James Van Hise (born 1949) is an American

popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

historian and comic book author. He had a long connection with the popular

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

Rocket's Blast Comicollector ''Rocket's Blast Comicollector'' (''RBCC'') was a comics advertising fanzine published from 1964 to 1983. The result of a merger with a similar publication, ''RBCCs purpose was to bring fans together for the purpose of adding to their comic book c ...

'' (''RBCC''), and was its editor/publisher from 1974 to 1983. He also had a lengthy association with Hal Schuster, owner of

New Media Publishing New Media Distribution/Irjax Enterprises was a comic book distributor and publisher active from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. In 1978, the company's legal actions against the dominant distributor of the era, Sea Gate Distributors, widened the fi ...

and

Pioneer Books New Media Distribution/Irjax Enterprises was a comic book distributor and publisher active from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. In 1978, the company's legal actions against the dominant distributor of the era, Sea Gate Distributors, widened the fi ...

. Van Hise is the author of more than ten books, many of them published by Pioneer Books.

Career

Van Hise's first published works were in the ranks of

fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...

. He (along with Larry Bigman) wrote the ''

Al Williamson Alfonso Williamson (March 21, 1931 – June 12, 2010) was an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western, science fiction and fantasy. Born in New York City, he spent much of his early childhood in ...

Collector'' column for ''RBCC'' in the early 1970s. In 1974, Van Hise became editor and publisher of ''RBCC''. He introduced new features and columns to the zine, freshening its aesthetic for new audiences. He and

Don Rosa Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known simply as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his Disney comics stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and other characters which Carl Barks created fo ...

(another ''RBCC'' contributor) produced the 1976 Omnicon

comic convention A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at co ...

, held in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, in July 1976; guests included

Frank Brunner Frank Brunner (born February 21, 1949) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s. Early life Brunner attended Manhattan's High School of Art and Design. He was in the same graduating class ...

DeForest Kelley Jackson DeForest Kelley (January 20, 1920 – June 11, 1999), known to colleagues as "Dee", was an American actor, screenwriter, poet, and singer. He was known for his roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the in the televisio ...

, and

Michael Kaluta Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta (born August 25, 1947), is an American comics artist and writer best known for his acclaimed 1970s adaptation of the pulp magazine hero ''The Shadow'' with writer Den ...

. Around 1981, Van Hise hooked up with brothers Jack and Hal Schuster, who a year earlier had established

(NMP), hired a staff (which included

Carol Kalish Carol Kalish (February 14, 1955Kraft, David Anthony. 1984, "Sales Director Carol Kalish: Marvel's Direct Sales Manager Tells Her Side," ''Comics Interview'', vol. 1, no. 18, pp. 57-71. – September 5, 1991) was an American writer, editor, comic bo ...

Richard Howell Richard Howell (October 25, 1754April 28, 1802) was the third governor of New Jersey from 1794 to 1801. Early life and military career Howell was born in Newark in the Colony of Delaware. He was a lawyer and soldier of the early United States ...

, and Peter B. Gillis), and announced a slate of new hobbyist publications. Van Hise joined NMP as a writer and editor, with part of the deal being NMP's taking over the publication of ''Rocket's Blast Comicollector''. NMP soon became notorious for missing publication deadlines, however, and ''RBCC'' fell victim as well, only putting out three issues in the period 1981 to 1983 before it was cancelled.Thompson, Kim. "NMI in Trouble, to File for Chapter 11," ''The Comics Journal'' #70 (Winter 1981–1982), p. 16. While with NMP, Van Hise edited ''Enterprise Incidents'', an influential ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' fanzine. He published ''The Art of

'' with Blue Dolphin Enterprises (the owner of

Pacific Comics Pacific Comics (PC) was an American comic book publisher that was active from 1981 to 1984. It was also a chain of comics shops and a distributor. It began at a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill and Steve Schanes. Alo ...

), in 1983, and was given an

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual c ...

at the 1983

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

. Beginning in late 1984 NMP published ''Monsterland'', the follow-up to

Forrest J Ackerman Forrest James Ackerman (November 24, 1916 – December 4, 2008) was an American magazine editor; science fiction authors, science fiction writer and literary agent; a founder of science fiction fandom; a leading expert on science fiction, horror ...

's ''

Famous Monsters of Filmland ''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' is an American genre-specific film magazine, started in 1958 by publisher James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman. ''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' directly inspired the creation of many other similar publica ...

'', and when NMP went defunct in 1985, the Schuster Brothers started up a number of other publishing entities — one of which, Movieland Publishing, continued ''Monsterland''. Van Hise was editor of ''Monsterland'' from 1986 to 1987. During that same period Van Hise wrote a number of issues of ''Files Magazine'', also published by Schuster's Psi Fi Movie Press, which focused "on comic characters, TV shows, rock groups, or movies, mixing text pieces with photos or drawings."KF. "Marvel Takes Legal Action: Marvel Files Suit Against Hal and Jack Schuster," ''The Comics Journal'' #116 (July 1987), pp. 16–17. Van Hise wrote stories for comic books in the period 1988 to 1994. From 1988 to 1992 he wrote for

NOW Comics NOW Comics was a comic book publisher founded in late 1985 by Tony C. Caputo as a sole-proprietorship. During the four years after its founding, NOW grew from a one-man operation to operating in 12 countries, and published almost 1,000 comic book ...

' line of licensed titles, including ''

The Real Ghostbusters ''The Real Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series, a spin-off/sequel of the 1984 comedy film ''Ghostbusters''. The series ran from September 13, 1986, to October 5, 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and DI ...

'', ''

Fright Night ''Fright Night'' is a 1985 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Tom Holland (in his directorial debut) and produced by Herb Jaffe. It stars Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Roddy McDowall, Amanda Bearse, Jonathan Star ...

'', and ''Tales of the

Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media ...

''. From 1989 to 1995, Van Hise published eleven books with Schuster's

, on such topics as Batmania,

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 ...

, 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 ...

, the

, dinosaur movies, and the ''

'' franchise. In 2002–2003, Van Hise temporarily revived ''

'', publishing four issues out of a new headquarters in

Yucca Valley, California Yucca Valley is an incorporated town in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 20,700 as of the 2010 census. Yucca Valley lies west of Twentynine Palms, north of Palm Springs, south of Barstow via State Rout ...

.Kreiner, Rich. "Meet the Comics Press: Rocket from the Crypt," ''The Comics Journal'' #249 (Dec. 2002), pp. 54–55

Bibliography

Books

* ''The Art of Al Williamson''. (San Diego, California: Blue Dolphin Enterprises, 1983) * (with Ed Gross) '' The V Files'' (6 volumes, New Media Books/Psi Fi Movie Press, 1985) *'' Batmania'' (Pioneer Books, Inc., 1989) * ''How to Draw Art for Comic Books: Lessons from the Masters'' (Pioneer Books, Inc., 1989) * ''The Serial Adventures of the Shadow''. Las Vegas: Pioneer Books, 1989. * ''Who Was That Masked Man? The Story of the Lone Ranger''. Las Vegas: Pioneer Books, 1990. * ''The Green Hornet Book'' (Pioneer Books, 1989; re-issued by Movie Publisher Services, 1991) * ''The Man Who Created Star Trek:

Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...

''. Pioneer Books, 1992. * ''Batmania II'' (Pioneer Books, Inc., 1992) * ''Hot Blooded Dinosaur Movies''. Las Vegas, NV: Pioneer Books (1993) * ''Sci-Fi TV from Twilight Zone to

Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the '' Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication fr ...

''. New York, Pioneer Books, 1993 * ''Batmania III'' (Pioneer Books, Inc., 1995) * (with Hal Schuster) ''The Unauthorized Trek: The Complete Next Generation,'' (Pioneer Books, 1995) * ''

Pulp Magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

Thrillers: Heroes & Horrors of the '30s & '40s''. Yucca Valley, CA: J. Van Hise, 1998

Comics

* ''

'' (

, 26 issues, Aug. 1988–Dec. 1990) * ''

'' (Now Comics, 5 issues 3–7 Dec. 1988–May 1989) * ''Tyrannosaurus Tex'' (

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

, 3 issues, 1991) * "The Monster Maker," in ''Grave Tales'' #2 (

Hamilton Comics Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilton ...

, Dec. 1991) * "A Born Werewolf," in ''Dread of Night'' #2 (Hamilton Comics, Feb. 1992) * ''Tales of the Green Hornet'' vol. 2 (NOW Comics, 4 issues, Jan. 1992-Apr. 1992) * ''Tales of the Green Hornet'' vol. 3 (NOW Comics, 3 issues, Sept. 1992-Nov. 1992) * (adapting

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

) "Usher II," in ''Ray Bradbury Comics'' #4 (

Topps Comics Topps Comics was a division of Topps, Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993 to 1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies. It was based in New York City, at ...

, Aug. 1993) * (adapting Ray Bradbury) "The Off Season," in ''Ray Bradbury Comics: Martian Chronicles'' #1 (Topps;

Byron Preiss Byron Preiss (April 11, 1953 – July 9, 2005)Byron Preiss
at the

Van His Summary Bibliography
Internet Speculative Fiction Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Hise, James 1949 births Living people 20th-century American historians American comics writers American information and reference writers American science fiction writers Comics critics Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers Inkpot Award winners