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Mark Gruenwald
Born June 18, 1953(1953-06-18)
Oshkosh, Wisconsin[1]
Died August 12, 1996 (aged 43)
Nationality American
Area(s) Writer, Penciller, Editor
Notable works Captain America
Squadron Supreme
Awards Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award, 1987, 1996

Mark E. Gruenwald (June 18, 1953 - August 12, 1996) was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler. Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity. In 1978 he was hired by Marvel Comics, where he remained for the rest of his career.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Hired initially as an assistant editor in January 1978, Gruenwald was promoted to full editorship by Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter in 1982, putting Gruenwald in charge of The Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Spider Woman, and What If.[2][3] During this period, he shared an office with writer/editor Denny O'Neil, whom Gruenwald considered a mentor.[4]

In the late 1980s Gruenwald became executive editor, with a particular remit as the keeper of Marvel continuity. Gruenwald was famous for a perfect recollection of even the most trivial details. An annual contest where fans tried to stump him with obscure questions was eventually discontinued by Marvel as it became clear he would never lose. Most fans, as well as Gruenwald's colleagues at Marvel, believe that had there not been a restructuring of the entire company by the owners in the early 1990s, he would have become editor-in-chief.[citation needed] Gruenwald married singer Belinda Glass in May 1981.[5] They later separated, and he married Catherine Schuller. Gruenwald had a daughter, Sara.[6]

[edit] Writer

As a writer, Gruenwald is best-known for creating the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and his ten-year stint as the writer of Captain America (from 1985 to 1995) — during which he introduced Crossbones. During his period as writer, he was in possession of a replica of Captain America's shield — the same shield now owned by Stephen Colbert.[7]

Although it suffered from low sales, his sixty-issue run on Quasar (1989-1994) realized Gruenwald's ambition to write his own kind of superhero. However, his magnum opus is widely regarded to be the mid-1980s 12-issue miniseries Squadron Supreme, which told the story of an alternate universe where a group of well-intentioned superheroes decide that they would be best suited to run the planet. Gruenwald's work is notable for the realistic touch he brought to his characters. For example, in the D.P.7 series he created for Marvel's New Universe, the main characters were all regular people who gained odd abilities, and never put on a single costume.

[edit] The Bull's Eye

Mark Gruenwald (or "Gru" or "Grueny" as he was often referred to) was a recurring character along with Tom DeFalco in the single-panel comic The Bull's Eye that ran in "Bullpen Bulletins". These strips ran as filler pages in comics during the majority of DeFalco's run as editor-in-chief, and Gruenwald was often depicted as a caricature and foil for DeFalco's antics.

[edit] Death and legacy

In 1996, Gruenwald succumbed to a heart attack, the result of an unsuspected congenital heart defect. Gruenwald was a well-known practical joker, and due to his young age, many of his friends and co-workers initially believed the reports of his death to be just another joke. Just days prior, he had done one of his trademark cartwheels down the halls of the Bullpen. In accordance with his request, he was cremated, and his ashes were mixed with the ink used to print the first trade paperback compilation of Squadron Supreme.[8]

The Amalgam Comics book The Exciting X-Patrol #1 is dedicated to his memory. In the DC Universe, a building in Gotham City was named the Von Gruenwald Tower, and in the novel Captain America: Liberty's Torch (written by Tony Isabella and Bob Ingersoll), the lawyer kidnapped to defend the similarly kidnapped Captain in a mock trial before a militia is named Mark Gruenwald, and is described with the same general physical attributes and personality as the real Gruenwald. The lawyer acts heroically throughout the story.

In the pages of Fantastic Four, writer/artist Walt Simonson created the Time Variance Authority, a cosmic bureaucracy that regulates the Marvel Multiverse. Simonson paid homage to Gruenwald by having the TVA's staff all be clones of Gruenwald; no one could keep track of everything but him.

In 2006, Gruenwald was officially named the "Patron Saint of Marveldom" in the new "Bullpen Bulletins" pages.[9]

[edit] Selected bibliography

[edit] Regular Writer

[edit] Fill-in Writer

[edit] Penciller

[edit] Editor-in-Chief

[edit] Executive Editor

  • The War #1-4 (Marvel Comics, June 1989-March 1990)

[edit] Editor

[edit] Assistant Editor

[edit] Colorist

[edit] Trivia

The artwork of Merlyn in Who's Who in the DC Universe is the only known work by Gruenwald for a comics company aside from Marvel Comics.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Pro File on: Mark Gruenwald," "Bullpen Bulletins," X-Men Annual #11 (1987).
  2. ^ "Avengers Assemble! A Memo From... Mark!" Avengers #222 (Marvel Comics, August 1982).
  3. ^ Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins," Marvel comics cover-dated November 1983.
  4. ^ Gruenwald, Mark. "Mark's Remarks," Iron Man #223 (October 1987).
  5. ^ Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins," Marvel comics cover dated August 1982.
  6. ^ Hembeck, Fred. "The Fred Hembeck Show: Episode 72 - The Mark Gruenwald Show", Quick Stop Entertainment (Sep. 14, 2006). Accessed Mar. 26, 2009.
  7. ^ Jones, Seth. "WWC: Civil War & Remembrance Panel — Updated!", Comic Book Resources (Aug. 11, 2007). Accessed Sept. 29, 2008.
  8. ^ Cronin, Brian. "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #1," Comic Book Resources (June 3, 2005). Accessed Sept. 29, 2008.
  9. ^ Son of M #2 (March 2006), among others.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Tom DeFalco		 Marvel Comics Group Editor-in-Chiefs, Avengers titles;

Bob Harras, mutant titles; Bob Budiansky, Spider-Man titles; Bobbie Chase, Marvel Edge titles; Carl Potts, licensed-property titles
1994–1995

 Succeeded by
Bob Harras
Preceded by
David Anthony Kraft,
Roger Slifer		 Marvel Two-in-One writer
(with Ralph Macchio)
1978–1981		 Succeeded by
Tom DeFalco
Preceded by
Roy Thomas		 Thor writer
(with Ralph Macchio)
1980–1981		 Succeeded by
Doug Moench
Preceded by
Mike Carlin		 Captain America writer
1985–1995		 Succeeded by
Mark Waid
Preceded by
John Byrne		 Avengers writer
1990
(back-up stories; main stories by Fabian Nicieza)		 Succeeded by
Larry Hama
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Gruenwald"



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