Harry Shorten
| Harry Shorten | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1915 New York City |
| Died | January 14, 1991 (aged 75–76) Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer, Editor, Publisher |
| Pseudonym(s) | Cliff Campbell |
|
Notable works
|
There Oughta Be a Law! Archie Comics Tower Comics |
| Spouse(s) | Rose |
Harry Shorten (1915–1991) was an American comic book writer, editor, and book publisher best known for the syndicated gag cartoon There Oughta Be a Law!, as well as his work with Archie Comics and his long association with Archie's publishers Louis Silberkleit and John L. Goldwater. From the late 1950s until his 1982 retirement, Shorten was a book publisher, overseeing such companies as Leisure Books, Midwood Books, Midwood-Tower Publications, and Belmont Books.
Shorten was born in New York City, the son of Russian/Polish immigrants Joseph and Leah Shorten. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn.
Shorten attended New York University, where he played halfback for the football team and acquired the nickname "Streaky." He graduated from NYU in 1937 with a degree in geology.
After graduation, Shorten played professional football for a couple of years. He also wrote a book (with football coach Mal Stevens), called How to Watch a Football Game (Leisure League of America, 1937).
Shorten began his career as a writer with the pulp magazine publisher Columbia Publications (co-owned by Silberkleit) before moving on to MLJ Comics (later known as Archie Comic Publications). As a writer, Shorten co-created a number of superheroes for MLJ's imprint Dark Circle Comics. In January 1940, with artist Irv Novick, Shorten created the Shield, the first USA patriotic comic book hero. That same year, Shorten also co-created with artist Bob Wood The Firefly. The Black Hood, another 1940 Shorten creation, became a popular character and in 1943 was given his own title, Black Hood Comics. Shorten occasionally used the MLJ house pen name "Cliff Campbell" for his comics writing, but didn't do much writing for MLJ after 1941 because of his editorial duties.
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