- Elliot S! Maggin
Infobox Person
name = Elliot S! Maggin
image_size = 175
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birth_name = Elliot S. Maggin
birth_date = 1950
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known_for = writingSuperman stories in the 1970s and 1980s
education =
alma_mater =Brandeis University
(undergraduate )Columbia University
(post-graduate )
employer = Self (freelance writer )DC Comics Atari New Hampshire public schools Kaiser Permanente [http://www.maggin.com/maggin/ca24/ESMBio.php Self-published biography] ]
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party = Democratic
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spouse = Pamela King
(married, 1983)
(divorced 1988)
(re-married 1991) [http://www.fanzing.com/mag/fanzing09/iview.shtml "Fanzig" interview with Maggin] ]
partner =
children = Sarah Maggin
Jeremy Maggin
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website = http://www.maggin.com
footnotes =Elliot S. Maggin, also spelled Elliot S! Maggin (born 1950), is an American writer of comic books, film, television and novels. He was a main writer for
DC Comics during the Bronze and early Modern ages of comics in the 1970s and 1980s. He is particularly associated with the character ofSuperman , where he worked on both "Action Comics " [ [http://www.comicbookdb.com/creator_title.php?ID=34&cID=562&pID=1 comicbookdb.com's listing of Maggin's work on "Action"] ] and "Superman". [ [http://www.comicbookdb.com/creator_title.php?ID=127&cID=562&pID=1 comicbookdb.com's listing of Maggin's work on "Superman"] ]He has also been active with the
Democratic Party of the United States , twice running for the nomination of his party for theUnited States Congress — once from the 2nd district of New Hampshire in 1984 and again from the 24th district of California in 2008.Career
Initial employment with DC Comics
Maggin started working as a professional writer in his teens, selling historical stories about the Boer War to a boys' magazine. He attended
Brandeis University , where he wrote a term paper titled "What Can One Man Do?" for a class during his junior year. When it received a grade of B+, Maggin disagreed with the assessment, remade it as a comic book script, and sent his script toDC Comics . It was passed around the DC offices, andNeal Adams chose to draw the script. Though the initial grade was not amended, Maggin became a writer for DC, selling his stories to fund a master's degree in journalism fromColumbia University . During Maggin's time at Brandeis, he befriended that university's vice-president, meeting his family. During one of the meetings, the vice-president's stepson (who would grow up to be future comics writerJeph Loeb ) suggested a story that would eventually be called "Must There Be aSuperman ?". Maggin used the idea, which became his initial foray into the Superman comic book, a title he would write from 1971 to 1986. [ [http://goodcomics.blogspot.com/2005/09/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-18.html Comics Should Be Good: Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #18!September 29 , 2005] ] He also wrote forGreen Arrow , where his sense of humour was allowed far more freedom in the loose dialogue of the main character.Notable additions to the DC Universe
Maggin is responsible for a number of innovations in the
DC Multiverse . Two that continue to shape the worlds of DC areSuperboy-Prime [ [http://www.hyperborea.org/journal/archives/2006/08/21/continuity-punches/ Vibber, Kelson. "Continuity Punches, Earth-Prime and Plotting Power". 21 August 2006.] ] (later given greater definition byMarv Wolfman ,Geoff Johns and others) andLexcorp [ [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=5834 Online chat transcript between Brian Cronin of Comic Book Resources and Maggin] ] [Eury, Michael, Neal Adams, Curt Swan, Murphy Anderson. "The Krypton Companion". TwoMorrows Publishing. 2006. p. 143.] (later more fully developed byJohn Byrne and others).Origin of professional name
Because comic book scripts tend to favor the
exclamation mark as the punctuation of choice, Maggin routinely used it instead of afull stop . Out of habit, he once signed his own name "Elliot S! Maggin" and editorJulius Schwartz liked the distinctive rhythm of the name, insisting that Maggin's name henceforth be written that way. Explaining in an interview:Beyond comic books
In addition to the hundreds of stories Maggin wrote for the DC comics universe, he has also written television scripts, stories for film, animation and journalistic pieces. Many of them have continued to show his allegiance to comic book characters. He wrote two Superman novels, "
Last Son of Krypton " and "Miracle Monday ". He also wrote the novelization of the graphic novel "Kingdom Come" based on the story byMark Waid , and a novel featuring the Marvel mutant superhero team "Generation X". He has occasionally sold scripts to non-print versions of superheroes, including "Spider-Man" (1994), "X-Men" (1992) and "".Besides his work in comics, he has received compensation for raising horses,
skiing instruction, teaching at various high schools and colleges, writing stories forAtari video games, and working on websites. In addition to on-going freelance writing, he currently works as a developmental learning consultant forKaiser Permanente .Politics
In 1984, Elliot first ran for political office as a candidate for the
US House of Representatives in the New Hampshire 2nd congressional district. [http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:vSa3vZC-5g0J:75.48.65.234/maggin/Bang/bio.cfm+maggin+%2Bjudd&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=us&client=safari Cached copy of an interview with Maggin, in which he states his opponent wasJudd Gregg ] ] The slogan "Maggin!" was used on his campaign button. [ [http://collections.politicallibrary.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/Buttons_Jewelry&CISOPTR=132&REC=20 Information on Maggin's campaign button] ] However, the campaign stalled at the nomination round, and Maggin did not compete in thegeneral election for the seat. After the election, the campaign was the subject of a lawsuit brought by theFederal Election Commission , in which his campaign treasurer and the committee itself had to pay fines for failing to submit a 1984quarterly report . [ [http://www.fec.gov/law/litigation_CCA_FEC_K.shtml#fec_maggin Abstract of FEC v. Maggin for Congress Committee] ]On May 21, 2007, Maggin announced [ [http://www.maggin.com/maggin/ca24/manifesto.htm Maggin's 2008 manifesto] ] that he would be running for the 2008 Democratic party nomination for
California 's 24th congressional district seat. On February 1, 2008, Maggin posted on the main page of his website that he had decided not to run after all, [ [http://www.maggin.com/maggin/default.htm Elliot's Universe] ] effectively ending his 2008 campaign. In an essay written the following day, he cited principally financial reasons for his withdrawal. [ [http://www.corporateminutes.us/ESM/DisplayEntry.cfm?BlogID=11 Maggin, Elliot S! "Life Intervenes" 2 February 2008.] ] It appears that at no point during this campaign did he ever officially file with theFederal Election Commission . [ [http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/HSRefreshCandList.do FEC Candidate list for the California 24th, retrieved on 3 April 2008] ]e-publishing
He has made several works of fiction available exclusively online, including the short story "Luthor's Gift" and the novella "Starwinds Howl", both of which take place in his Superman continuity. He is also currently presenting a novel-in-progress, "Lancer", on his personal website. [ [http://www.maggin.com/maggin/Lancer/Downloadables.htm Download "Lancer" by chapters] ]
Comic book appearances
Maggin is himself a character in the
DC Universe . [ [http://www.comicbookdb.com/character.php?ID=2726 Character appearances of Maggin at comicbookdb.com] ] During the Bronze Age of comics, Maggin was a known resident ofEarth-Prime and a major character in "Justice League of America" issues #123 and #124. In the Modern Age of comics, Maggin cameoed as Oliver Queen's campaign manager in issue 24 of DC Comics' "52". This appearance is notable for referencing a biographical fact about Maggin. The term paper which had been awarded a B+ at Brandeis University, and was subsequently Maggin's first sale to DC, positedGreen Arrow 'smayor al campaign inStar City .References
External links
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