Richard E. Hughes (1909–1974) was an American writer and editor of

comic books 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 ...

. He was editor of the

American Comics Group American Comics Group (ACG) was an American comic book publisher started in 1939 and existing under the ACG name from 1943 to 1967. It published the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title, ''Adventures into the Unknown''. ACG's best-known ch ...

through the company's entire existence from 1943 to 1967, and wrote most of that publisher's stories from 1957 to 1967 under a variety of pseudonyms. His best-known character is

Herbie Popnecker Herbie Popnecker is a fictional comic book character who first appeared in '' Forbidden Worlds'' #73 in December 1958, published by American Comics Group. He was created by Richard E. Hughes (using the pseudonym "Shane O'Shea")

, created under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Shane O'Shea,Herbie
an

at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

. with artist

Ogden Whitney John Ogden Whitney (May 1, 1919 – August 13, 1975) was an American comic-book artist and sometime writer active from the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of comics through the 1960s Silver Age. He is best known as co-creator of the aviator hero Skym ...

Biography

Early life and career

Richard E. Hughes was born Leo Rosenbaum on November 5, 1909. He graduated from

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 ...

in 1930 with a Bachelor of Arts degree as an English major and Economics minor. He married his wife, Annabel, on January 19, 1935.Vance, ''Alter Ego'', p. 47 By 1940, Hughes was working in sales at Standard Mirror and Metal Products in New York City, writing catalog copy,Vance, ''Forbidden'', p. 44 and had also begun writing for publisher

Ned Pines Ned L. Pines (December 10, 1905 – May 14, 1990) was an American publisher of pulp magazines, comic books, and paperback books, active from at least 1928 to 1971. His Standard Comics imprint was the parent company of the comic-book lines Ne ...

Standard Comics Standard Comics was a comic book imprint of American publisher Ned Pines, who also published pulp magazines (under a variety of company names that he also used for the comics) and paperback books (under the Popular Library name). Standard in t ...

. There he and artist Alexander Kostuk created the superhero

Doc Strange Doc Strange is a Golden Age comic book superhero who originally appeared in ''Thrilling Comics'' #1 (Better Publications, also called Nedor Comics) in February 1940. The character continued in ''Thrilling Comics'' until issue #64 (Feb 1948). He ...

(no relation to

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 ...

' much later

Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...

) in ''Thrilling Comics'' #1 (

cover-date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d Feb. 1940).Richard Hughes
an
Richard E. Hughes
at the Grand Comics Database The following year, Hughes was working for the Syndicated Features Corporation. This was "one of the many branches of the Sangor Shop,"Vance, ''Forbidden'', p. 45 the colloquial name for businessman Benjamin W. Sangor's studio of writers and artists that, like other such "packagers" of the time, created comics on demand for publishers testing the new medium. Hughes' resume at the time listed him as an editorial assistant; by 1943, he was an editor there. Through Syndicated Features Corp., Hughes and artist Dave Gabrielson created the

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, ...

the

Black Terror The Black Terror is a fictional comic book superhero who originally appeared in ''Exciting Comics'' #9, published by Nedor Comics in January 1941. The character was popular, and on the strength of the Black Terror's sales, Nedor made ''Exciting C ...

in Standard's ''Exciting Comics'' #9 (May 1941). Also in 1941, Hughes edited and wrote the tabloid-sized satirical-humor magazine ''TNT'' for Sangor's Cinema Comics imprint, and at least edit the small 7 1/2 x 9 1/4-inch promotional comic book ''Cinema Comics Herald'' used to promote films including ''

Mr. Bug Goes to Town ''Mr. Bug Goes to Town'' (also known as ''Hoppity Goes to Town'' and ''Bugville'') is a 1941 American animated Technicolor feature film produced by Fleischer Studios, previewed by Paramount Pictures on December 5, 1941, and released in California ...

'', ''

Lady for a Night ''Lady for a Night'' is a 1942 American drama film starring Joan Blondell and John Wayne. The World War II B-17 bomber the ''Memphis Belle'' is named after a steamboat in this film. It is also known as ''The Lady from New Orleans'', ''Memphis ...

'' and others through 1943.Vance, ''Alter Ego'', p. 50 By the following year Hughes was editing comics for Standard and living with his wife at 120 West 183rd Street in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York City. After Sangor founded his own comic-book company,

, in 1943, Hughes edited the line, beginning with the

talking animal A talking animal or speaking animal is any non-human animal that can produce sounds or gestures resembling those of a human language. Several species or groups of animals have developed forms of communication which superficially resemble verbal ...

series ''Giggle Comics'' and ''Ha Ha Comics'', and the teen-humor titles ''"Cookie"'' and ''The Kilroys''. He created and scripted stories of the

Fighting Yank The Fighting Yank is the name of several superheroes, first appearing in ''Startling Comics'' #10 (Sept 1941). Fall 1941 was a boom period for patriotic superheroes as the country prepared to enter World War II; during this period, comic book p ...

Pyroman Pyroman is a fictional superhero that appeared in comic books published by Nedor Comics. His first appearance was in ''Startling Comics'' #18 (December 1942), with art by Jack Binder. This character was later revived by both AC Comics and Amer ...

, the Commando Clubs, and Super Mouse. In addition to his ACG work, Hughes also edited Standard's ''Real Life Comics'', as well as comics for publishers Rural Home, LaSalle, and Leffingwell. For Custom Comics, also called Culver Comics, an ACG division created in 1954, Hughes wrote promotional comics for the likes of police and fire departments, the

Brown Shoe Caleres Inc. is an American footwear company that owns and operates a variety of footwear brands. Its headquarters is located in Clayton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.Buster Brown Shoes"), Howard Johnson restaurants, the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

, and dozens of other clients.Vance, ''Forbidden'', p. 49 An October 1, 1952 "Statement of the Ownership, Management, and Circulation" published in ACG's ''

Forbidden Worlds ''Forbidden Worlds'' was a fantasy comic from the American Comics Group, which won the 1964 Alley Award for Best Regularly Published Fantasy Comic. It published 145 issues between July/August 1951 to August 1967. Publication history ''Forbidd ...

'' #15 gave the publisher's name as Preferred Publications, Inc., 8 Lord St., Buffalo, New York" and the owners as Preferred Publications and "B. W. Sangor, 7 West 81st Street, New York, N. Y." The editor was listed as Richard E.Hughes, 120 West 183rd St., New York, N. Y." and the business manager as "Frederick H. Iger, 50 Beverly Road,

Great Neck Great Neck is a region on Long Island, New York, that covers a peninsula on the North Shore and includes nine villages, among them Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kings Point, and Russell Gardens, and a number of unincor ...

, Great Neck, L. I., N. Y." An October 1, 1950 statement published in ACG's ''Cookie'' #29 gives identical data, with the exception of the publisher and co-owner being listed as "Michel Publications, Inc. 420 DeSoto Ave., St. Louis 7, Mo.

Later life and career

Hughes additionally wrote radio and television advertisements.Vance, ''Forbidden'', p. 50 His final comics work was uncredited stories for DC Comics' ''

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

'', ''

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

'' and supernatural-mystery anthologies. His final job appears to have been for

Gimbel's Gimbel Brothers (known simply as Gimbels) was an American department store corporation that operated for over a century, from 1842 until 1987. Gimbel patriarch Adam Gimbel opened his first store in Vincennes, Indiana, in 1842. In 1887, the comp ...

department store, composing response letters to customer complaints. A Richard E. Hughes was listed as publisher of Toy Market Research Inc.'s biweekly trade magazine ''Toy Reporter'' that was premiering October 2, 1961. It is unclear if this is the same Hughes. Hughes died on January 15, 1974, of

myelofibrosis Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a rare bone marrow blood cancer. It is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a type of myeloproliferative neoplasm, a group of cancers in which there is growth of abnormal cells in the bone marrow. ...

Legacy

After Hughes' death, his wife donated his papers to

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...

Madison, New Jersey Madison is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 16,937. Located along the Morris & Essex Lines, it is noted for Madison's historic railroad station becoming one ...

. Hughes posthumously received the

Bill Finger Award The Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing is an American award for excellence in comic book writing. The awards committee, chaired by Mark Evanier, is charged each year with selecting two recipients, one living and one deceased. ...

in 2016.

Critical analysis

In a review of the

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

collections ''Herbie: Volume One'' and ''Herbie: Volume Two'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described Hughes' Herbie Popnecker as,

Hughes's pseudonyms

* Pierre AlonzoVance, ''Forbidden'', p. 119 * Ace Aquila * Brad Everson * Lafcadio Lee * Kermit Lundgren * Shane O'Shea (for Nemesis, drawn by

Pete Costanza Pete Costanza (May 19, 1913 – June 28, 1984) was an American comic book artist and illustrator. He is best known for his work on Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family during the World War II era fans an ...

, and Herbie, drawn by

) * Greg Olivetti * Kurato Osaki * Pierce RandVance, ''Forbidden'', p. 118 * Bob Standish * Zev ZimmerVance, ''Forbidden'', pp. 90, 119 (for Magicman, drawn by

)

Pictures of Hughes' Pseudonyms

In ''Unknown Worlds'' (ACG 1960-1967),''Unknown Worlds''
at the

Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...

story and art credits for the first 22 issues were accompanied by drawings of the contributors. Because almost all stories were written by the same writer, the pictures for the story credit were mostly fictitious.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Richard E. American comics writers American editors 1909 births 1974 deaths Bill Finger Award winners