Otto Binder: The Life and Work of a Comic Book and Science Fiction Visionary

by Bill Schelly, Richard A. Lupoff Narrated by Derek Botten

Overview

Otto Binder: The Life and Work of a Comic Book and Science Fiction Visionary chronicles the career of Otto Binder, from pulp magazine author to writer of Supergirl, Captain Marvel, and Superman comics. As the originator of the first sentient robot in literature ("I, Robot," published in Amazing Stories in 1939 and predating Isaac Asimov's collection of the same name), Binder's effect on science fiction was profound. Within the world of comic books, he created or co-created much of the Superman universe, including Smallville; Krypto, Superboy's dog; Supergirl; and the villain Braniac. Binder is also credited with writing many of the first "Bizarro" storylines for DC Comics, as well as for being the main writer for the Captain Marvel comics. In later years, Binder expanded from comic books into pure science writing, publishing dozens of books and articles on the subject of satellites and space travel as well as UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Comic book historian Bill Schelly tells the tale of Otto Binder through comic panels, personal letters, and interviews with Binder's own family and friends. Schelly weaves together Binder's professional successes and personal tragedies, including the death of Binder's only daughter and his wife's struggle with mental illness. A touching and human story, Otto Binder: The Life and Work of a Comic Book and Science Fiction Visionary is a biography that is both meticulously researched and beautifully told, keeping alive Binder's spirit of scientific curiosity and whimsy.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Otto Binder was a kind of titan, a precursor of the gods … because he came up with basic primordial forms that later writers would perhaps polish to a greater luster. But Binder hewed them out of solid rock. He was mining the raw material.”
—Alan Moore, author of Watchmen and V for Vendetta
 
“Bill Schelly has an obsessive yet intelligent passion for things many might consider marginal if not bizarre—always the mark of an interesting mind.”
—Tom Robbins, author of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
 
 “Bill Schelly has done an amazing job of capturing Otto and his family and friends, and explaining in an interesting way why his work was so important and precedent-setting.”
—Michael Uslan, executive producer of The Dark Knight Rises
 
“Schelly truly brings Binder alive on the page. He crafts a candid and sympathetic portrait that makes you feel that you have gotten to know the man almost as vividly as if you had met him in real life.” 
—Paul Gravett, Comic Book Marketplace

Library Journal

05/15/2016
Pop culture historian Schelly (Harvey Kurtzman) traces the life of Otto Binder (1911–74), a pioneer of pulp novels and comic books in the 1930s and 1940s. Describing Binder's prolific writing career from the Great Depression to the 1970s, including successes and missteps along the way, the narrative also provides insight into the appetites of American readers in those decades. After a productive stint composing pulp sf, Binder wrote for Fawcett Comics, DC Comics, and others. He made a name for himself contributing to Captain Marvel and Superboy and later cocreating Supergirl, Bizarro, Brainiac, and the Legion of Super-Heroes. Also interweaved are both the highlights and tragedies of Binder's family life. The helpful photographs and illustrations combine nicely with the narrative to win the reader's affection for Binder. VERDICT A compelling biography of a neglected visionary certain to appeal to fans of the golden age of comics.—Paul Stenis, Pepperdine Univ. Lib., Malibu, CA

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172167423
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	08/22/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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