Len Brown (comics)
Encyclopedia
Len Brown is a writer, editor, radio personality and comic book
scripter, best known as the co-creator of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
and Mars Attacks
.
Born in Brooklyn, Brown began working in the Product Development Department of Topps Chewing Gum
shortly after he graduated from high school. As a creative editor, working with department head Woody Gelman
, Brown developed ideas for both sports and non-sports cards, a position which put him in contact with leading comic book
artists, who illustrated Topps humor cards. During his 41 years at Topps, Brown contributed to such series as Civil War News
, Garbage Pail Kids
and Wacky Packages
.
's cover for EC Comics
' Weird Science
#16, Brown pitched the idea of Mars Attacks to Gelman. Gelman and Brown devised the storyline of a Martian invasion. They recruited Wood to visualize situations in rough sketches and hired Bob Powell
to pencil the project. Norman Saunders
painted the 55-card set, later adapted into the 1996 feature film.
) in 1965, Wally Wood and Brown discussed a superhero concept Brown had outlined to Wood a year earlier. Brown recalled, "Wally had remembered my concept and asked me to write a 12-page origin story. I submitted a Captain Thunderbolt story in which he fought a villain named Dynamo." To write the story, Brown drew on his memories of both Captain Marvel
and the Thunder Riders in the 1935 serial The Phantom Empire
, as he recalled, "I had always loved the old Phantom Empire serial with Gene Autry in the 1930s. I remembered that the Thunder Riders were the agents of the evil queen in the serial. I always loved the name, the Thunder Riders, so I recommended Thunder Agents to Wally." With a few changes by Wood and a title obviously inspired by the success of the spy-fi
TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
and the then current James Bond
film Thunderball
, the series got underway.
In addition to his scripts for T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Brown was a contributor to Creepy
, Skywald's Nightmare and other comic books. He scripted for Mars Attacks when Topps introduced its line of comics in the 1990s. He also wrote several paperback
s about trading cards, country music and rock, including the Encyclopedia of Country and Western Music (1971).
music led him into DJ work with several New Jersey radio stations (WTTM, WNJN, WDVR). In 2000, Brown and his wife Abby relocated to Dripping Springs, Texas
, where he launched classic country music programs on WDRP-FM and Austin
's KOOP (FM).
s (Best Giant Comic, Best New Strip or Book) as co-creator of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.
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...
scripter, best known as the co-creator of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is a fictional team of superheroes that appeared in comic books originally published by Tower Comics in the 1960s. They were an arm of the United Nations and were notable for their depiction of the heroes as everyday people whose heroic careers were merely their day jobs...
and Mars Attacks
Mars Attacks
Mars Attacks is a science fiction trading card series released in 1962. The cards feature artwork by science-fiction artist Wallace Wood and tell the story of the invasion of Earth by cruel, hideous Martians. The cards depicted futuristic battle scenes and bizarre methods of Martian attack, torture...
.
Born in Brooklyn, Brown began working in the Product Development Department of Topps Chewing Gum
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
shortly after he graduated from high school. As a creative editor, working with department head Woody Gelman
Woody Gelman
Woodrow Gelman , better known as Woody Gelman, was a publisher, a cartoonist, a novelist and an artist-writer for animation and comic books. As the publisher of Nostalgia Press, he pioneered the reprinting of vintage comic strips in quality hardcovers and trade paperbacks...
, Brown developed ideas for both sports and non-sports cards, a position which put him in contact with leading comic book
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...
artists, who illustrated Topps humor cards. During his 41 years at Topps, Brown contributed to such series as Civil War News
Civil War News
Civil War News was a set of collectible trading cards issued in the early 1960s by Topps. The set featured the colorful artwork of Norman Saunders, as well as three other artists, and was characterized by vivid colors; graphic depictions of violence, death, and blood and exaggerations of warfare...
, Garbage Pail Kids
Garbage Pail Kids
Garbage Pail Kids , "La Pandilla Basura" or "Basuritas" in Latin America, "Gang do Lixo" in Brazil, "Sgorbions" in Italy, "Les Crados" in France and "Die total kaputten Kids" in Germany) is a series of trading cards produced by the Topps Company, originally released in 1985 and designed to parody...
and Wacky Packages
Wacky Packages
Wacky Packages are a series of trading cards and stickers featuring parodies of North American consumer products. The cards were produced by the Topps Company beginning in 1967, usually in a sticker format. The original series sold for two years, and the concept proved popular enough that it has...
.
Mars Attacks
In 1962, inspired by Wally WoodWally Wood
Wallace Allan Wood was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, best known for his work in EC Comics and Mad. He was one of Mads founding cartoonists in 1952. Although much of his early professional artwork is signed Wallace Wood, he became known as Wally Wood, a name he...
's cover for EC Comics
EC Comics
Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the Tales from the Crypt series...
' Weird Science
Weird Science (comic)
Weird Science was a science fiction anthology comic book that was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. Over a four-year span, the comic ran for 22 issues, ending with the November–December, 1953 issue...
#16, Brown pitched the idea of Mars Attacks to Gelman. Gelman and Brown devised the storyline of a Martian invasion. They recruited Wood to visualize situations in rough sketches and hired Bob Powell
Bob Powell (comics)
Bob Powell né Stanislav Robert Pawlowski was an American comic book artist known for his work during the 1930-40s Golden Age of comic books, including on the features "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle" and "Mr. Mystic". He received a belated credit in 1999 for co-writing the debut of the popular...
to pencil the project. Norman Saunders
Norman Saunders
Norman Blaine Saunders was a prolific commercial artist who produced paintings for pulp magazines, paperbacks, men's adventure magazines, comic books and trading cards...
painted the 55-card set, later adapted into the 1996 feature film.
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
To launch the bimonthly comic book, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (Tower ComicsTower Comics
Tower Comics was an American comic book publishing company best known for Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, a strange combination of secret agents and superheroes; and Samm Schwartz's Tippy Teen, an Archie Andrews clone...
) in 1965, Wally Wood and Brown discussed a superhero concept Brown had outlined to Wood a year earlier. Brown recalled, "Wally had remembered my concept and asked me to write a 12-page origin story. I submitted a Captain Thunderbolt story in which he fought a villain named Dynamo." To write the story, Brown drew on his memories of both Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
and the Thunder Riders in the 1935 serial The Phantom Empire
The Phantom Empire
The Phantom Empire, starring Gene Autry the Singing Cowboy, was a 12-chapter 1935 Mascot serial that combined the western, musical, and science fiction genres. The first episode is 30 mins, the rest about 20 minutes...
, as he recalled, "I had always loved the old Phantom Empire serial with Gene Autry in the 1930s. I remembered that the Thunder Riders were the agents of the evil queen in the serial. I always loved the name, the Thunder Riders, so I recommended Thunder Agents to Wally." With a few changes by Wood and a title obviously inspired by the success of the spy-fi
Spy-fi
-Definition and characteristics:It often uses a secret agent or superspy whose mission is a showcase of science fiction elements such as technology and ideas used for extortion, plots for world domination or world destruction, futuristic weapons, gadgets and fast vehicles that can travel on land,...
TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
and the then current James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Thunderball
Thunderball (film)
Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham...
, the series got underway.
In addition to his scripts for T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Brown was a contributor to Creepy
Creepy
Creepy was an American horror-comics magazine launched by Warren Publishing in 1964. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. The anthology magazine was initially published quarterly but...
, Skywald's Nightmare and other comic books. He scripted for Mars Attacks when Topps introduced its line of comics in the 1990s. He also wrote several paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
s about trading cards, country music and rock, including the Encyclopedia of Country and Western Music (1971).
Radio
His interest in classic countryClassic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...
music led him into DJ work with several New Jersey radio stations (WTTM, WNJN, WDVR). In 2000, Brown and his wife Abby relocated to Dripping Springs, Texas
Dripping Springs, Texas
Dripping Springs is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,548 at the 2000 census; it was 1,828 in the 2008 census estimate....
, where he launched classic country music programs on WDRP-FM and Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
's KOOP (FM).
Awards
In 1965, Brown won two Alley AwardAlley Award
The Alley Award was an American series of comic book fan awards, first presented in 1962 for comics published in 1961. Officially organized under the aegis of the Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences, under executive secretary Jerry Bails, and later Paul Gambaccini and David Kaler, the award...
s (Best Giant Comic, Best New Strip or Book) as co-creator of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.