Comic book editor and writer Sid Jacobson has passed away.
Sidney R. (Sid) Jacobson
October 20, 1929 – July 23, 2022
My father, Sid Jacobson, passed Saturday night (July 23rd) at Mission Hospice House in Redwood City, south of San Francisco. He went peacefully after suffering a major stroke during a seemingly mild bout of Covid. He was 92.
When his sister Shirley began dating a fella from Harvey Comics (it didn’t last long — she soon met Bill Grossman)), Dad wrangled a job there (Comics was a growing industry and open to Jews and other ethnic minorities). He soon was running the editorial department there. He edited most every one of their books for like a 35-year period at Harvey. This included their 50’s horror books (wrote “Colorama” a weird story for the Harvey horror book), crime books, romance books and their many comic strip adaptations (“Joe Palooka”, “Dick Tracy”, “Flash Gordon”). He didn’t draw or do any of the visual stuff but edited and wrote stories and with the inimitable, Warren Kremmer, a great artist at Harvey, they created a few well-known comic book characters (Richie Rich, Wendy the Witch, Spooky, Hot Stuff, Little Dot, Nightmare, Little Lotta, Jackie Jokers). He worked with many wonderful comic artists like Gil Kane, Ernie Colon, Jack Kirby and side by side with funny, funny writers such as Lenny Herman, Stan Kay, Howie Post, Joe Simon, Angelo DeCesare (and so many others).
When dad wasn’t at his day job at Harvey or writing lyrics, he found the time to write trashy detective fiction (“Dirty Son of a Witch”), or a naughty comic strip (“The Girl from M.O.T.H.E.R”) for “Swank” Magazine (these issues I discovered stowed at the bottom of his closet, much to my 7-year old delight!). I remember him telling me he had created a sci-fi cartoon for kids (“Johnny Cypher”) but, I have yet to see it. He wrote a woke comic satire, “The Black Comic Book”. I was so proud of this comic satire on famous comic strips with the hero’s recast as African-Americans who had to deal with the realities of racism! Ernie Colon did the drawings!)
My beautiful father, Sidney Jacobson, passed away yesterday in my arms, surrounded by family after a battle with Covid and subsequent stroke. My heart has a deep, deep hole. And I know his loss is felt by the many who knew him and whom he touched. Here’s a little about him…
Sidney Jacobson, 92, co-creator of beloved comic book characters and lyricist died July 22, 2022. Born October 20th, 1929 to Reuben and Beatrice Jacobson, he had one sister Shirley Jacobson Grossman.
His professional life was highlighted by roughly thirty years as editor of Harvey Comics, where he co-created beloved children’s characters — Richie Rich, Wendy the Witch, Hot Stuff, Nightmare, Little Dot, et al. and developed Casper into a “friendly ghost”.
He penned the lyrics for dozens of love songs (“The End”, “Warm”, “Don’t Pity Me”, “A Boy Without a Girl”) with composers Jimmy Krondes and Lou Stallman, as well as writing comedy and novelty records for performers, Sandy Baron, Gary Cane and the Ivy 3 (“Sick Along with Us,” “Yogi,” “The Yen Yet Song”).
He wrote historical novels (Streets of Gold), and satire books (The Black Comic Book), and in his 70’s rebooted himself by writing best-selling non-fiction graphic novels (The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography, and others), illustrated by long-time friend and co-developer Ernie Colón. These efforts furthered his passion to improve understanding and access to challenging content through graphic storytelling.
As a Harvey Comics editor from 1952 to 1982 Sid was part of the gradual transition from the adventure, horror, and comic strip books that was the company’s focus in the 1940s and 1950s to the Richie Rich, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and Sad Sack output that defined the company in the 1960s and 1970s.
In the 1980s Sid became the executive editor of Marvel’s faux-Harvey brand Star Comics after Marvel Comics’ effort to buy Harvey properties fell through and Harvey shut down operations the first time.
Sid hired many Harvey creators (Warren Kremer, Len Herman, Howie Post, +) for the Star comics.
As Kathy said Sid wrote satiric comics outside of his Harvey duties.
The Colored Negro Black Comic Book and The JFK Comic Book
both made liberal use of comic strip characters in the parodies.
Sid is credited with writing an episode of the Flash Gordon comic strip
(“The Lost Continent”) early in Dan Barry’s run of the daily adventures.
And he was the editor of the briefly syndicated Richie Rich comic strip.
After his career with comic books Sid partnered with longtime associate Ernie Colon to create the historical graphic novels The 9/11 Report and Anne Frank, among others
For more about Sid see
The Jerry Bails’ Who’s Who of American Comic Books entry,
the Sid Jacobson Prabook profile, and Sid’s Grand Comics Database credits.
From Sid’s son:
He did another one about a Jewish superhero, “Captain Israel and Boychick” (Stan Kay did those drawings!). This one had a guy who looked a lot like Woody Allen as the bad guy! He wrote these books under a pseudonym because Harvey had some claim on his intellectual comic-related material so he called himself “Eric Reuben” (“Erica” was Kathy’s middle name and “Reuben” was mine).
I remember Marvel’s Star Comics line in the mid-late 1980’s. Even Warren Kremer’s transforming of Richie Rich into Royal Roy.
My condolences to you and your family on this great loss. I have one of the largest Richie Rich collections in the world and really appreciate all the hard work (and great artwork) that Sid created during his career. All the best to you during this difficult time.