Jack Oleck

Jack Oleck (March 1, 1914 – March 10, 1981) was an American novelist and comic book writer particularly known for his work in the horror genre.

The brother-in-law of comics pioneer Joe Simon, Oleck's comic book career was basically in two parts. During the Golden Age of comics Oleck wrote for EC Comics and the Simon-Jack Kirby Studio. After the mid-1950s temporary collapse of the industry following the publication of Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent and the establishment of the Comics Code Authority, Oleck left comics, instead writing novels and publishing an interior design magazine. From the late 1960s until his death in 1981, Oleck worked for DC Comics as a writer for their extensive line of horror/suspense titles.

Biography Early career Oleck's first comics credit was as a writer for Lev Gleason Publications' Silver Streak, in 1940.

Golden Age In 1948, using his connection as Simon's brother-in-law, Oleck joined the Simon & Kirby studio, which produced material for such publishers as Quality Comics, Hillman Periodicals, and Simon & Kirby's own Mainline Publications. producing romance stories, war stories and crime features, in addition to the burgeoning field of horror comics.

EC Comics editor Al Feldstein recruited Oleck in the early 1950s, where he became one of the main writers of Crime SuspenStories. Oleck also scripted stories for EC's The Vault of Horror and Weird Science-Fantasy, as well as the EC Picto-Fiction titles, Crime Illustrated, Shock Illustrated and Terror Illustrated. Oleck's final story for DC was "Legend of the Lost" in House of Mystery #287 (Dec. 1980) which was drawn by Alex Saviuk and Bob Layton.

In the 1970s, Oleck wrote horror paperback novels, including two film tie-ins.