Martin Joseph "Marty" Pasko (born Jean-Claude Rochefort; August 4, 1954– May 10, 2020) was a Canadian

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

writer and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

screenwriter. Pasko worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his superhero stories for

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 ...

over three decades. He wrote

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

in various media, including television

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

webisode A webisode (portmanteau of "web" and "episode") is an episode of a series that is distributed as part of a web series or on streaming television. It is available as either for download or in streaming, as opposed to first airing on broadcast or c ...

s, and a syndicated newspaper strip for

Tribune Media Services Tribune Content Agency (TCA) is a syndication company owned by Tribune Publishing. TCA had previously been known as the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate (CTNYNS), Tribune Company Syndicate, and Tribune Media S ...

, as well as comic books. He also co-created the 1975 revamp of

Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of multiple superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More F ...

Biography

Early life and career

Pasko claimed to have been born as Jean-Claude Rochefort in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada. As a teenager, he was a regular contributor to

comic book letter column A comic book letter column is a section of an American comic book where readers' letters to the publisher appear. Comic book letter columns are also commonly referred to as letter columns (or lettercols), letter pages, letters of comment (LOCs), or ...

s and co-published a fanzine, ''Fantazine'', with

Alan Brennert Alan Brennert (born May 30, 1954 in Englewood, New Jersey) is an American author, television producer, and screenwriter. Brennert has lived in Southern California since 1973 and completed graduate work in screenwriting at the University of Califo ...

, who is now a novelist. After attending

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, Pasko settled in New York.

Comics

The 1970s

Pasko's first published comics writing credit was a short story titled "Package Deal " for

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

's ''

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 ...

'' #51 (March 1973). His first published work, however, was a story titled "Eye Opener," in ''

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 ...

'' #20 (October 1972), which was erroneously credited to his friend and professional benefactor,

Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948) is an American comic book writer notable for his ''Batman'' work and as the creator of Moon Knight, Deathlok, Black Mask, '' Electric Warrior'' and '' Six from Sirius''. He is also known for his critica ...

. Pasko started working for

and began his long association with

in 1973, as a result of his association with long-time editor

Julius Schwartz Julius "Julie" Schwartz (; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various ...

. As a frequent contributor to Schwartz's letter columns, beginning in 1968, Pasko had been nicknamed "Pesky Pasko," in acknowledgment of the fact that his comments were more often than not acutely critical. His campaign to become a "lettercol regular," as a way of breaking into comics writing, was inspired and encouraged by his friend and benefactor, writer

Mike Friedrich Mike Friedrich (; born March 27, 1949) is an American comic book writer and publisher best known for his work at Marvel and DC Comics, and for publishing the anthology series '' Star*Reach'', one of the first independent comics. He is also an a ...

, who advised Pasko that a name that was recognizable from the letter columns would have an advantage in terms of over-the-transom, or "

slush pile In publishing, a slush pile is a set of unsolicited query letters or manuscripts that have either been directly sent to a publisher by an author, or which have been delivered via a literary agent representing the author who may or may not be f ...

," contributions, by being more likely to be read before the submissions of writers unknown to the editor. Pasko's first Superman-related story was a "Private Life of Clark Kent" backup feature in ''

'' #277 (July 1974). In addition to writing backup stories and occasional other features in ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, 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 ...

'' during this period, such as

The Atom The Atom is a name shared by five superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Golden Age of comic books, Golden Age Atom, Atom (Al Pratt), Al Pratt, was created by writer Bill O'Connor and artist Ben Flin ...

, Pasko was the featured ''Superman'' writer from 1977–1979. ''

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 back ...

'', a

team-up In superhero comic books, a team-up is a fictional crossover where two or more superheroes or superhero teams who usually do not appear together work together on a shared goal. Overview The first team-up between characters published in different c ...

title starring Superman, was launched in 1978 by Pasko and artist José Luis García-López. Pasko and

Curt Swan Douglas Curtis Swan (February 17, 1920 – June 17, 1996) was an American comics artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans call the Bronze Age of Comic Books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 195 ...

created the

Atomic Skull The Atomic Skull is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics, who is commonly a foe of Superman. The character first appeared in 1978. Publication history The Albert Michaels version of the Atomic Skull first appeared in ...

in ''Superman'' #323 (May 1978) and the

Master Jailer Dan the Dyna-Mite Dan Turpin Damien Darhk The enigmatic Damien Darhk is an elusive and dangerous criminal mastermind and enemy of the Teen Titans. He makes his first appearance in ''Titans'' #1 (March 1999). Claiming to be a major player in t ...

in ''Superman'' #331 (January 1979). From 1979–1982, Pasko contributed stories to the ''

Superman Family Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1 (cover-dated June ...

'' anthology title, including runs as the regular writer of the

Jimmy Olsen Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...

and

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 ...

features. In addition, during 1978 and 1979, Pasko scripted the syndicated newspaper comic strip ''

The World's Greatest Superheroes ''The World's Greatest Superheroes'' was a syndicated newspaper comic strip featuring DC Comics characters which ran Sunday and daily from April 3, 1978, to February 10, 1985. It was syndicated by the Chicago Tribune/New York News Syndicate ...

'' which initially starred Superman,

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 ...

, Robin,

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 ...

, and

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 ...

, but gradually changed its focus to primarily feature Superman. A solo

story in '' 1st Issue Special'' #9 (December 1975), written by Pasko and drawn by

Walt Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned w ...

, led to an important development in the life of the character. With this story, Pasko added the concept that the spirit of

Nabu Nabu ( akk, cuneiform: 𒀭𒀝 Nabû syr, ܢܵܒܼܘܼ\ܢܒܼܘܿ\ܢܵܒܼܘܿ Nāvū or Nvō or Nāvō) is the ancient Mesopotamian patron god of literacy, the rational arts, scribes, and wisdom. Etymology and meaning The Akkadian "nab ...

resided in Doctor Fate's helmet and took control of Fate's

alter-ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different ...

Kent Nelson whenever the helmet was donned. In 1981

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...

incorporated this into his series ''

All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its se ...

'', as an explanation of the changes in Fate's helmet and powers. In 1982, this led to DC featuring Kent and his wife Inza in a series of back-up stories, written by Pasko, in ''

''. DC later collected Pasko's stories into a three-issue limited series titled ''The Immortal Dr. Fate'' (Jan. 1985 - March 1985). Other titles Pasko wrote for DC included ''

'' from 1975–1977, featuring a major story arc documenting the heroine's attempt to gain readmission to the

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 ...

. Wonder Woman had quit the organization after renouncing her powers. Pasko wrote a number of issues of ''Justice League of America'' between 1974 and 1977; he was the regular writer of ''

Metal Men The Metal Men are a group of superheroes that appear in DC Comics. The characters first appeared in ''Showcase'' #37 (March–April 1962) and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Boo ...

'' in 1976–1977, and wrote all seven published issues of '' Kobra'' in 1976–1977, a feature he redeveloped and re-created, loosely based on a significantly-different concept originated by

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...

. The story intended to be '' Kobra'' issue #8 appeared as the Batman story in ''

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 ...

'' #1. In addition, Pasko wrote a number of issues of '' Adventure Comics'' between 1976 and 1980. He wrote a Daredevil prose story for '' Marvel Novel Series'' #9 (''The Marvel Superheroes'') in 1979 under the pseudonym of "Kyle Christopher".

The 1980s

In his first comics-format work 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 ...

, Pasko was the regular scripter of that company's ''

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 ...

'' comic book in 1980–1981. He helped

enter the comics industry by having Brennert co-write ''

'' #12 (March 1981) for Marvel. Pasko was also a writer of the ''Star Trek'' comic strip from late 1982 through early 1983. In 1988, Pasko wrote an issue of the DC ''

'' comic book. In 1982, Pasko and artist

Thomas Yeates Thomas Yeates (born January 19, 1955) is an American comic strip and comic book artist best known for illustrating the comic strips ''Prince Valiant'' and ''Zorro'' and for working on characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Career Thomas Yea ...

revived

Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental List of swamp monsters, creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or mo ...

, in a new series titled '' Saga of the Swamp Thing''. Pasko left ''Swamp Thing'' with issue #19 (Dec. 1983) and was succeeded by

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...

, who took the title and the character in a different direction. Pasko wrote a number of issues of the

First Comics First Comics was an American comic book publisher that was active from 1983 to 1991, known for titles like ''American Flagg!'', ''Grimjack'', ''Nexus'', ''Badger'', ''Dreadstar'', and ''Jon Sable''. Along with competitors like Pacific Comics and ...

version of

Joe Staton Joe Staton ( born January 19, 1948) is an American comics artist and writer. He co-created the Bronze Age Huntress (Helena Wayne), as well as the third Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), Kilowog and the Omega Men for DC Comics. He was the artist of t ...

's ''

E-Man E-Man is a comic-book character, a superhero created by writer Nicola Cuti and artist Joe Staton for the American company Charlton Comics in 1973. Although the character's original series was short-lived, the lightly humorous hero has become a cu ...

'' in 1983–1984. In 1988–1989 Pasko was a regular contributor to ''

'' during its stint as a weekly anthology, where he developed a new version of "The

Secret Six The so-called Secret Six, or the Secret Committee of Six, were a group of men who secretly funded the 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry by abolitionist John Brown. Sometimes described as "wealthy," this was true of only two. The other four were in po ...

". He also wrote the "

Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus uru ...

" feature therein, based on the

Howard Chaykin Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker. Early life ...

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...

, and the subsequent monthly title (1989–1990).

The 1990s and 2000s

In 1994, he wrote the Marvel Comics licensed series '' Gargoyles'', based on a

Disney Television Animation Disney Television Animation (DTVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is the television animation production arm of Disney Branded Television, a sub-division of the Disney G ...

series. He then returned to New York to serve as DC's Group Editor-Mass Market. While that was his official title, within the company he was known as the head of the Special Projects Group. In this capacity, he oversaw the production of DC's custom comics; licensed titles such as the ''

'' line; and various special projects such as the writing of stage and stunt shows for the

Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park corporation, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. It has properties in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Six Flags owns the most theme parks and waterparks combined of any amu ...

amusement park chain, and the writing and production of various

webisodes A webisode (portmanteau of "web" and "episode") is an episode of a series that is distributed as part of a web series or on streaming television. It is available as either for download or in streaming, as opposed to first airing on broadcast or c ...

for Warner Bros. Online. In this capacity, he also co-created, with his staff, and edited the horror satire '' Gross Point,'' which ran in 1997-98. During his decade on staff at DC, Pasko wrote issues of ''

Impulse Impulse or Impulsive may refer to: Science * Impulse (physics), in mechanics, the change of momentum of an object; the integral of a force with respect to time * Impulse noise (disambiguation) * Specific impulse, the change in momentum per uni ...

'', one of two stories in the

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

issue of the 2004

tribute series ''

,'' and the comics adaptation of the film ''

Superman Returns ''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the sixth and fina ...

''. Until 2005, he was DC's liaison to

Warner Bros. Studios Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, vetting scripts for WBA animated programming, all feature film, television, and animated development of DC brands, and the live-action series '' Smallville'' and ''

Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...

'', as well as facilitating studio research by supplying comics and consulting on issues related to DC continuity.

Television

Live action

In Los Angeles in the 1980s, Pasko wrote for or served as a writer/ story editor on many live-action series, including '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. Gu ...

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' (the 1985-1989

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

revival), ''

Max Headroom Max Headroom is a fictional artificial intelligence (AI) character portrayed by actor Matt Frewer. Advertised as "the first computer-generated TV presenter", Max was known for his biting commentary on a variety of topical issues, arrogant wit, ...

'', ''

Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who oper ...

'', and '' Roseanne''. Between 1985 and 1989, Pasko's writing and story editing partner was

Rebecca Parr Rebecca Parr, later billed as Rebecca Parr Cioffi, is an American television writer, story editor and producer best known for her work on '' Cheers'', '' Roseanne'', ''Max Headroom'', ''Simon & Simon'', and ''Hearts Afire'' amongst other shows. ...

. The partnership was dissolved in 1989, and Pasko's future TV writing credits were exclusively in animated programming. Parr continued working in sitcoms, notably becoming a writer and executive story consultant on ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

''.

Animation

Pasko began a long career in television animation in 1980, writing several episodes of ''

Thundarr the Barbarian ''Thundarr the Barbarian'' is an American Saturday morning animated series, created by Steve Gerber and produced by Ruby-Spears Productions. The series ran for two seasons on ABC from October 4, 1980, to October 31, 1981, and was rerun on NBC ...

'' with

Steve Gerber Stephen Ross Gerber (; September 20, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Other works include '' Man-Thing'', '' Omega the Unknown,'' '' Marvel Spotlig ...

. Pasko's many other animated TV writing credits comprise series such as ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...

'', ''

Exosquad ''Exosquad'' is an animated television series created by Universal Animation Studios, Universal Cartoon Studios for MCA TV's Universal Family Network broadcast syndication, syndicated programming block. The show is set in the beginning of the 22n ...

'', ''

Teen Wolf ''Teen Wolf'' is a 1985 American coming-of-age romantic fantasy comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and written by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. Michael J. Fox stars as the title character, a high school student whose ordinary life is chang ...

'', ''

Berenstain Bears The ''Berenstain Bears'' is a children's literature franchise created by the late Stan and Jan Berenstain and continued by their son, Mike Berenstain, who assumed partial authorship in 2002, and full authorship in 2012 following Jan's death. ...

'', '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'', and '' My Little Pony''. Much, although not all, of this work was done in conjunction with Rebecca Parr. For ''Thundarr the Barbarian'', Pasko came up with the name of Ookla the Mok. In 1980, Gerber and Pasko were having dinner in the Westwood area one night during the period Gerber was writing the "

bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

" for the series. Gerber commented to Pasko that he had not yet decided upon a name for the

Wookiee Wookiees () are fictional humanoid aliens in the ''Star Wars'' universe, native to the forest planet Kashyyyk. They are distinguished from humans by their gigantism, hirsutism, and physical strength. The most prominent Wookiee is Chewbacca, c ...

-like character the network had insisted be added to the series. As the two walked past the gate to the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

campus, Pasko quipped, "Why not call him Oo-clah?". After writing several scripts, singly and in collaboration with Gerber, Pasko became a story editor on the second season. After leaving the sitcom world at the end of the 1980s, Pasko wrote for such series as ''

Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars ''Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars!'' (also known as ''Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Menace'' in Canada) is an animated series created by Sunbow Productions, Abrams/Gentile Entertainment, Continuity Comics and the French company IDDH, co-produced by M ...

'', ''

The Tick ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', '' Cadillacs and Dinosaurs'' (which he redeveloped in order to produce scripts acceptable to the network), and ''

The Legend of Prince Valiant ''The Legend of Prince Valiant'' is a 1991–1993 American animated television series based on the ''Prince Valiant'' comic strip created by Hal Foster. Set in the time of King Arthur, it is a family-oriented adventure show about an exiled prince ...

''. As well, in the early 1990s, Pasko accepted a job at Disney Consumer Products' startup comic book division,

Disney Comics Disney comics are comic books and comic strips featuring characters created by the Walt Disney Company, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge. The first Disney comics were newspaper strips appearing from 1930 on, starting with ...

, developing a line of superhero titles and writing the ''

Roger Rabbit Roger Rabbit is an animated anthropomorphic rabbit. The character first appeared in author Gary K. Wolf's 1981 novel, ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' In the book, Roger is second banana in a popular comic strip, "Baby Herman". Roger hires private ...

'' comics series. This activity lasted nine months until, in a corporate reorganization, Disney decided to stop publishing comics altogether. The day before he was let go by Disney, Pasko finalized a deal to join Warner Bros. Animation's '' Batman: The Animated Series'' as a writer/story editor. For his work on this series, Pasko won a 1993

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

. He is a co-writer of the animated feature '' Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.''

2000s work

Pasko in the 2000s has worked on nonfiction about various aspects of

pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...

history, as a writer-researcher and consultant, as well as writing children's fiction and videogame dramatics. These projects include writing ''

The DC Vault ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', published in 2008; working on the dramatics for ''Freaky Creatures'', Abandon Interactive Entertainment's

massively multiplayer online game A massively multiplayer online game (MMOG or more commonly MMO) is an online video game with a large number of players, often hundreds or thousands, on the same server. MMOs usually feature a huge, persistent world, persistent open world, alt ...

; co-writing ''

The Essential Superman Encyclopedia ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' with Robert Greenberger; writing the children's book '' Superman: Prankster of Prime Time''; and acting as researcher, consultant, and supplemental copywriter on '' 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking''. He was a consultant to numerous independent entertainment companies, including

Cryptozoic Entertainment Cryptozoic Entertainment is an American publisher of board and card games, trading cards and collectibles based on both licensed and original intellectual properties. The company is well known for its "Cerberus Engine Game", the catch name for it ...

, a gaming company, and a freelance comics writer.

Family life

Pasko was married for thirty years to Judith Faye (née Silinsky). The couple had one child, Simcha, who is a journalist. They had been separated for ten years at the time of his death.

Death

Pasko died of natural causes on May 10, 2020, at age 65.

Comics bibliography

DC Comics

*'' 1st Issue Special'' #9 (

) (1975) *''

'' #438–439, 442, 447–448, 453–454, 465, 468, 500, 524 (1974–1981) *''Action Comics Weekly'' #601–612, 615–634 (1988–1989) *'' Adventure Comics'' #445–448, 469–473, 475–478 (1976–1980) *''

Alien Nation ''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for '' Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with ...

'' #1 (1988) *''

'' #256 (two page feature) (1974) *''

The Batman Adventures ''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman. It is different from other ''Batman'' titles because it is set in the continuity (and style) of '' Batman: The Animated Series'', as opposed to the regular DC Universe. ...

'' #4–5 (1993) *''

'' vol. 2 #1–11, ''Annual'' #1 (1989–1990) *''

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 ...

'' #165, 176, 179 (1980–1981) *''

'' #1–2, 9, 35, 38–39, 41 (1978–1982) *''DC Comics Presents: Green Lantern'' #1 (2004) *'' DC Retroactive: Superman – The '70s'' #1 (2011) *''

'' #1, 5 (1977) *''

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 ...

'' #18 (1978) *''

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 ...

'' #458–459, 490–491 (1976–1980) *''

'' #306–313 (Doctor Fate backup stories) (1982) *'' Freedom Fighters'' #1, 3–4 (1976) *'' Ghosts'' #44 (1975) *''Gross Point'' #2–3 (1997) *''

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 ...

'' #226, 277 (1974–1980) *'' House of Secrets'' #122 (1974) *''

'' #7, 18 (1995–1996) *''

The Joker The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, and first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book '' Batman'' on April 25, 1 ...

'' #5 (1976) *''

'' #111–112 (two page features), #122, 128–130, 135–137, 147–148 (1974–1977) *''

Kamandi Kamandi () is a fictional comic book character created by artist Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics. The bulk of Kamandi's appearances occurred in the comic series ''Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth'', which ran from 1972 to 1978. Kamandi is a ...

'' #43, 45 (1976) *'' Kobra'' #1–7 (1976–1977) *''

Man-Bat Man-Bat (Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langstrom) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in ''Detective Comics'' #400 (June 1970) as an enemy of the superhero Batman, the character belongs to t ...

'' #2 (1976) *''

'' #48–53 (1976–1977) *''The New Adventures of Superboy'' #25 (1982) *''

Plop! ''Plop!'', "The New Magazine of Weird Humor!", was a comic book anthology series published by DC Comics in the mid-1970s. It falls into the horror / humor genre. It lasted 24 issues and the series ran from Sept./Oct. 1973 to Nov./Dec. 1976. Bac ...

'' #24 (1976) *''Robotech: Love & War'' #5 (text article) (2003) *'' Saga of the Swamp Thing'' #1–13, 16–19 (1982–1983) *'' Secret Origins'' vol. 2 #45 (Blackhawk) (1989) *''

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 ...

'' #7 (1977) *''

'' #56 (1988) *''Strange Sports Stories'' #5–6 (1974) *''

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 ...

'' #43, 45 (Plastic Man) (1981) *''

'' #277, 280, 282, 285–286, 292, 294, 305–306, 310–335, 349, 367 (1974–1982) *''

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 ...

'' #184–185, 195, 209–216 (1977–1982) *''

: The Movie and Other Tales of the Man of Steel'' #1 (2006) *'' Tales of Ghost Castle'' #1 (1975) *'' The Unexpected'' #190, 222 (1982) *''

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 ...

'' #113 (1982) *''

'' #218–224, 226–232 (1975–1977) *''

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 ...

'' #273 (Plastic Man) (1981)

Disney Comics

*''

'' #10, 13–14, 16, 18 (1991)

Eclipse Comics

*''

Destroyer Duck ''Destroyer Duck'' was an anthology comic book published by Eclipse Comics in 1982, as well as the title of its primary story, written by Steve Gerber and featuring artwork by Jack Kirby and Alfredo Alcala. The book was published as a way to he ...

'' #1 (1982)

First Comics

*''

'' #1–3, 5–8, 10 (1983–1984)

Marvel Comics

*'' Gargoyles'' #1–6 (1995) *''

'' #8–9, 11–16 (1980–1981)

Seaboard

*''Weird Tales of the Macabre'' #1 (1975)

Warren Publishing

*''

'' #51, 63 (1973–1974) *''

'' #36 (1974)

Television and film credits

Television

• series head writer credits are denoted in bold * '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' (1980) * ''

'' (1980) * ''

Blackstar ''Blackstar'' is an American animated science fantasy television series, produced in 1981 by Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott for Filmation. The series was Filmation's second fantasy epic, the first being '' The Freedom Force'', a segment of '' ...

'' (1981) * ''

Goldie Gold and Action Jack ''Goldie Gold and Action Jack'' is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises that aired for one season on ABC from September 12 to December 5, 1981. The show was rerun on Cartoon Network in 1994, and Boom ...

'' (1981) * ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

'' (1982) * ''

'' (1983) * ''

Mister T Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud, May 21, 1952), is an American actor. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series ''The A-Team'' and as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film ''Rocky III''. He is also known for his di ...

'' (1983): seasons 1-2 * ''

The Berenstain Bears ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1985) * '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' (1985) * ''

'' (1985) * '' My Little Pony'' (1986) * ''

'' (1987) * ''

'' (1988) * ''

'' (1988, 1990) * '' Free Spirit'' (1989) * '' Roseanne'' (1989) * '' Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars'' (1991) * ''

'' (1992) * '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992-1993) * '' Cadillacs and Dinosaurs'' (1993) * ''

'' (1994) * '' Mega Man'' (1994) * ''

'' (1994) * ''

Skysurfer Strike Force ''Skysurfer Strike Force'' is a science-fiction superhero animated series that was featured on Bohbot Entertainment's Amazin' Adventures cartoon block and was co-produced by Ruby-Spears Productions and Ashi Productions. The show lasted two seaso ...

'' (1995): as Kyle Christopher * ''

Cannon Busters ''Cannon Busters'' is an American fantasy comic book series by LeSean Thomas, launched in March 2005. An original net animation anime series by Satelight and Yumeta Company was released on Netflix on August 15, 2019. Publication history The fi ...

'' (2019)

Film

* '' Batman: Mask of the Phantasm'' (1993)

References

External links

*
"DC Profiles #22: Martin Pasko"
at the Grand Comics Database *
Martin Pasko
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
The Speeding Bullet: A Complete Archive of ''Superman'' Newspaper Strips

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pasko, Martin 1954 births 2020 deaths Canadian children's writers Canadian comics writers Canadian television writers Daytime Emmy Award winners Inkpot Award winners New York University alumni Northwestern University alumni Writers from Montreal 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers Canadian male television writers