Remembering Otto Binder

41 years ago today Otto Binder died in Chestertown, New York at the age of 63.

In his lengthy and varied career as a writer he was responsible not only for a large volume of early Captain Marvel stories but also co-created (mostly with artist CC Beck) what amounts to the distinctive Captain Marvel mythology – Mary Marvel, Tawky Tawny, Black Adam, Mister Mind, The Monster Society of Evil, Ibac, King Kull, Mister Atom, and even Dr Sivana’s two evil children, Georgia and Thaddeus Jr.

In one of the greatest examples of irony in comicdom, after Captain Marvel was legally shut down because of his similarity to Superman, Binder went on to develop the Superman mythology in a way highly similar to his work on Cap.

It is thus no wonder that Comics Alliance’s Benito Cereno has placed Binder’s name among the greatest creators of the Golden and Silver ages of comics like Jack Kirby, Will Eisner, Bill Finger, and Jerry Siegel – as well as identifying Binder as perhaps comics’ most underrated creator.

You can remember Binder today by reading his first Captain Marvel story in Captain Marvel Adventures #9 titled “Captain Marvel Saves the King.” You can find the issue on Comic Book + and The Digital Comic Museum.

Thanks for all the great stories Otto!