Леон Лазарус: Комикстер және жазушының өмірі мен шығармашылығы

American writer
the writer editor

Leon Lazarus (August 22, 1919 – November 28, 2008) was an American writer editor for publisher Martin Goodman's Magazine Management Company, as well as for Goodman's Timely and Atlas comic book companies, the two predecessors of Marvel Comics. The uncredited author of countless comic book stories from 1947 through at least 1965 – with his name long considered a possible pseudonym on the rare occasions it appeared – the 85 year old Lazarus was located in 2005 by comics historians who then initiated efforts to document his credits and fill some of the many gaps in the medium's record. In addition to comic books, Lazarus wrote paperback books, including two in the "Nick Carter" detective novel series, as well as children's books for Little Golden Books. His magazine writing included pieces for the men's adventure magazines Saga, Stag, and Blue Book, and the more general interest Coronet. He is not to be confused with the science fiction book reviewer and writer Dr. Henry Leon Lazarus.

Leon Lazarus was born in The Bronx, New York City, the youngest among siblings Sid Lazarus (March 12, 1912 – circa 1973) and Harry Lazarus (born February 22, 1917), both of whom became comic book artists. He was drafted in the U. S. Army in 1942, and did World War II service in Italy, teaching the use of the then new technology radar for the Signal Corps. in May 1946. Having written for the Signal Corps and wanting to write for comics, Lazarus after three weeks approached Dave Berg, a staff editor, who purchased a teen humor story from him. Lazarus then became an associate editor under Don Rico, another staff editor, earning $60 a week plus an additional $40 a week for his freelance writing at the company. When Berg, Rico and fellow editor Ernie Hart moved on, later in the 1940s, Lazarus worked as an assistant to Al Jaffee, who came in as editor of the teen humor line. Among the writers with whom Lazarus worked as an editor was Patricia Highsmith, the future novelist, whose early career included writing romance comics for Timely/Atlas. Marjorie Lazarus in 1948 and 1949 separately contributed "44 or 45" two page text filler stories.

After leaving Timely, Lazarus freelanced for the company as it transitioned to being known as Atlas Comics during the 1950s. Under editor in chief Stan Lee, his work there, he recalled in a late 2000s interview, included the Western comic books Black Rider, The Arizona Kid and Kid Colt, Outlaw. Lazarus additionally wrote for Ziff Davis, under editor Jerry Siegel, doing stories for Kid Cowboy, G. I. Joe (unrelated to the later Hasbro action figures) and other comic books for about a year, and also did work for the writer/artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, and for American Comics Group (AGC), under editor Richard E. Hughes. Shortly after Atlas briefly suspended publishing in 1957, following the collapse of the company's newsstand distributor, Lazarus began writing for Magazine Management, the parent company owned by publisher Martin Goodman. Under editor Noah Sarlett, Lazarus said, "I wrote 350 stories for their men's magazines, going into the 1960s. I also worked for [staff editor and future best selling author] Bruce Jay Friedman." When Lazarus himself was briefly employed as a staff editor there, he worked with such staff writers as Mario Puzo, future author of The Godfather. Lazarus had two public credits during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books: the suspense mystery story "Wes Wilson, Worry Wart" in the American Comics Group (AGC) comic Unknown Worlds #6 (March 1961); and the Giant Man superhero story "When Attuma Strikes" in Tales to Astonish #64 (Feb. 1965). His Marvel Comics credit, during the period in which the former Timely/Atlas began establishing itself as a significant force in popular culture, came about, Lazarus recalled, when publisher Goodman

Lazarus' brothers, Harry Lazarus and Sid Lazarus, did magazine illustrations, and Harry as well variously penciled or both wrote and drew stories for a number of comic book companies from 1944 to the mid 1960s. He was living in West Orange, New Jersey, at the time of his death at age 89. and Sherry, an editor for an online art museum, the Art Renewal Center.

Coronet (Aug. 1965): "Electronic Lifesavers" by Leon Lazarus