During the Silver Age of comics, Mortimer “Mort” Weisinger had a hand in creating some of DC Comics most iconic characters. From the King of Atlantis to the Emerald Archer, the comic book editor and writer played an integral role in building the DC Universe fans know and love today. As his creation, Aquaman, prepares to swim into theaters everywhere on December 21, 2018, now is the perfect time to trace the writer’s long history.
Weisinger was born on April 25, 1915, in New York City, New York. When he was 13, Weisinger was introduced to the world of science fiction through a 1928 copy of Amazing Stories. The adventures of Buck Rogers and The Skylark of Space sparked his growing love of sci-fi and led him to being active in some of the earliest sci-fi fan clubs and fanzines. During a meeting of “The Scienceers” club, Weisinger met future DC editor Julius Schwartz. Together with future sci-fi writers Allen Glasser and Forrest J. Ackerman, Weisinger and Schwartz founded The Time Traveller. They described this project as “Science Fiction’s Only Fan Magazine” and it was later praised by sci-fi historian Sam Moskowitz as being the first fanzine devoted entirely to the genre.
Weisinger and Schwartz later formed the Solar Sales Service, one of the first literary agencies to specialize in sci-fi, horror, and fantasy. Among their early clients were prominent writers Edmond Hamilton, Otto Binder, John Russell Fearn, Alfred Bester, Stanley Weinbaum, H.P. Lovecraft, and Ray Bradbury. Weisinger later left the agency to accept a job with the pulp publisher, Standard Magazine. By 1940, Weisinger was editing over 40 titles by Standard including Thrilling Wonder Stories, Startling Stories, and Captain Future. He later transitioned to National Periodicals, which would later become DC Comics, working as the editor of the Superman and Batman titles.
One of his earliest jobs with the publisher was “dreaming up some new characters.” These took the form of Aquaman (with Paul Norris), Green Arrow (with George Papp), and Johnny Quick and Vigilante (with Mort Meskin). His fledgling career was soon interrupted when he was conscripted into the army in 1942. He served as a sergeant in Special Services while also writing scripts for the U.S. Army radio show called “I Sustain the Wings” in New York. Following his service, Weisinger returned to National and resumed his editorship of the Superman and Batman titles, among others.
During his tenure with the company, Weisinger introduced a variety of new concepts and characters such as Supergirl, Krypto the Super Dog, the Phantom Zone, Kandor, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and more. Around this time, Weisinger gave up editorship of Batman and many of the other titles to concentrate on the Man of Steel. He was later called out to California by Whitney Ellsworth to work as story editor for the Superman TV series, Adventures of Superman.
For his contributions to DC Comics, Weisinger was named in the company’s 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great. His work in science fiction for comics and television continues to influence up-and-coming writers to this day.
