Andrew Helfer (born August 17, 1958) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
comic book creator
developed specialized terminology. Some several attempts have been made to formalize and define the terminology of comics by authors such as Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, R. C. Harvey and Dylan Horrocks. Much of the terminology in English is ...
best known for his work as an editor and writer at
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
, where he founded the
Paradox Press
Paradox Press was a division of DC Comics formed in 1993 after editor Mark Nevelow departed from Piranha Press. Under the initial editorship of Andrew Helfer and Bronwyn Carlton the imprint was renamed. It is best known for graphic novels like ' ...
imprint.
Career
Andy Helfer joined
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
in 1981 and assisted
Joe Orlando
Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of '' Mad'' and the vice president of DC Comics, ...
in the special projects department. He became editor of the ''
Justice League of America
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceive ...
'' title with issue #245 (December 1985) and oversaw the title's revamp into ''
Justice League International
Justice League International (JLI) is a fictional DC comics superhero team that succeeded the original Justice League from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The team enjoyed several comic books runs, the first being written by Keith Giffen and ...
'' in 1987 by
Keith Giffen
Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American comics artist and writer. He is known for his work for DC Comics on their '' Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of Lobo.
Biography ...
,
J. M. DeMatteis
John Marc DeMatteis (; born December 15, 1953) is an American writer of comic books, television and novels.
Biography
Early career
J. M. DeMatteis's earliest aspirations were to be a rock musician and comic book artist. He began playing in ban ...
, and
Kevin Maguire.
Helfer edited ''
The Man of Steel'' limited series by
John Byrne and the subsequent relaunch of the Superman titles.
As a writer, Helfer collaborated with artist
José Luis García-López on a ''
Deadman
Deadman or Deadman's may refer to:
* "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch
* "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander in metallurgy
* "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, concrete, block, etc.) used ...
'' limited series in 1986
and with artist
Bill Sienkiewicz
Boleslav William Felix Robert Sienkiewicz ( ; born May 3, 1958) is an American artist known for his work in comic books—particularly for Marvel Comics' ''New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and '' Elektra: Assassin''. Sienkiewicz's work in the 1980 ...
on an ongoing series for ''
The Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...
'' in the following year. Following Sienkiewicz's departure from ''The Shadow'',
Kyle Baker
Kyle John Baker (born 1965) is an American cartoonist, comic book writer-artist, and animator known for his graphic novels and for a 2000s revival of the series ''Plastic Man''.
Baker has won numerous Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards for his wor ...
became the artist on the series and he and Helfer also produced a two-issue ''
Justice, Inc.'' series.
The Helfer-Baker run on ''The Shadow'' was cancelled in 1989 allegedly due to objections by
Condé Nast
Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast, and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan.
The company's media ...
, the character's owner, to the tone of the series. Helfer wrote for the ''
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...
'' television series from 1988 to 1990. As the editor of
Paradox Press
Paradox Press was a division of DC Comics formed in 1993 after editor Mark Nevelow departed from Piranha Press. Under the initial editorship of Andrew Helfer and Bronwyn Carlton the imprint was renamed. It is best known for graphic novels like ' ...
, Helfer oversaw the development of
Max Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins (born March 3, 1948) is an American mystery writer, noted for his graphic novels. His work has been published in several formats and his '' Road to Perdition'' series was the basis for a film of the same name. He wrote the ''Di ...
' series ''
Road to Perdition
''Road to Perdition'' is a 2002 American crime drama film directed by Sam Mendes. The screenplay was adapted by David Self from the graphic novel of the same name written by Max Allan Collins and illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner. The film ...
'' and
John Wagner
John Wagner (born 1949) is an American-born British comics writer. Alongside Pat Mills, he helped revitalise British comics in the 1970s, and continues to be active in the British comics industry, occasionally also working in American comics. ...
's ''
A History of Violence
''A History of Violence'' is a 2005 action thriller film directed by David Cronenberg and written by Josh Olson. It is an adaptation of the 1997 graphic novel of the same title by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, ...
'', both of which became successful films. In 2006, Helfer collaborated with artist
Randy DuBurke on ''
Malcolm X
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of I ...
: A Graphic Biography'' (2006) which has been recommended as part of a "Suggested Core List of Graphic Novel Titles for High School Students". He wrote the ''Presidential Material:
John McCain''
one-shot biographical comic book for
IDW Publishing in 2008.
Awards
*1991:
** Nominated for "Best Script"
Haxtur Award
The Haxtur Award (''Premios Haxtur'') is a Spanish award for comics published in Spain. It is awarded annually at the Salón Internacional del Cómic del Principado de Asturias (International Comics Convention of the Principality of Asturias). It ...
, for ''
Justice, Inc.''
** Nominated for "Best Long Comic Strip" Haxtur Award, for ''Justice, Inc.''
* 1995:
** Won "Best Anthology"
Eisner Award, for ''
The Big Book Of Urban Legends''
** Nominated for "Best Editor" Eisner Award, for ''The Big Book Of Urban Legends''
* 1997: Nominated for "Best Editor" Eisner Award, for ''
Gon'' and ''
The Big Book Of Little Criminals''
Bibliography
DC Comics
*''
9-11: The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember, Volume Two'' (2002)
*''
Atari Force
''Atari Force'' is the name of two comic book series published by DC Comics from 1982 to 1986. Both were loosely based on trademarks of Atari, Inc.
Publication history
The first ''Atari Force'' title was a series of minicomics created in 198 ...
'' #8, 12, 15–17, 20 (1984–1985)
*''
Batman Annual'' #14 (1990)
*''
Batman Black and White
''Batman Black and White'' refers to the comic book limited series published by DC Comics featuring 8-page black and white Batman stories. Volumes 1, 4 and 5 of the series feature all-new stories (published in 1996, 2013–14, and 2020–21, res ...
'' #3 (1996)
*''
The Batman Chronicles'' #9 (1997)
*''
Batman: Journey Into Knight'' #1–12 (2005–2006)
*''
Deadman
Deadman or Deadman's may refer to:
* "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch
* "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander in metallurgy
* "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, concrete, block, etc.) used ...
'' vol. 2 #1–4 (1986)
*''Fast Forward'' #1 (1992)
*''
Heroes Against Hunger
''Heroes Against Hunger'' is a 1986 all-star benefit comic book for African famine relief and recovery. Published by DC Comics in the form of a "comic jam" or exquisite corpse, the book starred Superman and Batman. Spearheaded by Jim Starlin and B ...
'' #1 (1986)
*''The Hidden Killer'' #1 (1998)
*''
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running ...
'' #1–12 (1994–1995)
*''
Justice, Inc.'' vol. 2 #1–2 (1989)
*''
Legends of the DC Universe
A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief.
Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to:
Narrative
* Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth
* A fictitious identity used in espionage
Books, co ...
80-Page Giant'' #1 (
Hawkman) (1998)
*''
Robotech Defenders
The Robotech Defenders are a line of scale model kits released by Revell during the early 1980s with an accompanying limited comic series published by DC Comics. Contrary to what their name seems to imply, the "'Robotech Defenders'" are not part ...
'' #1–2 (1985)
*''
Secret Origins'' vol. 2 #15 (Deadman), #18 (
Creeper), #40 (
Detective Chimp
Detective Chimp is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A common chimpanzee who wears a deerstalker hat (à la Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes), Detective Chimp has superhuman-leve ...
) (1987–1989)
*''
The Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...
'' vol. 3 #1–19, ''Annual'' #1–2 (1987–1989)
*''
Solo
Solo or SOLO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Comics
* ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series
* Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics
Characters
* Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character
* Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
'' #6 (2005)
*''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'' Giveaway comic from
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
and the
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States a ...
about auto safety and seat belts (1984)
*''
Swamp Thing
The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations in v ...
'' vol. 2 #101 (1990)
*''
The Unexpected'' #219 (1982)
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
*''
Malcolm X
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of I ...
: A Graphic Biography'' #1 (2006)
IDW Publishing
*''Presidential Material:
John McCain'' #1 (2008)
References
External links
*
Andy Helferat Mike's Amazing World of Comics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helfer, Andy
1958 births
American comics writers
Comic book editors
Living people
DC Comics people