Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for

. Fox was also a science fiction author and wrote many novels and short stories. Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes

Barbara Gordon Barbara Gordon is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. The character was created by television producer William Dozier, editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gard ...

, the original Flash,

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of multiple superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More F ...

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara () is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman'' #4 (November 1964). Zatanna is a stage magician with actu ...

and the original

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

, and was the writer who first teamed several of those and other heroes as the

Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...

, and later recreated the team as the

Justice League of America The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived b ...

. Fox introduced the concept of the

Multiverse The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The dif ...

to DC Comics in the 1961 story "

Flash of Two Worlds "Flash of Two Worlds!" is a landmark comic book story that was published in ''The Flash'' #123 (Sept. 1961). It introduces Earth-Two, and more generally the concept of the multiverse, to DC Comics. The story was written by Gardner Fox under th ...

Early life and career

Gardner F. Fox was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City, the son of Julia Veronica (Gardner) and Leon Francis Fox, an engineer. Fox recalled being inspired at an early age by the great fantasy fiction writers. On or about his eleventh birthday, he was given ''

The Gods of Mars ''The Gods of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first published in ''The All-S ...

'' and '' The Warlord of Mars'' by

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, ...

, books which "opened up a complete new world for me." He "read all of Burroughs,

Harold Lamb Harold Albert Lamb (September 1, 1892 – April 9, 1962) was an American writer, novelist, historian, and screenwriter. In both his fiction and nonfiction work, Lamb gravitated toward subjects related to Asia and Middle East. Lamb was an advocat ...

Talbot Mundy Talbot Mundy (born William Lancaster Gribbon, 23 April 1879 – 5 August 1940) was an English writer of adventure fiction. Based for most of his life in the United States, he also wrote under the pseudonym of Walter Galt. Best known as the ...

," maintaining copies "at home in my library" some 50 years later. Fox received a law degree from St. John's College and was admitted to the New York

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar ( ...

in 1935. He practiced for about two years, but as the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

continued he began writing for DC Comics editor

Vin Sullivan Vincent Sullivan (June 5, 1911 – February 3, 1999Vincent Sullivan
at the

...

. Debuting as a writer in the pages of ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...

'', Fox "intermittently contributed tales to nearly every book in the DC lineup during the Golden Age." He was a frequent contributor of prose stories to the pulp science fiction magazines of the 1930s and 1940s. A

polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

, Fox included numerous real-world historical, scientific, and mythological references in his comic strips, once saying, "Knowledge is kind of a hobby with me". For instance, during a year's worth of ''

Atom Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, a ...

'' comic strip stories, Fox referred to the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hunga ...

, the

space race The Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the t ...

, 18th-century England, miniature card painting,

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern per ...

, and

numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inc ...

. He revealed in letters to fan

Jerry Bails Jerry Gwin Bails (June 26, 1933 – November 23, 2006) was an American popular culturist. Known as the "Father of Comic Book Fandom," he was one of the first to approach the comic book field as a subject worthy of academic study, and was a primar ...

that he kept large troves of reference material, mentioning during 1971, "I maintain two file cabinets chock full of stuff. And the attic is crammed with books and magazines....Everything about science, nature, or unusual facts, I can go to my files or the at least 2,000 books that I have".

Novels

During his career writing for DC Comics, Fox wrote novels and short stories using a variety of male and female pseudonyms for a number of publishers, including Ace, Gold Medal, Tower Publications, Belmont Books,

Dodd Mead Dodd, Mead and Company was one of the pioneer publishing houses of the United States, based in New York City. Under several names, the firm operated from 1839 until 1990. History Origins In 1839, Moses Woodruff Dodd (1813–1899) and John S. Ta ...

Hillman Hillman was a British automobile marque created by the Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had ...

, Pocket Library,

Pyramid Books Jove Books, formerly known as Pyramid Books, is an American paperback and eBook publishing imprint, founded as an independent paperback house in 1949 by Almat Magazine Publishers (Alfred R. Plaine and Matthew Huttner). The company was sold to ...

and

Signet Books The New American Library (also known as NAL) is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948. Its initial focus was affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works as well as popular and pulp fiction, but it now publish ...

. During the mid-to-late 1940s, and into the 1950s, Fox wrote a number of short stories and text pieces for ''

Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, pri ...

'' and ''

Planet Stories ''Planet Stories'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published by Fiction House between 1939 and 1955. It featured interplanetary adventures, both in space and on some other planets, and was initially focused on a young readershi ...

,'' and was published in ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances ...

'' and ''Marvel Science Stories.'' He wrote for a diverse range of

pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

s, including '' Baseball Stories,'' '' Big Book Football Western,'' '' Fighting Western,'' ''

Football Stories Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ca ...

,'' ''

Lariat Stories A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the Spanish an ...

,'' '' Ace Sports,'' '' SuperScience,'' '' Northwest Romances,'' '' Thrilling Western,'' and '' Ranch Romances'' for a number of publishing companies. His first novel, a historical romance entitled The Borgia Blade, was published by Belmont Books in 1953. Fox wrote a pair of

sword and planet Sword and planet is a subgenre of science fantasy that features rousing adventure stories set on other planets, and usually featuring humans as protagonists. The name derives from the heroes of the genre engaging their adversaries in hand-to-ha ...

novels titled ''Warriors of Llarn'' (1964) and ''Thief of Llarn'' (1966). From 1969 to 1970, Belmont Books published a series of

sword and sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the ...

novels by Fox, featuring the barbarian character Kothar. These were '' Kothar: Barbarian Swordsman'', '' Kothar of the Magic Sword'', '' Kothar and the Demon Queen'', ''Kothar and the Conjurer's Curse'' and finally ''Kothar and the Wizard Slayer''. These were followed in 1976 by another series (published by

Leisure Books Leisure Books was a mass market paperback publisher specializing in horror and thrillers that operated from 1957 to 2010. In the company's early years, it also published fantasy, science fiction, Westerns, and the Wildlife Treasury card serie ...

) featuring the barbarian Kyrik: '' Kyrik: Warlock Warrior'', '' Kyrik Fights the Demon World'', '' Kyrik and the Wizard's Sword'' and ''Kyrik and the Lost Queen''. ''Kothar and the Conjurer's Curse'' was adapted by Marvel Comics as a six-part Conan story starting with ''

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and ''Conan the Destroyer''), ...

'' #46 ("The Curse of the Conjurer", Jan. 1975) with scripter

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly ...

and artists

John Buscema John Buscema (; ; born Giovanni Natale Buscema, December 11, 1927 – January 10, 2002)Social Se ...

Joe Sinnott Joseph Leonard Sinnott (; October 16, 1926 June 25, 2020) was an American comic book artist. Working primarily as an inker, Sinnott is best known for his long stint on Marvel Comics' '' Fantastic Four'', from 1965 to 1981 (and briefly in the l ...

Dan Adkins Danny L. AdkinsDanny L. Adkins
at the

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Early ...

Comics

Golden Age

Fox's earliest stories for

featured the fictional district attorney

Speed Saunders Cyril "Speed" Saunders is a DC Comics character, first appearing in '' Detective Comics'' as the first featured character in the anthology series around the Golden Age of Comic Books created by E.C. Stoner. He is depicted as an adventurer and de ...

with art by Creig Flessel and later Fred Guardineer beginning at least with ''

'' #4 (June 1937). Speed Saunders was initially credited to "E.C. Stoner," which many believe to be a Fox pseudonym, and Fox has gone on record as claiming he created the character, "cashing in on my law school work". As the 1930s progressed, Fox added writing credits for Steve Malone and Bruce Nelson for ''Detective Comics'' to his workload, as well as

Zatara Giovanni "John" Zatara is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He debuted as a superhero, starring in his own stories in '' Action Comics'' during the Golden Age of Comics. He first appeared in the fi ...

for early issues of ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...

''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Fox assumed responsibility for a variety of characters and books of several of his colleagues who had been drafted. He worked for numerous companies including

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...

' 1940s predecessor,

Timely Comics Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...

;

Vin Sullivan Vincent Sullivan (June 5, 1911 – February 3, 1999Vincent Sullivan
at the

...

Magazine Enterprises Magazine Enterprises was an American comic book company lasting from 1943 to 1958, which published primarily Western, humor, crime, adventure, and children's comics, with virtually no superheroes. It was founded by Vin Sullivan, an editor at Co ...

Columbia Comics Columbia Comics Corporation was a comic book publisher active in the 1940s whose best-known title was ''Big Shot Comics''. Comics creators who worked for Columbia included Fred Guardineer, on ''Marvelo, the Monarch of Magicians''; and Ogden Whitne ...

where he created Skyman; and at EC, where he served a brief stint as chief writer. With the waning popularity of superheroes, Fox contributed

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

, humor,

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

, and talking animal stories.

Batman

During July 1939, just two issues after the debut of the character Batman by artist

Bob Kane Robert Kane (born Robert Kahn ; October 24, 1915 – November 3, 1998) was an American comic book writer, animator and artist who co-created Batman (with Bill Finger) and most early related characters for DC comics. He was inducted into the comi ...

and scripter

Bill Finger Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 – January 18, 1974) was an American comic strip, comic book, film and television writer who was the co-creator (with Bob Kane) of the DC Comics character Batman. Despite making major (sometimes, signatur ...

, Fox wrote the first of his several tales for that character, introducing an early villain in the story "The Batman Meets Doctor Death". Alongside Kane and Finger, Fox contributed to the evolution of the character, including the character's first use of his utility belt, which "contain dchoking gas capsules," as well as writing the first usages of both the

Batarang A batarang is a roughly bat-shaped throwing weapon used by the DC Comics superhero Batman. The name is a portmanteau of bat and boomerang, and was originally spelled baterang. Although they are named after boomerangs, batarangs have become m ...

and the Batgyro, an

autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. Whi ...

precursor to the Batcopter, two issues later. Fox returned to the Batman in 1964. ''( See below)''

Sandman

During 1939, Fox and artist Bert Christman co-created the character of the

, a

gasmask A gas mask is a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas mas ...

-wearing costumed crime-fighter whose first appearance in ''

Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...

'' #40 (July 1939) was pre-empted by an appearance in ''

New York World's Fair Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

''.

The Flash

Fox is credited with writing the first three of six stories in the inaugural issue of ''

Flash Comics ''Flash Comics'' is a comics anthology published by All-American Publications and later by National Periodical Publications (DC Comics). The title had 104 issues published from January 1940 to February 1949. Despite the title, the anthology featu ...

'' (Jan. 1940), including the debut of the titular character, The Flash. With a hero described as a "modern-day Mercury", the title feature saw college student Jay Garrick imbued with superhuman speed after inhaling

hard water Hard water is water that has high mineral content (in contrast with "soft water"). Hard water is formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone, chalk or gypsum, which are largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbo ...

vapors. The character went on to appear in a host of nineteen-

forties Forties can mean: *1940s, the years 1940–1949 *40s, the years 40-49 AD *The years 40-49 of any century - see List of decades *Long Forties, area in the North Sea *The Forties shipping forecast area (roughly corresponding to the Long Forties) * F ...

comics, including '' All Star'', '' Comic Cavalcade'', ''The Big All-American Comic Book'', ''Flash Comics'' and his own title, '' All-Flash,'' so named because, unlike ''Flash Comics'', all the stories in it were about were about the Flash.

Hawkman

Describing the origins of

, Fox recalled, "I was faced with the problem of filling a new book that publisher

Max Gaines Maxwell Charles Gaines (born Max Ginzberg September 21, 1894 – August 20, 1947) was a pioneering figure in the creation of the modern comic book. In 1933, Gaines devised the first four-color, saddle-stitched newsprint pamphlet, a precursor t ...

was starting... As I sat by the window I noticed a bird collecting twigs for a nest. The bird would swoop down, pick up the twig, and fly away. I thought, 'Wouldn't it be great if the bird was a lawman and the twig a crook!'" Debuting as the third story in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (Jan. 1940) — "Fox's imagination ransformedthat bird ntothe soaring, mysterious Hawkman." With art by Dennis Neville, the origin of the 'Winged Wonder' featured archaeologist and collector Carter Hall reliving his past life as Prince Khufu of ancient Egypt, creating a costume (powered by Nth metal), confronting the

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrectio ...

of Hath-Set, his former nemesis, and meeting his reincarnated love interest, Shiera Saunders.

The Justice Society of America

Regularly writing more than six stories in five titles per month, every month throughout the early 1940s, Fox continued to create new features. At the time, DC Comics consisted of two discrete sub-companies,

All-American Publications All-American PublicationsThe name is spelled with a hyphen per its logo (pictured) and sources includinat Don Markstein's ToonopediaArchivedfrom the original on April 15, 2012. was one of two American comic book companies that merged to form th ...

and

Harry Donenfeld Harry Donenfeld (; October 17, 1893 – February 1, 1965) was an American publisher who is known primarily for being the owner of National Allied Publications, which distributed ''Detective Comics'' and ''Action Comics'', the originator publicatio ...

Jack Liebowitz Jacob S. Liebowitz (; born Yacov Lebovitz October 10, 1900 – December 11, 2000)National Periodical Publications National Comics Publications, Inc. (also known as NCP or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company, and the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics. History The corporation was originally two companies: National Allied P ...

. Though he continued to script for National/Detective Comics, Inc., Fox became the chief writer for All-American. While Fox's Dr. Fate (and other titles) was published by National; Sandman, Hawkman and the Flash were released by All-American. For Winter 1940, the third issue of All-American's ''

All Star Comics ''All Star Comics'' is an American comic book series from All-American Publications, one of three companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. While the series' cover-logo trademark reads ''All S ...

'' debuted the

, the first superhero team in comics. Fox had worked on the Hawkman, Flash and Sandman features in ''All-Star'' for its first two issues (Summer and Autumn 1940), but from issue #3 (Winter), he assumed full writing duties for the issue, with all features by different artists working within the

framing device Framing may refer to: * Framing (construction), common carpentry work * Framing (law), providing false evidence or testimony to prove someone guilty of a crime * Framing (social sciences) * Framing (visual arts), a technique used to bring the focu ...

wherein the characters were described as part of a "Justice Society".Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 33: "DC took the 'greatest hits' premise of the comic to its logical conclusion in ''All Star Comics'' #3 by teaming the Flash, the Atom, Doctor Fate, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Hourman, Sandman, and the Spectre under the banner of the Justice Society of America for an ongoing series." In the pages of ''All-Star Comics'' #3, under the direction of editor

Sheldon Mayer Sheldon Mayer (; April 1, 1917 – December 21, 1991) was an American comics artist, writer, and editor. One of the earliest employees of Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publications, Mayer produced almost all of his comics wor ...

and with artists including E. E. Hibbard, Fox created the first

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

team, the

. Each character – Dr. Fate, the Sandman, the Flash, and Hawkman were joined by Hour-Man, the

Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and wri ...

, the

and

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

– was introduced individually (by

Johnny Thunder Johnny Thunder is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. A fourth character has the variant name Jonni Thunder. The character appeared in the second season of '' Stargirl'' on The CW network played b ...

), and related a solo adventure, before being charged at the title's end with remaining a loose team by the

Director of the FBI The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a United States' federal law enforcement agency, and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. The FBI Director is appointed for a single ...

. During April 1941, Fox created the character of Starman with artist

Jack Burnley Jack Burnley (January 11, 1911 – December 19, 2006) was the pen name of Hardin J. Burnley, an American comic book artist and illustrator. Burnley was the first artist, after co-creator Joe Shuster, to draw Superman in comic books. Biography E ...

in the pages of ''Adventure Comics'' #61 (April 1941), and the character would later join the JSA. Fox wrote the Justice Society's adventures from ''All Star Comics'' #3 until leaving the feature as of issue #34 (April–May 1947) with a story that introduced a new super-villain, the Wizard.

Non-DC work

Between 1940 and 1941, Fox wrote for the Columbia Comic Corporation, penning stories featuring characters including "Face," "Marvelo," "Rocky Ryan," "Skyman," and "Spymaster." For approximately three years (1947–1950), Fox wrote for

EC Comics Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books, which specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, war novel, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through th ...

, including scripts and text pieces which appeared in the titles '' The Crypt of Terror'', '' The Vault of Horror'' and ''

Weird Fantasy ''Weird Fantasy'' is an American dark fantasy and science fiction anthology comic that was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. The companion comic for ''Weird Fantasy'' was '' Weird Science''. Over a four-year span, ''Weird Fantasy'' ra ...

'', as well as in the lesser-known ''Gunfighter'', ''Happy Houlihans'', '' Moon Girl'', ''Saddle Justice'' and the new trend title ''

Valor Valor, valour, or valorous may mean: * Courage, a similar meaning * Virtue ethics, roughly "courage in defense of a noble cause" Entertainment * Valor (band), a Christian gospel music group * Valor Kand, a member of the band Christian Death * ' ...

'', among others. Towards the end of the decade, and the start of the 1950s, he worked for

on features including "The Durango Kid," the first

Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider. The first s ...

, "Red Hawk," "Straight Arrow" and "Tim Holt," in whose comic the Ghost Rider appeared. Fox wrote some of the required text pieces for Magazine Enterprises, which were required by the Post Office to qualify magazines and comics for cheaper postal rates. Throughout the 1950s, Fox wrote stories for

Avon Comics Avon Publications is one of the leading publishers of romance fiction. At Avon's initial stages, it was an American paperback book and comic book publisher. The shift in content occurred in the early 1970s with multiple Avon romance titles reach ...

, most notably tales of "Crom the Barbarian", the first

comic series and of "Kenton of the Star Patrol."

Silver Age

During the early 1950s, Fox wrote

Vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

in ''

'', as well as Western stories in the pages of ''

Western Comics Western comics is a comics genre usually depicting the American Old West frontier (usually anywhere west of the Mississippi River) and typically set during the late nineteenth century. The term is generally associated with an American comic books ...

'' and science-fiction stories for DC's '' Mystery in Space'' and ''

Strange Adventures ''Strange Adventures'' is a series of American comic books published by DC Comics, the first of which was August–September 1950, according to the cover date, and published continuously until November 1973. Original series ''Strange Adventures ...

''. During 1953, he entered into correspondence with fan

, which initially emphasized Bails' fondness for the Justice Society and ''All-Star Comics'', but ultimately became a friendship that not only influenced the beginning of comics' so-called "Silver Age", but also comics

fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...

, in which Bails had a major role. During the mid-1950s, after

Fredric Wertham Fredric Wertham (; born Friedrich Ignatz Wertheimer, March 20, 1895 – November 18, 1981) was a German-American psychiatrist and author. Wertham had an early reputation as a progressive psychiatrist who treated poor black patients at his Lafarg ...

's publication of ''

Seduction of the Innocent ''Seduction of the Innocent'' is a book by German-born American psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. The book was tak ...

'' and the

United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency The United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency was established by the United States Senate in 1953 to investigate the problem of juvenile delinquency. Background The subcommittee was a unit of the United States Senate Judiciary Co ...

hearings on the dangers of comic books, the content of comics was changed and became subject to censoring by the private

Comics Code Authority The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA allowed the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. ...

. In partial response to this shift, DC editor

Julius Schwartz Julius "Julie" Schwartz (; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various tim ...

began a widespread reinvention/revival of many earlier characters, and "Fox was one of the first writers... Schwartz called in to help". The

Silver Age of Comic Books The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an in ...

began in the pages of ''

Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

'' #4 (Oct. 1956) with a radically changed Flash character by writers

Robert Kanigher Robert "Bob" Kanigher (; June 18, 1915 – May 7, 2002)Social Security Death Index, social security #116-07-5117. was an American comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for ...

and John Broome with penciler

Carmine Infantino Carmine Michael Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are ...

. Fox scripted most of the Silver Age adventures of science-fiction hero

Adam Strange Adam Strange is a fictional space adventurer appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by editor Julius Schwartz with a costume designed by Murphy Anderson, he first appeared in ''Showcase'' #17 (November 1958). Adam Stran ...

, who debuted in the comic book ''Showcase'' #17 (Nov. 1958) with art by

Mike Sekowsky Michael Sekowsky (; November 19, 1923 – March 30, 1989) was an American comics artist known as the penciler for DC Comics' ''Justice League of America'' during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on ''Wonder Woman'' during th ...

. The Adam Strange stories were co-plotted by Fox and the character's creator, Julius Schwartz. With the "creative guidance" of Fox and Schwartz, "

and the

were given new costumes, new identities," and drew an audience of fans old and new. Fox penned the reinvention of the new Hawkman in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #34 (March 1961) and the Atom, who debuted in ''Showcase'' #34 (Sep–Oct. 1961) with art by Gil Kane.

The Justice League of America

Another of Fox's major achievements was his revival of the concept of the

Justice Society Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

as the

, debuting in the comic book ''

The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by two mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing title in 2007. The focus of the series has varie ...

'' #28 (Feb.–Mar. 1960). Soon given their own title during Oct.–Nov. 1960, the Justice League would become the basis of the DC Universe. The supervillain Doctor Light first battled the team in issue #12 (June 1962). ''Justice League of America'' #21 and #22 (August–September 1963) featured the first team-up of the Justice League and the

as well as the first use of the term "Crisis" in reference to a crossover between characters. The next year's team-up with the Justice Society introduced the threat of the

Crime Syndicate of America The Crime Syndicate are teams of supervillains from one of DC Comics' parallel universes where they are the evil counterparts of the Justice League. The original team was specifically known as the Crime Syndicate of America and is sometimes abb ...

Earth-Three Earth-Three, or simply Earth-3 or Earth 3, is a “partially-reversed” Earth, where supervillainous counterparts of the mainstream DC superheroes reside. It first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #29 (1964), and the concept has been reb ...

. The character

, introduced by Fox and artist Murphy Anderson in ''Hawkman'' #4 (Nov. 1964), was the center of a plotline which ran through several DC titles and was resolved in ''Justice League of America'' #51 (Feb. 1967). Fox and Sekowsky were the creative team for the title's first eight years. Sekowsky's last issue was #63 (June 1968) and Fox departed with #65 (September 1968).

Multiverse

Fox's script for "

!", from ''

The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...

'' #123 (Sept. 1961), introduced the concept that the Golden Age heroes existed on a parallel Earth named

Earth-Two Earth-Two (also Earth Two or Earth 2) is a setting for stories (a "fictional universe") appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''The Flash'' #123 (1961), Earth-Two was created to explain differences between ...

, as the current Flash, Barry Allen, travels to the Earth of

Jay Garrick Jason Peter "Jay" Garrick is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first superhero known as the Flash. The character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert. He first appeared in ''Flas ...

, the 1940s Flash. This event heralded more generally the concept of the DC Comics

, a decades-long recurring theme of the DC Comics universe, allowing old and new heroes to co-exist and crossover. In a mischievous twist, Gardner Fox is actually referenced in the story—in Barry Allen's world, the adventures of Jay Garrick's Flash appeared in comic books written by Fox. As Barry explains, "A writer named Gardner Fox wrote about your adventures -- which he claimed came to him in dreams! Obviously when Fox was asleep, his mind was 'tuned in' on your vibratory Earth! That explains how he 'dreamed up' the Flash!" At the end of the story, Barry says, "I'm going to look up Gardner Fox, who wrote the original Flash stories, and tell it to him! He can write the whole thing up... in a comic book!"

Silver Age Batman

During 1964, Schwartz was made responsible for reviving the Batman titles and Fox returned to writing Batman stories. Obeying the Silver Age trends, he reintroduced characters including the

Riddler The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #140 in ...

and the

Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesle ...

. Fox's "Remarkable Ruse of the Riddler" with art by

Sheldon Moldoff Sheldon Moldoff (; April 14, 1920 – February 29, 2012) was an American comics artist best known for his early work on the DC Comics characters Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and as one of Bob Kane's primary "ghost artists" (uncredited collaborators ...

in ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

'' #171 (May 1965). Eighteen issues later, Fox and Moldoff similarly resuscitated and relocated Professor Jonathan Crane, launching the Earth-1 Scarecrow in "Fright of the Scarecrow", ''Batman'' #189 (Feb 1967). He and artist Carmine Infantino created the

Blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...

in ''Detective Comics'' #345 (Nov. 1965) and the

Cluemaster The Cluemaster is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman as well as a recurring enemy of Tim Drake, the third Robin. Cluemaster first appeared in ''Detective Comic ...

in issue #351 (May 1966). Fox and Infantino introduced

as a new version of

Batgirl Batgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. Although the character Betty Kane was introduced into publication in ...

in a story titled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" in ''Detective Comics'' #359 (January 1967). Fox's final Batman story, "Whatever Will Happen to Heiress Heloise?", was published in ''Detective Comics'' #384 (Feb. 1969).

Leaving DC

Fox stopped receiving work from DC during 1968, when the comics company refused to give health insurance and other benefits to its older creators. Fox, who had written a number of historical adventure, mystery and science fiction novels during the 1940s and the 1950s, began to produce novels full time, using his own name and several pseudonyms. He produced a small number of comics during this period, but predominantly produced novels, writing more than 100 in genres such as science fiction,

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tang ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

, romance, western, and

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

. Among his output was the modern novelisation of the

Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen, June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genr ...

production of ''

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the '' Voyages extra ...

Five Weeks in a Balloon ''Five Weeks in a Balloon, or, A Journey of Discovery by Three Englishmen in Africa'' (french: Cinq semaines en ballon) is an adventure novel by Jules Verne, published in 1863. It is the first novel in which he perfected the "ingredients" of hi ...

'', two books of the "Llarn" series; five books about the barbarian swordsman Kothar, starting during 1969 with the anthology ''Kothar—Barbarian Swordsman'', and four books about the adventures of "Kyrik," starting with ''Warlock Warrior'' (1975). For Tower Books, Belmont Books, and

Belmont-Tower Tower Publications was an American publisher based in New York City that operated from 1958 to c. 1981. Originally known for their Midwood Books line of erotic men's fiction, it also published science fiction and fantasy under its Tower Books li ...

, he produced between thirteen and twenty-five "Lady from L.U.S.T." (League of Undercover Spies and Terrorists) novels between 1968 and 1975 using the name Rod Gray. (see also: ''

The Man from O.R.G.Y. ''The Man from O.R.G.Y.'' (also known as ''The Real Gone Girls'') is a 1970 comedy film directed by James Hill and starring Robert Walker Jr., Louisa Moritz, Slappy White, Lynne Carter and Steve Rossi. It was filmed in Puerto Rico and New Y ...

'') With Rochelle Larkin and Leonard Levinson, Fox used the pen-name "Glen Chase" to write entries in the "Cherry Delight, The Sexecutioner" series.

Later comics work

During the early 1970s, Fox briefly worked for DC's rival publisher,

, writing scripts for '' The Tomb of Dracula'', ''

Red Wolf The red wolf (''Canis rufus'') is a canine native to the southeastern United States. Its size is intermediate between the coyote (''Canis latrans'') and gray wolf (''Canis lupus''). The red wolf's taxonomic classification as being a separate s ...

'', and the "

Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...

" feature in ''

Marvel Premiere ''Marvel Premiere'' is an American comic book anthology series that was published by Marvel Comics. In concept it was a tryout book, intended to determine if a character or concept could attract enough readers to justify launching their own serie ...

''. During 1971,

Skywald Publications Skywald Publications was an American publisher of black-and-white comics magazines, primarily the horror anthologies ''Nightmare'', ''Psycho'', and ''Scream''. It also published a small line of comic books and other genre magazines. Skywald's or ...

reprinted some of his earlier work in titles such as ''Demona'', ''Nightmare'', ''Red Mask'' and ''Zanagar'', and Fox also found work for Warren Publications on ''

Creepy Creepiness is the state of being wikt:creepy, creepy, or causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or wikt:unease, unease. A person who exhibits creepy behaviour is called a creep. Certain traits or hobbies may make people seem creepy to others. The ...

'' and ''

Eerie ''Eerie'' was an American magazine of horror comics introduced in 1966 by Warren Publishing. Like '' Mad'', it was a black-and-white magazine intended for newsstand distribution and did not submit its stories to the comic book industry's volunta ...

'' during the same period. Towards the end of his life, during 1985, he worked briefly for

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market. It was ...

including on the science fiction anthology '' Alien Encounters''. Fox died on December 24, 1986. He died at Princeton Medical Center in Princeton, New Jersey from pneumonia. He is interred in Holy Cross Burial Park and Mausoleum in East Brunswick, New Jersey, alongside his wife Lynda.

Hobbies and achievements

During the course of his career, Fox can be definitely credited with about 1500 stories for DC Comics, making him the second most prolific DC creator (after

) by a considerable margin over his nearest rival. In July 1971, Fox estimated he had written " fty million words" over the course of his career to date. Seuling, Phil (ed.) "

Jim Steranko James F. Steranko (; born November 5, 1938) is an American graphic artist, comic book writer/artist, comics historian, magician, publisher and film production illustrator. His most famous comic book work was with the 1960s superspy feature " ...

& Gardner Fox at the 1971

Comic Art Convention The Comic Art Convention was an American comic book fan convention held annually New York City, New York, over Independence Day weekend from 1968 through 1983, except for 1977, when it was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 1978 to 1979, ...

Luncheon – July 1971" – Interviews by John Benson and Phil Seuling, (transcribed and edited by Benson) in ''1972 Comic Art Convention Programme'' (Seuling, 1972) pp. 70–78 He was a member of a number of literary and genre organisations, including the

Academy of Comic Book Arts The Academy of Comic Book Arts (ACBA) was an American professional organization of the 1970s that was designed to be the comic book industry analog of such groups as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Composed of comic-book profession ...

, the

Authors Guild The Authors Guild is America's oldest and largest professional organization for writers and provides advocacy on issues of free expression and copyright protection. Since its founding in 1912 as the Authors League of America, it has counted among ...

, the

Authors League of America The Authors Guild is America's oldest and largest professional organization for writers and provides advocacy on issues of free expression and copyright protection. Since its founding in 1912 as the Authors League of America, it has counted among ...

, and the

Science Fiction Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy Fantas ...

. As a lawyer, he was a member of the legal fraternity

Phi Delta Phi Phi Delta Phi () is an international legal honor society and the oldest legal organization in continuous existence in the United States. Phi Delta Phi was originally a professional fraternity but became an honor society in 2012. The fraternity ...

. A sports fan, he liked both "

the Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

and the Jets," and (during 1971) had "season tickets to the St. John's games." He enjoyed making and collecting miniature soldiers, focusing on ancient and medieval figures. A voracious reader, he stated, "I have two writers that I reread and reread. One that I'm sure nobody's every heard of is Jeffery Pond . I have every book he ever wrote. The other is the mystery writer John Dickson Carr, whose style I admire tremendously... and of course the old standbys – Merritt I always particularly liked – and Burroughs."

Awards

Fox won two 1962 Alley Awards – for Best Script Writer and for Best Book-Length Story ("The Planet that Came to a Standstill" in '' Mystery in Space'' #75), with penciler

— as well as a 1963 Alley, for Favorite Novel ("Crisis on Earths 1 and 2" in ''

'' #21–22, with penciler

), and the 1965 Alley for Best Novel ("Solomon Grundy Goes on a Rampage" in ''

'' #55) with penciler

Murphy Anderson Murphy C. Anderson Jr. (July 9, 1926 – October 22, 2015) was an American comics artist, known as one of the premier inkers of his era, who worked for companies such as DC Comics for over fifty years, starting in the Golden Age of Comic Books in ...

. He was honored at the New York

during 1971. During 1982, at Skycon II, he was awarded the "

Award for Life-time achievement."

Legacy

During 1967, Fox's literary agent, August Lenniger, suggested that Fox donate his notes, correspondence, and samples of his work to the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc Nike, Inc. ( or ) is a ...

as a tax deduction. Fox donated over fourteen boxes of comics, books, scripts, plot ideas, and fan letters dating back to the 1940s. His records comprise the bulk of the university's Fox Collection. The

Guy Gardner Guy Gardner may refer to: * Guy Gardner (astronaut) (born 1948), United States Air Force officer and former astronaut * Guy Gardner (character) Guy Gardner, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic ...

character is named after Fox. During 1985, DC Comics named Fox as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publication ''

Fifty Who Made DC Great ''Fifty Who Made DC Great'' is a one shot published by DC Comics to commemorate the company's 50th anniversary in 1985. It was published in comic book format but contained text articles with photographs and background caricatures. Publication h ...

''. During 1998, he was posthumously awarded a

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...

and entered into the

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...

Hall of Fame; a year later, he was inducted into the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are List of Eisner Award winners, prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Acad ...

Hall of Fame. During 2007, Fox was one of the year's two recipients of the

Bill Finger Award The Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing is an American award for excellence in comic book writing. The awards committee, chaired by Mark Evanier, is charged each year with selecting two recipients, one living and one deceased. ...

for Excellence in Comic Book Writing, given under the auspices of

San Diego Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is c ...

. During 2002, the

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

broadcast an episode of the ''

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived b ...

'' animated TV series titled "Legends", an homage to Fox's Justice Society and his annual Silver Age Justice Society/Justice League crossovers. The episode was dedicated to Fox. Additionally, in the episode titled "Paradise Lost", a TV news reporter refers to Hurricane Gardner. In the sixth episode of the second season of '' Young Justice'', during a disaster which destroys part of the city, the Flash directs a woman to a homeless shelter that is located between streets named Gardner and Fox.

Bibliography

Comic books

DC Comics

* ''

'' #8–79 (

); #134, 139–144 (

); #138 ( Congo Bill) (1939–1950) * ''

'' #35–67, 69–77, 81, 83–89 (1939–1944) * '' All-American Western'' #105–106, 113, 115 (1949–1950) * '' All-Flash'' #6–24, 28 (1942–1947) * ''All-Flash Quarterly'' #1–5 (1941–1942) * ''

'' #1–34, 46, 50, 53 (1940–1950) * ''

All Star Western ''All-Star Western'' was the name of three American comic book series published by DC Comics, each a Western fiction omnibus featuring both continuing characters and anthological stories. The first ran from 1951 to 1961, the second from 1970 to 1 ...

'' #62, 90–92, 94–95, 97–99. 107–119 (1951–1961) * ''

'' #1–37 (1962–1968) * ''Atom and Hawkman'' #40–41 (1968–1969) * ''

'' #41, 165, 170–172. 174–175. 179, 181, 183–184, 186, 188–192, 194–197, 199, 201–202 (1947, 1964–1968) * ''Big All-American Comic Book'' #1 (1944) * ''

Boy Commandos Boy Commandos is a fictional organization from DC Comics first appearing in ''Detective Comics'' #64 (June 1942) by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. They are a combination of "kid gang" characters, an international cast of young boys fighting Nazis — ...

'' #36 (1949) * ''

'' #28–30 (Justice League); #34–36, 42–44 (Hawkman); #45–49 (Strange Sports); #61–62 ( Starman and

Black Canary The Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics: Dinah Drake and her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance. The original version was created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and ...

) (1960–1965) * '' Comic Cavalcade'' #1–19 (1942–1947) * ''

'' #4–26, 37–43 (Speed Saunders); #29–34, 331, 333–340, 344–345, 347, 349, 351, 353, 356, 359, 361, 363, 366–369, 371, 374, 376–377, 384 (Batman); #328–330, 332–339, 341–342, 345–358, 360–365, 367–383 (

Elongated Man Elongated Man (Randolph "Ralph" Dibny) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Flash (comics), The Flash'' #112 (February 25, 1960). The character made his live-action debut in the The Fl ...

) (1937–1969) * ''

'' #117, 123, 129, 137–138, 140, 142–146, 150–152, 154, 159, 162, 164, 166–167, 170–171, 177 (1960–1968) * ''

'' #1–80 (1940–1947) * ''Funny Stuff'' #22–27 (1947) * ''

'' #27 (1947) * ''Green Lantern'' vol. 2 #16–17, 21–23, 25–29, 32–38, 41–44, 46, 48, 50, 57–58, 60, 62, 65, 67 (1962–1969) * ''

'' #1–21 (1964–1967) * ''

Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He wa ...

'' #86, 89, 91–92, 112–113, 115, 117–121, 124 (1954–1957) * ''

Jimmy Wakely Jimmy Wakely (February 16, 1914 – September 23, 1982) was an American actor, songwriter, country music vocalist, and one of the last singing cowboys. During the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, he released records, appeared in several B-Western movies ...

'' #1–3, 7–9, 11, 15 (1949–1952) * ''

'' #1–38, 40–47, 49–57, 59–65 (1960–1968) * ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'' a.k.a. ''New Fun Comics'',''N ...

'' #55–95 (

) (1940–1944) * '' Mystery in Space'' #1–5, 7–15, 31–32, 36, 41, 43, 45–48, 50–91 (1951–1964) * ''New York World's Fair Comics'' #1–2 (1939–1940) * '' Sensation Comics'' #1–10, 109 (1942–1952) * ''

'' #15–16 ( Space Ranger); #17–19 (

); #34–36 (the Atom); #55–56 (Doctor Fate and

Hourman Hourman or Hour-Man is the name of three different fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The original Hourman was created by writer Ken Fitch and artist Bernard Baily in ''Adventure Comics'' #48 (March 1940), during t ...

); #60–61, 64 (Spectre) (1958–1966) * ''

'' #1–2, 6–7 (1967–1968) * ''

'' #1–21, 23–26, 29—30, 35, 38, 50, 69, 71, 73–74, 78–81, 83–84, 86–97, 99, 101–107, 109–116, 118–159, 161, 163, 226 (1950–1970) * ''

Superboy Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...

'' #20 (1952) * ''

'' #4, 19–21, 23–27, 31–37, 39–46, 56–85 (1948–1961) * ''World's Best Comics'' #1 (1941) * ''

World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

'' #2–8, 51–60, 62, 64 (1941–1953)

Marvel Comics

* ''

Chamber of Chills ''Chamber of Chills'' is the name of two anthology horror comic books, one published by Harvey Publications in the early 1950s, the other by Marvel Comics in the 1970s. Harvey Publications The first ''Chamber of Chills'' was a 10-cent horror anth ...

'' #2–4 (1973) * '' Creatures on the Loose'' #26–27 (1973–1974) * ''

Doc Savage Doc Savage is a fictional character of the competent man hero type, who first appeared in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. Real name Clark Savage Jr., he is a doctor, scientist, adventurer, detective, and polymath who "rights w ...

'' #5–7 (1973) * '' Dracula Lives!'' #4 (1974) * ''

Gunhawks The Gunhawks is the name of a pair of Character (arts), fictional comic book characters in the Western (genre), Western genre that first appeared in a self-titled series published by Marvel Comics. Original series The Gunhawks were Kid Cassidy ...

'' #7 (1973) * ''

Journey into Mystery ''Journey into Mystery'' is an American comic book series initially published by Atlas Comics, then by its successor, Marvel Comics. Initially a horror comics anthology, it changed to giant-monster and science fiction stories in the late 1950s. ...

'' vol. 2 #4 (1973) * ''

'' #5–8 (

) (1972–1973) * ''

Marvel Spotlight ''Marvel Spotlight'' is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book. It stood out from Marvel's other try-out books in that most of the featured characters made their first appearance in the series. The series origin ...

'' #1 (Red Wolf) (1971) * '' Monsters Unleashed'' #1 (1973) * ''

'' #2–8 (1972–1973) * '' The Tomb of Dracula'' #5–6 (1972–1973) * '' Vampire Tales'' #1–2 (1973)

Avon Books

Crom the Barbarian

* '' Out of This World Adventures'' #1 - ''Crom the Barbarian'' (July 1950) with John Giunta nly as by Gardner Fox and John Giunta * ''Out of This World Adventures'' #2 - ''The Spider God of Akka!'' (December 1950) with John Giunta nly as by Gardner Fox and John Giunta * '' Strange Worlds'' #2 - ''The Giant From Beyond'' (April 1951) with John Giunta nly as by Gardner Fox and John Giunta

Fiction series

;Alan Morgan # ''Warrior of Llarn'' (1964) # ''Thief of Llarn'' (1966) ;Kothar # ''Kothar - Barbarian Swordsman'' ( Belmont Books, 1969) # ''Kothar of the Magic Sword!'' (Belmont Books, 1969) # ''Kothar and the Demon Queen'' (Belmont Books, 1969) # ''Kothar and the Conjurer's Curse'' (Belmont Books, 1970) # ''Kothar and the Wizard Slayer'' (Belmont Books, 1970) ;Kyrik # ''Kyrik: Warlock Warrior'' (

, 1975) # ''Kyrik Fights the Demon World'' (Leisure Books, 1975) # ''Kyrik and the Wizard's Sword'' (Leisure Books, 1976) # ''Kyrik and the Lost Queen'' (Leisure Books, 1976)

Novels

* ''Five Weeks in a Balloon'' (1962) * ''Escape Across the Cosmos'' (1964) only appeared as: ** variant title: ''Escape Across the Cosmos'' (1964) s by Gardner Fox ** variant title: ''Titans of the Universe'' (1978) s by Moonchild (inside Title Page) / James Harvey (front cover) under Manor Books imprint * ''The Arsenal of Miracles'' (1964) * ''The Hunter Out of Time'' (1965) * ''Beyond the Black Enigma'' (1965) nly as by Bart Somers * ''Abandon Galaxy!'' (1967) nly as by Bart Somers * ''Laid in the Future'' (1969) nly as by Rod Gray * ''The Druid Stone'' (1970) nly as by Simon Majors * ''Conehead'' (1973) * ''Omnibus'' * ''The Arsenal of Miracles'' / ''Endless Shadow'' (1964) /2Nwith John Brunner * ''Fantasy Inverno 1993. Spade per la gloria'' (1993)

Nonfiction

* ''Thun'da: King of the Congo'' (2010) with Frank Frazetta and Bob Powell nly as by Frank Frazetta and Gardner Fox and Bob Powell

Historic Fiction

* ''One Sword for Love'' (1953) * ''Iron Lover'' (1959) * ''The Bastard of Orleans'' (1960) * ''The Lion of Lucca'' (1966) * ''The Bold Ones'' (1976)

Short fiction

* ''The Weirds of the Woodcarver'' (1944) * ''The Last Monster'' (1945) * ''Man nth'' (1945) * ''Engines of the Gods'' (1946) * ''Rain, Rain, Go Away!'' (1946) * ''Heart of Light'' (1946) * ''The Man the Sun-Gods Made'' (1946) * ''Sword of the Seven Suns'' (1947) * ''Vassals of the Lode-Star'' (1947) *
Werwile of the Crystal Crypt
' (1948) *
When Kohonnes Screamed
' (1948) * ''The Rainbow Jade'' (1949) * ''Temptress of the Time Flow'' (1950) * ''Tonight the Stars Revolt!'' (1952) * ''The Warlock of Sharrador'' (1953) * ''The Holding of Kolymar'' (1972) * ''Shadow of a Demon'' (1976) * ''Beyond the Wizard Fog'' (1977) * ''The Stolen Sacrifice'' (1978) * ''The Thing From the Tomb'' (1979) * ''The Eyes of Mavis Deval'' (1980) * ''The Cube From Beyond'' (1980) * ''The Cup of Golden Death'' (1980) * ''Out of the Eons'' (1980) * ''The Lure of the Golden Godling'' (1980) * ''The Coming of the Sword'' (1981) *''The Return of Dargoll'' (1982)

Essays

* Letter (''Fantastic Novels'', September 1940): A. Merritt Books Scarce (1940) * P.S.'s ''Feature Flash'' (1947) * Letter (''Planet Stories'', Spring 1948): Fox Lets Fly (1947) * Foreword (''Kothar of the Magic Sword!'') (1969) * Introduction (''Kyrik: Warlock Warrior'') (1975)

References

External links

* * *
Gardner Fox
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators

at the

Lambiek Comiclopedia Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum, ), though since 2007, his son Boris Kousemaker is the current owner. From 1968 to 2015, it was located ...

Gardner Fox literary manuscripts, comic books and other material, 1936-1978

The Gardner Francis Fox Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Gardner 1911 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists American comics writers American male novelists Pulp fiction writers Bill Finger Award winners DC Comics people EC Comics Golden Age comics creators Novelists from New York (state) Silver Age comics creators St. John's University (New York City) alumni Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees Writers from Brooklyn