Jim Shooter was 13 years old when he started writing comics professionally—a world record that still stands. He began his career in 1965 writing Superman and other titles for DC Comics.

After working his way through high school and a brief but successful stint in the advertising business, creating campaigns for clients such as U.S. Steel and Levi’s Jeans, in 1976, he was hired as of editor of Marvel Comics. During his tenure in that position, he also collaborated with Stan Lee on the hit syndicated newspaper strip The Amazing Spider-Man.

The comic book business was in steep decline in 1978 when Shooter accepted the position of Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics. He was a key figure in the creative and marketing effort that helped revitalize the industry and establish Marvel as the dominant American comic book publisher, controlling nearly 70% of a rapidly growing market. He was made a vice president of the company in 1981.

Shooter served as Marvel’s creative representative to Hollywood, working closely with Casablanca Record and Filmworks, Dino DeLaurentis, Stan Dragotti, George Romero, Michael Winner, New World Entertainment and others to develop Marvel properties for film and television. He wrote, or co-wrote, treatments for films featuring The X-Men, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Dazzler and other characters.

After leaving Marvel comics in 1987, Shooter wrote Spider-Man and the Night of Doom, a live action arena show that was optioned by MCA Universal and Radio City Music Hall.

In 1989, Shooter founded Voyager Communications Inc., publishers of the hugely successful and critically acclaimed VALIANT comics. Among the many properties he created for VALIANT were Harbinger, X-O Manowar, Shadowman, Rai, Archer and Armstrong, Eternal Warrior, UNITY, the Geomancer and Rising Spirit, later renamed Bloodshot. He also redeveloped classic Dell/Gold Key Comics’ characters Magnus Robot Fighter; Solar, Man of the Atom and Turok, Dinosaur Hunter. Voyager was sold to Acclaim Entertainment in 1993 for $65 million. Turok, Dinosaur Hunter and Shadowman became hit video games.

In partnership with Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video Entertainment, Shooter founded Broadway Comics, which was intended to be a development engine for film and television properties. Golden Books Family Entertainment acquired the intellectual properties of Broadway Comics as well as those of DEFIANT, another Shooter company, as part of its $95 million purchase of Broadway Video Entertainment in 1996.

Since then, Shooter has been a freelance writer, designer and developer for film, interactive media and publishing. He did development work for Fox LightFlash and Plan Z Productions; served as a “concept doctor” for Saban Entertainment; and has created film and entertainment properties for Pantone Color Systems, Inc.

From 1999 till 2002, Shooter created film, television, video game and publishing properties for Phobos Entertainment, Inc., a science fiction film and entertainment company.

In 2002, he became the head writer, editor and creative director of Illustrated Media Group, a creative development house and commercial/industrial publisher.

Since then Shooter has done development of Voice of America-type comic books for the U.S. State Department; “concept doctoring” for Avant Entertainment, and through them, Platinum Studios (producers of Men in Black); creative development for TGS, Inc., a producer of Internet entertainment; development for Benderspink, a Hollywood film development and production company; creation and production of a custom comics series based on Kaballah for Intrinsic Comics, Inc.; creative development and writing for DC Comics and more.

In 2008, Shooter was inducted into the Overstreet Hall of Fame for comic book creators alongside Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko and X-Men creator Dave Cockrum.

In 2009, Dark Horse Comics, publishers and producers of films such as the Mask, Hellboy, Alien vs. Predator and 300, which had acquired rights to the classic Dell/Gold Key Comics properties, contracted with Illustrated Media to have Shooter redevelop and relaunch them—again. This is the second time Shooter has redeveloped and revived several of the classic, iconic Dell/Gold Key characters such as Doctor Solar and Magnus. The first time, at VALIANT, the comics he created were hugely successful as long as he remained involved, and failed after his departure, a fact not lost on Dark Horse management.

Shooter will write several comic book series featuring the characters, hire and supervise other writers and create original characters to expand the publishing program. The imprint debuted in July 2010.

Bill Reinhold

 
Bill is a 1982 graduate of the American Academy of Art in downtown Chicago.He has been a professional Comic Book Artist since 1981. Working for comic book companies such as, Noble Comics, First Comics, Marvel Comics, and DC comics. Drawing characters The Badger, The Punisher, Silver Surfer, Batman, and more. 
The bulk of his comic work has been doing pencils with the great writer Mike Baron. In 1993 they co-created the series SPYKE published by Epic/Marvel.

 As a comic book inker, he's worked with other artists on Marvel Comics books such as the Earth X trilogy, The Punisher, The Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil, Wolverine and The Hulk.
At DC Comics he inked books with the characters Batman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Fate, etc.

Some artists that Bill has inked include- Jon Bogdanove, Doug Braithwaite,  Steve Ditko, George Freeman, Ron Garney, Keith Giffen, Adam Kubert, John Paul Leon, Ron Lim, Lan Medina, Steve Rude, Ryan Sook, Jill Thompson, Ron Wagner, Ryan Sook, and many more. 

In recent times Bill did ink and qouache wash on Doug Braithwaite's pencils for Brave And The Bold and Marvel Comics Wolverine: Origins . 

Of course now in 2010 he's penciling and inking Magnus Robot Fighter at Dark Horse Comics and says it feels great to be back to storytelling!