In some sad news today, it has been revealed by Mark Waid that Jim Shooter, the former Editor-in-Chief at Marvel Comics and co-creator of
The Transformers, has passed at the age of 73 as a result of losing his ongoing battle against esophageal cancer.
From Waid's
Facebook post:
RIP Jim Shooter, 1951-2025.
I’ve just received word that Jim Shooter passed away of esophogeal cancer, which he’s been battling for some time. I realize that for many he’s been a controversial figure in the past (game knows game), mostly with regards to his managereal style, but my experiences with him lay outside that realm and began with my lifelong love for his writing beginning with the first time I ever picked up a copy of Adventure Comics in 1967.
For those who don’t know, Jim broke into comics at the age of 14. Let me say that again: 14. I don’t know about you, but when I was 14, I could barely put sentences together on paper. During a hospital stay, he’d been given some Marvel and DC comics and could clearly see how much more exciting the Marvel books were and couldn’t understand why DC’s books couldn’t have that same vitality. Having no idea how comics scripts were done, he literally wrote and drew a Legion of Super-Heroes story on notebook paper and sent it in to editor Mort Weisinger, who put him to work immediately–having no idea how young he was until later.
Jim left comics in the late 1960s, returning in the mid-1970s to a DC that didn’t quite know what to do with him before moving to Marvel and eventually serving as their EIC for many years. Subsequently, he launched a succession of long- and short-lived comics companies. Over the past few years, he’d been making frequent comic convention appearances.
My meals and conversations with Jim were always genial, and I never failed to remind him just how inspirational his work was to me; there are storytelling choices and stylistic influences I got from him in nearly all my work. I regret that I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye, but I’m glad he’s finally at peace after years of suffering.
Godspeed, Jim.
Shooter had a long and storied career in the world of comics, beginning by writing for DC at the aforementioned age of 14, and rising to become the Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics, where he wrote the original
Secret Wars crossover, among
many other books. After leaving Marvel, he would go on to help found Valiant Comics ('90s publisher of the
Nintendo Comics System line of books and World Wrestling Federation comics, to say nothing of in-house properties such as
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter,
Magnus, Robot Fighter,
Solar, Man of the Atom, and
X-O Manowar), as well as Defiant Comics and Broadway Video offshoot Broadway Comics, and has been involved in the industry in various other ways since.
Of course, the main reason we're talking about this here today is that it's entirely possible there would be no "
here" today without Shooter's efforts. During his run at Marvel, Shooter is the one who wrote the original six-page treatment (which you can read for yourself
here) for what we know today as "
The Transformers." After first trying out Denny O'Neil for character treatments, he would then hand the reins over to Bob Budiansky. And the rest... is history.
For his part in, let's face it, shaping many of our lives in one way or another, we say "Thank you, Jim." And may he rest in peace.
Sources: Comic Book Club Live,
TFWiki,
Wikipedia,
JimShooter.com
