Larry Hama (; born June 7, 1949) 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 writer, artist, actor, and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s. During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles on the TV shows ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. The ...

'' and ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'', and appeared on Broadway in two roles in the original 1976 production of

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's ''

Pacific Overtures ''Pacific Overtures'' is a Musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by John Weidman, with "additional material by" Hugh Wheeler. Set in 19th-century Japan, it tells the story of the country's westernization ...

''. He is best known to American comic book readers as a writer and editor 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 ...

, where he wrote the licensed

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 ...

series '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'', based on the

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...

toyline A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...

. He has also written for the series ''

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...

'', '' Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja'', and '' Elektra''. He co-created the character

Bucky O'Hare Bucky O'Hare is a fictional character and the hero of an eponymous comic book series and spin-off (media), spin-off media, including an Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars, animated TV series and various toys and video games. He was created by comic bo ...

, which was developed into a comic book, a toy line and television cartoon.

Early life

Hama was born June 7, 1949, in New York City. Growing up, Hama studied

Kodokan The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ( ...

Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

and later studied

Kyūdō ''Kyūdō'' ( ja, 弓道) is the Japanese martial art of archery. Kyūdō is based on '' kyūjutsu'' ("art of archery"), which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan. In 1919, the name of kyūjutsu was officially changed to kyūdō, a ...

(Japanese

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

) and

Iaido , abbreviated , is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.Christensen, Karen and Allen Guttmann et.al (2001) ''International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports ...

(

Japanese martial art Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usag ...

swordsmanship Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

). Planning to become a painter, Hama attended Manhattan's

High School of Art and Design The High School of Art and Design is a career and technical education high school in Manhattan, New York City, New York State, United States. Founded in 1936 as the School of Industrial Art, the school moved to 1075 Second Avenue in 1960 and mor ...

, where one instructor was former

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 ...

artist

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 was in the same graduating class as

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 ...

and

Ralph Reese Ralph Reese (born May 19, 1949) is an American artist who has illustrated for books, magazines, trading cards, comic books and comic strips, including a year drawing the '' Flash Gordon'' strip for King Features. Prolific from the 1960s to the 1 ...

Career

Early career

Hama sold his first comics work to the

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 ...

film magazine ''

Castle of Frankenstein ''Castle of Frankenstein'' was an American horror, science fiction and fantasy film magazine, published between 1962 and 1975 by Calvin Thomas Beck's Gothic Castle Publishing Company, distributed by Kable News. Larry Ivie—who also was cover ...

'' when he was 16 years old, and he followed by collaborating with

Bhob Stewart Robert Marion Stewart, known as Bhob Stewart (November 12, 1937 – February 24, 2014) was an American writer, editor, cartoonist, filmmaker, and active fan who contributed to a variety of publications over a span of five decades. His articles a ...

on pages for the underground tabloid ''

Gothic Blimp Works ''Gothic Blimp Works'', an all-comics tabloid published in 1969 by Peter Leggieri and the ''East Village Other'', was billed as "the first Sunday underground comic paper". During its eight-issue run, the publication displayed comics in both color ...

''.Larry Hama
at the

Lambiek Comiclopedia Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum, ), though since 2007, his son Boris Kousemaker is the current owner. From 1968 to 2015, it was located ...

. . After high school, Hama took a job drawing shoes for catalogs, and then served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

from 1969 to 1971, during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, where he became a firearms and explosive ordnance expert. Hama's experiences in Vietnam informed his editing of the 1986-1993 Marvel Comics series ''

The 'Nam ''The 'Nam'' was a war comic book series detailing the U.S. war in Vietnam from the perspective of active-duty soldiers involved in the conflict. It was written by Doug Murray, initially illustrated by Michael Golden, edited by Larry Hama and p ...

''. Upon his discharge, Hama became active in the Asian community in New York City. High-school classmate

, who had become an assistant to famed EC and Marvel artist

Wally Wood Wallace Allan Wood (June 17, 1927 – November 2, 1981) was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, widely known for his work on EC Comics's titles such as ''Weird Science (comic), Weird Science'', ''Weird Fantasy'', an ...

, helped Hama get a similar job at Wood's Manhattan studio. Hama assisted on Wood's comic strips ''

Sally Forth Sally Forth may refer to: * ''Sally Forth'' (Greg Howard comic strip) (from 1982) * ''Sally Forth'' (Wally Wood comic strip) (1968–74) * "Sally Forth", an episode of ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' (season 4) See salso * Sally port A sally p ...

'' and ''Cannon'', which originally ran in ''Military News'' and '' Overseas Weekly'' and were later collected in a series of books. During this time, he also had illustrations published in such magazines as ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' and ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', and Reese and he collaborated on art for a story in the

underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...

-style humor magazine ''Drool'' #1 (1972). Through contacts made while working for Wood, Hama began working at comic-book and

commercial artist Commercial art is the art of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. Commercial art uses a variety of platforms (magazines, websites, apps, television, etc.) for viewers with the intent of promo ...

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and recognition for Supe ...

Continuity Associates Continuity Studios (formerly Continuity Associates, originally known as Continuity Graphics Associates)Eury, Michael and Giordano, Dick. ''Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time'', TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003. is a New York City and Los ...

studio; with other young contemporaries there, including Reese,

and

Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his o ...

, Hama became part of the comic-book

inking Inking may refer to: *Inking (attack), act of throwing ink on other person *Inking, a defensive activity of certain cephalopods and sea hares * Inking (comic book production) *Pen computing Pen computing refers to any computer user-interface using ...

gang credited as the "

Crusty Bunkers Crusty Bunker, or the Crusty Bunkers, was the collective pseudonym of a group of comic book inkers clustered around Neal Adams' and Dick Giordano's New York City-based art and design agency Continuity Studios from 1972 to 1977. The group was also ...

." His first known work as such is on the Alan Weiss-penciled "Slaves of the Mahars" in

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 ...

' ''Weird Worlds'' #2 (Nov. 1972). Hama began penciling for comics a year-and-a-half later, making an auspicious debut succeeding character co-creator

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day versio ...

on the feature " Iron Fist" in ''

Marvel Premiere ''Marvel Premiere'' is an American comic book anthology series that was published by Marvel Comics. In concept it was a tryout book, intended to determine if a character or concept could attract enough readers to justify launching their own seri ...

'', taking over with the

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

's second appearance and his next three stories (#16-19, July-Nov. 1974). He went on to freelance for start-up publisher

Atlas/Seaboard Atlas/Seaboard is the term comic book historians and collectors use to refer to the 1970s line of comics published as Atlas Comics by the American company Seaboard Periodicals, to differentiate from the 1950s' Atlas Comics, a predecessor of Marvel ...

(writing and

penciling A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...

the first two issues of the sword & sorcery series ''Wulf the Barbarian'', writing the premiere of the

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 ...

/ horror ''Planet of Vampires''); some penciling work on the seminal independent comic book ''

Big Apple Comix ''Big Apple Comix'' is an early independent comic book published by Flo Steinberg in 1975. A historically important link between underground comix and what would later be called alternative comics, this 36-page, 6" × 9" hybrid with glossy color c ...

'' #1 (Sept. 1975); and two issues of the jungle-hero book '' Ka-Zar'' before beginning a long run at

. At DC, Hama became an editor of the titles ''

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 ...

'', ''

Mister Miracle Mister Miracle (Scott Free) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Mister Miracle'' #1 (April 1971) and was created by Jack Kirby. Publication history Mister Miracle debuted in ...

'', ''

Super Friends ''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of ...

'', and '' The Warlord'', and the TV-series licensed property ''

Welcome Back, Kotter ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' is an American sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan as a high-school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse remedial education class called the "Sweathogs." Recorded in front of a live studio audience, the series ...

'' from 1977 to 1978. He then joined Marvel as an editor in 1980.

Acting

Hama had a brief acting career in the mid-1970s, despite never having pursued the field. The casting director for the musical ''

'',

Joanna Merlin Joanna Merlin (born Joann Ratner; July 15, 1931) is an American actress and casting director who has worked with Stephen Sondheim and starred in the original Broadway production of ''Fiddler on the Roof''. She has written two acting guides and is ...

, called Hama because an actor friend of his gave her his name when asked if he knew any other Asian actors. He told her that he had never acted before and could neither sing nor dance, but Merlin was persistent, and when informed that casting was less than a minute away from his workplace at Continuity Comics, he agreed to audition and was ultimately cast in three roles. He also played a role in the 1976 ''

'' episode "The Korean Surgeon" and a ''

'' spoof of ''

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella ''Heart of Darkness'' by Joseph Conr ...

''. However, though he had made a living as an actor for roughly a year, Hama ultimately discarded his acting career, explaining, "I always basically saw myself as an artist, not as anything else."

''G.I. Joe''

Hama is best known as the writer of the

licensed series ''

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

'', based on the

line of military

action figure An action figure is a poseable character (arts), character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game or television program; fictional or historical. These figures are ...

s. Hama said in a 2006 interview that he was given the job by then editor-in-chief

Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor and publisher for various comic books. He started professionally in the medium at the age of 14, and he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comic ...

after every other writer at Marvel had turned it down.''

ToyFare ''ToyFare'' was a monthly magazine published by Wizard Entertainment that focused on collectible action figures, busts, statues, and maquettes. It previewed new and upcoming lines and figures each month, as well as providing a price guide for ...

'' #105 (Wizard Entertainment, May 2006). Hama at the time had recently pitched a '' Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' spin-off series, '' Fury Force'', about a special mission force. Hama used this concept as the back-story for ''G.I. Joe''. He included military terms and strategies, Eastern philosophy, martial arts and historical references from his own background. The comic ran 155 issues (February 1982-October 1994). Hama also wrote the majority of the G.I. Joe action figures'

file card ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' (also known as Action Force in the UK) is a military-themed line of action figures and toys in Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise. The toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 figures and 250 vehicle ...

s—short biographical sketches designed to be clipped from the G.I. Joe and Cobra cardboard packaging. In 2007 these filecards were reprinted in the

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

packaging for the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero 25th Anniversary line. Hama said in 1986 that ''G.I. Joe'' had an unexpected female following due to such strong female characters as

Cover Girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a magaz ...

Lady Jaye Lady Jaye is a fictional character in the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books and animated series. She was originally created as a character for the ''G.I. Joe'' animated series produced by Marvel Productions and Sunbow Produ ...

, and Scarlett. (Scarlett's personality was actually based upon his wife) "Most of the girls that write in letters_to_the_comic.html" ;"title="Comic book letter column">letters to the comic">Comic book letter column">letters to the comicsay that the reason they like the comic is that the women characters are simply part of the team. They’re not treated as any different from the other team members. They don't go around with their palms nailed to their foreheads. They’re competent, straightforward, and they go ahead and get the job done. They also participate emotionally. They have their likes and dislikes. They’re not ill-treated and they're not running around being worrywarts." Hasbro sculptors sometimes used real people's likenesses when designing its action figures. In 1987, Hasbro released the

Tunnel Rat The tunnel rats were American, Australian, New Zealander, and South Vietnamese soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War. Later, similar teams were used by the Soviet Army during the Soviet–Afghan ...

action figure. The character is an

explosive ordnance disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the militar ...

specialist, whose likeness was based on Hama. In 2006, Hama returned to his signature characters with the

Devils Due Publishing Devil's Due Publishing (often abbreviated as DDP) is an independent comic book publisher in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned proper ...

miniseries ''G.I. Joe Declassified'', which chronicled the recruitment of the squad's first members by General Hawk. In 2007, the company added the spin-off series ''

Storm Shadow Storm Shadow is an Anglo-French low-observable, long-range, air-launched cruise missile developed since 1994 by Matra and British Aerospace, and now manufactured by MBDA. Storm Shadow is the weapon's British appellation. In French service, it is ...

'', written by Hama and penciled by Mark A. Robinson, which ceased publication with issue 7. In December 2007, Hasbro released 25th-anniversary comic-book figure two-packs that featured original stories by Hama. These new Hasbro-published issues were designed to take place between the panels of the Marvel series. In September 2008, IDW announced a new line of G.I. Joe comics with one series, ''G.I. Joe Origins'', to be primarily written by Hama. He wrote the first five issues, as the series was originally intended to be a miniseries, and returned to write four more issues (including #19, which was a Snake Eyes "silent issue") over the course of the book's 23-issue run. IDW later revived the Marvel Comics continuity with Hama taking the helm of a new ongoing series, picking up where the Marvel series left off with issue #155 1/2.

Other work

At Marvel in the early 1980s, Hama edited the humor magazine ''

Crazy Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or t ...

'' and the Conan titles, and from 1986 to 1993, he edited the acclaimed comic book ''

'', a gritty Marvel series about the Vietnam War. He also was an editor on Peter Porker the spectacular Spider Ham from 1983 - 1987 Hama wrote the 16-issue Marvel series '' Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja'' (Aug. 1989 - Sept. 1990), concerning the adventures of John Doe, an American

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

and

Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

in an alternate reality in which

World War III World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical World war, worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use ...

is sparked after the world's nuclear weapons stockpiles are all destroyed. Hama also edited a relaunch of Marvel's black-and-white comics

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

Savage Tales ''Savage Tales'' is the title of three American comic book, American comics series. Two were black-and-white comics-magazine anthologies published by Marvel Comics, and the other a color comic book anthology published by Dynamite Entertainment. P ...

'', overseeing its change from

sword-and-sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tal ...

men's adventure Men's adventure is a genre of magazine that was published in the United States from the 1940s until the early 1970s. Catering to a male audience, these magazines featured pin-up girls and lurid tales of adventure that typically featured wartime fe ...

. Other comics Hama has written include ''

'', ''Before the Fantastic Four: Ben Grimm and Logan'', ''

The Punisher War Zone ''The Punisher War Zone'' or ''Punisher War Zone'' is a comic book spin-off title featuring the Punisher, a fictional character published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The first installment of the series ran for 41 issues and two 64-pa ...

'', and the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

brand extension ''

Generation X Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western world, Western demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years a ...

'' for Marvel; and

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

stories for

. He wrote filecards for Hasbro's line of sci-fi/police action figures, '' C.O.P.S. 'n' Crooks''. While working at

, Hama co-developed a series he and comic book artist Michael Golden first created in 1978, ''

'', the story of a green

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

rabbit and his mutant mammal sidekicks in an intergalactic war against space amphibians. Bucky O'Hare went on to become a comic, cartoon, video game, and toy line. In 2006,

Osprey Publishing Osprey Publishing is a British, Oxford-based, publishing company specializing in military history. Predominantly an illustrated publisher, many of their books contain full-colour artwork plates, maps and photographs, and the company produces ov ...

announced that Hama had been commissioned to write for their "Osprey Graphic History" series of comic books about historical battles, including the titles ''The Bloodiest Day—

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

'', and ''Surprise Attack—

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...

'' (both with artist Scott Moore) and ''Fight to the Death:

Battle of Guadalcanal The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the ...

'' and ''Island of Terror—

Battle of Iwo Jima The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJ ...

'' (with artist Anthony Williams). In February 2008,

Devil's Due Publishing Devil's Due Publishing (often abbreviated as DDP) is an independent comic book publisher in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned proper ...

published ''Spooks'', a comic book about a U.S. government antiparanormal investigator/task force. Hama created the military characters and R.A. Salvatore the monster characters. He was also the writer of DDP's ''

Barack the Barbarian ''Barack the Barbarian'' is a comic book series published by Devil's Due Publishing beginning in June 2009. It was written by Larry Hama, with art by Christopher Schons. ''Barack the Barbarian'' originally appeared in a four-issue mini-series. ...

'' series, a

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...

parody starring U. S. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

. On September 19, 2012, Hama released his three-part vampire novel entitled ''The Stranger''. On December 17, 2012, Hama portrayed himself in a Christmas-themed episode of the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...

and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...

series ''

Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The writers, ...

''. In 2014, Hama began working with award-winning filmmaker Mark Cheng on an original film project, called ''Ghost Source Zero''. The film was distributed by

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

in 2018. In August 2014,

Red Giant Entertainment Red Giant Entertainment, Inc. is a Florida-headquartered comic book publisher and "transmedia" entertainment company established in 2005. Red Giant was founded by Benny R. Powell, former marketing writer for Priceline.com. Other key players in ...

announced that Larry Hama was writing the company's new ''Monster Isle'' monthly series debuting in November.

Bibliography

;As writer *''

Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...

'' #326-333 * ''Bat-Thing'' #1 * ''Batman'' #575-581 * ''Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #121-122 * ''Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' #90 * ''Batman: Toyman'' #1-4 * ''Before the Fantastic Four: Ben Grimm and Logan'' #1-3 * ''

Cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

'' #16 * ''

'' #117, 221, 224 * ''Conan'' #1-7, 10-11 * ''Convergence: Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' #1-2 * ''Convergence: Wonder Woman'' #1-2 * '' Daredevil'' #193 * ''Daredevil & Captain America: Dead on Arrival'' #1 * ''Detective Comics'' #736 * '' Echo of Futurepast'' #1-6 (

segments only) * '' Elektra'' #14-19 * ''

'' #33-44, 46-47 *''G.I. Joe'' (IDW) #0 (five-page story) *''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' (Marvel) #1-7 (6-7 - dialogue only), 10–19, 21–118, 120–142, 144–152, 155 *''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' (Hasbro) #21B, 32.5, 36.5, 4-12 *'' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' (IDW) #155.5, 156-ongoing *''G.I. Joe: Battle Corps'' (Hasbro) #1-4 (with Paul Kirchner) *''G.I. Joe: Declassified'' (Devil's Due) #1-3 *''G.I. Joe: Frontline'' (Devil's Due) #1-4 *''G.I. Joe: Order of Battle'' (Marvel) #1-4 *''G.I. Joe: Origins'' (IDW) #1-5, 8–10, 19 *''G.I. Joe: Resolute'' (Hasbro), #1-2, 4-6 *''G.I. Joe: Special Missions'' (Marvel), issues 1-23, 25, 27-28 *''G.I. Joe vs. Cobra'' (Hasbro), issues 1-6 *''G.I. Joe vs. Cobra'' (Fun Publications) #1 (with David S. Lane) *''G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom'' (Hasbro) #7-10 *''G.I. Joe Yearbook'' (Marvel) #1-4 *'' Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon'' (Marvel) #1-6 * '' Kitty Pryde, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (Marvel) #1-3 * ''Legends of the Dark Claw'' #1 * ''

Marvel Comics Presents ''Marvel Comics Presents'' was an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics originally from 1988 to 1995. It returned for a second volume in 2007–2008, and a third volume that started in 2019. Volume 1 The first volume ...

'' #25 * ''Marvel Graphic Novel: Wolfpack'' * ''Marvel Holiday Special 1992'' * ''

Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...

'' #1 * '' Mort the Dead Teenager'' #1-4 * ''Onslaught Epilogue'' #1 * ''

'' #20-25 * '' Sabretooth'' #1-4 *''Snake Eyes: Declassified'' (Devil's Due), trade paperback (five-page story: "Silent Prelude") * '' Spider-Man Team-Up'' #6 * ''Spider-Man: The Venom Agenda'' #1 * ''Spy Hunter & Paper Boy'' #1-6 * ''Star Wars'' #48 * ''The Stranger'' #1-3 *''Storm Shadow'' (Devil's Due) #1-7 * ''Team X/Team 7'' * ''Unknown Soldier'' #211 * '' Venom: Along Came A Spider'' #1-4 * '' Venom: Carnage Unleashed'' #1-4 * '' Venom: Finale'' #1-3 * '' Venom: The Hunted'' #1-3 * '' Venom: License To Kill'' #1-3 * '' Venom: Sinner Takes All'' #1-5 * '' Venom: Tooth and Claw'' #1-3 * '' Venom: On Trial'' #1-3 * ''

Weapon X Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are conducted by List of government agencies in Marvel Comics, Department K, which turns willing ...

'' #1-4 * '' Wild Thing'' #1-5 * ''Wolfpack'' #1-3 * ''

'' (vol. 2) #-1, 31–43, 45–57, 60–109, 111–118, Annual #1995 * ''X-Men: Age of Apocalypse One Shot'' #1 * ''X-Men Annual 1996'' *''X-Men Legends'' #7-8 (Upcoming) * ''

X-Men Unlimited ''X-Men Unlimited'' was the title of three comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The purpose of this title was to run stories that fit between the main X-Men comics. The stories included all characters (heroes and villains) from the X-tit ...

'' #9 ;As artist * '' Daredevil'' (Marvel) #196 (pencil breakdowns) * ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' (Marvel) #21, 26, 35 (partial), 36 (partial) * ''Marvel Premiere'' #16-19 ;As writer and artist *'' Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja'' (Marvel) #1-16 (story and cover layouts) As editor * ''Peter Porker the spectacular Spider Ham'' (Marvel) #1-17

Notes

References

External links

* * *
"JBL Interview with Larry Hama, Part One"
JoeBattlelines.com, 2005, n.d. *Richards, Dave
"Hama Talks: ''G.I. Joe: Declassified''"
''

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

'', April 26, 2006 *Pullen, Travis
"Interview with: Larry Hama"
Filmfodder.com, March 31, 2009
, The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine copy of that interview
*Mitchel, Bill
"In-Depth: Larry Hama on G.I. Joe, The 'Nam and More"
''Comic Book Resources'', June 3, 2009
Larry Hama interview
"The Comic Book Haters" podcast (2006)
, The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine copy of that podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hama, Larry 1949 births Living people United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War American military personnel of Japanese descent Place of birth missing (living people) G.I. Joe American writers of Japanese descent People from Manhattan Marvel Comics people High School of Art and Design alumni United States Army soldiers