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

Man of Two Worlds: My Life in Science Fiction and Comics, Julius Schwartz and Brian M. Thomsen, HarperEntertainment, 2000

This is the autobiography of a man who has left an indelible mark on the fields of science fiction fandom and comic books. He was one of the first science fiction fans; later, at DC Comics, he created most of the comic book mythology now taken for granted.

In the 1920s and 1930s, already a very avid reader of science fiction pulp magazines (the only source for science fiction at that time), Schwartz went into business as the first SF literary agent. Knowing most of the pulp editors personally, he would help them fill holes in their publications by submitting stories sent to him by authors from around the country. He would then turn around, and send the payment checks to the authors. His client list was a Who's Who of early SF/fantasy authors, including H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury and Robert Bloch. During World War II, many pulps went out of business, due to wartime paper shortages, so Schwartz was encouraged to move into the field of comic books.

At DC Comics, Schwartz was involved in revitalizing nearly all of their superheroes, starting with Batman and Superman. A large number of characters came to life in the pages of DC Comics, along with seemingly every possible combination of characters. Some were more successful than others. Schwartz was one of those most responsible for what has been called the Silver Age of comics. He would also work with some of the most influential talents in the comics world, including Bob Kane, Neal Adams and Alan Moore.

Fans of comic books or science fiction will love this book. It does a fine job at showing the reader the inside of both fields. It is a very quick read that ended too quickly. This gets two thumbs up.