About Vin Sullivan
Lived 1911 – 1999 (aged 87). Vin Sullivan was an American artist and comics artist.
Vincent Sullivan (June 5, 1911 – February 3, 1999 ) was a pioneering American comic book editor, creator and publisher.
Career
As an editor for National Allied Publications, the future DC Comics, he was the first editor on stories featuring Superman from creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, beginning with that archetypal superhero's first appearance, in Action Comics #1 (1938), and in the following year's Superman, the first American comic book devoted to a single character. In addition, Sullivan drew the premiere cover of Detective Comics, the series that in issue #27 launched the hit character Batman.
After leaving National in 1940, Sullivan was hired by the McNaught Newspaper Syndicate to form a new comic book publishing house. This became the Columbia Comic Corporation (Columbia Comics), where Sullivan launched the superhero omnibus Big Shot Comics, publishing early work by Gardner Fox, Creig Flessel, and Ogden Whitney, among others. Columbia Comics' several superhero features included Skyman.
Unhappy with the reluctance of the owners to develop more original series. Sullivan left Columbia in 1943 and formed Magazine Enterprises. This company lasted until 1958, after which Sullivan left comics.
Sullivan was a guest at the August 1998 Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, where he was reunited with some of his former colleagues. He died six months later due to cancer.
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Important facts
People in Vin Sullivan's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Vin Sullivan's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Vin Sullivan?
American comic book editor, artist and publisher (1911–1999)
When was Vin Sullivan born?
Vin Sullivan was born on 5 June 1911 in Brooklyn.
When did Vin Sullivan die?
Vin Sullivan died on 3 February 1999 in Manhasset.
What was Vin Sullivan's occupation?
Vin Sullivan was an artist and comics artist.
What nationality was Vin Sullivan?
Vin Sullivan was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Vin Sullivan. https://biography.guide/vin-sullivan/
MLA: "Vin Sullivan." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/vin-sullivan/.
Chicago: "Vin Sullivan." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/vin-sullivan/.
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