Gene Pelc

Last updated
Gene Pelc
Born
Eugene Joseph Pelc

(1944-04-16) April 16, 1944 (age 80)

Gene Pelc (born Eugene Joseph Pelc on April 16, 1944) is an American entrepreneur, producer, and entertainment industry veteran. [1] He is known for international exchange of media and entertainment content, particularly between the United States and Japan. [2] He is also known as Marvel Comics' representative in Japan, who facilitated the adaptation and licensing of Marvel properties, including the creation of the Japanese Spider-Man series and several other projects. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Contents

Early Life and Career

Gene Pelc was born in the United States and spent his early years in Roscoe, New York. [9] Pelc started his career as a radio announcer at WALL Radio, owned by WMCA, in New York. In 1978, he met Stan Lee and pitched the idea of expanding Marvel Comics' influence into Japan, leading to his role as "Marvel's Man in Japan" [3] [10] During the late 1970s, Pelc created Supaidāman, a Japanese live-action TV series. Aired from May 17, 1978, to March 14, 1979, this series introduced Takuya Yamashiro. Pelc's vision for this series received support from Stan Lee despite initial skepticism from other Marvel executives. [11] His collaborations with Toei laid the groundwork for the Super Sentai series, which later inspired the creation of the Power Rangers in the U.S. [12] He also produced several Marvel-related shows with Toei, including Marvel's 616, [13] [14] Battle Fever J, Denshi Sentai Denjiman, Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan and Bushido: Way of the Warrior. Pelc initiated Marvel's best-selling comic, "Francis, Brother of the Universe," about St. Francis of Assisi, and later "The Life of Pope John Paul II," navigating the challenges of Poland's Communist rule to gather material. [15] [16] [17] Pelc worked on various animated projects, including The Adventures of T-Rex with Kitty Films and animation for Pink Panther, G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, Spider-Man and Friends, and Dungeons & Dragons. He and Stan Lee co-created the comic book Shogun Warriors which inspired the Transformers. Pelc also contributed to the animation of the Transformers movie and TV series. [18]

Pelc was with Marvel until the 90's, during that time he was involved with World Pacific Wrestling. Later he got involved with the UWF International, a Japanese shoot wrestling organization. [19] Here, he produced "Bushido-The Way of the Warrior," a TV series syndicated worldwide. He also produced "SHOOT WRESTLING-It’s Real" and provided color commentary for Pay-Per-View specials. [20] [21]

References

  1. ↑ Keenan, Alex (2023-07-15). "Power Rangers Was Almost Made By Stan Lee Before The Iconic 1990s TV Show Happened (But It's Good It Wasn't)". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
  2. ↑ Soares, Michael Arthur (2024-09-11). Superhero Rhetoric from Exceptionalism to Globalization: Up, Up and ...Abroad. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1-6669-5031-1.
  3. 1 2 "How Marvel Comics Changed Tokusatsu & Japan Forever ft Gene & Ted Pelc". krewe of japan. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
  4. ↑ McEniry, Matthew J.; Peaslee, Robert Moses; Weiner, Robert G. (2016-04-05). Marvel Comics into Film: Essays on Adaptations Since the 1940s. McFarland. ISBN   978-1-4766-2411-2.
  5. ↑ Glaser, Ed (2022-03-07). How the World Remade Hollywood: Global Interpretations of 65 Iconic Films. McFarland. ISBN   978-1-4766-4467-7.
  6. ↑ Stein, Daniel; Denson, Shane; Meyer, Christina (2013-03-28). Transnational Perspectives on Graphic Narratives: Comics at the Crossroads. A&C Black. ISBN   978-1-4411-8523-5.
  7. ↑ O'Connell, Sean (2022-11-01). With Great Power: How Spider-Man Conquered Hollywood during the Golden Age of Comic Book Blockbusters. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1-4930-6620-9.
  8. ↑ "Supaidaman | O Homem-Aranha japonês completa 45 anos". Geek Pop News.
  9. ↑ "Saintly superhero: When Marvel Comics told the life story of John Paul II ". Detroit Catholic. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
  10. ↑ Young, Richard (2022-01-17). "The Forgotten Spider-Man: Japanese Spider-Man". Japan Nakama. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
  11. ↑ "Spider-Man japonés fue respaldado por Stan Lee: esta es la historia que contó "Marvel's 616″". depor.com.
  12. ↑ "Stan Lee: How Marvel Almost Created the 'Power Rangers'". Inverse. 2018-11-14. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
  13. ↑ "Marvel's 616: Japanese Spider-Man was Marvel's Gonzo Global Effort". bleedingcool.com. 2020-11-21. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
  14. ↑ Hood, Cooper (2020-11-23). "Marvel's 616 Reveals How Stan Lee Helped Save Japanese Spider-Man". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
  15. ↑ Kosloski, Philip (2019-10-19). "How John Paul II's visit to Japan led to a Marvel Comics biography of his life". Voyage Comics. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
  16. ↑ Davis, Blair (2024-03-15). Christianity and Comics: Stories We Tell about Heaven and Hell. Rutgers University Press. ISBN   978-1-9788-2823-0.
  17. ↑ Piatti-Farnell, Lorna (2021-11-01). The Superhero Multiverse: Readapting Comic Book Icons in Twenty-First-Century Film and Popular Media. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1-7936-2460-4.
  18. ↑ Salzman, Brody (2020-11-21). "Japanese Spider-Man Documentary Now on Disney+". The Tokusatsu Network. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
  19. ↑ Dettloff, William (2023-05-25). Matthew Saad Muhammad: Boxing's Miracle Man. McFarland. ISBN   978-1-4766-8525-0.
  20. ↑ Elliott, Brian (2021-02-25). "Nineteen ninety-four and the history of Bushido: The Way Of The Warrior". Riffing On Wrestling. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
  21. ↑ "UWF-I Shootfighting: It's Real! « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
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