Alan Zelenetz
| Alan Zelenetz | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 24, 1948 |
| Nationality | American |
| 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
[edit]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
[edit]- Pi (1998) (Judaica advisor)
- Darkon (2006) (producer, executive producer;)
- The Funeral Party (2007) (co-producer)
- Andorra scheduled in (2007) (producer)
Selected comics bibliography
[edit]- Alien Legion (1984) #1-20
- Alien Legion (1987) #1
- Amazing High Adventure #4
- The Avengers vol. 1 #224
- Bizarre Adventures #32
- Conan the Barbarian #145
- Conan the King #20-27
- Epic Illustrated #30
- Official Handbook of the Conan Universe
- King Conan #16-19
- Kull the Conqueror #1-10
- Marvel Age Annual #1
- Marvel Fanfare vol. 1 #13, #34-37
- Marvel Graphic Novel #15 (The Raven Banner (A Tale of Asgard)), #25 (Alien Legion: A Grey Day to Die), #47 (Kull: The Vale of Shadow)
- Master of Kung Fu vol. 1 #123-125
- Moon Knight vol. 1 #18, #21–22, #27, #32 (backup stories); #36-38 (main stories)
- Moon Knight vol. 2 #1-4
- The Savage Sword of Conan #83, #86, #88, #95
- Thor vol. 1 #329–336, Annual #10-13
- What If? vol. 1 #35, #39, #41
References
[edit]- ^ Miller, John Jackson (June 10, 2005). "Comics Industry Birthdays". Comics Buyer's Guide. Iola, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on February 18, 2011.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Nigerian Characters in the Marvel universe". Bookshy. August 2017. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ The Official Handbook of the Conan Universe Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, as mentioned in Comicvine
- ^ "Born in Another Time". Jewishideas.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Alan Zelenetz at IMDb
- Ovie Entertainment
- Alan Zelenetz at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Alan Zelenetz at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
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