Customer Reviews

Man of Two Worlds:: My Life in Science Fiction and Comics

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I confess I didn't knew much about Julius Schwartz.And I don't know much,either,about History of Comics.But I know a little about American Science Fiction lore:the so-called "Golden Age",Early SF Fandom,Hugo Gernsback,AMAZING STORIES,FRANK R. PAUL,the first Fanzines,and so on...And, suddenly,I was listening to an old voice,the voice of a person who knew,personally ,Howard Phillips Lovecraft.HPL himself!The Managing Editor (Allen Glasser was THE EDITOR) of THE TIME TRAVELLER-Science Fiction's only(then) Fan Magazine(the premier issue was dated January 1932).The man who was Stanley Weinbaum's agent.Who actually sold stories like "FLIGHT ON TITAN","PARASITE PLANET" and"THE LOTUS EATERS" to the Pulps.The guy who was Mort Weisinger's friend.Schwartz writes: "I remember the first time I cast my eyes on ASTOUNDING("Astounding Stories of Super Science").It was love at first sight!" He was simply there,an eyewitness of that glorious period.It`s uncanny for us,science fiction lovers ,to hear (or to read)something like this: [Mort(Weisinger)and I loved going up to the editorial offices of the various science-fiction magazines and getting the "hot news" on forthcoming issues(for THE TIME TRAVELLER) .We were always in awe of the editors.To us ,they were the closest things to gods on Earth.On one occasion while interviewing editor Harry Bates,the earthbound god turned the tables and started to interview me,inquiring what were my favorites stories from ASTOUNDING(Bates was the magazine's Editor).I quickly thought about it and replied,"The ones about the space pirate Hawk Carse by Anthony Gilmore ," then immediately jumped at the opportunity to add,"and I'd really like to know more about him." Harry Bates smiled and revealed that there really wasn't anyone named Anthony Gilbert.It was the collaborative pseudonym of two science fiction writers,and he hastened to add that he wasn't free to reveal their true identities.] "Anthony Gilmore" was,in reality,two persons, Harry Bates and his assistant editor,Desmond Hall.And folks,don't forget,HARRY BATES wrote "FAREWELL TO THE MASTER",the notable science fiction story which was the blueprint for the classic SF film "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL"(20th Century Fox,1951).
In 1933, Julius Schwartz actually met Dr. T.O'Connor Sloane,the then octogenarian editor of Amazing Stories(owned then by TECK Publications or by Bernarr MacFadden).It's unbelievable!This man Schwartz was a time gate to that golden past.
Julius knew and was friendly with Otto Binder,Edmond Hamilton,Leigh Brackett,Robert Bloch,Henry Kuttner,a very young Ray Bradbury,Anthony Boucher,all of them science fiction legends today.All of them heroes(and heroines)of mine.
As an agent,Julius Schwartz and his Solar Sales Service represented (in different periods)the following writers:Ray Bradbury,Alfred Bester,Otto Binder,Edmond Hamilton and his wife Leigh Brackett,Stanley Weinbaum,Henry Kuttner,Manly Wade Wellman,John Taine,Ralph Milne Farley,Peter Schuyler Miller,Raymond Z. Gallun,Robert Bloch and,last,but not least,Robert Heinlein!And from England,John Russel Fearn and Eric Frank Russell.A veritable science fiction "who's who"of that epoch.
After reading Julius Schwartz's "MAN OF TWO WORLDS" I was really moved.For the text provide me with a real glimpse of that fabulous period of the History of Science Fiction(Literature,Art ,etc)and of the 20th Century :the late 1920's,the 1930's and the 1940's.I would gladly escape from my own time to that Golden Shangri-La.

I'm in quest for the books like this from the times I'd read Fred Pohl's memoir THE WAY THE FUTURE WAS. Not only books and stories I love, not only legendary magazine titles - but the real men and women of the Golden Age of science fiction. Now we know how they changed the world, and it's a great to read about how do they feel this.

Julius Schwartz is very private, he is not world-changer at all - but from the first meeting with Mort Weisinger he was in the bussines of improving of the reality. Comic books never were the subject of interest for me, but I understand that for the millions of fans they were, and I'm sure our world would be far less livable without Batman on the light pole of it and Jocker on the dark pole.

And, of course, with Julius - mastering them.

Julie Schwartz is responsible for all that is pop culture today... at least thats what he says and I believe him. I have been a fan of science fiction and comic books all my life and Julie has directly touched the best of both fields. This book is full of interesting tidbits and fasciniting insights into the history of both these genres. I found it informative and surprisingly funny. If you're interested even marginally in comics or science fiction you will really enjoy this book.

"Man of Two Worlds" is a pleasant walk down memory lane, from the perspective of someone who has been a major "behind the scenes" player in the comics and science fiction fields. Julius Schwartz was a literary agent for H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Robert A. Heinlein and a host of others from the golden age of pulp magazines. As an editor for D. C Comics, he was instrumental in the revival of the comic book industry during it's "Silver Age." He relaunched the Flash and Green Lantern, and he put the yellow circle around the Bat signal.

The cast of characters in this memoir is truly amazing, but the names are dropped out of true friendship rather than self-promotion. The book is brimming with affection for old friends long gone, and new friends to pass the torch to. There is a nice piece about Julie attending a Lovecraft convention, where he was the only person in the room that had actually met the author.

The book is not thick, and there are no secrets to be revealed. There is some interesting insight into being an editor in the comics field, but that is not the focus. However, the book is so charming, so full of love for this industry and the people in it that reading it is an enjoyable experience. The afterword by Harlan Elison ends with simply, "I love you, Julie." Definitely a guy I'd like to know.

Schwartz' memoir tops out at about 190 pages, which seems rather thin considering he worked in the SF and comic book industries for over 50 years. His writing style is jovial (though the spelling and punctuation errors are off-putting), and the stories tremendously entertaining.

What's missing is more depth to his tales. Sure, it's a memoir, not an autobiography, and Schwartz doesn't seem to want to dish any "dirt" on the people he's worked with, but it seems like he glosses over frictions between creators, and sometimes completely overlooks interesting matters (such as how and why the Earth-1/Earth-2 stories in 50s and 60s DC comics came into being and remained popular).

Schwartz is clearly more interested in being an entertainer, and that's fine, as he's got a lot to entertain us with. But as a contribution to the understanding of the history of comics and science fiction, Man of Two Worlds is something of a disappointment. It's still worth reading if you're a serious fan of either genre, though.