Leo Dorfman
Encyclopedia
Leo Dorfman (also credited as Geoff Brown) was a writer of comic book
s throughout the Silver Age
; although the majority of his work was for DC Comics
, he also wrote for Dell Comics
.
Dorfman grew up on New York's Lower East Side
. He began working for National Periodical Publications in the 1950s; Mark Evanier
has estimated that Dorfman may have been "the most prolific scripter" for Superman
during the 1960s.
Dorfman's work included the creation of Pete Ross
in 1961 and the Ghosts
anthology series in 1971; he also wrote the 1963 "Superman Red/Superman Blue
", which inspired a year-long plot arc in 1998.
Dorfman produced supernatural stories for Gold Key Comics
' supernaturally themed Twilight Zone, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Boris Karloff Mystery and Grimm's Ghost Stories. One of Gold Key's editors at the time told Mark Evanier "Leo writes stories and then he decides whether he's going to sell them to DC [for Ghosts] or to us. He tells us that if they come out good, they go to us and if they don't, they go to DC. I assume he tells DC the opposite."
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s throughout the Silver Age
Silver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
; although the majority of his work was for DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, he also wrote for Dell Comics
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
.
Dorfman grew up on New York's Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
. He began working for National Periodical Publications in the 1950s; Mark Evanier
Mark Evanier
Mark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work. He is also known for his columns and blogs, and for his work as a historian and biographer of the comics industry, in particular his award-winning Jack Kirby biography, Kirby: King of...
has estimated that Dorfman may have been "the most prolific scripter" for Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
during the 1960s.
Dorfman's work included the creation of Pete Ross
Pete Ross
Peter Joseph "Pete" Ross is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comic books published by DC Comics. He was introduced in Superboy #86 .-Pre-Crisis:...
in 1961 and the Ghosts
Ghosts (DC Comics)
Ghosts is a comic book series published by DC Comics for 112 issues from September-October 1971 to May 1982. Its tagline was "True Tales of the Weird and Supernatural" , changed to "New Tales of the Weird and Supernatural," as of #75 , and dropped after #104...
anthology series in 1971; he also wrote the 1963 "Superman Red/Superman Blue
Superman Red/Superman Blue
Superman Red/Superman Blue refers to two different DC Comics storylines featuring Superman.-"The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue!":...
", which inspired a year-long plot arc in 1998.
Dorfman produced supernatural stories for Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
' supernaturally themed Twilight Zone, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Boris Karloff Mystery and Grimm's Ghost Stories. One of Gold Key's editors at the time told Mark Evanier "Leo writes stories and then he decides whether he's going to sell them to DC [for Ghosts] or to us. He tells us that if they come out good, they go to us and if they don't, they go to DC. I assume he tells DC the opposite."
External links
- Leo Dorfman interviewed on Two for the MoneyTwo for the Money (game show)Two for the Money is an American game show television program which ran from 1952 to 1957. The show ran for one season on NBC, and four seasons on CBS. It was a Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production, and was initially sponsored by Old Gold cigarettes...
- Analysis of Dorfman's work on Superboy, as compared to that of other writers