
France Herron

Francis Edward Herron (July 23, 1917 – September 2, 1966) was an American comic book writer and editor active in the 1940s–1960s, mainly for DC Comics. He is credited with co-creating Captain Marvel Jr. and the Red Skull, as well as such characters as Cave Carson, Nighthawk, and Mr. Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid. Herron spent the bulk of his time in the comics industry writing for such characters as Green Arrow, Superman, and the Western character Tomahawk.
Biography.
Early life and career.
Herron was born in 1917 in Ohio farm country. Partially of Cherokee heritage, he grew up in West Virginia.
Herron got his start in comics while still a teenager, with the Harry "A" Chesler "packaging" studio in 1937, writing and editing for such Centaur Comics' titles as "Star Comics" and "Star Ranger Funnies". In 1939, Herron joined Fox Features Syndicate, where he first met Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. In 1940–1941, Simon and Kirby hired Herron to write stories for their new creation Captain America, published by the Marvel Comics forerunner Timely Comics. Herron and artist Kirby co-created the Red Skull in "Captain America Comics" #7 (Oct. 1941).
Beginning in 1940 and continuing throughout the decade, Herron wrote various features for the publisher Quality Comics. From 1942 to 1944, Herron wrote the "Captain Midnight" strip for the Chicago Sun Syndicate.
Fawcett Comics.
Herron joined Fawcett Comics in 1940, eventually becoming the company's executive editor by 1942. With artist Mac Raboy, he created Captain Marvel Jr. in "Whiz Comics" #25 (Dec. 1941), and with Jack Kirby he created Mr. Scarlet in "Wow Comics" #1 (Winter 1940-1941) and Pinky the Whiz Kid in "Wow Comics" #4 (Spring 1942). It was in the Mr. Scarlet story in "Wow Comics" #1 that the name "Gotham City" first appeared in the comics. Comics historian Greg Theakston notes that this pre-dates its name as such in DC Comics' "Batman" #4. During this period, Herron wrote for such Fawcett titles as "Captain Marvel Adventures" and "Captain Marvel Jr.".
World War II.
Herron joined the U.S. Army in 1942, where he wrote for the military newspaper "Stars and Stripes" during his tour of duty. While at "Stars and Stripes", Herron met artist Curt Swan, who later became the definitive Superman artist. According to Swan, it was Herron who first directed him to DC Comics.
DC Comics.
Herron began writing for DC Comics in 1945, initially on Green Arrow stories in "Adventure Comics" and "World's Finest Comics". Herron was Green Arrow's lead writer throughout the 1950s, staying with the character until 1963. Other superhero titles Herron worked on included "Superman", which he wrote many stories for throughout the 1950s, and "Challengers of the Unknown", which Herron was the lead writer for from 1959 until 1966. He wrote a number of Batman and Robin stories for "Detective Comics" and "Batman" in the mid-1950s and mid-1960s. Herron was one of the lead writers on Batman during the overhaul of the character and the introduction of his "New Look." Throughout the 1950s and the 1960s, Herron partnered with artist Fred Ray as the creative team on DC's "Tomahawk" and the Tomahawk stories which appeared in "World's Finest Comics" during this period. In the mid-1950s, Herron wrote the features Pow Wow Smith and Nighthawk for DC's "Western Comics" omnibus; he continued to write spot stories for the title until 1961. Herron wrote mystery comics titles including "House of Mystery", "Mystery in Space", "Strange Adventures", and "Tales of the Unexpected". From 1953 to 1959, he wrote many stories for such DC war comics as "All-American Men of War", "Our Army at War", "Our Fighting Forces", and "Star Spangled War Stories"; returning to such work in 1963–1964.
With artist Dick Sprang, Herron co-created Firefly in "Detective Comics" #184 (June 1952) and the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh in "Batman" #113 (Aug. 1958). Artist Lee Elias and Herron co-created the Clock King in "World's Finest Comics" #111 (Aug. 1960). With artist Bruno Premiani, Herron co-created Cave Carson in "The Brave and the Bold" #31 (Aug. 1960).
Harvey Comics.
In 1966 Herron moved to Harvey Comics, hired by his old associate Joe Simon. During that year, Herron was the lead writer for the publisher's short-lived Harvey Thriller superhero line, working on characters such as Dynamite Joe, Glowing Gladiator, Jack Q. Frost, and Lone Tiger, in the titles "Robot Parade" and "Spyman".
Syndicated newspaper strips.
In addition to his work in the comic book field, Herron wrote syndicated newspaper comic strips for Columbia Features. Beginning in 1955, he wrote the daily strips "Davy Crockett, Frontiersman" and "Nero Wolfe"—staying on the "Davy Crocket" strip until 1959, when he became the writer of the "Bat Masterson" and "Rip Tide" strips, which he wrote until his death in 1966.
Death.
Herron died in September 1966.