Otto Binder
Encyclopedia
Otto Oscar Binder was an American
author of science fiction
and non-fiction
books and stories, and comic book
s. He is best known for his many scripts for Captain Marvel Adventures and other stories involving the entire superhero
Marvel Family
.
, Michigan
, Otto Binder was the youngest of six children in a family that had emigrated from Austria a year earlier. They settled in Chicago
, Illinois
, in 1922, during a period rich with science fiction, which enthralled Binder and his brother Earl. The two began writing in partnership and sold their first story, "The First Martian" to Amazing Stories
in 1930; it saw publication in 1932 under the pen name
"Eando Binder" ("E" and "O" Binder).
Not earning enough writing to live on, Binder and his brother worked at many jobs. Earl found employment at an iron works, after which Otto took over the bulk of the writing, although keeping the nom de plume for his cience fiction] throughout his life. In 1935, Otis Adelbert Kline
hired Binder as a literary agent in charge of Kline's New York City
office, although insufficient business during this Great Depression
era forced Kline to close his company after two years. Concurrent with his agent work, however, Binder was writing for Mort Weisinger
, editor of Thrilling Wonder Stories, and Ray Palmer
, editor of Amazing, for the latter of whom he created the Adam Link
series.
, who moved to New York to work at the studio of Harry "A" Chesler, one of that era's "packagers" who provided outsourced content for publishers entering the new medium of comic books. The following year, magazine publisher Fawcett Publications
began its Fawcett Comics
line, and Binder started writing the exploits of such characters as Captain Venture, Golden Arrow, Bulletman
and El Carim. After a year, editor Ed Herron had Binder tackle Fawcett's most prominent character, the superhero Captain Marvel
. He soon wrote for the spin-off features starring Captain Marvel, Jr. and Mary Marvel
, the latter of whom he co-created.
Binder spent from 1941 to 1953 with Fawcett, writing "986 stories ... out of 1,743, over half the entire Marvel Family
saga", per comic-book writer-editor E. Nelson Bridwell
. During that time, Binder co-created with Marc Swayze
and C. C. Beck
such characters as Mary Marvel, Uncle Dudley, Mr. Tawky Tawny, Black Adam
and Mr. Mind, as well as two of Dr. Sivana's four children: the evil teens Thaddeus Sivana Jr. and daughter Georgia.
His first Captain Marvel writing was the "Dime Action Book" novel Return of the Scorpion, featuring the the villain from the 1941 Republic serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel. His first Captain Marvel comic-book story was was "Captain Marvel Saves the King" in Captain Marvel Adventures #9 (April 1942). He also wrote for numerous other Fawcett features, as well as many two-page text fillers that were required in comics in order to be eligible for magazine postal rates. His text stories in Captain Marvel Adventures, under the "Eando" pseudonym, starred Lieutenant Jon Jarl of the Space Patrol.
, the 1940s company that would evolve into Marvel Comics
, he [co-]created Captain Wonder
, the Young Allies, Tommy Tyme and the patriotically themed superheroine Miss America
, and also wrote for stories starring Captain America
, the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, the Destroyer
, the Whizzer
, and the All-Winners Squad
.
For Quality Comics
, Binder co-created Kid Eternity
, and wrote Blackhawk
, Doll Man
, Uncle Sam
' and Black Condor
stories. For MLJ Comics (subsequently known as Archie Comics
), he wrote stories starring Steel Sterling, the Shield, the Hangman, and the Black Hood. And for Gold Key Comics
, Binder co-created Mighty Samson
and other characters
, swiftly creating Merry, Girl of 1,000 Gimmicks, in the feature "Star-Spangled Kid
", whose place Merry soon took in Star-Spangled Comics
. He then moved on to his best-known DC work, the Superman
group of titles, including writing the first Legion of Super-Heroes
story, and, with artist Al Plastino
, creating Supergirl
. With artist collaborators, he co-created the supervillian Brainiac
, the Phantom Zone
, and the supporting characters Lucy Lane
, Beppo the Super Monkey
, Titano the Super Ape
, and Krypto the Super Dog
. In the first issue of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, he introduced Jimmy Olsen
's signal-watch, and in #31, Jimmy's Elastic Lad identity.
DC writer-editor E. Nelson Bridwell
credits Binder as creating the first "Imaginary Tale, for Lois Lane
," and of writing "most of the early" Bizarro
stories, including at least the first "Tales of the Bizarro World" feature. Binder also scripted what Bridwell calls the "classic [storyline] 'Superman's Return to Krypton
.'"
Binder was featured in a story in the first issue of Shazam, DC Comics 1970s title reviving the original Captain Marvel. The Binder character, drawn by C. C. Beck
, meets a young Billy Batson and is astonished that the boy, who has been missing for 20 years, is still a kid.
theory, and a believer in extraterrestial life. Binder's theory is that human beings are "homo hybrid" an "interstellar crossbreed" (half human
, half extraterrestrial). He first discussed this theory in his book Unsolved Mysteries of the Past (Tower Publications; reissue edition, 1970). He wrote Mankind Child of the Stars with Max Flindt in 1976, discussing the concept of "astroevolution". Eric Von Daniken wrote a foreword for the book, which was revised and reprinted in 1999. He also wrote extensively about UFOs in magazines, including articles detailing the experiences of claimed UFO contactee Ted Owens.
. As he recalled in 1974:
His daughter, Mary, died in 1967. She had been on her way to school one morning when a car jumped the curb, went into the driveway in front of the school and killed her. As film producer and comics historian Michael Uslan
, a family friend, recalled, "Otto never recovered. His wife never recovered. She had a breakdown, and Otto started drinking, and eventually he dropped dead of a heart attack. And the three of them were gone, like in a flash." Binder himself, however, who lived for seven years more, recalled in a 1972 history of comics, that after her death
In 1973, Binder adapted classic science-fiction stories into graphic novel
s, including Frankenstein
, The Invisible Man
, The Time Machine
, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island
.
He died in Chestertown, New York
on October 13, 1974, leaving behind, counted Bridwell, "almost 50,000 pages of comics" comprising "over 1,300 scripts for Fawcett" and "more than 2,000 for 20 other publishers", including "some 93 heroes in 198 magazines."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
books and stories, and comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s. He is best known for his many scripts for Captain Marvel Adventures and other stories involving the entire superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
Marvel Family
Marvel Family
The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and Fawcett artists C. C...
.
Early life and career
Born in BessemerBessemer, Michigan
Bessemer is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,914. It is the county seat of Gogebic County....
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Otto Binder was the youngest of six children in a family that had emigrated from Austria a year earlier. They settled in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, in 1922, during a period rich with science fiction, which enthralled Binder and his brother Earl. The two began writing in partnership and sold their first story, "The First Martian" to Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories was 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...
in 1930; it saw publication in 1932 under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
"Eando Binder" ("E" and "O" Binder).
Not earning enough writing to live on, Binder and his brother worked at many jobs. Earl found employment at an iron works, after which Otto took over the bulk of the writing, although keeping the nom de plume for his cience fiction] throughout his life. In 1935, Otis Adelbert Kline
Otis Adelbert Kline
Otis Adelbert Kline born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, was an adventure novelist and literary agent during the pulp era. Much of his work first appeared in the magazine Weird Tales. Kline was an amateur orientalist and a student of Arabic, like his friend and sometime collaborator, E...
hired Binder as a literary agent in charge of Kline's New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
office, although insufficient business during this Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
era forced Kline to close his company after two years. Concurrent with his agent work, however, Binder was writing for Mort Weisinger
Mort Weisinger
Mortimer Weisinger was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' Superman during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books...
, editor of Thrilling Wonder Stories, and Ray Palmer
Raymond A. Palmer
Raymond Arthur Palmer was the influential editor of Amazing Stories from 1938 through 1949, when he left publisher Ziff-Davis to publish and edit Fate Magazine, and eventually many other magazines and books through his own publishing houses, including Amherst Press and Palmer Publications...
, editor of Amazing, for the latter of whom he created the Adam Link
Adam Link
Adam Link is a fictional robot, made in the likeness of a man, who becomes self-aware, and the protagonist of several science fiction short stories written by Eando Binder . The stories were originally published in Amazing Stories from 1939 to 1942.In all, ten Adam Link stories were published...
series.
Fawcett Comics and Captain Marvel
Binder entered comics in 1939 on the heels of his artist brother, JackJack Binder (comics)
Jack Binder was a Golden Age comics creator and art packager. A fine artist by education, Binder had a prolific comics career that lasted from 1937–1946, then continued from "semi-retirement" until 1953. He was the creator of the original comic book Daredevil, for Lev Gleason Publications...
, who moved to New York to work at the studio of Harry "A" Chesler, one of that era's "packagers" who provided outsourced content for publishers entering the new medium of comic books. The following year, magazine publisher Fawcett Publications
Fawcett Publications
Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett . At the age of 16, Fawcett ran away from home to join the Army, and the Spanish-American War took him to the Philippines. Back in Minnesota, he became a...
began its Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
line, and Binder started writing the exploits of such characters as Captain Venture, Golden Arrow, Bulletman
Bulletman and Bulletgirl
Bulletman was a Fawcett Comics superhero created by Bill Parker and Jon Smalle for Nickel Comics #1 in May, 1940.-Fictional character biography:...
and El Carim. After a year, editor Ed Herron had Binder tackle Fawcett's most prominent character, the superhero Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel may refer to:In comics:*Captain Marvel , a Fawcett/DC comic book superhero, alter-ego of Billy Batson**Mary Marvel, called Captain Marvel in The Power of Shazam!...
. He soon wrote for the spin-off features starring Captain Marvel, Jr. and Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 in...
, the latter of whom he co-created.
Binder spent from 1941 to 1953 with Fawcett, writing "986 stories ... out of 1,743, over half the entire Marvel Family
Marvel Family
The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and Fawcett artists C. C...
saga", per comic-book writer-editor E. Nelson Bridwell
E. Nelson Bridwell
Edward Nelson Bridwell was a writer for Mad magazine and various comic books published by DC Comics. One of the writers for the Batman comic strip and Super Friends, he also wrote The Inferior Five, among other comics...
. During that time, Binder co-created with Marc Swayze
Marc Swayze
Marc Swayze was an American comic book artist from 1941-53 for Fawcett Publications.He is best known for his work on Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family during the Golden Age of comic books for Fawcett Comics, and is the co-creator of Mary Marvel with writer Otto Binder...
and C. C. Beck
C. C. Beck
Charles Clarence Beck was an American cartoonist and comic book artist, best known for his work on Captain Marvel at Fawcett Comics and DC Comics....
such characters as Mary Marvel, Uncle Dudley, Mr. Tawky Tawny, Black Adam
Black Adam
Black Adam is a fictional comic book character, created in 1945 by Otto Binder & C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. Originally created as a one-shot villain for Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family team of superheroes, Black Adam was revived as a recurring supervillain after DC Comics began publishing Captain...
and Mr. Mind, as well as two of Dr. Sivana's four children: the evil teens Thaddeus Sivana Jr. and daughter Georgia.
His first Captain Marvel writing was the "Dime Action Book" novel Return of the Scorpion, featuring the the villain from the 1941 Republic serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel. His first Captain Marvel comic-book story was was "Captain Marvel Saves the King" in Captain Marvel Adventures #9 (April 1942). He also wrote for numerous other Fawcett features, as well as many two-page text fillers that were required in comics in order to be eligible for magazine postal rates. His text stories in Captain Marvel Adventures, under the "Eando" pseudonym, starred Lieutenant Jon Jarl of the Space Patrol.
Other comics work
Binder left Fawcett when the company shut down its comic book division in 1953, but found no shortage of work. For Timely ComicsTimely Comics
Timely Comics, an imprint of Timely Publications, was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics....
, the 1940s company that would evolve into Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, he [co-]created Captain Wonder
Captain Wonder
Captain Wonder is a villain who was created by combining Doctor Psycho and Steve Trevor. He battled the Pre-Crisis Wonder Woman and was a love interest to the original Silver Swan.-Fictional character biography:...
, the Young Allies, Tommy Tyme and the patriotically themed superheroine Miss America
Miss America (Marvel Comics)
Miss America is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in Marvel Mystery Comics #49 Miss America (Madeline Joyce Frank) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in Marvel Mystery...
, and also wrote for stories starring Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, the Destroyer
Destroyer (Keen Marlow)
The Destroyer is a fictional superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics, who first appeared in the 1940s during what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books...
, the Whizzer
Whizzer (Robert Frank)
The Whizzer is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared during the 1930s-1940s period that fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Publication history:...
, and the All-Winners Squad
All-Winners Squad
The All-Winners Squad is a fictional superhero team in the Marvel Comics universe. The company's first such team, it first appeared in All Winners Comics #19 , published by Marvel predecessor Timely Comics during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books.While the comic-book...
.
For Quality Comics
Quality Comics
Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
, Binder co-created Kid Eternity
Kid Eternity
Kid Eternity is a comic book superhero who first premiered in Hit Comics #25, published by Quality Comics in December, 1942. The character - as well as all of Quality's intellectual properties were sold to DC Comics in 1956...
, and wrote Blackhawk
Blackhawk (comics)
Blackhawk, a long-running comic book series, was also a film serial, a radio series and a novel. The comic book was published first by Quality Comics and later by DC Comics. The series was created by Will Eisner, Chuck Cuidera, and Bob Powell, but the artist most associated with the feature is Reed...
, Doll Man
Doll Man
Note: This article is about the Quality Comics character. For the Full Moon Features film Dollman, see Dollman . For the article on the movie's titular character, please see Brick Bardo....
, Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam (comics)
Uncle Sam is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero based on national personification of the United States, Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam first appeared in National Comics #1 and was created by Will Eisner.-Quality Comics:...
' and Black Condor
Black Condor
Black Condor is the name of three fictional characters, DC Comics superheroes who have all been members of the Freedom Fighters. The first Black Condor, Richard Grey Jr., was originally a Quality Comics character.-Quality Comics:...
stories. For MLJ Comics (subsequently known as Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
), he wrote stories starring Steel Sterling, the Shield, the Hangman, and the Black Hood. And for Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
, Binder co-created Mighty Samson
Mighty Samson
Mighty Samson was an original comic book series from Gold Key Comics. Similar to other post-apocalyptic titles like Kamandi, Atomic Knights or the like, it was set in the area around New York, now known as "N'Yark", in an Earth devastated by a nuclear war.Mighty Samson lasted 32 issues between...
and other characters
DC Comics
In 1948, Binder began working for National Periodical Publications, a predecessor of DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, swiftly creating Merry, Girl of 1,000 Gimmicks, in the feature "Star-Spangled Kid
Star-Spangled Kid
Star-Spangled Kid is the name of several fictional superheroes in the DC Comics' main shared universe.-Sylvester Pemberton:The original Star-Spangled Kid was Sylvester Pemberton, a Golden Age character. He became the Star-Spangled Kid in order to battle Nazism during World War II. He was unique...
", whose place Merry soon took in Star-Spangled Comics
Star-Spangled Comics
Star Spangled Comics was the title of a comic book series published by DC Comics which ran for 130 issues from 1941 through 1952. At that point it was retitled Star Spangled War Stories and lasted another 200+ issues until 1977.-Publication history:...
. He then moved on to his best-known DC work, the Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
group of titles, including writing the first Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
story, and, with artist Al Plastino
Al Plastino
Al Plastino is an American comic book artist best known as one of the most prolific Superman artists of the 1950s, along with his DC Comics colleague Wayne Boring...
, creating Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
. With artist collaborators, he co-created the supervillian Brainiac
Brainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
, the Phantom Zone
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
, and the supporting characters Lucy Lane
Lucy Lane
Lucy Lane is a fictional character in the DC universe. She is the younger sister of Lois Lane and the most recent person to take on the identity of Superwoman.-Fictional character biography:...
, Beppo the Super Monkey
Beppo (comics)
Beppo is a fictional monkey in the DC Universe. Created by Otto Binder and George Papp, he first appeared in Superboy v1 076 .-Fictional character biography:...
, Titano the Super Ape
Titano
Titano the Super-Ape is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, primarily as a foe of Superman. He was clearly inspired by King Kong.-Pre-Crisis version:...
, and Krypto the Super Dog
Krypto
Krypto, also known as Krypto the Superdog, is a fictional character. He is Superman's pet dog in the various Superman comic books published by DC Comics. Krypto's first appearance was in a Superboy story in Adventure Comics #210 in March 1955...
. In the first issue of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, he introduced Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
's signal-watch, and in #31, Jimmy's Elastic Lad identity.
DC writer-editor E. Nelson Bridwell
E. Nelson Bridwell
Edward Nelson Bridwell was a writer for Mad magazine and various comic books published by DC Comics. One of the writers for the Batman comic strip and Super Friends, he also wrote The Inferior Five, among other comics...
credits Binder as creating the first "Imaginary Tale, for Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
," and of writing "most of the early" Bizarro
Bizarro
Bizarro is a fictional character that appears in publications published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68...
stories, including at least the first "Tales of the Bizarro World" feature. Binder also scripted what Bridwell calls the "classic [storyline] 'Superman's Return to Krypton
Krypton
Krypton is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a member of Group 18 and Period 4 elements. A colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, krypton occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere, is isolated by fractionally distilling liquified air, and is often used with other...
.'"
Binder was featured in a story in the first issue of Shazam, DC Comics 1970s title reviving the original Captain Marvel. The Binder character, drawn by C. C. Beck
C. C. Beck
Charles Clarence Beck was an American cartoonist and comic book artist, best known for his work on Captain Marvel at Fawcett Comics and DC Comics....
, meets a young Billy Batson and is astonished that the boy, who has been missing for 20 years, is still a kid.
Books
Binder was a proponent of the ancient astronautsAncient astronauts
Some writers have proposed that intelligent extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth in antiquity or prehistory and made contact with humans. Such visitors are called ancient astronauts or ancient aliens. Proponents suggest that this contact influenced the development of human cultures,...
theory, and a believer in extraterrestial life. Binder's theory is that human beings are "homo hybrid" an "interstellar crossbreed" (half human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
, half extraterrestrial). He first discussed this theory in his book Unsolved Mysteries of the Past (Tower Publications; reissue edition, 1970). He wrote Mankind Child of the Stars with Max Flindt in 1976, discussing the concept of "astroevolution". Eric Von Daniken wrote a foreword for the book, which was revised and reprinted in 1999. He also wrote extensively about UFOs in magazines, including articles detailing the experiences of claimed UFO contactee Ted Owens.
Final years
Binder briefly quit comics in late 1960, to become editor of Space World magazine, a move that ended in bankruptcyBankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
. As he recalled in 1974:
His daughter, Mary, died in 1967. She had been on her way to school one morning when a car jumped the curb, went into the driveway in front of the school and killed her. As film producer and comics historian Michael Uslan
Michael Uslan
Michael E. Uslan is the originator of the Batman movies and was the first instructor to teach "Comic Book Folklore" at an accredited university...
, a family friend, recalled, "Otto never recovered. His wife never recovered. She had a breakdown, and Otto started drinking, and eventually he dropped dead of a heart attack. And the three of them were gone, like in a flash." Binder himself, however, who lived for seven years more, recalled in a 1972 history of comics, that after her death
In 1973, Binder adapted classic science-fiction stories into graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
s, including Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
, The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man is a science fiction novella by H.G. Wells published in 1897. Wells' novel was originally serialised in Pearson's Weekly in 1897, and published as a novel the same year...
, The Time Machine
The Time Machine
The Time Machine is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895 for the first time and later adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It indirectly inspired many more works of fiction...
, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island
The Mysterious Island
The Mysterious Island is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1874. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a sequel to Verne's famous Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and In Search of the Castaways, though thematically it is...
.
He died in Chestertown, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on October 13, 1974, leaving behind, counted Bridwell, "almost 50,000 pages of comics" comprising "over 1,300 scripts for Fawcett" and "more than 2,000 for 20 other publishers", including "some 93 heroes in 198 magazines."
Awards
He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2004.External links
- Lieutenant Jon Jarl in "The World Stealers", Captain Marvel Adventures #78 (1947)
- Author’s preface to Words of Wonder, The Life and Times of Otto Binder.
Further reading
- Schelly, BillBill SchellyBill Schelly is an author primarily known as a historian of cinema, comic books, and comics fandom. He is also a portrait and comic book artist....
. Words of Wonder: The Life and Times of Otto Binder. Seattle, Washington: Hamster Press, 2003. ISBN 0-9645669-9-0 - "A Real-Life 'Marvel Family': A 1973 Talk with Golden Age Artisans Jack & Otto Binder". Interview conducted by Richard Kyle, transcribed by Brian K. Morris. Alter Ego no.55 (Dec. 2005) pp. 58–67.