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Alan Zelenetz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alan Zelenetz
Born (1948-06-24) June 24, 1948 (age 77)
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Writer

Alan Zelenetz (born June 24, 1948)[1] is an American film producer and comic-book writer best known for co-creating the series Alien Legion for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics and a founder of Ovie Entertainment. Zelenetz also wrote several issues of Marvel's Moon Knight series, several issues of Thor and a run of Conan the King (issues #16–28).

Biography

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Before becoming a film producer, Zelenetz was a junior high school principal at the Yeshiva of Flatbush, an Orthodox Jewish school in Brooklyn, and Solomon Schechter High School of New York.[2] One of the science teachers under his supervision was the father of Darren Aronofsky, director of Pi (1998) and Requiem for a Dream (2000).

Zelenetz quit his job as a high school principal and worked his way into a paid position at Marvel Comics. He did some volunteer proofreading work for a while, and then started to write for Thor, Conan the Barbarian, and Moon Knight. For Moon Knight, he introduced the Jewish identity of the character to the storyline.[2] In Thor Annual #10 (1982), Zelenetz introduced the first Nigerian hero, Shango (recruited by Thor to confront Demogorge), in the history of Marvel.[3]

Zelenetz was the main author and researcher for Marvel's Official Handbook of the Conan Universe,[4] a guide to the Hyborian Age, the fictional setting of the Conan the Barbarian stories.

He is also director of ICI, the Institute for Curricular Initiatives in New York City.[5]

Selected filmography

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  • Pi (1998) (Judaica advisor)
  • Darkon (2006) (producer, executive producer;)
  • The Funeral Party (2007) (co-producer)
  • Andorra scheduled in (2007) (producer)

Selected comics bibliography

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References

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  1. ^ Miller, John Jackson (June 10, 2005). "Comics Industry Birthdays". Comics Buyer's Guide. Iola, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on February 18, 2011.
  2. ^ a b PJ Grisar (February 23, 2022). "He made Moon Knight Jewish. He doesn't care if Disney+ has other ideas". Forward.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  3. ^ "Nigerian Characters in the Marvel universe". Bookshy. August 2017. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  4. ^ The Official Handbook of the Conan Universe Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, as mentioned in Comicvine
  5. ^ "Born in Another Time". Jewishideas.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
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Preceded by Thor writer
1983
(with Bob Hall in early 1983)
Succeeded by