RIP - Jim Shooter

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It has been confirmed that industry giant Jim Shooter has died, at the age of 73, from esophageal cancer.

A comic fan since childhood, he proved this more than most ever could, by becoming a professional writer at age 13, when his first story for the Legion of Super-Heroes was published in 1966, where he actually managed to make teenagers sound rather more like teenagers than previous writers, and created the Fatal Five (as one commenter put it in the past "Two-Face as a cyborg, a 50 foot tall monster, an executioner, a creepy guy with a destructive hand and a woman accompanied by a two foot cosmic eyeball... ONLY a teenager could have come up with that)

Literally entire books have been written about his tenure at Marvel from 1976 to 1987, as he rose to the position of Editor-in-Chief by 1978.

He was dynamic, disciplined and ruthless, a polarizing figure at the best of times, with many staff fiercly loyal to him as he did have his creators backs, but also many chafing under the rules he insisted on as editor, infamously insisting that Phoenix had to die at the end of the Dark Phoenix Saga (due to her having killed billions of beings) rather than being reset to an amnesiac Jean Grey as Claremont and Byrne originally planned.

He oversaw the expansion of many titles, a more interlinked Marvel Universe and moved Marvel into new areas including Graphic Novels, and more commercial tie-ins like licensed comics: Star Wars being the best known, as well as many toy-related cross marketed titles some of which transcended their apparent limitations to be genuine classics: Micronauts and ROM being two. An approach culminating in of course, Secret Wars (and Secret Wars II).

A number of professionals have, naturally, spoken of their experiences with him for Bleeding Cool, and it's an interesting read, especially the number of times the word "complex" crops up.

His outright refusal to include any overt LGBTQIA+ characters or representation in comics through the 80's is something which should not be ignored or forgotten, regardless of how clever creators could be with subtext and inference. It would be inexcusable to not note this on this comunity more than most.

His passing will be marked by much discussion from those better versed in such things, so we will mark it by offering our sincerest condolences to his family and friends on their loss.

Comments

[wizardru]

Hmmm.

My first real knowledge of Shooter came from the Ellison trial as covered in Comics Journal. Gary Groth really hated Shooter and he was a polarizing figure. I hadn't realized he had issued a specific edict about LBGTQ+ characters, but I don't find it hard to believe. He was complicated - complicit in things like carrying the party line against Kirby, but also pushing for better benefits for artists in his employ. A lot happened under his tenure and, as noted, whole books have been written about his time there.

I have mixed feelings about him - he wasn't a villain, but he did a lot of stuff I really didn't like. His stuff in the 90s was all over the place and I've no idea what he did in the last 20 years.

[blueprintstyles]

His contributions to the media and storytelling are countless. He was flawed for sure, but I think if he grew up a decade or two later he'd would've been more understanding,

[onsokumaru]

His enforcement of cohesion and continuity may have been a headache, if not a nightmare, for several writers, but as a reader, it contributed to make me fall in love with the Marvel Universe. That and Secret Wars, the first comics that made me feel "I HAVE TO GET IT".

[mazway_75]

Complex man to say the least but his Legion of Superheroes stuff is stellar.

My main annoyance on his Marvel run was the "write every issue like it's someone's first" edict which is why so many books up to early 90s have characters recapping events from earlier issues.

John Byrne was great at it but also poked fun in "She-Hulk" with Jennifer going "this is going to be annoying when this gets collected later"

[michael_ellis_day]

He had real gifts as a writer. The first Mordru story in Adventure Comics #369 and 370 is utterly amazing in terms of story structure, even just on a technical level. I read those two issues over and over again trying to understand how he did it, and I still can't figure it out. So much happens and it never feels crowded or rushed and the reader never feels confused, and the focus always stays on the emotional impact of events. Every character gets some moment to shine, in a way that defines them uniquely while advancing the plot in a mechanism as tiny and finely calibrated as a Swiss watch. Two 24 page stories, including multiple splash pages. Shooter made every panel count in those issues. His Legion stories have sparks of true brilliance; so do his early Avengers stories.

I've often wondered how different things might have been if he had gotten the support and encouragement he deserved as a boy, and stayed a writer and never moved into editorial jobs. I don't think he was ever really suited to be an editor, to be in charge of other people, or in charge of a workplace, and yet -- perhaps through sheer bloody mindedness -- that's what he always sought. There may be some alternate timeline where he chose differently and the world got more great writing from him.

[superfangirl1]

RIP Jim Shooter. 🕯️

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Mustn't overlook that if it weren't for his hand in it, we might not have Transformers as we know it today.