366 LOEB, JEPH
for an acclaimed 100-issue run. Levitz has authored over 300 comics stories, including
the Superman newspaper strip.
As he was writing some of his most impressive work Levitz was also rising through
the ranks at DC. In 1980, he was appointed as manager of business aff airs. Levitz
worked closely with DC President Jenette Kahn to create DC’s fi rst marketing depart-
ment and explore the possibility of making some of DC’s best material available to new
generations of readers in trade paperback form. Within a couple of years Levitz was
promoted to vice president of operations and then to executive vice president. In 1989,
that position was modifi ed to executive vice president and publisher, a post which he
held for 12 years. When Kahn left DC in 2002 Levitz became president and publisher.
Subsequently, Levitz had a hand in all aspects of DC brand management from edito-
rial content, to toy licensing, to fi lm adaptations. He has been instrumental in expanding
the company with the acquisition of WildStorm Productions and seeking new markets
with graphic novels and trade paperback collections. Levitz remains one of the leading
experts on comics history and a devoted fan of the art form. In September 2009, he an-
nounced that he was stepping down as president and publisher at DC in order to become
contributing editor and overall consultant for the newly-formed DC Entertainment and
return to his career as a writer of comics.
Randy Duncan
LICENSING. See Merchandising and Licensing
LOEB, JEPH (1958–). Joseph “Jeph” Loeb III was born in Connecticut. Loeb’s early career
included co-writing scripts for the movies Te e n Wo l f (1985) and Commando (1985). He
worked with Tim Kring on Te e n Wo l f To o (1987); the pair would collaborate again nearly
a decade later on the superhero themed television show Heroes (2006–).
Th roughout his career Loeb has continued to work in fi lm and television. It was
while working on a script for a feature fi lm of Th e Flash for Warner Brothers that he be-
came involved in comics. Th e movie never happened but DC Comics’ then-president
Jenette Kahn asked Loeb to write a comic book for them. Th at work was Challengers of
the Unknown in 1991. Th e project was the fi rst of many collaborations with artist Tim
Sale, though at the time Loeb thought the job would be a one-time thing. However,
Archie Goodwin, a writer and editor at DC Comics, asked Loeb if he and Sale would
do a Batman story. Th eir fi rst was Batman: Th e Long Halloween, a 13-issue limited
series originally published in 1996 and 1997 that is credited with being one of the
comics to infl uence the 2005 fi lm Batman Begins. Loeb and Sale have also collaborated
on many other projects for DC including Batman: Dark Victory (also a 13-issue series)
and Superman for all Seasons—a Year-One type story told in four issues and recog-
nized as an inspiration for the Smallville television series. Loeb subsequently worked as
a producer and writer on Smallville. Other titles Loeb has written for DC Comics are
Superman/Batman, Supergirl, the limited series Catwoman: When in Rome, and Batman:
Hush—the latter with Jim Lee on art.
