Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
By: Tyson Baker
Early Life
- Malcolm was born in Jan. 04 1890 in Greenville, Tennessee.
- Malcolm had a few siblings but, two of his siblings, one brother and one sister died when he was four. His father also died when Malcolm was 4. His mom, Antoinette Wheeler, was a journalist for women magazines, and then Antoinette married a teacher named T.J.B Nicholson and then became Malcolm's step-father.
- Wheeler-Nicholson spent his boyhood both in Portland and on a horse ranch in Washington State. Raised riding horses, he went on to attend the military academy The Manlius School in DeWitt, New York, and in 1917 joined the U.S. Cavalry as a second-lieutenant.
"Behind the Scenes"
- Malcolm was known as the "Major".
- Before Malcolm started working, comic books were nothing more than reprints from the daily newspapers. This changed in 1934 when the Major began publishing comic books, “Fun and New Fun Comics”, which featured original artwork and stories.
- Malcolm's inspiration to create comic books was the result of the combination of a unique moment in history, his own natural gifts as a successful writer of adventure stories, his education and unconventional background.
- Detective Comics was Wheeler-Nicholson’s idea. The title is similar to pulp titles that he knew so well. The Major became partners with Jack Liebowitz, but for financial problems during the Great Depression, they were unable to publish three comic books.
- Ever since the Batman comics came along everything was fine until the great depression came and people stopped buying comics, but Malcolm was forced to sell comics to a man named Gerard Jones but, it helped the business.
- Sadly, he has passed in January 01, 1968 in Long Island, New York.
Awards and Quotes
- In 2008, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson was awarded an Eisner for his contributions to the comic book industry and inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame.
- Quote(s): "Not only the first man to publish comic books but also the first to stiff an artist for his check".
Sources
- http://malcolmwheelernicholson.com/about/
- http://malcolmwheelernicholson.com/
- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2401274.Malcolm_Wheeler_Nicholson
- http://www.digplanet.com/wiki/Malcolm_Wheeler-Nicholson
- http://malcolmwheeler-nicholson.weebly.com/his-career.html
- http://www.fampeople.com/cat-malcolm-wheeler-nicholson_3
- http://www.bmaaudio.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=27
- http://www.metalsucks.net/2015/04/18/saturday-hunt-horses/
- http://www.geek.com.mx/2014/05/75-anos-de-batman/
- http://www.imeimage.com/dc-comics-logo
- http://50states.mrdonn.org/washington.html
- http://www.comicvine.com/malcolm-wheeler-nicholson/4040-43628/