Cary Bates (born 1948) is an American

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 ...

, animation, television and film

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 ...

. He is best known for his work on ''

The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...

'', '' Superman'', ''

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 ...

, the

Legion of Superheroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st c ...

'' and ''

Captain Atom Captain Atom is a superhero appearing in American comic books, first in the 1960s by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. Captain Atom has existed in three basic incarnations. Publication history Captain Atom was crea ...

''.

Biography

Early career

Bates began submitting ideas for comic book covers to

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 ...

at the age of 13, and a number of them were bought and published, the first as the cover to '' Superman'' #167 (Feb. 1964). Bates began to sell stories to DC when he was 17. Bates is best known for his work for DC Comics on such titles as ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...

'', ''

'', '' Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes'', and ''Superman''. He began working for the publisher in 1963 and continued to do so until the early 1990s. Among his contributions to the Superman mythos, he and artist Curt Swan co-created the supervillains Terra-Man and the 1970s version of the

Toyman The Toyman is the name of three supervillains and one adolescent superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, mostly as an adversary for Superman. The most well-known incarnation of the Toyman is Winslow Percival Schott, a criminal w ...

as well as the superhero

Vartox Vartox is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. Vartox bears a striking resemblance to Scottish actor Sean Connery and his name and appearance are regarded as an allusion to the 1974 film '' Zardoz'' which starred Connery. Publication hist ...

. In November 1972, Bates and artist

Art Saaf Arthur Saaf (December 4, 1921 – April 21, 2007) was an American comics artist from the Golden Age of Comics who also worked in television. He commonly went by Art or Artie. Career Art Saaf was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1921 and developed ...

launched the first ''

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 ...

'' series. Bates wrote two stories which featured a superhero wedding. In '' Superboy Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes'' #200 (Feb. 1974), the characters

Bouncing Boy Bouncing Boy is a superhero appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, usually as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Born on Earth as Chuck Taine, Bouncing Boy has the power to inflate like a giant ball and bounce around. This combinatio ...

and

Duo Damsel Triplicate Girl (Luornu Durgo) is a fictional character, a superhero in the 30th and 31st centuries of the and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. She has also had the aliases Duo Damsel, Triad, Una, Duplicate Damsel and Duplicate Girl. P ...

were married and ''

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 ...

'' #121 (Aug. 1975) featured the marriage of

Adam Strange Adam Strange is a fictional space adventurer appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by editor Julius Schwartz with a costume designed by Murphy Anderson, he first appeared in ''Showcase'' #17 (November 1958). Adam Stran ...

and the character's longstanding love interest Alanna. ''Superman'' #300 (June 1976) featured an out-of- continuity story by Bates and

Elliot S. Maggin Elliot S. Maggin, also spelled Elliot S! Maggin (born 1950), is an American writer of comic books, film, television, and novels. He was a main writer for DC Comics during the Bronze and early Modern ages of comics in the 1970s and 1980s. He is ...

which imagined the infant Superman landing on Earth in 1976 and becoming a superhero in 2001. The tale was an inspiration for Mark Millar's '' Superman: Red Son'' limited series published in 2003. Bates would end the marriage of another character when he wrote ''The Flash'' #275 (July 1979) wherein the title character's wife,

Iris West Allen Iris West is a fictional character, a supporting character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She has been the main love interest and later wife of Barry Allen, the alter ego of the Silver Age version of the superhero The ...

was killed. Bates appeared in his own comics as himself several times, alongside superheroes such as the Silver Age version of the Flash and the Justice League of America.

1980s

Bates and artist Kurt Schaffenberger were the creative team for '' The New Adventures of Superboy'', a series debuting in January 1980, which took the character out of the Legion of Super-Heroes and back into solo adventures. He and artist Carmine Infantino crafted a Batman backup story for '' Detective Comics'' #500 (March 1981). Infantino returned to ''The Flash'' title with issue #296 (April 1981) and he and Bates collaborated on the series, including issue #300 (Aug. 1981) which was in the

Dollar Comics Dollar Comics was a line of DC Comics comic book publications issued from 1977 to 1983 and revived in 2019. The 1977-1983 line included the titles ''The Superman Family'', ''House of Mystery'', ''G.I. Combat'', ''World's Finest Comics'', '' Batman F ...

format until its cancellation with issue #350 (October 1985). A major shakeup occurred when The Flash would inadvertently kill his wife's murderer, the

Reverse-Flash The Reverse-Flash is a name used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Each iteration of the character serves as a foil and an enemy of the Flash. Characters Edward Clariss Edward Clariss (also known ...

, in ''The Flash'' #324 (Aug. 1983). This led to an extended storyline titled "The Trial of the Flash" in which the hero must face the repercussions of his actions. Bates became the editor as well as the writer of ''The Flash'' title during this time and oversaw it until its cancellation in 1985. "The Trial of the Flash" was collected in a volume of the ''

Showcase Presents ''Showcase Presents'' was a line of black-and-white paperback books published by DC Comics (from 2005 - 2016) at an average rate of two per month. Much like Marvel Comics' ''Essential Marvel'' volumes, each book usually included over 500 pages of r ...

'' series in 2011. His final Superman stories were "Trapped in IMP-TV" in ''Superman'' #421 and "Superman for a Day" in ''Action Comics'' #581 (both cover dated July 1986). Bates was one of the contributors to the '' DC Challenge'' limited series in 1986. In 1987 and 1988, he wrote some stories for

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 ...

New Universe The New Universe is an imprint from Marvel Comics that was published in its original incarnation from 1986 to 1989. It was the first line produced by Marvel Comics utilizing a pre-conceived shared universe concept. It was created by Jim Shooter, ...

line and created the ''

Video Jack Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) systems ...

'' series at

Epic Comics Epic Comics (also known as the Epic Comics Group)Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins: The Truth About the Epic Comics Group!" Marvel comics cover-dated November 1982. was an imprint of Marvel Comics from 1982 to 1996. A spin-off of the publisher's ...

with

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 ...

. His post-Superman work for DC included a ''

'' series with

Pat Broderick Pat Broderick (born November 26, 1953) is an American comics artist, known for his work on the ''Micronauts'' and ''Alpha Flight'' for Marvel Comics, and '' Legion of Super-Heroes'', ''Captain Atom'' and ''Green Lantern'' for DC Comics. Broderick ...

and the '' Silverblade'' limited series with

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the

Later career and other work

His other work includes the comic strips ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'' (1980–1983), and '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' (1981–1983). Cary Bates was head scriptwriter on the 1988–1992 live action ''Superboy'' television series, and co-wrote (with

Mario Puzo Mario Francis Puzo (; ; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably '' The Godfather'' (1969), whi ...

and

John Briley Richard John Briley (June 25, 1925 – December 14, 2019) was an American writer best known for screenplays of biographical films. He won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar at the 55th Academy Awards for ''Gandhi'' (1982). As well as film ...

) the 1992 film '' Christopher Columbus: The Discovery'', produced by '' Superman: The Movie'' producers

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

and

Ilya Salkind Ilya Juan Salkind Domínguez (; born July 27, 1947), usually known as Ilya Salkind, is a Mexican film and television producer, known for his contributions to three of the four live-action Superman films of the 1970s and 1980s alongside his fat ...

. He also wrote for Disney's ''Gargoyles'' during the 1990s. In 2008 he returned after a 20-year absence to Marvel and wrote '' True Believers'', a limited series about a team trying to uncover secrets in the Marvel Universe. Bates made a return to writing Superman, this time as an Elseworlds story titled ''Superman: The Last Family of Krypton'', published in August 2010. Bates worked on the DC Comics nostalgic event ''

DC Retroactive ''DC Retroactive'' is a line of one-shot comic book issues published by DC Comics. It revisited periods (grouped by decades) of the company's main characters: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Justice League, and the Flash. T ...

'' writing stories for the one-shot specials ''DC Retroactive: Flash - The '70s'' (with art by Benito Gallego and

Sal Buscema Sal Buscema (; ; born Silvio Buscema, January 26, 1936) is an American comics artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of '' The Incredible Hulk'' and an eight-year run as artist of ''The Spectacular Spider-M ...

), and ''DC Retroactive: JLA - The '70s'' (drawn by

Gordon Purcell Gordon Purcell (born February 14, 1959) is an American comics artist, perhaps best known for his '' Star Trek'' work, in particular his realistic renditions of the actors who play that franchise’s characters, as well as those of similarly lice ...

and Andy Smith), both released with September 2011 cover dates. In 2017, Bates returned to the character Captain Atom and wrote ''The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom'' #1–6 together with co-writer

Greg Weisman Greg Weisman (born September 28, 1963) is an American novelist, writer, producer and voice actor. He is best known as the creator of the animated series '' Gargoyles'', ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' and '' Young Justice''. Early life and caree ...

who had also worked with him on many issues of the 1980s ''Captain Atom'' series.

Bibliography

Comics work includes:

Continuity Comics

* ''Toyboy'' #2–6 (1987–1988)

DC Comics

*''

'' ( Superman): #354, 356, 358, 366–370, 383–390, 392, 401, 403, 405, 407–408, 410, 412, 414–416, 419, 421–423, 425–428, 430–435, 438–439, 441–442, 444–446, 450, 453–454, 456, 460–466, 468–476, 480–485, 487–499, 501–512, 544, 548–549, 581 (1967–1986) *'' Adventure Comics'' (

): #381–382, 384, 386, 388–389, 391–392, 394, 396; (

Vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

): #426–427; (

): #459–466 (1969–1979) *''

'' #1–46, 50, ''Annual'' #1–2 (1987–1991) *'' DC Challenge'' #11 (1986) *''

DC Comics Presents ''DC Comics Presents'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the DC Universe. A recurring bac ...

'' #10–11, 15, 73, 82 (1979–1985) *''DC Comics Presents: Hawkman'' #1 (2004) *''

: The Flash - The '70s'' (2011) *''DC Retroactive: JLA - The '70s'' (2011) *''

DC Science Fiction Graphic Novel ''DC Graphic Novel'' is a line of graphic novel trade paperbacks published from 1983 to 1986 by DC Comics. The series generally featured stand-alone stories featuring new characters and concepts with one notable exception. ''The Hunger Dogs'' ...

'' #2 ('' Nightwings'') (1985) *''

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 ...

'' (The Flash): #1, 11; (Superman): #5 (1977–1978) *''

DC Super Stars ''DC Super Stars'' was a comics anthology series published by DC Comics from March 1976 to February 1978. Starting off as a reprint title, it finished its run with original stories. Publication history The tagline "The Line of DC Super-Stars" wa ...

'' #12 (1977) *'' Detective Comics'' #500 (1981) *'' The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom'' #1–6 (2017) *''

'' #179, 206, 209–212, 216, 218–292, 294–305, 307–312, 314–350 (1968–1985) *'' Hercules Unbound'' #10–12 (1977) *''Heroes Against Hunger'' #1 (among others) (1986) *''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strang ...

'' #240, 282 (1976–1980) *'' House of Secrets'' #144 (1977) *''

'' #116, 120–121, 123–124, 138–139 (1975–1977) *''The New Adventures of Superboy'' #1–23, 26–30, 32–33 (1980–1982) *''

New Guardians The New Guardians were a DC Comics superhero team featured in the short-lived eponymous series ''The New Guardians''. It was a spin-off from the ''Millennium'' event and ran for twelve issues, from 1988 through 1989, before being canceled. It is ...

'' #2–12 (1988–1989) *'' Secret Origins'' vol. 2 #34, 40 (1988–1989) *'' Silverblade'' #1–12 (1987–1988) *''Strange Sports Stories'' #4 (1974) *''

'' (Superboy): #148; ( Legion of Super-Heroes): #173, 183–184, 188, 190–193, 195, 197–209, 211, 214–216, 218, 220, 222 (1965–1976) *''

'' #1–4, 7–10 (1972–1974) *'' Superman'' #198, 200–201, 204, 209, 213, 214, 219, 220–221, 223, 230–231, 238, 240, 243, 246, 249–250, 255–259, 261, 263–264, 269, 275, 278–279, 281, 283–284, 288–289, 291, 294, 296–300, 327, 329, 353–369, 372–375, 379–386, 388–392, 401–402, 410, 412–413, 415, 418, 421, ''Annual'' #9, 12 (1967–1986) *''

The Superman Family ''The Superman Family'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1974 to 1982 featuring supporting characters in the ''Superman'' comics. The term "Superman Family" is often used to refer to the extended cast of characters o ...

'' #166, 169–173, 176–183, 195–198 (1974–1979) *''

Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane ''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics. The series focusing on the adventures of Lois Lane began publication with a March/April 1958 cover date and ended its run in September/October 1 ...

'' #96, 108–109, 112, 120–121, 123–127, 130–132, 134–137 (1969–1974) *''

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from September–October 1954 until March 1974, spanning a total of 163 issues. Featuring the adventures of Superman supporting character Jimmy Olsen, it co ...

'' #107, 109, 111, 157 (1967–1973) *''Superman Movie Special'' #1 (''

Superman III ''Superman III'' is a 1983 superhero film directed by Richard Lester from a screenplay by David Newman and Leslie Newman based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the third installment in the ''Superman'' film series and a sequel to '' ...

'' adaptation) (1983) *''Superman Special'' #2 (1983) *''Superman: The Last Family of Krypton'', #1–3 (2010) *'' V'' #1–6, 9–16 (1985–1986) *''

Weird Western Tales ''Weird Western Tales'' is a Western genre comics anthology published by DC Comics from June–July 1972 to August 1980. It is best known for featuring the adventures of Jonah Hex until #38 (Jan.–Feb. 1977) when the character was promoted to hi ...

'' #12–13, 15–17, 19 (1972–1973) *''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'' #206, 213, 215 (1973–1975) *''Wonder Woman'' vol. 2 #26 (1989) *''

World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

'' #151, 167–169, 174, 176, 178, 180–182, 184, 189–191 (1965–1970)

Marvel Comics

*''Codename: Spitfire'' #10 (1987) *'' Fantastic Four Cosmic-Size Special'' #1 (2009) *''

Nightmask Nightmask is a name and identity used by several fictional characters who appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first character to bear the name, Keith Remsen, was created by writer Archie Goodwin, and first appeared in ''Nightma ...

'' #3, 5 (1987) *'' Spitfire and the Troubleshooters'' #6–9 (1987) *''

Star Brand The Star Brand is the name of a number of similar objects of power in the world of the Marvel Comics. The name "Star Brand" is also often adopted by the wielders of these objects. Three of these Star Brands have been prominently featured in seri ...

'' #8–9 (1987) *'' True Believers'' #1–5 (2008–2009) *''

'' #1–6 (1987–1988)

Warren Publishing

*''

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 ...

'' #83, 89, 92, 95, 99–100, 102, 109–111 (1976–1979) *''

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 volunta ...

'' #81, 96, 99–105, 107–109, 117 (1977–1980) *''

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 '' Cre ...

'' #59, 67, 75, 79–80, 82, 111 (1977–1983)

Screenwriting credits

Television

*'' Jem'' (1988) *''

'' (1989) *'' Gargoyles'' (1995–1997) *''

Bureau of Alien Detectors ''Bureau of Alien Detectors'' (commonly initialized as ''BAD'') is a 1996 American animated series by Saban Entertainment that aired on the UPN network's weekend-morning cartoon block UPN Kids. It was touted as "X-Files meets the A-Team," and only ...

'' (1996) *''

Mummies Alive! ''Mummies Alive!'' is an animated series from DIC Productions L.P. and Northern Lights Entertainment. It originally aired for one season in 1997. The show was part of a general trend of "mummymania" in 1990s pop culture. Plot In ancient Egypt, a ...

'' (1997) *'' RoboCop: Alpha Commando'' (1998–1999) *'' Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles'' (1999) *''

Max Steel Max Steel is a line of action figures produced and owned by the toy company Mattel since 1999. The original figures based on the first TV series were similar to the original 12-inch G.I. Joe toys, consisting almost entirely of different versi ...

'' (2000) *''

W.I.T.C.H. ''W.I.T.C.H.'' (stylised as ''W.i.t.c.h.'') is an Italian fantasy Disney comics series created by Elisabetta Gnone, Alessandro Barbucci, and Barbara Canepa. The series features a group of five teenage girls who become the guardians of the classi ...

'' (2005-2006)

Film

*'' Christopher Columbus: The Discovery'' (1992)

References

External links

*
Cary Bates
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Cary 1948 births American comics writers American male television writers American television writers Comic book editors Date of birth missing (living people) DC Comics people Living people Screenwriters from Pennsylvania Silver Age comics creators