Following the death of long-time comic book fan and long-time comic book historian Bill Schelly, Kurt Mitchell has taken on the writing of the 1945-1949 volume of American Comic Book Chronicles.
above images via My Comic Shop
Bill Schelly had written the 1950s volume of the series, while Kurt Mitchell has written the recently published 1940-1944 volume (I’m in the middle of that one now). When Kurt begged off the 1945-1949 book Bill had accepted the assignment of writing that history. With Bill’s passing, the history of comic books during the last half of the 1940s has returned to Kurt.
From the American Comic Book Chroncles Facebook page:
We’re happy to announce that Kurt Mitchell has agreed to finish the 1945-1949 volume of American Comic Book Chronicles. As many of you know, the late Bill Schelly was originally attached to the project and at the time of his passing he had conducted considerable research on the late 1940s era of comic book history. Resuming Bill’s work, Kurt will finish the necessary research and shape it all into the kind of informative, entertaining narrative everyone has come to expect from the American Comic Book Chronicles series. Given the numerous accolades Kurt has garnered for his work on the 1940-1944, we’re convinced he’s the right man for the project. We’re still expecting to release the 1945-1949 volume by next summer.
And from Kurt Mitchell’s Facebook:
Once more unto the breach…
It turns out I’ll be writing the 1945-49 volume of the American Comic Book Chronicles series after all. I initially stepped away from the project after injuring my back last Christmas. Bill Schelly, as respected and beloved a comic book historian as they come, stepped in and all was well. But Bill’s unexpected passing left TwoMorrows in a bind. Publisher John Morrow and editor Keith Dallas asked if I could turn Bill’s rough first draft into the finished product. Since A) Bill’s draft will save me a ton of time and effort on research, and B) my back has healed and we’ve settled on a deadline that will let me work at a pace that won’t aggravate it, I said yes.
TwoMorrows’ American Comic Book Chronicles volumes.