Marv Wolfman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marv Wolfman
Wolfman at the 2023 WonderCon
Born	Marvin Arthur Wolfman (1946-05-13) May 13, 1946 (age 79) Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer, Editor
Notable works	The Tomb of Dracula Blade The Amazing Spider-Man Daredevil Nova The New Teen Titans Crisis on Infinite Earths Adventures of Superman Nightwing
Awards	Shazam Award, 1973 Inkpot Award, 1979 Eagle Award, 1982, 1984 Jack Kirby Award, 1985 and 1986 Scribe Award, 2007 National Jewish Book Award, 2008
Spouse(s)	Michele Wolfman (divorced) Noel Watkins
Children	1

Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American writer famous for his work on comic books and novelizations. He is well-known for writing The Tomb of Dracula for Marvel Comics. With artist Gene Colan, he helped create the vampire-hunter Blade.

Wolfman also made a big impact at DC Comics with The New Teen Titans and the huge event series Crisis on Infinite Earths, both with artist George Pérez. He created or helped create many popular characters like Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, Deathstroke, Tim Drake, Nova, and Black Cat.

Early Life and Dreams

Marv Wolfman was born in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1946. His father, Abe, was a police officer, and his mother, Fay, was a homemaker. He has an older sister named Harriet.

When Marv was 13, his family moved to Flushing, Queens. He later went to New York's High School of Art and Design in Manhattan. He hoped to become a cartoonist, someone who draws comics. Marv Wolfman is Jewish.

A Career in Comics

Starting Out in the 1960s

Marv Wolfman was a big fan of comics before he started working professionally. His first published work for DC Comics appeared in Blackhawk in 1968.

He and his friend Len Wein created the character Jonny Double. They also worked together on a Teen Titans story. Wolfman and artist Gil Kane later created a new origin story and costume for Wonder Girl in Teen Titans in 1969.

Marvel Comics in the 1970s

In 1972, Wolfman moved to Marvel Comics. He became an editor, first for Marvel's black-and-white magazines, then for their main color comics. He later decided to focus more on writing.

Wolfman and artist Gene Colan created the horror comic The Tomb of Dracula. This series became very popular. While working on it, they created Blade, a character who later starred in a series of movies.

Wolfman also co-created the villain Bullseye for Daredevil in 1976. He and artist John Buscema created Nova in his own comic series.

He also wrote for The Amazing Spider-Man. In 1979, Wolfman and Keith Pollard introduced the popular character Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) in The Amazing Spider-Man.

Returning to DC in the 1980s

The New Teen Titans

In 1980, Wolfman returned to DC Comics. He teamed up with penciller George Pérez to restart the Teen Titans comic. Their new series, The New Teen Titans, added new characters like Raven, Starfire, and Cyborg. These characters joined older team members like Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Beast Boy. The series became a huge success for DC.

Wolfman also wrote special New Teen Titans comic books sponsored by companies like Keebler and IBM.

Crisis on Infinite Earths

In 1985, Wolfman and Pérez launched Crisis on Infinite Earths. This was a massive 12-issue series that celebrated DC's 50th anniversary. It brought together thousands of characters and changed 50 years of DC's history to make it simpler. Many characters were changed or removed during this event. After Crisis, Wolfman and Pérez created History of the DC Universe to explain the new timeline.

Wolfman also helped restart the Superman comics. He reimagined Superman's enemy Lex Luthor and wrote for Adventures of Superman.

Work in the 1990s

Wolfman continued to write for Batman and Detective Comics. He created Tim Drake (the third Robin) and wrote an anniversary version of the very first Batman story. He also kept writing The New Titans series.

Disney and Transformers

In the early 1990s, Wolfman worked for Disney Comics. He wrote stories for DuckTales and other comics featuring Mickey Mouse characters.

In the late 1990s, Wolfman helped develop the Beast Machines TV series. This show continued the story of the Beast Wars series. Earlier, in the 1980s, Wolfman wrote the story for Optimus Prime's return in the Transformers TV show.

2000s and Beyond

In the 2000s, Wolfman started writing comics more often again. He wrote a novel based on Crisis on Infinite Earths, which told a new story during the original event. He also wrote the novelization for the movie Superman Returns.

In 2006, Wolfman began writing DC's Nightwing series. He also wrote a miniseries about the Teen Titan Raven, a character he co-created. He worked with George Pérez on an animated movie based on their popular "Judas Contract" storyline from Teen Titans.

In 2011, he and Pérez finished their New Teen Titans: Games graphic novel, which they had started many years before. Wolfman also worked as a writing consultant for the video game Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. In 2015, he wrote a novelization for the video game Batman: Arkham Knight. He also wrote the novelization for the Suicide Squad movie in 2016.

In 2017, Wolfman received the Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award. He also returned to Marvel Comics for a story featuring Bullseye, a character he helped create. In 2019, DC published Man and Superman, Wolfman's retelling of Superman's origin story.

In 2020, Marv Wolfman co-wrote an episode of The CW series Arrow for the Crisis on Infinite Earths TV crossover event. He also made a small appearance in the finale of the crossover. In 2021, he and George Pérez voiced cartoon versions of themselves on Teen Titans GO!. In 2023, Wolfman returned to Marvel for a What If…? comic featuring Blade. In 2024, he wrote the final pages of the 300th issue of Nightwing.

A Pioneer in Writing Credits

Marv Wolfman played a part in how comic book writers and artists started getting credit for their work. When he first began working for DC Comics, he received one of the first writing credits in their mystery magazines.

In one issue of House of Secrets, the horror host mentioned that the story was told to him by a "wandering Wolfman." The Comics Code Authority, which had strict rules about what could be shown, thought "Wolfman" meant a werewolf and demanded it be removed. DC explained that "Wolfman" was the writer's last name. So, the Authority insisted he be given a clear credit to show he was a real person. Once Wolfman received a credit, other writers and artists also asked for them. Soon, it became common for everyone involved in making a comic to get credit.

Personal Life

Marv Wolfman is married to Noel Watkins. He was previously married to Michele Wolfman, who worked as a colorist in the comics industry for many years. They have a daughter named Jessica Morgan.

Awards and Recognition

Marv Wolfman has received many awards for his amazing work in comics:

• Inkpot Award in 1979.
• Eagle Award for "Best New Book" in 1982 for New Teen Titans. He also won Eagle Awards for "Best Group Book" in 1984 and 1985 for the same series.
• His work with George Pérez on Crisis on Infinite Earths won the Jack Kirby Award for Best Finite Series in 1985 and 1986.
• In 1985, DC Comics honored Wolfman as one of the "Fifty Who Made DC Great" for their 50th anniversary.
• He won a Scribe Award in 2007 for his novel based on Superman Returns.
• He received the National Jewish Book Award in 2007 for "Children's and Young Adult Literature" for his book Homeland: The Illustrated History of the State of Israel.
• He was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2011.
• He received the Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

Film and Video Game Work

Screenwriting Credits

Marv Wolfman has written for many animated TV shows:

• G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1986, 1991)
• Jem (1986–1987)
• The Transformers (1987) (He was the head writer for season 3)
• Batman: The Animated Series (1992)
• Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1995)
• Beast Wars: Transformers (1996)
• Beast Machines: Transformers (1999)
• Teen Titans (2003, 2005)
• Arrow (2020)

Video Games

• Superman Returns (2006)

Acting Credits

See also

In Spanish: Marv Wolfman para niños