Otto Binder: The Life and Work of a Comic Book and Science Fiction
Visionary chronicles the career of Otto Binder, from pulp magazine
author to writer of Supergirl, Captain Marvel, and Superman comics. As
the originator of the first sentient robot in literature (I, Robot,
published in Amazing Stories in 1939 and predating Isaac Asimov's
collection of the same name), Binder's effect on science fiction was
profound. Within the world of comic books, he created or co-created much
of the Superman universe, including Smallville; Krypto, Superboy's dog;
Supergirl; and the villain Braniac. Binder is also credited with writing
many of the first Bizarro storylines for DC Comics, as well as for being
the main writer for the Captain Marvel comics. In later years, Binder
expanded from comic books into pure science writing, publishing dozens
of books and articles on the subject of satellites and space travel as
well as UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Comic book historian Bill
Schelly tells the tale of Otto Binder through comic panels, personal
letters, and interviews with Binder's own family and friends. Schelly
weaves together Binder's professional successes and personal tragedies,
including the death of Binder's only daughter and his wife's struggle
with mental illness. A touching and human story, Otto Binder: The Life
and Work of a Comic Book and Science Fiction Visionary is a biography
that is both meticulously researched and beautifully told, keeping alive
Binder's spirit of scientific curiosity and whimsy.
