Mark Stephen Evanier (; born March 2, 1952) is an American

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

and television writer, known for his work on the animated TV series '' Garfield and Friends'' and on the comic book '' Groo the Wanderer''. He is also known for his columns and blog News from ME, and for his work as a historian and biographer of the comics industry, such as his award-winning

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

biography, '' Kirby: King of Comics''.

Early life

Evanier identifies as

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. His father was Jewish and his mother was Catholic. He chose to be a writer after witnessing the misery his father felt from working for the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

and contrasting that with the portrayal of a writer's life on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show''. He graduated from University High School in 1969. Evanier attended

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

but left before graduating.

Career

Evanier was president of a Los Angeles comic book club from 1966 to 1969. In 1967, he suggested the titles of the officers of the Merry Marvel Marching Society. He made his first professional sale in 1969; that same year, through a mutual association with a Marvel Comics mail-order firm, he was taken on as a production assistant to

. Several years later Evanier began writing foreign comic books for the Walt Disney Studio Program, then from 1972 to 1976 wrote scripts for Gold Key Comics, including "The Greatest of E's", where he revealed that the E in Wile E. Coyote stands for "Ethelbert", and comics for the

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

estate. In 1974, he teamed with writer Dennis Palumbo and wrote for a number of television series, including '' The Nancy Walker Show'', '' The McLean Stevenson Show'', and '' Welcome Back, Kotter'', on which he was a story editor. KirbyPanel11

After leaving ''Kotter'' in 1977 and amicably ending his partnership with Palumbo, Evanier wrote for and eventually ran the

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

comic book division. He also wrote a number of variety shows and specials, and he began writing for animated cartoon shows, including '' Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo'', '' The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show'', '' Thundarr the Barbarian'', '' The ABC Weekend Special'', '' Yogi Bear's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper'', '' Richie Rich'', '' The Wuzzles'', and ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

''. He is most noted in animation for his work on '' Garfield and Friends'', a seven-season series for which Evanier wrote or co-wrote nearly every episode and acted as voice recording director. Since 2008, Evanier has been the co-writer and voice director of '' The Garfield Show'', which won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American Voice acting, voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animation, animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha F ...

. Evanier credits himself with convincing Jack Kirby to stop using Vince Colletta as an inker, and he considers himself one of Colletta's "main vilifiers". He wrote a script and provided "'technical advice' about comic books" for '' Bob'',

Bob Newhart George Robert Newhart (September 5, 1929 – July 18, 2024) was an American comedian and actor. Newhart was known for his deadpan and stammering delivery style. Beginning his career as a stand-up comedian, he transitioned his career to acting in ...

's unsuccessful third sitcom for CBS. He has produced a number of comic books, including '' Blackhawk'', ''

Crossfire A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as assault rifles or sub-machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I. ...

'' and '' Hollywood Superstars'' (with Dan Spiegle), '' Groo the Wanderer'' (with Sergio Aragonés), and '' The DNAgents'' (with Will Meugniot). For the Spiegle comics, Evanier contributed lengthy essays on the entertainment industry. In 1985, he launched the '' DC Challenge'' limited series with artist

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the Social Security Death Index via ...

. He wrote the ''

New Gods The New Gods are a fictional extraterrestrial race appearing in the eponymous comic book series published by DC Comics, as well as selected other DC titles. Created and designed by Jack Kirby, they first appeared in February 1971 in ''New Gods'' ...

'' series of 1989–1991. Evanier collaborated with Joe Staton on the '' Superman & Bugs Bunny'' mini-series in 2000. For many years, Evanier wrote a regular column, "Point of View", for ''

Comics Buyer's Guide ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG''; ), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1983 to circa 2010. The publ ...

''. Evanier's illustrated Jack Kirby biography, '' Kirby: King of Comics'', was published in February 2008 by Abrams Books. It won the 2009

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

for Best Comics-Related Book. Evanier collaborated with Aragonés and Thomas Yeates on the ''Groo vs. Conan'' crossover for

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

in 2014. In 1970, Evanier attended the Golden State Comic Con in San Diego, the first annual gathering of what came to be known as

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

. Evanier is one of a small group of people (estimated at six or fewer) who have attended every year. In 1973, he first hosted a panel at the yearly event and the volume soon escalated to the point where he was hosting as many as fourteen over a four-day convention. They usually include Quick Draw!, which pits fast cartoonists against one another to respond with drawings to challenges Evanier throws at them; the Annual Jack Kirby Tribute Panel, Cover Story (artists discussing the skills involved in creating covers for comic books), and several panels about the art of providing voices for animated cartoons. For years, he hosted the annual Golden Age Panel featuring artists and writers who'd worked in comic books in the 1940s but it ended after 2010 due to a lack of available panelists and was replaced by That 70's Panel, celebrating comic book creators from that era. Evanier also serves as Administrator of the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing. Several of the panels he hosts at Comic-Con also appear at the annual

WonderCon WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction, and film fan convention, convention held in the San Francisco Bay Area (1987–2011), then—under the name WonderCon Anaheim—in Anaheim, California (2012–2015, 2017–present), and Wond ...

in Anaheim, California. In April 2022, Evanier was reported among the more than three dozen comics creators who contributed to Operation USA's benefit anthology book, ''Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds'', a project spearheaded by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...

Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier, whose profits would be donated to relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees resulting from the February

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

Personal life

On May 26, 2006, Evanier underwent gastric bypass surgery at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, Tertiary referral hospital, tertiary, 915-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre, academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars ...

in Los Angeles. Having peaked at around 344 pounds (156 kg) by then, he subsequently lost nearly 99 pounds (45 kg) by June 2007.

Awards

*1975: Won

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at Comic-Con Internati ...

*1992: Won "Best Humor Publication"

for '' Groo the Wanderer'' *1997: Won "Best Humor Publication" Eisner Award for '' Sergio Aragonés Destroys DC'' and ''Sergio Aragonés Massacres Marvel'' *1999: Won "Best Humor Publication" Eisner Award for '' Sergio Aragonés Groo'' *2001: Won "Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award" *2003: Won Animation Writer's Caucus of the

Writers Guild of America, West The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 m ...

Lifetime Achievement Award *2009: '' Kirby: King of Comics'' won "Best Comics-Related Book" Eisner Award; "Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation" and "Special Award for Excellence in Presentation"

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 a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...

2009 Harvey Awards
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Bibliography

Comic books

Archie Comics

*''Scooby-Doo'' #10, 14, 17 (1996–1997)

Boom! Studios

*''

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...

'' #1–32 (2012–2014)

Comico Comics

* '' Space Ghost'' #1 (1987)

Dark Horse Comics

* '' Flaxen'' #1 (1992) * '' Groo vs. Conan'' #1–4 (2014) * ''Sergio Aragonés Groo: 25th Anniversary Special'' (2007) * ''Sergio Aragonés Stomps Star Wars'' (2000)

DC Comics

* '' Blackhawk'' #251–273 (1982–1984) * '' Countdown to Mystery'' #8 (

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

) (2008) * '' DC Challenge'' #1, 12 (1985–1986) * ''

DC Comics Presents ''DC Comics Presents'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the DC Universe. A recurring bac ...

'' #64, 69 (1983–1984) * ''

Fanboy A fan or fanatic, sometimes also termed an aficionado or enthusiast, is a person who exhibits strong interest or admiration for something or somebody, such as a celebrity, a sport, a sports team, a genre, a politician, a book, a movie, a video ...

'' #1–6 (1999) * '' House of Mystery'' #214 (1973) * ''Legends of the DC Universe'' #14 (1999) * ''

Mister Miracle Mister Miracle is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first and third are humans Thaddeus Brown and Shilo Norman, while the second is New God Scott Free. The Scott Free incarnat ...

Special'' #1 (1987) * ''

'' vol. 3 #1, 5–28 (1989–1991) * ''

Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...

'' #12 ( Challengers of the Unknown) (1987) * '' Sergio Aragonés Destroys DC'' #1 (1996) * ''

Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity * Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character * Napoleon Solo, fr ...

'' #11 (2006) * '' Spirit'' #14–25 (2008–2009) * '' Superman & Bugs Bunny'' #1–4 (2000) * '' Superman Adventures'' #14–15, 42, 53 (1997–2001) * ''

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

Spotlight'' #21 (1988) * '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' #4 (1977)

Eclipse Comics

* '' Destroyer Duck'' #1 ("Great Moments in Comic Book History" backup story) (1982) * '' The DNAgents'' #1–24 (1983–1985) * ''

'' #1–26 (1984–1987) * '' Groo the Wanderer Special'' #1 (1984) * ''The New DNAgents'' #1–17 (1985–1987) * ''Three Dimensional DNAgents'' #1 (1986)

Gemstone Publishing

* ''Mickey Mouse and Blotman: Blotman Returns'' ("Now Museum, Now You Don't.") (2006)

Gold Key

* ''Hanna-Barbera Scooby-Doo... Mystery Comics'' #21–25, 27–30 (1973–1975)

IDW Publishing

* '' Rocky and Bullwinkle'' #1–4 (2014)

Marvel Comics

* '' Dynomutt'' #1–6 (1977–1979) * ''

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the R ...

'' #1–9 (1977–1979) * '' The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera'' #1 ("The Flintstones Christmas Party"); #3 ("The Flintstones Visit the Laff-a-Lympics") (1977–1978) * ''Hanna-Barbera Spotlight'' #1–4 (1978–1979) * ''

Laff-A-Lympics ''Laff-A-Lympics'' is an American animated comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series premiered as part of the Saturday-morning cartoon program block '' Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics'', which consists of 24 e ...

'' #1–13 (1978–1979) * '' Marvel Premiere'' #49 (

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

) (1979) * '' Marvel Super Special'' #29 (

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

) (1984) * ''

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American media franchise owned by Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Entertainment and created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears through their animated series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'', for Hanna-Barbera (which wa ...

'' #1–9 (1977–1979) * ''Sergio Aragonés Massacres Marvel'' #1 (1996) * ''TV Stars'' #1–4 (1978–1979) * '' Yogi Bear'' #1–9 (1977–1979)

=Epic Comics

= * ''The Death of Groo'' graphic novel (1988) * ''

Epic Illustrated ''Epic Illustrated'' was a comics anthology in magazine format published in the United States by Marvel Comics. Similar to the US-licensed comic book magazine ''Heavy Metal (magazine), Heavy Metal'', it allowed explicit content to be featured, un ...

'' #27 (1984) * ''The Groo Chronicles'' #1–6 (1989) * '' Hollywood Superstars'' #1–5 (1990–1991) * ''The Life of Groo'' graphic novel (1993) * ''Sergio Aragonés Groo the Wanderer'' #1–120 (1985–1995)

Pacific Comics

* ''Groo the Wanderer'' #1–8 (1982–1984) * '' Starslayer'' #5 (Groo backup story) (1982)

Books

* *''Mad Art : A Visual Celebration of the Art of Mad Magazine and the Idiots Who Create It''. Watson-Guptill. 2003. 304 p. .

Television credits

Series head writer denoted in bold. * '' The Nancy Walker Show'' (1976) * '' The McLean Stevenson Show'' (1976) * '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1976) * ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

'' (1977) * '' Baby, I’m Back'' (1978) * '' The Krofft Superstar Hour'' (1978) * '' Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo'' (1979–1980) * '' Pink Lady'' (1980) * '' The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show'' (1980) * '' The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show'' (1980–1981) * '' Thundarr the Barbarian'' (1980–1981) * '' Goldie Gold and Action Jack'' (1981) * '' Trollkins'' (1981) * '' Yogi Bear’s All Star Comedy Christmas Caper'' (1982) * ''

'' (1983) * '' ABC Weekend Specials'' (1984) * '' Pryor's Place'' (1984) * '' The Wuzzles'' (1985) * '' CBS Storybreak'' (1985) * '' Garfield and Friends'' (1988–1994) * ''

Superboy Superboy is an identity used by several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series ...

'' (1989) * ''

Mother Goose and Grimm ''Mother Goose and Grimm'' (a.k.a. ''Mother Goose & Grimm'') is an internationally syndicated comic strip by cartoonist Mike Peters of the '' Dayton Daily News''. It was first syndicated starting October 1, 1984, and is distributed by King Fea ...

'' (1991) * '' Bob'' (1993) * '' The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat'' (1996–1997) * '' Superman: The Animated Series'' (1997) * '' Channel Umptee-3'' (1997) * '' The Garfield Show'' (2009–2012, 2015–2016)

References

External links

News From ME
Evanier's official website *'' Comic Geek Speak'
Podcast Interview
(October 2005) * *
Mark Evanier
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{DEFAULTSORT:Evanier, Mark 1952 births Living people 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American comics writers Comics historians American male bloggers American bloggers American columnists American male non-fiction writers American male screenwriters American male television writers American voice directors Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award winners Comics scholars DC Comics people Eisner Award winners Hanna-Barbera people Historians of animation Inkpot Award winners Jewish American comics writers Jewish American non-fiction writers Jewish American screenwriters Jewish American television writers Television writers from California Jewish bloggers Marvel Comics writers University High School (Los Angeles) alumni Writers from Santa Monica, California