Walter and Louise Simonson papers, 1970s-2000s

This first installment of the Simonsons' archive contains material of little value to the collector but incalculable value to a researcher. The handwritten notes on original scripts, the new character agreements, the scripts for projects that never came to fruition, research and reference articles and photographs, licensing agreements, invoices--even what each member of Upstart Studios paid in rent, utilities, phone, and garbage pickup from 1982 to 1987.

This collection not only fits with existing collections, but intertwines particularly well with the Chris Claremont and Paul Levitz papers, given Louise's work as editor on Chris' X-Men scripts, and Walter's work with DC Comics under Paul's leadership. There is an expectation of art to come, which will make this our first mainstream comic art holdings.

Paul Levitz, who has known the Simonsons through most of their careers, and who is also an adjunct lecturer in Columbia's American Studies program, adds: "This batch of Walter and Weezie Simonson material is a rich trove of how the comics creators worked over the past 50 years: contracts with numerous publishers, scripts, and even collections of the letters that fans would send in to the comics in the 20th Century (material almost never preserved much less archived). Because of their tendency to keep all this collateral material, it will enable scholars to piece together perspective on their professional lives like an archeologist deducing lives from potshards.

"Individually, each of the two are significant to comics history. Walter was one of the first of a young guard entering the field in the 1970s, and from the beginning of his career recognized as a major talent (his Manhunter series with Archie Goodwin won the peer-voted award as comics' best after less than a year as published artist), and he has continued to devote his efforts to comics through the following five decades leading to his induction in the field's Hall of Fame. Weezie (Louise) began her time in comics as an artist's model and muse for her first husband, Jeffrey Catherine Jones (also a significant figure both in comics and paperback cover artwork), and went on to become one of the first women editors of dramatic comics, culminating in a peak success period for X-Men. Stepping away from the editor's desk, she became a noted writer, contributing to the landmark Death of Superman storyline and many other heroic and humorous tales. She too has been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"There are few couples that have both achieved this level of recognition in American comics, and none with bodies of work that only very occasionally overlapped. This combination, with their tendency to save documents, gives a truly unique view of their times."