Greg Potter
{{short description|American comic book writer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox comics creator
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| birth_name = Gregory Paul Potter
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| nationality = American
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| notable works = Jemm, Son of Saturn
Wonder Woman
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Gregory Paul Potter is an American comic book writer best known for co-creating the DC Comics series Jemm, Son of Saturn with artist Gene Colan.
Biography
Greg Potter began writing comics stories for Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazines in 1971, while still a teenager.{{Citation|last = Nossiter|first = Alf|title = The Harlem Globetrotter|journal= Amazing Heroes|issue= 50|page = 39|publisher = Fantagraphics Books|date = July 1, 1984|location= Seattle, Washington|quote = Greg Potter first sold mystery stories to DC and Warren when he was a teenager, but he quit that when he began attending Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Since graduating, he has taught business writing at the Harvard Business School.}} His first work for DC Comics was the seven-page short story "Do You Believe In...?" published in House of Mystery #259 (July–Aug. 1978).{{gcdb|type=writer|search= Greg+Potter|title= Greg Potter}} His story "Papa Don" in Secrets of Haunted House #17 (Oct. 1979) was included in DC's "Top Ten Stories of 1979" collection.{{Gcdb issue|id= 34343/#206523|title= The Best of DC #5 (May–June 1980)}} He stopped writing comics while attending Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut,{{cite web|url=http://www.bailsprojects.com/(S(ykblxwjwy5f50155b1wyg345))/bio.aspx?Name=POTTER%2c+GREG |title=Potter, Greg|first=Jerry|last=Bails|author-link=Jerry Bails|year=2006|work=Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140102012440/http://www.bailsprojects.com/%28S%28ykblxwjwy5f50155b1wyg345%29%29/bio.aspx?Name=POTTER%2C+GREG|archive-date=January 2, 2014|url-status=live|access-date=October 12, 2012|df=mdy-all}} but returned to the industry in 1984. That year, Potter created Jemm, a character originally conceived as the cousin of the extraterrestrial superhero the Martian Manhunter, a long-running character that had not been in use for some time. Partway through developing the series, Potter was told by editor Janice Race that the Martian Manhunter character would reappear in the Justice League of America title.Nossiter p. 36 "I originally wrote the first six issues on the basis that he was from Mars, and that he was going to be a cousin of J'Onn J'Onzz. Then Janice calls me one day and says he can't be from Mars any more because [J'Onn J'Onzz is] coming back in the Justice League. To avoid any continuity problems, Potter rewrote the series as Jemm, Son of Saturn, a character with no connection to the Martian Manhunter. The series was penciled by Gene Colan and inked by Klaus Janson and Bob McLeod. The Jemm character appeared in the "Human for a Day" episode of the Supergirl television series in 2015 and was portrayed by actor Charles Halford.{{cite episode|title= Human for a Day|episode-link= Human for a Day|series= Supergirl|series-link= Supergirl (TV series)|credits= Chang, Yahlin and Sullivan, Ted (writers); Teng, Larry (director)|network= CBS|air-date= December 7, 2015|season= 1|number= 7}}
Potter and Race spent several months working on new concepts for the mid-1980s relaunch of Wonder Woman,Gold, Alan "Wonder Words" letter column, Wonder Woman #329 (February 1986). "[Alan Gold will] be turning over the editorial reins to Janice Race...She has been working for several months already, as a matter of fact, with a bright new writer named Greg Potter." before being joined by artist and co-plotter George Pérez.{{cite journal |date= November 1, 1985|location= Seattle, Washington|title= Newsflashes|journal= Amazing Heroes|issue= 82|page= 8|publisher= Fantagraphics Books|quote= Pérez's Amazon: George Pérez will be co-plotting and penciling the new Wonder Woman series, scheduled to debut in June 1986 [sic]. Greg Potter will be the writer and co-plotter with Pérez}} Potter left DC after completing the second issue of the new series to continue his career in advertisingBerger, Karen letter column, Wonder Woman #5 (June 1987) "Greg is also the creative director of a Connecticut-based advertising agency. Greg chose to further his career in the aforementioned area, and very reluctantly had to relinquish the scripting after helping to launch our series."{{cite book |title= Modern Masters Volume 2: George Perez|last= Nolen-Weathington|first= Eric|year= 2003|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|publisher= TwoMorrows Publishing|isbn= 1-893905-25-X|page= 50|quote = But with the changes I [George Pérez] was making, I think Greg decided that maybe it wasn't for him and he bowed out after issue #2.}} and was replaced by Len Wein.
Bibliography
=DC Comics=
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
- All-Star Squadron Annual #3 ("Jemm, Son of Saturn" preview) (1984)
- DC Graphic Novel #5 ("Me & Joe Priest") (1985){{cite book |title= Me & Joe Priest |last= Potter|first= Greg |author2=Randall, Ron |author-link2=Ron Randall |year= 1985|publisher= DC Comics|isbn= 0-930289-04-8}}
- House of Mystery #259, 261, 275 (1978–1979)
- Jemm, Son of Saturn #1–12 (1984–1985)
- Secrets of Haunted House #17 (1979)
- Wonder Woman vol. 2 #1–2 (1987)
=Fantagraphics Books=
- The Comics Journal #47, 53, 59, 63, 67, 71, 94 (1979–1984)
=Warren Publishing=
- Comix International #1, 3–4 (1974–1976)
- Creepy #46, 52–53, 66, 82, 123, 136 (1972–1982)
- Eerie #36, 44, 47, 57–58, 86 (1971–1977)
- Vampirella #20 (1972)
- Warren Presents #13 (1981)
{{div col end}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- {{comicbookdb|type=creator|id=430|title=Greg Potter}}
- [http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/creator.php?creatorid=912 Greg Potter] at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
{{s-start}}
{{succession box | title=Wonder Woman writer| before=Trina Robbins
and Kurt Busiek| after= Len Wein| years=1987}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Greg}}
Category:American comics writers
Category:Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni