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Donald Clough Cameron

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Don Cameron
BornDonald Clough Cameron
December 21, 1905
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedNovember 17, 1954(1954-11-17) (aged 48)
New York City, U.S.
Area(s)Writer
Pseudonym(s)Don Cameron
C.A.M. Donne

Donald Clough Cameron (December 21, 1905 – November 17, 1954)[1] was an American writer of detective novels and comic books. He is credited with creating several supporting characters and villains in DC Comics' line of Batman comic books.

Career

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Donald Clough Cameron graduated from St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, and became a crime reporter for the Detroit Free Press in 1924 and later worked for the Windsor Star in Windsor, Ontario.[2] In the 1930s, he settled in New York City and became a writer, publishing short stories, sometimes signed with the pseudonym C.A.M. Donne,[1] for pulps and comic books.

Between 1939 and 1946, Cameron wrote six detective novels, three of which featured the young criminologist and detective Abelard Voss,[3][4] who liked to take philosophical reflections during his investigations. The sixth and final novel by Don Cameron, White for a Shroud,[1] features the character of Andrew Brant, the only journalist in a local newspaper, who investigates a series of murders committed in an American town isolated from the outside world by a snowstorm.

Cameron made several notable contributions to the Batman mythos. The story "Here Comes Alfred!" in Batman #16 (April–May 1943) by Cameron and Bob Kane introduced Alfred as Bruce Wayne's butler.[5] Cameron co-created Tweedledum and Tweedledee in Detective Comics #74 (April 1943)[6] and the Cavalier in Detective Comics #81 (Nov. 1943).[7] His story "Brothers in Crime!" in Batman #12 (Aug.–Sept. 1942) featured "Batman's Hall of Trophies"[8] a precursor to the Batcave, which debuted in Detective Comics #83 (Jan. 1944).[9] Cameron and Win Mortimer created Batman's Batboat in Detective Comics #110 (April 1946).[10] In addition, Cameron was one of the writers of the Batman comic strip for the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.[1]

His work on Superman includes creating the Toyman in Action Comics #64 (Sept. 1943)[11] and writing the earliest Superboy stories in More Fun Comics.[12][13]

Cameron created Liberty Belle in Boy Commandos #1 (Winter 1942)[14] and Pow Wow Smith in Detective Comics #151 (Sept. 1949).[15] He was one of the writers of DC's Hopalong Cassidy licensed series based on the film and TV Western hero.[16] Other comic book work by Cameron includes Aquaman, Congo Bill, and the Western character Nighthawk.[17]

Donald Clough Cameron died of cancer in New York City in November 1954.[2] His final comics story "The Giant Eagle Robberies" was published posthumously in Hopalong Cassidy #99 (March 1955).[17]

Other similarly-named creators

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Donald Clough Cameron should not be confused with the similarly named Don Cameron, an artist who was also active during the Golden Age of Comic Books,[1][18] nor with an unrelated Don Cameron, a comics artist who worked on the Cyberella series in the 1990s.[19][20]

Bibliography

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Comic books

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  • Action Comics #58, 61–68, 70–71, 77–83, 85–86, 88–90, 99–100, 102, 107, 109, 119, 148, 151, 192 (1943–1954)
  • Adventure Comics #91, 103–121, 123–128, 132, 138, 141, 147–149, 151, 154, 156, 158, 160–166, 168, 171–174 (1944–1952)
  • Batman #12–17, 19–21, 23–30, 32, 36, 38, 46 (1942–1948)
  • Boy Commandos #1–2, 6–8, 12–13, 16, 27–28, 30, 33 (1942–1949)
  • Detective Comics #70, 73–75, 79, 81–83, 86, 89, 96, 98–101, 105–111, 114–117, 131, 151–152, 154–156 (1942–1950)
  • Hopalong Cassidy #86–90, 92–99 (1954–1955)
  • More Fun Comics #101–107 (1945–1946)
  • Star-Spangled Comics #20–49, 51–68 (1943–1947)
  • Superboy #6, 11, 19 (1950–1952)
  • Superman #23–24, 26–44, 47, 49–50, 53, 60 (1943–1949)
  • Western Comics #2, 6, 15, 18, 21–28, 30, 32–42, 44–47 (1948–1954)
  • World's Finest Comics #12–13, 15, 17–21, 23, 25, 28–31, 33–34, 45, 47–48, 61, 63 (1943–1953)

Novels

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Abelard Voss series

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  • Murder's Coming (1939)
  • Grave Without Grass (1940)
  • And So He Had to Die (1941)

Other novels

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  • Death at Her Elbow (1940)
  • Dig Another Grave (1946)
  • White for a Shroud (1947)

Pulps

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As Donald Clough Cameron

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  • Mood for Murder (1939)
  • In the Dark (1940)
  • Benjy Takes a Holiday (1944)
  • Attar of Homicide (1944)

As C.A.M. Donne

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  • Isle of Ghouls (1935)
  • Marriage for Murder (1937)
  • Vengeance of the Severed Hands (1937)
  • Judgment of the Ghost God (1937)
  • A Bride for the General (1939)
  • White Man's Magic (1941)
  • Rendezvous (1941)
  • No More Raids (1941)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Bails, Jerry (n.d.). "Cameron, Don C." Who's Who in American Comic Books 1928–1999. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Novelist Cameron Is Dead". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. November 19, 1954. p. 11. Retrieved March 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Murder is Coming". Kirkus Reviews. n.d. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017.
  4. ^ "Grave Without Grass". Kirkus Reviews. January 8, 1940. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017.
  5. ^ Wallace, Daniel (2010). "1940s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. Batman and Robin got some help in their crusade against crime with the arrival of butler Alfred in a thirteen-page back-up story by writer Don Cameron and artist Bob Kane.
  6. ^ Manning, Matthew K. (2014). "1940s". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 28. ISBN 978-1465424563. Pencilled by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson and written by Don Cameron, this tale featured cousins Deever and Dumfree Tweed, two thieves who dressed themselves as characters out of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass.
  7. ^ Manning "1940s" in Dougall, p. 29: "Artist Bob Kane and writer Don Cameron gave Batman a new recurring foe in the form of Mortimer Drake, alias the swashbuckling Cavalier."
  8. ^ Manning "1940s" in Dougall, p. 27: "In the first of this issue's four stories, writer Don Cameron and artist Jerry Robinson introduced Batman's Hall of Trophies, a room in Wayne Manor crowded with mementos from the Dark Knight's many cases"
  9. ^ Manning "1940s" in Dougall, p. 30: This landmark issue by writer Don Cameron and artist Jack Burnley introduced Batman's secret hideout, the famous Batcave.
  10. ^ Manning "1940s" in Dougall, p. 36: "Batman and Robin christened the H.M.S Batboat during a trip to England in this story by writer Don Cameron and penciller Win Mortimer."
  11. ^ Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 45: "In writer Don Cameron and artist Ed Dobrotka's 'The Terrible Toyman', a quirky toy maker used his bizarre playthings to commit crimes."
  12. ^ Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 48
  13. ^ Markstein, Don (2008). "Superboy". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. The first story was credited to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, creators of Superman — but the art, while it came from Shuster's studio, was probably not by Shuster himself; and the story was actually written by Don Cameron, as Siegel was still in the U.S. Army at the time.
  14. ^ Markstein, Don (2008). "Liberty Belle". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. The story was written by Don Cameron...and drawn by Chuck Winter...Both stayed with the character for most of her run.
  15. ^ Markstein, Don (2009). "Pow Wow Smith, Indian Lawman". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. His series, which began in Detective Comics #151 (September 1949), was set in the Old West...The writer who kicked it off was Don Cameron...and the artist was Carmine Infantino...Neither stayed with Pow Wow for long.
  16. ^ Irvine, Alex "1950s" in Dolan, p. 72: "Following the decision to close the comics division of Fawcett Publications in 1953, Hopalong Cassidy came to DC with issue #86...by the writers Gardner Fox and Don Cameron and artist Gene Colan.
  17. ^ a b Donald Clough Cameron at the Grand Comics Database
  18. ^ Bails, Jerry (n.d.). "Cameron, Don 2". Who's Who in American Comic Books 1928–1999. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017. Not to be confused with the writer of the same period.
  19. ^ Bails, Jerry (n.d.). "Cameron, Don 3". Who's Who in American Comic Books 1928–1999. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017. Not to be confuse with two earlier folk with similar name.
  20. ^ "Don Cameron". Lambiek Comiclopedia. December 27, 2006. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Don Cameron is an animation artist who has worked on various programs like Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles.
[edit]
Preceded by Batman writer
1942–1948 		Succeeded by
Bill Finger
Preceded by "Batman" feature
in Detective Comics writer
1942–1948 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Superman writer
1943–1949 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Jerry Siegel
 "Superman" feature
in Action Comics writer
1943–1947 		Succeeded by
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