Paul Levitz

Paul Levitz (1956 - ) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. Currently the President of DC Comics, the oldest comics company in the United States, he has previously served as a writer, editor, vice president, and executive vice president at DC.

Related Topics:
1956 - Comic book - DC Comics - United States

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Levitz was born October 21, 1956 in Brooklyn, NY to Hannah and Alfred Levitz. He attended Stuyvesant High School during which time he co-wrote and published a popular comic fan magazine, "The Comic Reader." He later enrolled at New York University but left before graduating to work full time at DC Comics, where he had begun working during high school.

Related Topics:
Stuyvesant High School - New York University

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Since the mid 1970s, Levitz has been an integral part of DC. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn and managing editor Dick Giordano, he was responsible for the 1980s revitalizing of the company's entire line of heroes — such as Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, the Justice League and Green Lantern. Others who played vital roles in the process were writers Marv Wolfman and Alan Moore, artists George Perez and Keith Giffen, and editor Karen Berger. Also, Marvel Comics' then editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, played an inadvertent role in the revitalization when he fired or alienated many important Marvel creators that DC was delighted to pick up.

Related Topics:
1970s - Jenette Kahn - Dick Giordano - 1980s - Superman - Batman - Flash - Wonder Woman - Justice League - Green Lantern - Marv Wolfman - Alan Moore - George Perez - Keith Giffen - Karen Berger - Marvel Comics - Jim Shooter

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Levitz has also worked as an editor, most notably on the Batman line of comics. As a writer he is best-known for his work on the title The Legion of Super-Heroes, which he wrote off and on from 1974 until 1989. Of particular note are his collaborations with artists Dave Cockrum, James Sherman and Keith Giffen.

Related Topics:
The Legion of Super-Heroes - 1974 - 1989 - Dave Cockrum - James Sherman - Keith Giffen

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While he has sometimes provoked controversy — for example, an attempt to tone down sexual references in the title The Authority spawned a public fight with its then writer, Mark Millar — Levitz's reign at DC helped the company weather steeply declining sales for superhero comics in the late 1990s. In fact, DC is today the only American comics company which provides titles for a wide range of readers: the Looney Tunes and Cartoon Network lines for kids; the traditional DC heroes, bookmarked by Superman and Batman, for teens and older; and the Vertigo line of adult titles for mature readers. Levitz was also instrumental in the push towards graphic novels and trade paperback collections, which could be sold in bookstores and have a longer shelf life than the traditional monthly pamphlet format.

Related Topics:
The Authority - Mark Millar - 1990s - Looney Tunes - Cartoon Network - Vertigo

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Levitz married Jeanette Cusimano in 1980 and has three children, Nicole, Philip, and Garret.

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