Paul S. Newman

Paul S. Newman (April 29, 1924 – May 30, 1999) was an American writer of comic books, comic strips, and books, whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s. Credited in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most prolific comic-book writer, with more than 4,100 published stories totaling approximately 36,000 pages, he is otherwise best known for scripting the comic-book series Turok for 26 years.

Biography

Early life and career Newman was born in New York City, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Newman. He served his World War II military service in the Po Valley campaign in Italy, earning a service star as an enlisted man in a bomb disposal unit, and, later, as a first lieutenant special-services officer aboard troop transports. Following his discharge, he attended Dartmouth College, graduating in 1947.

At Timely/Atlas, where he and other staff writers were officially titled editors, Newman worked on the teen-humor series Patsy Walker, Hedy Devine and Jeannie under editor-artist Al Jaffee. Under Atlas editor-in-chief Stan Lee, he wrote stories (generally uncredited, as were virtually all those of the staff writers) for such horror/mystery titles as Journey into Mystery and Marvel Tales, as well as for romance titles.

Newman had an additional decades-long run on the character the Lone Ranger, in the Dell Comics comic-book series. With artist Tom Gill, Newman chronicled the adventures of the radio, television and comic-strip Western hero from #38–145 (April 1948 – July 1962), the final issue. Later that decade, Newman wrote the comic-book adaptation of the Beatles' animated feature Yellow Submarine. and industrial films and audio-visual presentations.

Comic strips Newman wrote the September 9, 1951 – February 8, 1953, Sundays and dailies of the comic strip adaptation of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, drawn by . Newman additionally wrote issues of Dell Comics' Tom Corbet comic book.

Among his other strips are Laugh-In (with artist Roy Doty), based on the TV show; Smokey Bear; Robin Malone; and The Lone Ranger.

Newman was a posthumous recipient of the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing in 2021. In 2026, Newman was selected for inclusion in the Eisner Hall of Fame.

Personal In 1985, the once-divorced Newman married his second wife, Carol Wernick, project coordinator of youth leadership for the New York City Board of Education. The ceremony by Rabbi Max Ticktin took place at Newman's New York City home.