Before there were science fiction fans and conventions, there was Julius Schwartz. One of the inventors of science fiction fandom in the '30s, he became the world's first SF specialty literary agent while still in his teens, representing a distinguished roster of authors including H. P. Lovecraft and Ray Bradbury. One of the most influential editors in comic-book history, Schwartz was also responsible for revitalising nearly every important DC Comics character, in what has since become known as comics' beloved "Silver Age." Over more than 40 years, Schwartz captained such blazing talents of the comics industry as Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Neal Adams, Denny O'Neill, Alan Moore, and many others. Here, in "Julie's" own words, is the behind-the-scenes story of a true hero of American pop culture.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Using anecdotes, capsule portraits of writers, and an appropriately jocular style, Schwartz highlights his strategic location as a literary agent in 1930s sf and an editor at DC Comics after World War II. Growing up in New York City, he became a fan of pulp sf and used his familiarity with sf editors and writers to place the early stories of authors like Alfred Bester, Robert Heinlein, and Ray Bradbury. When the market for pulp sf declined, Schwartz began editing such popular comics as Flash, Justice League of America, Superman, and Batman. This book might interest those curious about the economics of sf publishing in the Golden Age or insider publishing activities at DC Comics. However, too often the author focuses on the trivialities of business lunches or petty interoffice squabbles. Ultimately, Schwartz epitomizes the 20th-century phenomenon of sf and comics fandom, and, like many fans, he never quite explains what fascinates him about these genres. Recommended for specialized collections only, except where local interest warrants.DRoger A. Berger, Everett Community Coll., WA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A witty, warm and wonderful memoir...highly recommended. Buy it!" -- --Starlog
"Contains lively stories about Schwartz's stints as editor of the 'new look' '60s Batman and 'relevant' '70s Superman." -- --The Onion
"Conveys affectingly the wonder and enthusiasm...a measure of the love Schwartz has accumulated during the course of a remarkable career." -- --Locus
"Good anecdotes...a lot of good stories." -- --Denver Post
"Schwartz's fan days and subsequent career reads like a Who's Who of SF legends." -- --Peter David, Comics Buyer's Guide
"Contains lively stories about Schwartz's stints as editor of the 'new look' '60s Batman and 'relevant' '70s Superman." -- --The Onion
"Conveys affectingly the wonder and enthusiasm...a measure of the love Schwartz has accumulated during the course of a remarkable career." -- --Locus
"Good anecdotes...a lot of good stories." -- --Denver Post
"Schwartz's fan days and subsequent career reads like a Who's Who of SF legends." -- --Peter David, Comics Buyer's Guide
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Golden and Silver Age Musings,
This review is from: Man of Two Worlds:: My Life in Science Fiction and Comics (Paperback)
To be honest, I expected a bit more from MAN OF TWO WORLDS -- but with that thought out of the way, what's here is darn good! Fans of science fiction and comics will be generally delighted with Julius Schwartz's recollections of his involvement in the incipient and later stages of both fields. Mr. Schwartz, the one-time SF literary agent and innovative DC Comics editor, has had more than a casual involvement with numerous great authors, artists and editors, and the short tales he presents are humerous, tragic and informative. Knowledgable veteran comics fans will certainly get a chuckle at the Bob Kane (Batman) incident detailed in the volume, and the discussions of the young Ray Bradbury are extremely interesting . At times there may be a little too much "I" rather than "we" when discussing creative input (sometimes hard to distinguish from Mr. Schwartz's deliberately egotistical style of humor), but a good chunk of science fiction and comics history is presented in an easy, off-the-cuff style with many detailed sidebars. Julius Schwartz is a reporter and a catalyst for many significant historical events in "both worlds," and this book is a must-have.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Important but spare memoir of two emergent 20th C.art-forms,
By A Customer
This review is from: Man of Two Worlds:: My Life in Science Fiction and Comics (Paperback)
The less than rapturous reviews below speak more to the cynincal nature of todays Media-Obsessed SF and Comics Fans than they speak to the quality and importance of this 1st person Memoir by the Great Julie Schwartz who straddles the linked worlds of Comics Fandom and Organized SF Fandom like the Colossus of Rhodes. He is, like the Colossus, one of the wonders of a more ancient world, one largely lost to fans such as myself who came of age in the 70's. His memoir, aided by the conservative style of his co-writer, Brian Thomsen (formerly of Warner Books and several other star-studded imprints) tells gentle and affectionate stories while hinting at some of the more seething controversies he witnessed first-hand. Any fan who has had the pleasure of 5 minutes with Julie knows he does NOT dish DIRT on ANYONE, not even the mean-spirited. In fact, as this memoir attests to so well, Julie's entire career was really one that proved him to be a force for good in his times, a hopeful optimist, a true Sci_Fi boy from the Bronx who envisioned a better world coming from technology. I insist that even the most jaded of us Baby-Boomers, Baby-Busters, GenXers, and GenY-ers can learn something from his remarkable narrative restraint and instead focus on the cherished memories he has chosen to finally share with his fans after a very discreet public life. True, Julie is often more forthcoming at Panels or at Autograph sessions if you put a direct question to him, but clearly the goal of this book was to state the things Julie would have us remember and to celebrate the people Julie feels we fans should look at more closely. Eventually, after coming to the end of what I sincerely hope is only the 1st volume of his memoirs (Please Julie, do three books like your good pal Isaac Asimov did), one is left with a more complete understanding of the intertwining of the two distinct art forms: Comics and Science Fiction. It's only fitting that a couple of years ago, DragonCon in Atlanta instituted a Lifetime Achievement Award called THE JULIE which recognizes oustanding accomplishment in both fields. Of course, Julie got the first one and I believe Ray Bradbury the second. MAN OF TWO WORLDS is also an opportunity for a person who considers themself primarily a fan of only one of these genres to see to just what an extent, they are in fact bound to the other in spirit. Finally, what thrilled me the most was Julie recounting his earliest years as a fan and his attendence at the 1st World SF Con. As brief as those chapters were, they made me yearn for a working Time Machine so I could be whisked away back to a time before Science Fiction had became so angry and negative. Many heartfelt thanks to Julie for finally getting this book into fans' hands and for all those panels he has sat on in the past 15 years.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining and anecdotal memoirs of a comic-book great,
By
This review is from: Man of Two Worlds:: My Life in Science Fiction and Comics (Paperback)
There's so many young new artists and writers in the comic book industry today, some of them great, some of them derivative, but each time I check out a hotshot young or new talent I find myself wondering: will this guy be around in fifty years? Will his *work* be remembered past next year's "Wizard" Comics Year in Review? Here's one guy who is: Julius Schwartz, pioneering founder of organized science fiction fandom as well as creator of some of the greatest and most influential DC comic book stories (and characters) that still resonate with today's fans. In today's overactive SF world it's hard to realize there was once a time when organized fandom was just a dream, but Julie's (as a long-time fan and reader of comics, I feel I can call him Julie!) humorous and celebrity-filled reminiscences take us inside those early days of the Golden Age of science fiction. I thought I knew a lot of anecdotes about this era, but Julie's humorous sidebars fill me in on a lot of fun trivia: Bob Kane and Bill Finger ("Batman"), Will Eisner ("The Spirit") and Stan Lee (Marvel Comics) all went to the same high school; how Marvel's "Fantastic Four" was inspired by a golf game in which Marvel head Martin Goodman had with the head of DC; why Neil Adams's pencils on Elliot S! Maggin's debut story at DC were uninked; and the inside story of my favorite Superman story of all time, 1986's "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" written by Alan Moore. A fast read, and somewhat sketchy--I would have liked to hear more about Julie's family and personal life, and the entire science-fiction/fandom world of the era, but after all, it *is* his book, and it *is* subtitled "My Life In Science Fiction and Comics." As well as being an entertaining look inside the genesis of some of my favorite comic book characters and stories, Julie's trademark mantra is still the most important instruction in the comic book industry: a simple two-word lesson that a lot of those hotshot young writers and artists would do well to heed: BE ORIGINAL.
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