Here at newsfromme, we always like to note the birthday of the real veterans of the comic book industry…the guys who were in it at the start and who are (happily) still around to remind us of our great and glorious heritage. Respecting one's elders is important, which is why we've noted the birthdays and honor of men like George Tuska (age 90), Paul Norris (age 91) and Creig Flessel (age 94).
In that tradition, we note the birthday of Golden Age Great Marv Wolfman who reaches the big six-oh today. When I was a small boy, barely able to read, I discovered his work on…oh, was it Tomb of Dracula? Or Nova? Or Blade? It was Daredevil, I think. It's hard to remember back that far. He was also Marvel's Editor-in-Chief for a time, back when they used to hand out that job like some kind of deluxe No-Prize. Later, he went on to DC and did The New Teen Titans and Crisis on Infinite Earths and Superman and he also killed Supergirl, for which some of us will never forgive him. In spite of this, we wish him a happy birthday and will be present this evening for a quiet, low-key celebration.
On a more personal note: I began corresponding with Marv around 1968 and first met him in person in the DC offices in 1970. He was standing outside an office that was then shared by two editors — Julius Schwartz and Dick Giordano — and was being yelled at by a writer named Robert Kanigher. Mr. Kanigher wrote some fine comics in his day but he was given to rambling, incoherent tirades and I rescued Marv from one. He has been forever in my debt since and we became…well, I'm not sure if "friends" is the proper word since he is so many years my senior. Mostly, he envied my youth and skills, whereas I respected his age and endurance. I still do, so I am pleased to wish him a happy birthday and to hope there will be more in the future. Even if he did kill Supergirl.