Writer's Ashes Turned Into Comic Book!

 

Mark Gruenwald is not exactly a household name.  A few years ago however, this blogger stumbled across his final resting place quite by accident and was immediately intrigued.  This was a story I had to cover.

He was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on June 18, 1953.  He was an artist from an early age, beginning a fanzine called Omniverse.  It caught the attention of DC Comics, who hired him to write articles for their official fanzine, The Amazing World of DC Comics.  

In 1978, he was hired by Marvel Comics, where he was eventually put in charge of such titles as Captain America, Thor, and The Avengers.  He authored the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, a 15-volume encyclopedic presentation of its various characters and titles.  He was most proud however, of his 12-issue series Squadron Supreme, which told the tale of an alternate world ruled by well-intentioned but delusional superheroes.

Gruenwald died unexpectedly on August 12, 1996, at the age of 43.  Doctors attributed his death to an undiagnosed congenital heart defect.  In keeping with his wishes, Gruenwald was cremated, and his ashes were taken to Marvel Comics.  There, they were mixed with printers ink and used in the first printing of Squadron Supreme's trade paperback.  This blogger found one such copy on display at the Ripley's Believe it or Not Odditorium in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to see more of Gruenwald's comic book legacy, take a voyage to Amazon.  Its all in books.  Comic books.
  
  
• Gruenwald was a known practical joker.  Upon his sudden death, friends and co-workers assumed it was an elaborate prank.
  
  
• Both Marvel and DC Comics paid tribute to Gruenwald by naming several people and places in their stories after him.  The most obvious reference is in the Marvel streaming series Loki, where the character Mobius M. Mobius, as played by Owen Wilson, is made to resemble Gruenwald.  Check out a clip on YouTube.
  
  
• Having served as writer of Captain America for more than ten years, it's no surprise that Gruenwald owned a replica of the titular character's iconic shield, which is today owned by former late-night host Stephen Colbert.
  
  
• In 2024, this blog profiled the cremated remains of Ed Headrick, who not only invented the modern-day frisbee, but had himself turned into one as well.  Check it out here.