Larry Nadle

Last updated
Larry Nadle in the 1950s Larry Nadle.jpg
Larry Nadle in the 1950s

Lawrence Malcolm Nadle (September 29, 1913 in Manhattan [1] - December 26, 1963) [2] (sometimes credited as Larry Nadel) [3] was a comic book editor and writer who was known for his work for DC Comics' romance comics, celebrity comics, [2] and other humor-centric titles. [4] Todd Klein has noted that Nadle's career in comics began "around 1943-44", as an editor for All-American Publications. [5] Initially working as assistant for Sheldon Mayer on comic book titles like Mutt & Jeff , Funny Stuff, Funny Folks, and Leave It to Binky , he became one of the two editors for its humor titles along with Bernie Breslauer, [6] he was promoted to full editor on all humor titles in 1949 following Breslauer's illness and remained there until his death in 1963. [7] He also took over the romance books shortly before his death in 1963. [8]

Contents

Nadle also wrote scripts for radio and television, [9] and (under the joint pseudonym "Bob Lawrence", which he shared with cartoonist Bob Oksner) produced the comic strip version of the situation comedy I Love Lucy . [10] As well, he served as Robert Lewis May's ghost writer on the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer comic strip, [1] and created the character "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (although, due to Nadle's sudden death, the character went unpublished until Grant Morrison repurposed him in 1992). [11]

Allegations of misconduct

Fellow editor George Kashdan said that Nadle "paid himself for stories that did not exist", and that prior to audits, Nadle "would take an old script and change the title page to the title of the new story that he bought for himself". [2]

Similarly, artist John Romita alleged that Nadle solicited kickbacks from artists from whom he would then commission stories, in order to pay his gambling debts. [12]

Bob Oksner likewise stated that Nadle solicited kickbacks, and described how, when he was writing and drawing The Adventures of Jerry Lewis , Nadle persuaded him to allow his writing credit (and thus payment) to be transferred to another cartoonist who "was in great debt to DC"; in reality, Nadle was keeping the money, and when this was discovered after Nadle's death, Oksner was nearly fired. [13]

Bob Haney called Nadle "a horse player with a heart problem". [14]

Craig Shutt has noted that Nadle participated in the practice of "redo(ing) stories", whereby a comic would "replicate major plot points or complete storylines [of earlier comics], often using the same scenes if not the exact pacing". [15]

Bibliography

As editor unless otherwise noted:

DC Comics

Personal life

Nadle's brother was cartoonist Martin Naydel, perhaps best known as the creator of the Jumble. [16] [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray Morrow</span> American illustrator

Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow was an American illustrator of comics, magazine covers and paperback books. He is co-creator of the Marvel Comics muck-monster the Man-Thing and of DC Comics Old West vigilante El Diablo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Romita Sr.</span> American comic book artist (1930–2023)

John Victor Romita was an American comic book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man and for co-creating characters including Mary Jane Watson, the Punisher, Kingpin, Wolverine, and Luke Cage. Romita was the father of John Romita Jr., also a comic book artist, and the husband of Virginia Romita, who was for many years Marvel's traffic manager.

Notable events of 1965 in comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Toth</span> American cartoonist

Alexander Toth was an American cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but he is also known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout the 1960s and 1970s. His work included Super Friends, Fantastic Four, Space Ghost, Sealab 2020, The Herculoids and Birdman. Toth's work has been resurrected in the late-night, adult-themed spin-offs on Cartoon Network’s late night sister channel Adult Swim: Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Sealab 2021 and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Starr</span> American cartoonist (1925–2015)

Leonard Starr was an American cartoonist, comic book artist, and advertising artist, best known for creating the newspaper comic strip On Stage and reviving Little Orphan Annie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Williamson</span> American cartoonist (1931–2010)

Alfonso Williamson was an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western, science fiction and fantasy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Comics Group</span> American comic book publisher

American Comics Group (ACG) was an American comic book publisher started in 1939 and existing under the ACG name from 1943 to 1967. It published the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title, Adventures into the Unknown. ACG's best-known character was the 1960s satirical-humor hero Herbie Popnecker, who starred for a time in Forbidden Worlds. Herbie would later get his own title and be turned into a "superhero" called the Fat Fury.

Giordano Bruno Premiani was an Italian illustrator known for his work for several American comic book publishers, particularly DC Comics. With writer Arnold Drake, he co-created DC's superhero team the Doom Patrol, then with writer Bob Haney, he co-created DC's superhero team the Teen Titans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Sekowsky</span> American comics artist

Michael Sekowsky was an American comics artist known as the penciler for DC Comics' Justice League of America during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on Wonder Woman during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Tuska</span> American comics artist (1916-2009)

George Tuska, who early in his career used a variety of pen names including Carl Larson, was an American comic book and newspaper comic strip artist best known for his 1940s work on various Captain Marvel titles and the crime fiction series Crime Does Not Pay and for his 1960s work illustrating Iron Man and other Marvel Comics characters. He also drew the DC Comics newspaper comic strip The World's Greatest Superheroes from 1978–1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheldon Mayer</span> American comic creator

Sheldon Mayer was an American comics artist, writer, and editor. One of the earliest employees of Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publications, Mayer produced almost all of his comics work for the company that would become known as DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Oksner</span> American comics artist (1916–2007)

Bob Oksner was an American comics artist known for both adventure comic strips and for superhero and humor comic books, primarily at DC Comics.

<i>The Adventures of Bob Hope</i> Comic book series

The Adventures of Bob Hope is an American celebrity comics comic book series that was published by National Periodical Publications. The series featured stories based on comedian Bob Hope, as well as assorted other humorous stories. The series ran for 109 issues from 1950 through 1968.

<i>The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis</i> Comic book series

The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis is the title of a celebrity comic book published by DC Comics and featuring the popular team of comedians Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The series ran for forty issues from 1952 through 1957, at which time the title was renamed The Adventures of Jerry Lewis due to the real life breakup of the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magazine Enterprises</span> American comic book company

Magazine Enterprises was an American comic book company lasting from 1943 to 1958, which published primarily Western, humor, crime, adventure, and children's comics, with virtually no superheroes. It was founded by Vin Sullivan, an editor at Columbia Comics and before that the editor at National Allied Publications, the future DC Comics.

<i>Girls Love Stories</i> Comic book published by DC Comics

Girls' Love Stories was an American romance comic book magazine published by DC Comics in the United States. Started in 1949 as DC's first romance title, it ran for 180 issues, ending with the Nov-Dec 1973 issue. The stories covered such topics as girls worrying about getting a man, or marrying out of pressure, not love. Some of the early covers were photographs. The book's initial tagline was "True to Life!"

<i>The Three Mouseketeers</i>

The Three Mouseketeers is the name of two separate talking animal comic series published by DC Comics.

<i>Heart Throbs</i> American romance comic book series

Heart Throbs was a romance comic published by Quality Comics and DC Comics from 1949 to 1972. Quality published the book from 1949–1957, when it was acquired by DC. Most issues featured a number of short comics stories, as well advice columns, text pieces, and filler. The long-running feature "3 Girls—Their Lives—Their Loves", drawn by Jay Scott Pike and inked by Russ Jones, ran in Heart Throbs from 1966–1970.

The Silver Reuben Award is an award for cartoonists organized by the National Cartoonists Society. Until 2015, the awards was known as the National Cartoonists Society Division Awards.

Francis Edward Herron was an American comic book writer and editor active in the 1940s–1960s, mainly for DC Comics. He is credited with co-creating Captain Marvel Jr. and the Red Skull, as well as such characters as Cave Carson, Nighthawk, and Mr. Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid. Herron spent the bulk of his time in the comics industry writing for such characters as Green Arrow, Superman, and the Western character Tomahawk.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pens and Nadles: Golden Age Humor-Mongers LARRY & MARTIN NADLE, by Ken Nadle; in Alter Ego #72 (September 2007) (via Issuu)
  2. 1 2 3 American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64, by John Wells and Keith Dallas, published February 26, 2013 by TwoMorrows Publishing
  3. DEADMAN VOL. 1, now available, by "DCE Editorial", at DCComics.com; published May 12, 2011; retrieved August 20, 2017
  4. Hero-A-Go-Go: Campy Comic Books, Crimefighters, & Culture of the Swinging Sixties, by Michael Eury, published by TwoMorrows Publishing, April 19, 2017
  5. The DC Comics Offices 1930s-1950s Part 2, by Todd Klein, at KleinLetters.com; published July 9, 2013; retrieved December 3, 2017
  6. Dewally, Michael (May 2009). "re:". Alter Ego #85. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 62.
  7. "DCHISTORY-2". dccomicsartists.com. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  8. "DCHISTORY-3a". dccomicsartists.com. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  9. 'I Love Lucy' Comic Strip Starts Monday, in the Battle Creek Enquirer (Battle Creek, Michigan); published January 2, 1953
  10. Comics Shop, by Maggie Thompson, published September 27, 2010, by Adams Media
  11. Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #8!, by Brian Cronin, at Comic Book Resources; published August 21, 2005; retrieved August 20, 2017
  12. Romita and All That Jazz!, by Roy Thomas, John Romita, and Jim Amash; published 2007 by TwoMorrows Publishing; "There were other editors that expected kickbacks. I never gave an editor a kickback. I did get caught by Larry Nadle, but only for one story, and I like to think he liked me a little bit better than the other guys. Otherwise he would have taken me for more than one story. You know, you'd get a check and then you'd sign a personal check over to him for that amount, and then you owed the company a story. And when he died, I owed them one story, 360 bucks worth. I did the story and I was okay, but there were other guys who were like five and six stories in the hole to him - to the company. Not Larry - he spent the money. He was not only a gambler, he was a liar (...)"
  13. "My Women Had Saturday Night Bodies And Sunday School Faces": Cartoonist Par Excellence BOB OKSNER Drew Angels, Apes - And Everything In Between!, by Jim Amash; in Alter Ego #67 (April 2007) (via Issuu)
  14. Bob Haney Interviewed by Michael Catron Part Two (of Five), at the Comics Journal ; published January 6, 2011; retrieved August 20, 2017
  15. Baby Boomer Comics: The Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Comic Books of the 1960s, page 182-183, "Twice-Told Tales", by Craig Shutt; published February 28, 2011, by Krause Publications
  16. MCSNURTLE THE TURTLE: THE TERRIFIC WHATZIT, by Don Markstein, at Don Markstein's Toonopedia; retrieved August 20, 2017
  17. All-Star Companion Volume 1, by Roy Thomas; published June 23, 2004, by TwoMorrows Publishing