terry) Beach in 1975.[83] They have two sons, Alex and Eric.[84]
Comics work includes:
New Marvel writer Steve Englehart reintroduced Timely teen Patsy Walker into the Marvel Universe as a supporting character in the Beast's new series. Patsy Walker had earlier made a cameo appearance in the Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965).
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)When Steve and I [Sal Buscema] got on the book...if I remember correctly, the book hit #5 in sales. It really shot up the charts.
Writer Steve Englehart earned his first Batman credit when he created the dialog for this issue's lead feature that was plotted and drawn by Sal Amendola.
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)first-time collaborators Steve Englehart and artist Marshall Rogers firmly entrenched Batman in his dark, pulp roots.
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Batman was now a true creature of the night, and every artist and writer team worth their creative salt wanted a piece of him. One of the greatest of such pairs consisted of writer Steve Englehart and artist Marshall Rogers...when Rogers joined Englehart inDetective Comics issue #471 (August 1977), their styles meshed with such ease that the result gave the impression of years' worth of collaboration.
Englehart next began a run onJustice League of America, and in issue #142, Mantis showed up! Only this time, she was calling herself Willow.
Madame Xanadu, a 32-page/$1.00 comic that marks DC's first attempt at marketing comics specifically to fans and collectors, went on sale in early April. The book contains a 25-page tale by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers entitled 'Dance for Two Demons' ... The tale was put into DC's inventory when that title was cancelled.
| Preceded by | Captain America writer 1972–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | The Avengers writer 1972–1976 | Succeeded by Gerry Conway |
| Preceded by | The Incredible Hulk writer 1973–1974 | Succeeded by Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas |
| Preceded by | Justice League of America writer 1977–1978 | Succeeded by Gerry Conway |
| Preceded by | Detective Comics writer 1977–1978 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Jack Kirby (in 1974) | Mister Miracle writer 1977–1978 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Green Lantern writer 1985–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | West Coast Avengers writer 1985–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Roger Stern | Fantastic Four writer 1987–1989 (as John Harkness in late 1989) | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
