John L. Goldwater
| John L. Goldwater | |
|---|---|
| Born | Max Leonard Goldwasser February 14, 1916[1] New York City, U.S. |
| Died | February 26, 1999 (aged 83) New York City, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Writer, Editor, Publisher |
Notable works | Archie Andrews Comics Code Authority Co-founder of Archie Comics Co-founder of Belmont Books |
John Leonard Goldwater[2] (born Max Leonard Goldwasser,[3] February 14, 1916 – February 26, 1999) co-founded (with Maurice Coyne and Louis Silberkleit) MLJ Comics (later known as Archie Comics), and served as editor and co-publisher for many years. In the mid-1950s he was a key proponent and custodian of the comic book censorship guidelines known as the Comics Code Authority.
Biography
Early life and career
Goldwater was born in
A few years later, "he continued west to the Grand Canyon, where he worked at a lodge," from which he was dismissed for "socializing with the female help." His employers paid for him to travel to San Francisco, where he saved enough money (again working as a reporter) to travel by ship back to New York.[4] On the boat, "he met two young women bound for the novitiate... [b]oth fell for him, which later gave him the idea of the Betty-Veronica rivalry."[4]
MLJ Comics
Arriving back in New York, he gained employment at the docks, where his "experience with shipping" inspired him to both start his own company — Periodicals for Export, Inc. — and strike a deal with pulp/magazine publisher Louis Silberkleit to "buy his outdated issues at a penny each," which he then re-sold abroad.[4][6] Finding success in his venture, Goldwater was soon joined by Silberkleit and Maurice Coyne to form their own publishing venture MLJ Comics (named after the first initial of each of the three individuals).[6]
Silberkleit and Coyne, with (
Inspired by the success of National's
Archie Comics
Interviewed for the book The Best of Archie (1980), Goldwater recalls that he "thought of Superman as an abnormal individual and concluded that the antithesis, a normal person, could be just as popular,"[2] so "in 1941, just as the war was restricting paper supplies," the fledgling company began publishing such a character in the pages of Pep Comics #22: Archie Andrews.[4]
According to Goldwater, in 1941, Goldwater, "inspired by the popular '
Other sources give Montana credit for creating the main Archie characters (Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge and Reggie Mantle).[7][8]
Success
The success of the Archie line of comics, thought Goldwater, was because
"[Archie is] basically a square, but in my opinion the squares are the backbone of America... [and] strong families."[4]
At its peak, the Archie comic strip ran in 750 newspapers, while comics sales continue to sell millions of copies each year (from a height of c. 50 million) through grocery stores and newsvendors as well as tailored comics shops - Archie Comics' output is among the few still carried by the full range of venues.[4]
The Archie line of comics (and related items) gave Goldwater a "multimillion-dollar fortune and publishing empire, Archie Comic Publications Inc. of
Goldwater ran Archie Comics until his retirement in 1983.[9]
The Comics Code
In
Other roles
Goldwater also found time to serve as president of the New York Society for the Deaf, and was actively involved as a national commissioner of the
Later life
In 1973, Goldwater "licens[ed] Archie for evangelical Christian messages," despite his personal Jewish faith, feeling that the "sentiments were in line with his wholesome family message."[4] The comics were written and illustrated by one of the Archie regulars, Al Hartley, and were published by Spire Christian Comics.
Ten years later, after Goldwater's retirement, the then-publicly traded Archie Comics company was acquired by Richard Goldwater (his son) and Silberkleit's son Michael, returning it to private ownership.[4] In 2009, Goldwater's son, Jonathan, and Michael Silberkleit's widow, Nancy, were named co-CEOs of Archie Comics.
Death
Goldwater died in New York on February 26, 1999, and was survived by his second wife and three sons: Richard (from his first marriage), Jonathan and Jared.[4] He was also described as a "devoted brother of Dorothy Glaser and the late Jack."[11] Donations were invited in his honor to the Anti-Defamation League.[11]
See also
- Archie Comics
- Archie Andrews
References
- ^ "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JKPN-VYS : accessed 13 Mar 2013), John L Goldwater, 20 February 1999.
- ^ a b c d Denis Gifford (March 27, 1999). "Obituary: John L. Goldwater". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
- ^ Saunders, David. "LOUIS H. SILBERKLEIT (1900-1985)", Field Guide to Wild American Pulp Artists. Accessed Oct. 22, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Ralph Blumenthal (March 2, 1999). "John L. Goldwater, Creator of Archie and Pals, Dies at 83". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
- ^ "Hiawatha revealed as a city of Archie's".
- ^ a b c d "Publisher Profile: Archie Comics" Archived 2016-10-28 at the Wayback Machine By Rik Offenberger, from Borderline #19 (March 1, 2003). Retrieved July 8, 2008.
- ^ Harvey, R. C. (July 28, 2011). "John Goldwater, the Comics Code Authority, and Archie". The Comics Journal.
- ^ Tennant, Paul. "'Archie' comic changes with the times, examines real-life topics," The Eagle-Tribune (Dec. 28, 2010).
- ^ a b South Coast Today: Obituaries 28 February 1999. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
- ^ Thompson, Don & Maggie, "Crack in the Code" in Newfangles #44 (February, 1971)
- ^ a b c d "Paid Notices: Deaths Goldwater, John L." The New York Times. February 28, 1999. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
External links
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
