Janice Race
Janice Race is an American former comic book editor best known for her work at DC Comics in the 1980s.
| Janice Race | |
|---|---|
| Born | Janice Race |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Editor |
Notable works | Jemm, Son of Saturn World's Finest Comics |
Biography
Raised in The Bronx,[1] Race earned a B.S. in speech pathology and audiology from the College of City University.[2] She was employed by DC Comics in the 1980s[3] and had worked as a textbook editor for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich before entering the comics industry.[4]
She began working at DC in late 1983[5] and served as an Associate Editor for Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway[1] as well as an editor in her own right. Among the titles she oversaw was World's Finest Comics which featured DC's two best-known characters, Superman and Batman.[6] Race was a frequent collaborator with writer Greg Potter and edited his Jemm, Son of Saturn limited series and his Me & Joe Priest graphic novel.[7] She and Potter spent several months working on new concepts for the mid-1980s relaunch of Wonder Woman,[8] before being joined by writer/artist George Pérez.[9]
Race left DC before the first issue of the new series was published to return to book publishing[10][11] and was replaced by Karen Berger. Bob Rozakis, the Executive Director of Production at DC Comics in the 1980s, has stated that Race left DC after being told of the low sales on the Jemm, Son of Saturn series.[12]
Bibliography
As editor unless noted:
DC Comics
- All-Star Squadron #32–58, Annual #3 (1984–1986) (as Associate Editor)
- America vs. the Justice Society #1–4 (1985) (as Associate Editor)
- Arak, Son of Thunder #33–41, Annual #1 (1984–1985) (as Associate Editor)
- Booster Gold #1–5 (1986)
- DC Graphic Novel #5 ("Me & Joe Priest") (1985)
- Deadman vol. 2 #1–3 (1986) (as co-editor for #2–3 with Richard Bruning)
- The Fury of Firestorm #22, 24–26, 28–49, 54, Annual #3 (1984–1986) (as Associate Editor until #36, as Editor from #37 afterwards)
- Jemm, Son of Saturn #1–12 (1984–1985) (as co-editor for #1–2 with Dick Giordano)
- Secret Origins vol. 2 #4 (Firestorm) (1986)
- Sun Devils #4–6 (1984 (as Associate Editor)
- World's Finest Comics #306–323 (1984–1986)
References
- Race, Janice, brief autobiographical essay for Dick Giordano's "Meanwhile" column, Wonder Woman #317 (July 1984) "I grew up in The Bronx, in the shadow of Yankee Stadium... Here, at DC, I am the New York contact for most of the books written and edited by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway."
- Bails, Jerry (2006). "Race, Janice". Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
- Janice Race at the Grand Comics Database
- Nossiter, Alf (July 1, 1984), "The Harlem Globetrotter", Amazing Heroes, Seattle, Washington: Fantagraphics Books (50): 39,
Janice Race is a newcomer to DC, having primarily worked in publishing as a textbook editor at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
- Klein, Todd (August 4, 2016). "The DC Comics Offices 1982-1991 Part 4". Kleinletters.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017.
Janice Race is holding the art for The Fury of Firestorm #21 cover dated March 1984, probably one of the early things she worked on in the fall of 1983 when she started. Her name began appearing as editor on the next issue.
- Addiego, Frankie (July 2014). "The Final Days of World's Finest". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (73): 67.
- Potter, Greg; Randall, Ron (1985). Me & Joe Priest. DC Comics. ISBN 0-930289-04-8.
- 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."
- "Newsflashes". Amazing Heroes. Seattle, Washington: Fantagraphics Books (82): 8. November 1, 1985.
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
- Nolen-Weathington, Eric (2003). Modern Masters Volume 2: George Perez. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 50. ISBN 1-893905-25-X.
A week after [George Pérez] came on to Wonder Woman, Janice quit comic books. She went on to book publishing.
- Thomas, Roy letter column, Infinity, Inc. #25 (April 1986) "Janice Race has moved back into the world of book publishing after her sojourn in comics but we wish her well."
- Rozakis, Bob (January 18, 2015). "Old Photo of the Week #2". Bobrozakis.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017.
In Janice's case, she decided she'd had enough when she was told that an issue of J'emm, Son of Saturn that she'd edited had been the worst-selling comic book in DC's history. (That record has since been eclipsed a number of times.)
External links
- Janice Race at the Comic Book Database
- Janice Race at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
| Preceded by Nick Cuti |
All-Star Squadron associate editor 1984–1986 |
Succeeded by Barbara Randall |
| Preceded by Roger Slifer |
World's Finest Comics editor 1984–1986 |
Succeeded by n/a |
| Preceded by Gerry Conway |
The Fury of Firestorm editor 1985–1986 |
Succeeded by Paul Kupperberg |
| Preceded by n/a |
Booster Gold editor 1986 |
Succeeded by Alan Gold |