Mark Gruenwald (June 18 1953-August 12 1996) was an American comic book writer and editor. Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse , which explored the concept of continuity. In 1978 he was hired by Marvel Comics, where he spent the rest of his career.

Hired initially as an assistant editor, Gruenwald was promoted to full editorship by Jim Shooter. In the late 1980s he became executive editor, with a particular remit as the keeper of Marvel continuity.

As a writer, Gruenwald is best-known for a long (1985-1995) stint as the writer of Captain America, and for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. However, his magnum opus is widely regarded to be his mid-1980s 12-issue miniseries Squadron Supreme, which told the story of an alternate universe where a group of well-intentioned superheroes decide that they would be best suited to run the planet.

In 1996, Gruenwald succumbed to an unexpected heart attack. As per his request, he was cremated, and his ashes were mixed with the ink used to print a compilation of Squadron Supreme.

External links

• Memories of Mark Gruenwald