Reed, David V
Entry updated 3 March 2023. Tagged: Author, Editor.
Pseudonym – in full, David Vern Reed – used for almost all his fiction by US editor, Comics writer and author David Vern, born David Levine (1914-1994) and also known as David Vern Levine. He wrote mostly for Ray Palmer's magazines (for which he also worked in editorial capacities between 1940 and 1943), starting with "Where is Roger Davis?" in Amazing for May 1939. Don Wilcox wrote the first story, and Reed contributed a Sequel by Other Hands, to the two-part The Whispering Gorilla (May 1940, February 1943 Fantastic Adventures as "The Whispering Gorilla" and "Return of the Whispering Gorilla"; fixup 1950), about an ape with a man's brain (see Apes as Human); the book was published as by Reed alone. Murder in Space: A Complete Science Fiction Novel (May 1944 Amazing; 1954) unconvincingly attempts to relocate a murder mystery with a Western cowboy flavour into space; references to the Asteroids are riddled with Scientific Errors, including the remarkable understatement "The main asteroid belt is over six million miles long ..." Reed was probably the first writer to use the House Name Alexander Blade, which began as a personal pseudonym; among his other names (some apparently not identified) he used also the house names Craig Ellis and Peter Horn and wrote as David Vern, plus one story as Clyde Woodruff. He is best known for his work as a comics writer for DC Comics, intermittently between 1950 and the late 1970s, including excellent scripts for Batman. [JC/PN/BA]
David Vern
born New York: 13 December 1914
died New York: 11 August 1994
works
- The Whispering Gorilla (London: World Distributors (Manchester) Ltd, 1950) with Don Wilcox [fixup: first appeared May 1940 Fantastic Adventures as "The Whispering Gorilla" by Wilcox and February 1943 Fantastic Adventures as "Return of the Whispering Gorilla" by Reed: pb/R G Jones]
- The Whispering Gorilla/Return of the Whispering Gorilla (New York: Gryphon Books, 1998) [anth: comprising the original form of the two separate stories above: pb/Ron Turner]
- The Thing that Made Love (New York: Universal, 1951) [first appeared November 1944 Mammoth Detective as "The Metal Monster Murders": pb/]
- The Metal Monster Murders (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2020) [vt of the above: pb/]
- Murder in Space: A Complete Science Fiction Novel (New York: Galaxy Science Fiction Novel, 1954) [first appeared May 1944 Amazing: pb/Ed Emshwiller]
- Empire of Jegga (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2012) [first appeared November 1943 Amazing: pb/R G Jones]
- Planet of Ghosts (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2012) [dos: first appeared March 1952 Amazing: pb/Alex Schomburg]
- Death Plays a Game (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2015) [dos: first appeared December 1941 Fantastic Adventures: pb/Rod Ruth]
- Myshkin (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2017) [dos: first appeared April 1953 Other Worlds Science Stories: pb/]
collections
- The Uncanny Experiments of Dr. Varsag (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2015) [coll: dos: includes Dr. Varsag's Experiment (January 1940 Amazing) and Dr. Varsag's Second Experiment (August 1943 Amazing) both as by Craig Ellis: pb/Robert Fuqua]
links
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