Michael Lawrence Fleisher (November 1, 1942 — February 2, 2018) 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 ...

writer known for his

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 ...

of the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for the characters

Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...

and

Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the ...

Biography

Early life and career

Fleisher was raised in New York City. His parents divorced when he was four years old, and Fleisher developed the foundation of his later

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

writing by spending Saturdays with his visiting father at Western movie double features. "I saw two Westerns every Saturday for years," Fleisher recalled in 2010. "So it wasn't very hard to write esternsat all." Fleisher wrote three volumes of ''The Encyclopedia of Comic Books Heroes'', doing some research on-site at

. He started

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 ...

scripting in 1972, co-writing with Lynn Marron the full-issue

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

story "Death at Castle Dunbar" in DC's ''

Secrets of Sinister House ''Secrets of Sinister House'' was a horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by DC Comics from 1972–1974, a companion to '' Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion''. Both series were originally inspired by the successful ABC soap oper ...

'' #5 (July 1972). He co-wrote supernatural short stories with Maxene Fabe in DC's ''

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 ...

'', and a solo story in the companion title '' House of Secrets'' #111 (Sept. 1973). Collaborating with Russell Carley, who provided art breakdowns for Fleisher's scripts, Fleisher wrote seven stories for those titles and ''

Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion ''Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion'' was a horror-suspense-romance anthology comic book series published by DC Comics from 1971 to 1974, a companion to ''Secrets of Sinister House''. Both series were originally inspired by the successful ABC soap o ...

'' late in 1973. Fleisher scripted the

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular act ...

-created ''

Shade, the Changing Man Shade, the Changing Man is a comic book character created by Steve Ditko for DC Comics in 1977. The character was Shade, the Changing Man (Vertigo), later adapted by Peter Milligan and Chris Bachalo in one of the first Vertigo Comics, Vertigo ...

'' series in 1977-1978. Fleisher made several contributions to the

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 ...

mythos in the early 1980s. He reintroduced the Crime Doctor in ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...

'' #494 (Sept. 1980), co-created the

Electrocutioner The Electrocutioner is an alias used by three fictional characters in the DC Universe, all minor enemies of the superhero Batman. Publication history The first Electrocutioner (known only as Buchinsky) appeared in ''Batman'' #331 (January 1981) ...

in ''

'' #331 (Jan. 1981), and wrote the origin of the

Penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

in ''The Best of DC'' #10 (March 1981).

The Spectre

After becoming, variously, an assistant editor and an associate editor under

Joe Orlando Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of '' Mad'' and the vice president of DC Comics, ...

on the DC humor series ''

Plop! ''Plop!'', "The New Magazine of Weird Humor!", was a comic book Comics anthology, anthology series published by DC Comics in the mid-1970s. It falls into the Horror fiction, horror / humor genre. It lasted 24 issues and the series ran from Sept./Oc ...

'' and the superhero anthology series ''

Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...

'', Fleisher, with Carley's script-breakdown assistance, began writing the feature " The Spectre" in the latter title. Beginning with the 12-page "The Wrath of ... the Spectre" in issue #431 (Feb. 1974), Fleisher and artist

Jim Aparo James N. Aparo (August 24, 1932 – July 19, 2005) was an American comic book artist, best known for his DC Comics work from the late 1960s through the 1990s, including on the characters Batman, Aquaman, and the Spectre, along with famous stories ...

went on to produce 10 stories of the

avenger through issue #440 (July 1975) (without Carley's assistance toward the end) that became controversial for what was considered gruesome, albeit bloodless, violence. As comics historian

Les Daniels Leslie Noel Daniels III, better known as Les Daniels (October 27, 1943 – November 5, 2011), was an American writer. Background Daniels attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wrote his master's thesis on ''Frankenstei ...

observed, the character, created during the 1940s

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...

and briefly revived in the late 1960s,

Jonah Hex

Fleisher wrote

character for more than a dozen years, beginning in 1974 in ''

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 ...

'' (taking over from the character's creator,

John Albano John F. Albano (September 12, 1922 – May 23, 2005) was an American writer who worked in the comic book industry. He was recognized for his work with the Shazam Award for Best Writer (Humor Division) in 1971, and the Shazam Award for Best Indivi ...

), then from 1977 to 1985 in the character's self-titled comic. A sequel series, ''Hex'' (1985–1987) transported the character into a

postapocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astr ...

setting, making him the lead in a

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 univers ...

feature.

Controversy and later career

Writer

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...

in a 1979 interview praised Fleisher's comics work, while also describing Fleisher and his work as "crazy", "certifiable", "twisted", "derange-o", "bugfuck", and a "lunatic". He also claimed that a ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' review called Fleisher's novel ''Chasing Hairy'' "the product of a sick mind", and that Fleisher's Spectre run on ''Adventure Comics'' had been discontinued by DC Comics because the company "realized they had turned loose a lunatic on the world." While Ellison stated that some of what he was claiming was said "in some humor",Cusick, Rick
"Bugfuck!"
''Gauntlet'' #9, volume II, 1995, via HarlanEllison.com

Fleisher, saying his "business reputation has been destroyed" and believing he was falsely portrayed as insane, filed a $2 million

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

suit against Ellison, publisher

Gary Groth Gary Groth (born September 18, 1954) is an American comic book editor, publisher and critic. He is editor-in-chief of ''The Comics Journal'', a co-founder of Fantagraphics Books, and founder of the Harvey Awards. Early life Groth is the son of ...

and the magazine in which the interview appeared, ''

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing re ...

''.Pratt, Charles
"The Insanity Offence: The Fleisher/Ellison/Comics Journal Libel Case"
''

Ansible An ansible is a category of fictional devices or technology capable of near-instantaneous or faster-than-light communication. It can send and receive messages to and from a corresponding device over any distance or obstacle whatsoever with no d ...

'' #48, February 1987
WebCitation archive
The case came to court in 1986 and resulted in a verdict for the defendants. Afterward, Fleisher attended college at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in New York City, from 1987 to 1991, while also writing for the British comics magazine '' 2000 AD''."Michael L. Fleisher: Never in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time"
(interview), ''

Comics Bulletin Comics Bulletin was a daily website covering the American comic-book industry. History Silver Bullet Comicbooks The site was founded in January 2000 as Silver Bullet Comicbooks by its New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice. During this ...

'', February 26, 2008
WebCitation archive
Leaving the comics field that year, he moved to

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

for graduate school at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, spending from 1994 to 1996 researching his

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

thesis on commercialized

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

theft in Tanzania while living for two years near Nairobi. He then spent a year in New York writing his dissertation and earned a doctorate in

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

. After that, he worked as a "freelance anthropological consultant carrying out research assignments for humanitarian organizations in the developing world." Fleisher died from complications of Alzheimer's disease in Beaverton, Oregon on February 2, 2018.

Bibliography

Books

*''The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume One: Batman'' (

Collier Books Crowell-Collier Publishing Company was an American publisher that owned the popular magazines '' Collier's'', ''Woman's Home Companion'' and ''The American Magazine''. Crowell's subsidiary, P.F. Collier and Son, published ''Collier's Encyclopedia, ...

, 1976, ) (DC Comics, 2007, ) *''The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume Two: Wonder Woman'' (Collier Books, 1976, ) (DC Comics, 2007, ) *''The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume Three: Superman'' (a.k.a. ''The Great Superman Book: The Complete Encyclopedia of the Folk Hero of America'' (

Warner Books Grand Central Publishing is a book publishing imprint of Hachette Book Group, originally established in 1970 as Warner Books when Warner Communications acquired the Paperback Library. When Time Warner sold their book publishing business to Hachet ...

, 1978, hardback , paperback ) (DC Comics, 2007, ) *''Chasing Hairy'' (

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

, 1979, ) *''Kuria Cattle Raiders: Violence and Vigilantism on the Tanzania/Kenya Frontier'' (

University of Michigan Press The University of Michigan Press is part of Michigan Publishing at the University of Michigan Library. It publishes 170 new titles each year in the humanities and social sciences. Titles from the press have earned numerous awards, including L ...

, 2000, hardback , paperback 0-472-08698-8) *''Shambler: An Insider's Novel of the Comic Book World'' (

iUniverse iUniverse, founded in October 1999, is an American self-publishing company based in Bloomington, Indiana.Kevin Abourezk"iUniverse to move to Indiana" incoln Journal Star, January 22, 2008 History iUniverse focuses on print-on-demand self-publi ...

, 2008) ,

Comic books

Atlas/Seaboard Comics

*''The Brute'' #1–2 (1975) *''The

Grim Ghost The Grim Ghost is a fictional character, a superhero created by writer Michael Fleisher and artist Ernie Colón that debuted in ''The Grim Ghost'' #1 (cover-dated Jan. 1975) from Atlas/Seaboard Comics. The series lasted three issues before the c ...

'' #1–2 (1975) *''Ironjaw'' #1–3 (1975) *''Morlock 2001'' #1–2 (1975) *''Weird Suspense featuring The Tarantula'' #1–2 (1975)

DC Comics

*'' 1st Issue Special'' #7 ( Creeper) (1975) *''

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...

'' #1–4 (1988–1989) *''

'' #431–440 (

) (1974–1975) *''

'' #265, 331 (1975–1981) *''The Best of DC'' #10, 22 (1981–1982) *''

The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by two mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing title in 2007. The focus of the series has varied ...

'' #166, 180 (1980–1981) *''

Cancelled Comic Cavalcade The "DC Explosion" and "DC Implosion" were two events in 1978 – the first an official marketing campaign, the second a sardonic reference to it – in which DC Comics expanded their roster of publications, then abruptly cut it back. The DC Explos ...

'' #2 (1978) *''

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 ...

'' #16, 21 (1978–1980) *''

'' #494-496 (1980) *'' Elvira's House of Mystery Special'' #1 (1987) *''

'' #13–15 (1973–1974) *''Haywire'' #1–13 (1988–1989) *''

Heroes Against Hunger ''Heroes Against Hunger'' is a 1986 all-star benefit comic book for African famine relief and recovery. Published by DC Comics in the form of a "comic jam" or exquisite corpse, the book starred Superman and Batman. Spearheaded by Jim Starlin and B ...

'' #1 (1986) *'' Hex'' #1–18 (1985–1987) *''

'' #205, 210, 212, 215, 218–222, 224–225, 227–228, 230, 233–234, 237, 239, 242, 246, 249, 253–254, 256 (1972–1978) *'' House of Secrets'' #111–112, 114, 118–119, 123, 128–129, 131–133, 135, 145 (1973–1977) *''

'' #1–12, 16–92 (1977–1985) *''

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 conceived ...

'' #242 (

M.A.S.K. M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) is a media franchise created by Kenner. The main premise revolved around the fight between the titular protagonist underground task force and the criminal organization V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network o ...

insert preview) (1985) *'' Little Shop of Horrors'' #1 (1986) *''

'' #1–4 (1985–1986) *''M.A.S.K.'' vol. 2 #1–9 (1987) *''

Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo imprint. The character first appeared in an ...

'' vol. 2 #32, 38–41 (1974–1976) *''

Power Lords Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

'' #1–3 (1983–1984) *''

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

'' #2–6 (1975–1976) *''

Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...

'' vol. 2 #16 (The Warlord), #21 (Jonah Hex) (1987) *''

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 ...

'' #13 (1978) *''

'' #5, 14–15 (1972–1973) *''

'' #1–8 (1977–1978) *''Sinister House of Secret Love'' #4 (1972) *''

Spiral Zone ''Spiral Zone'' is a 1987 American science-fiction animated series produced by Atlantic/ Kushner-Locke. Spiral Zone was animated by Japanese studio Visual 80 as well as South Korean studio AKOM. Based in part from a toy line made by Japanese compa ...

'' #1–4 (1988) *''

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 ...

'' #38 (1987) *''

Time Warp Time travel is a common theme in fiction, mainly since the late 19th century, and has been depicted in a variety of media, such as literature, television, film, and advertisements. The concept of time travel by mechanical means was popularize ...

'' #1 (1979) *'' The Unexpected'' #152 (1973) *'' The Warlord'' #100–133, ''Annual'' #5–6 (1985–1988) *''

Weird Mystery Tales ''Weird Mystery Tales'' was a mystery horror comics anthology published by DC Comics from July–August 1972 to November 1975. Publication history 100 Page Super Spectacular The title ''Weird Mystery Tales'' was first used for ''DC 100 Page Sup ...

'' #10, 15, 22–24 (1974–1975) *''

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 ...

'' #41, 88, 102 (1975–1981) *''

'' #22–44, 59 (1974–1979) *'' The Witching Hour'' #44 (1974) *''Wrath of the Spectre'' #4 (1988)

2000AD

*''

Junker Junker ( da, Junker, german: Junker, nl, Jonkheer, en, Yunker, no, Junker, sv, Junker ka, იუნკერი (Iunkeri)) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German ''Juncherre'', meaning "young nobleman"Duden; Meaning of Junke ...

'' (with John Ridgway) ** "Junker Part 1" (in ''2000 AD'' #708-716, 1990–1991) ** "Junker Part 2" (in ''2000 AD'' #724-730, 1991) *''

Rogue Trooper ''Rogue Trooper'' is a science fiction strip in the British comic '' 2000 AD'', created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons in 1981. It portrays the adventures of a " Genetic Infantryman" named Rogue and three uploaded minds mounted on his ...

'': "The Arena of Long Knives" (with

Kev Walker Kevin Walker is a British comics artist and illustrator, based in Leeds, who worked mainly on '' 2000 AD'' and ''Warhammer'' comics and the collectible card game '' Magic: The Gathering''. He is now working for Marvel Comics. Biography Walker ...

, in ''2000 AD Yearbook 1992'', 1991) *''

(

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth day ...

)'': ** "Circus Daze" (with

John Hicklenton John Hicklenton (8 May 1967 – 19 March 2010), aka John Deadstock, was a British comics artist best known for his brutal, visceral work on flagship '' 2000 AD'' characters like ''Judge Dredd'' (in particular ''Heavy Metal Dredd'') and ''Nemesi ...

, "Decoys" with

Chris Weston Chris Weston (born 1969) is a British comics artist who has worked both in the US and UK comics industries. Biography Weston was born in January 1969 in Rinteln, Germany, and lived in various countries as a child. His career began when he was ...

, "The Undeath Project" with Ron Smith & Tim Perkins , Bio-Death" with

Steve Dillon Steve Dillon (22 March 1962 – 22 October 2016) was a British comic book artist, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on ''Hellblazer'', ''Preacher'' and ''The Punisher''. Early life Dillon was born in London in 1962 and raised i ...

in ''Rogue Trooper Annual 1991'', 1990) ** "Golden Fox Rebellion" (with Ron Smith, in ''2000 AD'' #712-723, 1991) ** "Saharan Ice Belt War" (with

Simon Coleby Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

, in ''2000 AD'' #730-741, 1991) ** "Apocalypse Dreadnought" (with Ron Smith, in ''2000 AD'' #780-791, 1992) ** "Scavenger of Souls Prologue" (with Simon Coleby, in ''2000 AD'' #850-851, 1993) ** "Scavenger of Souls" (with

, in ''2000 AD'' #873-880, 1994) *''

Harlem Heroes ''Harlem Heroes'' is a British comic strip that formed part of the original line-up of stories in '' 2000 AD'' (February 1977). Inspired by the popularity during the 1970s of kung fu films and the Harlem Globetrotters, ''Harlem Heroes'' was devi ...

'' in ''2000 AD'' 671–676, 683–699, 701–705, 745–749, 776–779 and 928-939 with

and

, Geoff Senior, Ron Smith,

Kev Hopgood Kev Hopgood (born 25 August 1961) is a British comic artist who has been drawing comic books since 1984. He specialises in artwork for science fiction and fantasy comics. Biography Hopgood started his career in British comics getting work at ...

, Stewart Johnson and Siku

Marvel Comics

*''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...

'' #220 (1981) *''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

'' #236 (1979) *''

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'') ...

'' #150–163, 165–171, 223, 225, ''Annual'' #9 (1983–1989) *'' Daredevil'' #162 (1980) *''

Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider. The first s ...

'' #36–66 (1979–1982) *'' G.I. Joe Special Missions'' #27 (1989) *''

Man-Thing The Man-Thing (Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in ''S ...

'' vol. 2 #1–3 (1979–1980) *''

Marvel Fanfare ''Marvel Fanfare'' was an anthology comic book series published by American company Marvel Comics. It was a showcase title featuring a variety of characters from the Marvel universe. Volume one ''Marvel Fanfare'' featured characters and settings ...

'' #36 (1988) *''

Marvel Super Special ''Marvel Comics Super Special'' was a 41-issue series of one-shot comic-magazines published by Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. They were cover-priced $1.50 to $2.50, while regular color comics were priced 30 cents to 60 cents, Beginning with issue ...

'' #21 (''

''), #35 ('' Conan the Destroyer'') (1982–1984) *'' Savage Sword of Conan'' #61–63, 65, 71, 73, 75–104, 106–109, 111–112 (1981–1985) *''

Spider-Woman Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional Character (arts), characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and original version is Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Jessica Drew (later impersonated by Veranke), the second ve ...

'' #21–32 (1979–1980) *''

'' #10 (1981) *'' What If ... ?'' #28 (1981)

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 ...

'' #117, 123, 133, 135, 145 (1980–1983) *''

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 ...

'' #110 (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 ''Creepy'' ...

'' #71, 77, 79, 85–86, 94, 112 (1978–1983)

Collections

*''Wrath of the Spectre'' collects ''Adventure Comics'' #431–440, 200 pages, June 2005, *''

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 ...

Jonah Hex'' Volume 1 includes ''Weird Western Tales'' #22–33, 526 pages, November 2005, *'' Essential Spider-Woman'' ** Volume 1 collects ''Marvel Spotlight'' #32, ''Marvel Two-In-One'' #29–33 and ''Spider-Woman'' #1–25, 576 pages, December 2005, ** Volume 2 includes ''Spider-Woman'' #26–32, 608 pages, July 2007, *''The Chronicles of Conan'' ** ''Volume 19: Deathmark and Other Stories'' collects ''Conan the Barbarian'' #150, 200 pages, June 2010, ** ''Volume 20: Night of the Wolf and Other Stories'' collects ''Conan the Barbarian'' #151-159, 200 pages, December 2010, ** ''Volume 21: Blood of the Titan and Other Stories'' collects ''Conan the Barbarian'' #160-162 and 164-167, 200 pages, August 2011, ** ''Volume 22: Reavers in the Borderland and Other Stories'' collects ''Conan the Barbarian'' #168-171 and Annual #9, 232 pages, June 2012, ** ''Volume 28: Blood and Ice and Other Stories'' collects ''Conan the Barbarian'' #223, 224 pages, November 2014, ** ''Volume 29: The Shape in the Shadow and Other Stories'' collects ''Conan the Barbarian'' #225, 224 pages, March 2015, *''The Steve Ditko Omnibus'' Volume 1 collects ''Shade, the Changing Man'' #1–8 and ''Cancelled Comic Cavalcade'' #2, 480 pages, September 2011, * ''The Spectre: The Wrath of the Spectre Omnibus'' collects ''Adventure Comics'' #431-440 and ''The Brave and the Bold'' #180, 680 pages, September 2020,

References

External links

Michael Fleisher: Comic Book Writer, 1942-2018
at The Comics Journal *
"DC Profiles #3: Michael Fleisher"
at the Grand Comics Database
Michael Fleisher
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
Michael Fleisher
at 2000 AD online {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleisher, Michael 1942 births 2018 deaths American comics writers Neurological disease deaths in Oregon Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Jonah Hex Marvel Comics writers University of Michigan alumni