Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity. Before being hired by Marvel, he wrote text articles for DC Comics’ official fanzine, The Amazing World of DC Comics. Articles by Gruenwald include "The Martian Chronicles" (a history of the Martian Manhunter) in issue #13[4] and several articles on the history of the Justice League in issue #14.[5]
Entry to Marvel
In 1978 he was hired by Marvel Comics, where he remained for the rest of his career. Hired initially as an assistant editor in January 1978, Gruenwald was promoted to full editorship by Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter in 1982, putting Gruenwald in charge of The Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Spider Woman, and What If.[6][7][8] During this period, he shared an office with writer/editor Denny O'Neil, whom Gruenwald considered a mentor.[9]
His 60-issue run on Quasar[17] (1989–1994) realized Gruenwald's ambition to write his own kind of superhero. However, he considered his magnum opus to be the mid-1980s 12-issue maxiseries Squadron Supreme, which told the story of an alternate universe where a group of well-intended superheroes decide that they would be best suited to run the planet. Gruenwald was highly loyal to each series he wrote. In addition to his lengthy stint on Captain America, he wrote the entire runs of both Quasar (save for one issue) and D.P.7,[18] and Jim Salicrup recalled that when Gruenwald was taken off of Spider-Woman after only 12 issues, he "was crushed."[19]
Executive editor
On September 1, 1987, Gruenwald became Marvel's executive editor,[15] with a particular remit as the keeper of continuity. Gruenwald was famous for a perfect recollection of even the most trivial details.
Gruenwald was a recurring character with Tom DeFalco in the single-panel comic The Bull's Eye that ran in Marvel comics in the late 1980s–early 1990s, created by Rick Parker and Barry Dutter. These strips, which ran on the Bullpen Bulletins page during the majority of DeFalco's run as editor-in-chief, featured Gruenwald depicted as a caricature and foil for DeFalco's antics.
Death
In 1996, Gruenwald succumbed to a heart attack, the result of an unsuspected congenital heart defect. Gruenwald was a well-known practical joker and, due to his young age, many of his friends and co-workers initially believed the reports of his death to be just another joke. Just days prior, he had done one of his trademark cartwheels down the halls of the Bullpen. A longtime lover of comics, Gruenwald made it known among his friends and family that his one desire was to have his ashes used in part of a comic. In accordance with his request, he was cremated, and his ashes were mixed with the ink used to print the first printing of the trade paperback compilation of Squadron Supreme.[20]
Personal life
Gruenwald married singer Belinda Glass in May 1981.[21] They later divorced, and he married Catherine Schuller on October 12, 1992, in New York after a year's courtship; she was the executor of Gruenwald's famous will. Gruenwald had a daughter, Sara.[2]
Legacy
The Amalgam Comics book The Exciting X-Patrol #1 (June 1997) and the Marvel Comics book Generation X #21 (November 1996) are dedicated to Gruenwald's memory as was Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75 which saw the return of Norman Osborn after his supposed death twenty years earlier.
In the DC Universe, a building in Gotham City was named the Von Gruenwald Tower,[22] and in the novel Captain America: Liberty's Torch written by Tony Isabella and Bob Ingersoll, the lawyer kidnapped to defend the similarly kidnapped Captain America in a mock trial before a militia is named Mark Gruenwald, and is described with the same general physical attributes and personality as the real Gruenwald. The lawyer acts heroically throughout the story.[23]
In Richard Starkings' Elephantmen, the executive director of the Information Agency where almost all of the main characters of the series work is called Gruenwald and bears a strong resemblance to Gruenwald. In an interview with Newsarama, Richard Starkings confirmed that the character was based on his friend.[24]
In volume four of Nova from Marvel Comics, the new director of Project Pegasus is named Dr. Gruenwald.[25]
In 2006, Gruenwald was officially named the "Patron Saint of Marveldom" in the new "Bullpen Bulletins" pages.[26]
Jason Olsen's Mark Gruenwald and the Star Spangled Symbolism of Captain America, 1985-1995, a book about Gruenwald's run on Captain America, was published by McFarland & Company in 2021.[28]
Selected bibliography
Regular writer
Spider-Woman #9–20 (December 1978 – November 1979) – (#17–20 with outside plot assists)
^"M E Gruenwald". United States Social Security Death Index. Retrieved March 12, 2013. The United States Social Security Death Index gives date of death as '15 August 1996.'
^DeFalco, Tom; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2008). "1980s". Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 208. ISBN978-0756641238. Plotted by Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant, and Bill Mantlo, and penciled by John Romita, Jr., Contest of Champions eventually saw print in June 1982.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^DeFalco "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 210: "As soon as he became an editor, he proposed Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. Its first volume ran for fifteen issues and included a full image of each character, their vital statistics, their brief history, an explanation of their powers, and any unique weaponry they used."
^DeFalco "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 228: "Created by editor Mark Gruenwald and artist Paul Ryan, D.P. 7 was published under the New Universe imprint."
^Wigler, Josh (April 21, 2010). "Starkings' Elephantmen Turns 25". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on February 14, 2011. When I found myself looking for a character who knew more about the world of the Elephantmen than anyone else in that world, I thought of Mark, who in many ways knew more about the Marvel Universe than anyone else.
^Abnett, Dan; Lanning, Andy (w), Alves, Wellinton; Burges, Geraldo (p), Hanna, Scott (i). "Brothers in Arms" Nova, vol. 4, no. 17 (November 2008).
^DeFalco "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 235: "He died unexpectedly on August 12, 1996 and was named the patron saint of Marvel in 2006."
^Olsen, Jason (2021). Mark Gruenwald and the Star Spangled Symbolism of Captain America, 1985-1995. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company. ISBN978-1-4766-8150-4.