The Gary Files # 20: Gary Friedrich

(I found this picture on his Wikipedia page.)

An explanation: Since the name Gary is going extinct, I thought it incumbent upon me to celebrate more notable Garys than myself.  This is the twentieth of a series!

Gary Friedrich is an American comic book writer famous for his runs on Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos & Ghost Rider, which he co-created.  (He's probably wearing a Ghost Rider shirt above.)

When did you first become aware of him?  I read so many comics when I was a child, & loved the look of Ghost Rider, & was always a credits-reader, so I doubtless noticed his name in Marvel Comics of the 1970s.

Credits-reader?  Yeah, comics - especially, at the time, Marvel - had a box which told you who was responsible for the book - which I would read along with everything else on the page.  Here's one from Ghost Rider, which I found here:

I read that stuff religiously.

Was it cool to see your name in a comic book?  Of course!  A famous Gary!  With a last name I probably couldn't pronounce!  & not as cool as "Ploog"!

Did he become a favorite writer of yours?  Not really.  I never liked war comics, so wasn't a fan of his Sgt. Fury stuff, & I believe he left the comics world by the time I started really getting into comics as a teen.

He had to fight for a creator-credit for Ghost Rider, didn't he?  Yes, he sued Marvel & the film company around the time that the movie came out.

Did he win?  All I can find is that the parties "reached a settlement."  It probably means he got some cash.  So, sure, I guess he won.

But the second movie was a flop, right?  I don't know.  Was it?

Why are you asking me?  For fuck's sake.  I'll look it up.  Yes, it has a 4.3 on the IMDb, & 17% (!) on Rotten Tomatoes, so it wasn't a good movie.  It cost 64 mil to make & took in 55 mil in the theaters, so I guess it was a flop, but I'm sure it made it up overseas & with rentals.

Was his name really Gary?  Yes, Gary Friedrich.  No middle name listed.  Maybe he didn't have a middle name?

Do you know why he was named Gary?  Born in 1943 - it had to be because of Gary Cooper.