Sid Jacobson
Encyclopedia
Sid Jacobson is an American writer, having worked in the fields of children's comic book
s, popular music
, fiction
, biography
, and non-fiction comics. He was managing editor and editor in chief for Harvey Comics
, where he created the comics Richie Rich
, Hot Stuff
, and Casper the Friendly Ghost
. Jacobson is also known for his late-career collaborations with artist Ernie Colón
, including such nonfiction graphic novels as The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation and Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography.
, where he majored in journalism. His first jobs out of school were at the New York tabloid The Compass and the horse racing
paper The Morning Telegraph.
In the 1950s and 1960s, while working at Harvey Comics
, Jacobson wrote songs for such pop acts as Frankie Avalon
, Dion and the Belmonts
, and Johnny Mathis
— even though Jacobson didn't read music.
After his long stint at Harvey, Jacobson moved on to become an executive editor at Marvel Comics
, where he helped create the children's imprint Star Comics
. During this period, Jacobson published the novel Streets of Gold (Pocket Books, 1985), a fictionalized history of his family's immigration journey from the shtetls of Russia to the United States. Jacobson was the writer for Marvel's ALF
comic book series.
Jacobson later went to on to create Hanna-Barbera Comics
, original stories based on the animated TV series characters.
In 2006, Jacobson and artist Ernie Colón
created a graphic-novel version of the 9/11 Commission Report
titled The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation. In August 2008, they released a 160-page follow-up: After 9/11: America's War on Terror.
Jacobson's collaborations with Colón also include A Graphic Biography: Che
released in 2009. In July 2010 Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography was published by Hill and Wang
in the U.S. and Uitgeverij Luitingh in The Netherlands.
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, popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
, fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
, and non-fiction comics. He was managing editor and editor in chief for Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out the small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B...
, where he created the comics Richie Rich
Richie Rich
Richard "Richie" Rich, Jr. is a fictional character that debuted in Harvey Comics' Little Dot #1, cover-dated September 1953. Dubbed "the poor little rich boy", Richie is the only child of fantastically wealthy parents and is the world's richest kid. He lives and works in an expensive mansion and...
, Hot Stuff
Hot Stuff the Little Devil
Hot Stuff the Little Devil is a comic book character who first appeared in Hot Stuff #1, published by Harvey Comics in October 1957. The character didn't first appear as a back-up feature in another book or receive a trial run in Harvey Hits...
, and Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. As his name indicates, he is a ghost, but is quite personable...
. Jacobson is also known for his late-career collaborations with artist Ernie Colón
Ernie Colon
Ernie Colón is an American comics artist, born on July 13, 1931,Colón was born in Puerto Rico and began his professional career at Harvey Comics as a letterer. He later worked, uncredited, as an artist on titles including Monster in My Pocket, Richie Rich and Casper the Friendly Ghost...
, including such nonfiction graphic novels as The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation and Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography.
Biography
Jacobson graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School and then New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, where he majored in journalism. His first jobs out of school were at the New York tabloid The Compass and the horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
paper The Morning Telegraph.
In the 1950s and 1960s, while working at Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out the small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B...
, Jacobson wrote songs for such pop acts as Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.-Career:By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints...
, Dion and the Belmonts
Dion and the Belmonts
Dion and the Belmonts was a leading American vocal group of the late 1950s. The group formed when Dion DiMucci, lead singer , joined The Belmonts - Carlo Mastrangelo, baritone , Freddie Milano, second tenor , and Angelo D'Aleo, first tenor , in late 1957.-History:After an unsuccessful first single,...
, and Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
— even though Jacobson didn't read music.
After his long stint at Harvey, Jacobson moved on to become an executive editor at Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, where he helped create the children's imprint Star Comics
Star Comics
Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and continued to publish comic books until early 1988. Titles published by the imprint were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys...
. During this period, Jacobson published the novel Streets of Gold (Pocket Books, 1985), a fictionalized history of his family's immigration journey from the shtetls of Russia to the United States. Jacobson was the writer for Marvel's ALF
ALF (TV series)
ALF is an American science fiction sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1986 to 1990, created by Paul Fusco. The title character was Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed ALF , who crash lands in the garage of the suburban middle-class Tanner family.The series starred Max...
comic book series.
Jacobson later went to on to create Hanna-Barbera Comics
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
, original stories based on the animated TV series characters.
In 2006, Jacobson and artist Ernie Colón
Ernie Colon
Ernie Colón is an American comics artist, born on July 13, 1931,Colón was born in Puerto Rico and began his professional career at Harvey Comics as a letterer. He later worked, uncredited, as an artist on titles including Monster in My Pocket, Richie Rich and Casper the Friendly Ghost...
created a graphic-novel version of the 9/11 Commission Report
9/11 Commission Report
The 9/11 Commission Report, formally named Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, is the official report of the events leading up to the September 11, 2001 attacks...
titled The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation. In August 2008, they released a 160-page follow-up: After 9/11: America's War on Terror.
Jacobson's collaborations with Colón also include A Graphic Biography: Che
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
released in 2009. In July 2010 Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography was published by Hill and Wang
Hill and Wang
Hill & Wang is an American book publishing company focused on American history, world history, and politics. It is a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux....
in the U.S. and Uitgeverij Luitingh in The Netherlands.
External links
- NPR interview with Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón
- Video of Colón and Jacobson on MSNBC
- http://www.slate.com/id/2147309/9/11Commission Report adaptation serialised at 'SlateSlate (magazine)Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
] - http://www.swaptree.com/books/author/sid-jacobson/257595/Books by Sid Jacobson at Swaptree.comSwaptree.comSwap.com is a company based in Boston that facilitates trade of personal media between users using algorithms. Swap.com charges a small shipping fee for each transaction. The website also depends on advertisements for profits....
] - Macmillan Speakers Bureau profile