Carroll O. Wessler (May 25, 1913 – April 9, 1989),Carroll O. Wessler
Social Security Number 062-10-4778, at the

United States Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) was a database of death records created from the United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File until 2014. Since 2014, public access to the updated Death Master File has been via the Limite ...

via GenealogyBank.com
Archived
from the original on September 18, 2012.Carroll O Wessler
at the United States Social Security Death Index via FamilySearch.org. Retrieved on April 4, 2013. better known as Carl Wessler, was 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 ...

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video gam ...

of the 1930s and a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

from the 1940s though the 1980s for such companies as

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 ...

EC Comics Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books, which specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-195 ...

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

, and

Warren Publishing Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren (publisher), James Warren, who published his first magazines in 1957 and continued in the business for decades. Magazines published by Warren include ''After Hours (magazin ...

. Wessler was one of at least five staff writers (officially titled

editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

) under editor-in-chief

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

at Marvel's 1950s forerunner, Atlas Comics.

Biography

Early life and career

Wessler began as an

in the 1930s, working on ''Musical Memories'' and other theatrical cartoon shorts for the

Fleischer Studios Fleischer Studios () is an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of i ...

in New York City. The studio fired him on March 30, 1937, for labor union organizing; after a subsequent strike by studio staff, lasting from May 7 to October 13 of that year, the studio settled, and Wessler and others were rehired. Wessler followed Fleischer when it relocated to Florida the following year. While continuing to work as an animator, Wessler began doing freelance art for

s in 1943, through the studio Sangor-Hughes, a packager that produced outsourced comics for publishers entering the then-new medium. Wessler returned to New York when Fleischer relocated as

Famous Studios Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized contro ...

, and he segued full-time into comics during this 1940s period fans and historians call the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known char ...

. Due to much of his work going unsigned, in the manner of the times, comprehensive credits are difficult to ascertain; Wessler's earliest confirmed credits are as a

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...

writing and drawing such

talking animal A talking animal or speaking animal is any non-human animal that can produce sounds or gestures resembling those of a human language. Several species or groups of animals have developed forms of communication which superficially resemble verbal ...

features as "Snazzy Rabbit" and "Senorita Juanita McMouse" in Croydon Publishing/Rural Home Publishing's ''Laffy-Daffy Comics'' #1 (Feb. 1945). He also wrote and drew the humorous feature "Happy Daze" in at least two issues of

Lev Gleason Publications Lev Gleason Publications, founded by Leverett Stone Gleason (1898–1971), was the publisher of a number of popular comic books during the 1940s and early 1950s, including '' Daredevil Comics'', '' Crime Does Not Pay'', and ''Boy Comics''. Backgr ...

' '' Daredevil'' in 1951.

Atlas and EC

Wessler began writing for Atlas Comics in November 1950 with the six-page story "The Mad Monk" about the historical figure

Grigori Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus g ...

, published in ''Amazing Detective Cases'' #6 (May 1951). He soon became Atlas' primary

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

writer, often scripting entire issues of ''All-True Crime'', ''Amazing Detective Cases'', ''Crime Can't Win'', ''Crime Exposed'', ''Crime Must Lose'', ''Justice'', and ''Kent Blake of the Secret Service''. Going on staff in 1952, he became a member of the Atlas bullpen with fellow writers

Hank Chapman Henry P. Chapman (living status unknown), who is credited in comics under both his formal name and as Hank Chapman, is an American comic book writer for Marvel Comics' two predecessors, Timely Comics and Atlas Comics, and later for DC Comics, whe ...

Ernie Hart Ernest Huntley Hart
at the L ...

Paul S. Newman Paul S. Newman (April 29, 1924 – May 30, 1999) was an American writer of comic books, comic strips, and books, whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s. Credited in the '' Guinness Book of World Records'' as the most prolific comic-book wr ...

Don Rico Donato Francisco Rico II (September 26, 1912 – March 27, 1985) was an American paperback novelist, screenwriter, wood engraver and comic book writer-artist, who co-created the Marvel Comics characters the Black Widow (Natasha Romanova) with plot ...

and, on teen-humor comics, future '' Mad''

Al Jaffee Allan Jaffee (born Abraham Jaffee; March 13, 1921) is an American cartoonist. He is notable for his work in the satirical magazine '' Mad'', including his trademark feature, the ''Mad'' Fold-in. Jaffee was a regular contributor to the magazine ...

. Wessler wrote horror/

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

stories for such titles as ''Adventures into Terror'', ''Adventures into Weird Worlds'', ''Astonishing'', '' Mystic'', and ''Suspense'', later adding to his body of work such

war comics War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II. History American war comics Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began incl ...

as ''Battle'', ''Battle Action'', ''Battlefield'', ''Combat'', and ''Men's Adventures''. In 1953,

—which in the 1950s produced a number of horror and dramatic titles later considered to be classics of the field—recruited Wessler,

Jack Oleck Jack Oleck (March 1, 1914 – March 10, 1981)Social Security Death Index, SS# 115-01-6988. was an American novelist and comic book writer particularly known for his work in the horror genre. The brother-in-law of comics pioneer Joe Simon, Oleck' ...

Daniel Keyes Daniel Keyes (August 9, 1927 – June 15, 2014) was an American writer who wrote the novel ''Flowers for Algernon''. Keyes was given the Author Emeritus honor by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2000. Biography Early life ...

, and other writers. Wessler contributed a large number of stories to EC's famed horror titles ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'', and '' The Vault of Horror''—writing the entirety of ''Tales from the Crypt'' #45 (Jan. 1955), for instance, with the artists including

Graham Ingels Graham J. Ingels (; June 7, 1915April 4, 1991) was a comic book and magazine illustrator best known for his work in EC Comics during the 1950s, notably on ''The Haunt of Fear'' and ''Tales from the Crypt'', horror titles written and edited by Al ...

, Jack Davis,

Jack Kamen Jack Kamen (; May 29, 1920 – August 5, 2008) was an American illustrator for books, magazines, comic books and advertising, known for his work illustrating crime, horror, humour, suspense and science fiction stories for EC Comics, for his work in ...

, and

Bernard Krigstein Bernard Krigstein (; March 22, 1919 – January 8, 1990), was an American illustrator and gallery artist who received acclaim for his innovative and influential approach to comic book art, notably in EC Comics. His artwork usually displayed the s ...

. He wrote as well for EC's '' Aces High'', ''

Crime SuspenStories ''Crime SuspenStories'' was a bi-monthly anthology crime comic published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. The title first arrived on newsstands with its October/November 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, produc ...

'', ''

Impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Impac ...

'', ''

Piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

'', ''

Shock SuspenStories ''Shock SuspenStories'' was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. The bi-monthly comic, published by Bill Gaines and edited by Al Feldstein, began with issue 1 in February/March 1952. Over a four-year span, it ran for 18 issues, ending wi ...

'' and ''

Weird Science-Fantasy ''Weird Science-Fantasy'' was an American science fiction-fantasy anthology comic, that was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. Over a 14-month span, the comic ran for seven issues, starting in March 1954 with issue #23 and ending with ...

''. Following the demise of EC in the wake of the newly formed

Comics Code Authority The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA allowed the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. ...

's crackdown on graphically violent comic books, Wessler returned to Atlas in late 1955 as a freelance writer. There he scripted

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

/fantasy stories for ''Mystic'' and, prolifically, ''

World of Fantasy ''World of Fantasy'' was a science fiction/fantasy comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor company, Atlas Comics (1950s), Atlas Comics. Lasting from 1956 to 1959, it included the work of several notable comics a ...

''. His last Atlas work appeared in issue #15 of the latter,

cover-date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d December 1958.

Later career

Wessler next wrote for

Harvey Comics Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfr ...

, home of

Casper the Friendly Ghost Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. He is a pleasant, personable and translucent ghost, but often criticized by his three wicked uncles, the Ghostly Trio. T ...

and other children's characters, remaining there through the early 1970s. As well, in the 1960s, his work appears in a range of titles including

Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T.W.O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton ...

' ''

Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at t ...

'',

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

-era adventure series ''

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Europ ...

'', and

's black-and-white horror-comics magazines ''

Creepy Creepiness is the state of being wikt:creepy, creepy, or causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or wikt:unease, unease. A person who exhibits creepy behaviour is called a creep. Certain traits or hobbies may make people seem creepy to others. The ...

'', ''

Eerie ''Eerie'' was an American magazine of horror comics introduced in 1966 by Warren Publishing. Like '' Mad'', it was a black-and-white magazine intended for newsstand distribution and did not submit its stories to the comic book industry's voluntar ...

'' and ''

Vampirella Vampirella () is a fictional vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of ''Creepy'' ...

''. At

, Wessler wrote numerous stories for the supernatural-fantasy anthologies ''

Ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

'', ''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets''. It is also the name of the titular setting of the series. First serie ...

'', '' The Unexpected'', and '' The Witching Hour'' from 1967 to 1985. He also contributed additional stories to ''Eerie'', and returned to his old home at the former Atlas, now

, with work appearing in ''Giant-Size Chillers'' vol. 2, #1 (Feb. 1975), and in the black-and-white horror-comics magazine ''

Tales of the Zombie ''Tales of the Zombie'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 10 issues and one '' Super Annual'' from 1973 to 1975, many featuring stories of t ...

'' #7 and 10 (Sept. 1974 and March 1975). His last recorded credit is the story "Hellfire by Night" in ''

G.I. Combat ''G.I. Combat'' was an American comics anthology featuring war stories. It was published from 1952 until 1956 by Quality Comics, followed by DC Comics until its final issue in 1987. In 2012 it was briefly revived. Publication history The focu ...

'' #278 (July 1985). Wessler was living in Miami, Florida, at the time of his death.

Bibliography

Charlton Comics

* ''Fox Hole'' #5 (1955)

DC Comics

* '' All-Out War'' #2, 5 (1979–1980) * ''

DC Special Series ''DC Special Series'' was an umbrella title for one-shots and special issues published by DC Comics between 1977 and 1981. Each issue featured a different character and was often in a different format than the issue before it. ''DC Special Serie ...

'' #4, 7, 22 (1977–1980) * ''

'' #41–44, 46, 49–50, 59–62, 66, 68, 73, 75, 81, 83–85, 88, 90–95, 98 (1975–1981) * ''

'' #180, 191, 210, 216, 224, 226, 274–275, 278 (1975–1985) * ''

'' #204, 278–281, 284–286 (1972–1980) * '' House of Secrets'' #137 (1975) * ''

Mystery in Space ''Mystery in Space'' is the name of two science fiction American comic book series published by DC Comics, and of a standalone Vertigo anthology released in 2012. The first series ran for 110 issues from 1951 to 1966, with a further seven issues c ...

'' #114 (1980) * ''

Secrets of Haunted House ''Secrets of Haunted House'' was a horror-suspense comics anthology series published by American company DC Comics from 1975 to 1978 and 1979 to 1982. Publication history The series began in April–May 1975. Like its predecessor ''Secrets of S ...

'' #15–18, 20–21, 23, 33–34, 36–37, 40, 42 (1979–1981) * '' Tales of the Unexpected'' #104 (1967) * ''

'' #116–117, 129 (1968–1970) * '' The Unexpected'' #105–107, 115, 117, 119–120, 123–125, 128–134, 136–149, 151–160, 162–165, 167, 170, 172, 175, 177–193, 195–198, 201–204, 206, 208–209, 211–212, 215 (1968–1981) * ''

Weird War Tales ''Weird War Tales'' was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics. It was published from September–October 1971 to June 1983. Publication history The original title ran for 12 years and 124 issues. It was ...

'' #93 (1980) * '' The Witching Hour'' #16–18, 20, 23, 25–27, 30–36, 39–43, 45, 47–66, 68, 70–80, 83–85 (1971–1978)

EC Comics

* '' Aces High'' #1–5 (1955) * ''

'' #23–24, 26–27 (1954–1955) * ''

The Haunt of Fear ''The Haunt of Fear'' was an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics, starting in 1950. Along with '' Tales from the Crypt'' and '' The Vault of Horror'', it formed a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies. ''T ...

'' #24–25, 27–28 (1954) * ''

'' #1–5 (1955) * ''

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

'' #2–4 (1955) * ''

'' #2–7 (1954–1955) * ''

'' #14–18 (1954–1955) * ''

'' #42–46 (1954–1955) * ''

Valor Valor, valour, or valorous may mean: * Courage, a similar meaning * Virtue ethics, roughly "courage in defense of a noble cause" Entertainment * Valor (band), a Christian gospel music group * Valor Kand, a member of the band Christian Death * ' ...

'' #1–2, 5 (1955) * '' The Vault of Horror'' #37–40 (1954–1955) * ''

'' #29 (1955)

Marvel Comics

* ''Adventures into Terror'' #10, 17 (1952–1953) * ''Adventures into Weird Worlds'' #8–9, 19, 22 (1952–1953) * ''Amazing Detective Cases'' #6 (1951) * ''Astonishing'' #11, 14, 20–21, 25–27 (1952–1953) * ''Battle'' #18 (1953) * ''Battle Action'' #8, 10–11 (1953) * ''Battlefield'' #9–10 (1953) * ''Combat'' #8 (1953) * ''Crime Cases Comics'' #7 (1951) * ''Crime Exposed'' #7, 13 (1951–1952) * ''Giant-Size Chillers'' #1 (1975) * ''Justice'' #25, 37 (1952–1953) * ''Man Comics'' #22 (1953) * ''Men's Adventures'' #18–19 (1953) * ''Mystery Tales'' #6 (1952) * '' Mystic'' #9, 11, 42, 58 (1952–1957) * ''Mystical Tales'' #6, 8 (1957) * ''

Strange Tales ''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics comics anthology, anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (feature), Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their d ...

'' #5 (1952) * ''Strange Tales of the Unusual'' #6 (1956) * ''Suspense'' #10–11, 19 (1951–1952) * ''

'' #7, 10 (1974–1975) * ''War Adventures'' #12 (1953) * ''

'' #1–2, 7, 12–15 (1956–1958)

References

External links

*
Carl Wessler
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
Carl Wessler
at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{DEFAULTSORT:Wessler, Carl 1913 births 1989 deaths American animators American comics writers American horror writers Atlas Comics EC Comics Golden Age comics creators Silver Age comics creators

Biography

Early life and career

Atlas and EC

Later career

Bibliography

Charlton Comics

DC Comics

EC Comics

Marvel Comics

References

Further reading

External links