Mark Waid has posted the following on Facebook:
"RIP Jim Shooter, 1951-2025.
I've just received word that Jim Shooter passed away of esophogeal cancer, which he's been battling for some time. I realize that for many he's been a controversial figure in the past (game knows game), mostly with regards to his managereal style, but my experiences with him lay outside that realm and began with my lifelong love for his writing beginning with the first time I ever picked up a copy of Adventure Comics in 1967.
For those who don't know, Jim broke into comics at the age of 14. Let me say that again: 14. I don't know about you, but when I was 14, I could barely put sentences together on paper. During a hospital stay, he'd been given some Marvel and DC comics and could clearly see how much more exciting the Marvel books were and couldn't understand why DC's books couldn't have that same vitality. Having no idea how comics scripts were done, he literally wrote and drew a Legion of Super-Heroes story on notebook paper and sent it in to editor Mort Weisinger, who put him to work immediately--having no idea how young he was until later.
Jim left comics in the late 1960s, returning in the mid-1970s to a DC that didn't quite know what to do with him before moving to Marvel and eventually serving as their EIC for many years. Subsequently, he launched a succession of long- and short-lived comics companies. Over the past few years, he'd been making frequent comic convention appearances.
My meals and conversations with Jim were always genial, and I never failed to remind him just how inspirational his work was to me; there are storytelling choices and stylistic influences I got from him in nearly all my work. I regret that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, but I'm glad he's finally at peace after years of suffering.
Godspeed, Jim."
Replies
Jim Shooter's tenure as EIC at Marvel fit neatly into my break from reading comics. I've learned a lot about him by reading the articles linked in Heidi's article, and respect his decisions. And cancer is the worst villain of all.
I met Jim Shooter at a con in Manhattan, one of the smaller ones, while he was still Marvel's EIC and he had a crowd around him.
I remember talking to him about three things:
1) the mistreatment of Henry Pym/Yellowjacket in Avengers, based on my personal feelings about the character.
2) how I enjoyed the ending of Team America. An uneven book, at least he gave it a decent conclusion.
3) asking him about the marriage of Karate Kid and Queen (Princess) Projectra, two characters he created, in Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #2 (1983). His response, "He didn't seem the type!"
Last week, on his Facebook page, Rick Parker related his memories of Jim Shooter. It is too good not to share:
He was known to us Bullpenners as "Big" Jim, "The Big Guy", or Jim "Trouble" Shooter, although I never had any trouble from him.
He was the Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics for much of the time I was on staff doing lettering corrections, and later, just lettering--and we got to see him every day.
The door to his office was always open and the way I'll remember him will be with him leaning back in his chair with his feet up on his desk, a yellow legal pad in his lap and a pensive expression on his face while he wrote whatever book it was that he was writing at the time.
As a Bullpenner, I didn't have very much to do with him--he would usually just walk down the hall and into the Marvel Bullpen and go directly into Danny Crespi's office and speak with Danny about whatever it was he wanted to say. Danny was the Production Manager and Danny was our immediate supervisor.
If something was bothering me-- and I seemed to be bothered by one thing or another a LOT in those days, I felt that I could march down the hall and walk right into Jim's office without an appointment--and I did.
Like that time I decided that lettering the Splash Page (first page, almost always one big panel)--the one with the TITLE and CREDITS on it--was TWICE as much work as the other inside pages. I let Jim know that I thought we letterers should be paid more since it was twice as much work. Without a moment's hesitation, Jim agreed and from that day onward all Marvel letterers got double page rate for page one.
I guess I interrupted his concentration on whatever he was working on more than one occasion, but he never said anything to me about it.
I'll never forget that time he called me into his office to let me know that he had chosen my logo design for The Silver Surfer. I disliked competitions, but had an idea that seemed too good to resist.
It was 1982 and Jim informed me that Marvel would be paying me $1,000 for it. I protested, telling him that was "too much", but he assured me Marvel would be using it for thirty years, which in fact, they did.
And Jim sure did look shocked that morning I showed up in the office wearing a neck brace after I had been punched in the head by another staffer the previous day over a dispute regarding cigarette smoking. The next day he moved all the smokers into one big room and I got to stay in The Marvel Bullpen. Man, the looks I got from some people over that one....
And in one of his letter columns, Jim let all the readers know that Rick Parker guy, the who letters the comic books they were reading every month, was also "Richard Parker" fine artiste, who ran his own culturally-recognized institution , the Barking Dog Museum in Soho, where he showed his fine art work to the general public. He predicted that one day, the world would "recognize" it, too. Wotta Guy!
After he left Marvel and went to Valiant, he called me with the best-paying freelance assignment of my career. He wanted me to do a CD Cover illustration of the Super Mario Brothers and Kupa's Castle. I had no idea what it was but, he said they could pay $5,000, which was a lot of money in 1991.
You should have seen the look of disbelief and confusion mixed with perplexity and frustration when I presented him with a gigantic drawing on a full size sheet of Illustration board.
"Why did you make it so BIG?" he wanted to know. I had no answer, but I was thinking that " ...a small drawing for a CD cover wouldn't look like it was worth Five Grand." He had no further comments, but he paid me.
I'll never forget the "This does not compute" look on his face when he encountered my assistant, the late Josh Myers, and I sitting at a table at the New York Comic Con. He had been walking somewhere when he saw this very long line of fans waiting to get their Beavis and Butt-Head Comic Book signed.
Years passed and last April I happened to be a guest at The Little Giant Comic Con in Concord, New Hampshire. Jim was also there, although he was in a wheelchair and needed help from an assistant. You wouldn't know there was anything wrong with him from the smiles and pleasant conversations he was having with me, and Al Milgrom and some of the others gathered around him in the lounge.
The next day he had a steady stream of fans lined up at his table and had a good time signing comics and chatting with every single person as if they were the most important person in the world. And JIM STERANKO was there, too!!
After the show was over and I was packing up, it suddenly occured to me that I should give Jim a copy of DRAFTED, my first graphic novel. I grabbed one from a box in the trunk of my car and hurried back inside. I caught him in the busy convention hall as he was being wheeled away.
I kneeled down as if I was proposing to him and said, "Jim, I want to give you a copy of my new book...and I want you to know that this book would not exist if it weren't for you." I was as surprised as he was when I heard those words coming out of my mouth.
He looked genuinely touched and thanked me.
I have no doubt that others will have different memories of Jim, but that's the guy I'll always remember.
Rest in Peace, Jim. Your work here on Earth is done.
I hope I see you again some time in another time and another place.
Rick hugging Jim
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