Lou Stathis

Louis J. Stathis (September 29, 1952 – May 4, 1997)[1] was an American author, critic and editor, mainly in the areas of fantasy and science fiction. During the last four years of his life he was an editor for DC Comics' Vertigo line,[2] working on such titles as Preacher, Doom Patrol, Industrial Gothic, Peter Kuper's The System, and Dhampire.

Lou Stathis
Lou Stathis in his NYC rooftop apartment, summer 1986. Photo by Jeff Schalles.
Born(1952-09-29)September 29, 1952
DiedMay 4, 1997(1997-05-04) (aged 44)
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Writer, Editor
AwardsInternational Horror Guild Award, 1997
Kyle Baker's portrait of Lou Stathis at work.
Lou Stathis in his office at Heavy Metal Magazine, mid 1980's, photo by Jeff Schalles

Work

Stathis was a columnist and editor for Heavy Metal and a columnist for Ted White's Fantastic magazine; during the late 1970s and early 1980s, he also wrote a monthly column on contemporary popular music for Gallery magazine. He worked as an editor for Ace Books, High Times and Reflex magazine.[3][4]

Stathis collaborated with cartoonist Matt Howarth, co-writing the first few issues of Those Annoying Post Bros., published by Vortex Comics in 1985. In 1989, Stathis wrote The Venus Interface, a Heavy Metal graphic novel with a cover by Olivia De Berardinis and interior art by Jim Fletcher, Rick Geary, Peter Kuper, Mark Pacella, Kenneth Smith, Arthur Suydam and Michael Uman.

In writing and editing, Stathis took a prismatic approach, noting popular culture linkages:

"I see connections between all vital forms of popular art. At Heavy Metal and Reflex, we would feature side-by-side profiles of guys like Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, the Residents, Sun Ra, Voivod, Ice Cube, Francis Coppola, David Cronenberg, Susan Sontag (by Samuel R. Delany), James Ellroy (by Lewis Shiner), Kathy Acker, Neil Gaiman (who also interviewed Lou Reed for us), Alan Moore, Moebius, Brian Bolland, and Dave McKean––as if they all deserved commensurate attention (they do). The idea was––and still is––that it's all in the mix, and to erect barriers between, say, comics and music, to ignore the noise from any part of the system, is counterproductive and just plain stupid. Most of the artists and writers I know listen to and take inspiration from music while they work. Most of the musicians I know read comics and get off on the imagery. There's an intense, cross-cultural/media conversation going on, and all you have to do to hear it is stop listening selectively."[5]

While he was an editor at DC Comics, Stathis began having headaches which kept him from working. He died of respiratory failure ten months after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Awards

In June 1997, he received a special award from the International Horror Guild.[6]

See also

References
  1. "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VSNS-25S : accessed 19 Mar 2013), Louis J Stathis, 4 May 1997.
  2. Anderson, Paul M. (August 1997). "Vertigo Editor Stathis Succumbs to Cancer". Wizard (72). p. 22.
  3. "Apparatchik 78: In the Midst of Life, Dr. Fandom". Retrieved 19 May 2006.
  4. "Michigan State University Libraries: Index to Comic Art Collection: 'Loos' to 'Loque' ". Archived from the original on 17 January 2006. Retrieved 19 May 2006.
  5. "Lou Stathis : Mixing and Maxing : Interview" by Pepé Valdez, p. 11-12 in Shop Talk (Sept. 1993)". Retrieved 11 Dec 2020.
  6. "International Horror Guild". Retrieved 19 May 2006.
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