✍️ Gardner Fox

Biography

Gardner Francis Fox, born on May 20, 1911, in Brooklyn, New York, is one of the most prolific and imaginative writers in the history of American comics. Trained as a lawyer, he joined DC Comics (then All-American Publications and Detective Comics Inc.) in the late 1930s and went on to create foundational concepts that continue to shape the DC universe to this day.

Fox's list of creations is staggering. As early as 1940, he created the Justice Society of America in All Star Comics #3 (winter 1940–1941), the first superhero team in comics history. He is the creator or co-creator of major Golden Age characters: the original Flash (Jay Garrick, in Flash Comics #1, January 1940), Hawkman (Flash Comics #1), Doctor Fate (More Fun Comics #55, 1940), Sandman (Adventure Comics #40, 1939), and Starman (Adventure Comics #61, 1941). Each of these first issues is a Holy Grail of the Golden Age, commanding considerable values for copies in preserved condition.

Yet it is in the 1960s that Fox perhaps produced his most revolutionary contribution to DC mythology. In Flash #123 (September 1961), he scripted "Flash of Two Worlds," the story in which Barry Allen accidentally crosses the dimensional barrier and meets Jay Garrick on Earth-2. That tale invented the concept of the multiverse in comics — an idea that would become the central narrative pillar of DC Comics and, six decades later, still fuels films such as "The Flash" (2023) and "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Flash #123 is one of the most important issues in the history of the medium.

Fox also relaunched the Justice League of America in The Brave and the Bold #28 (February–March 1960), a modernized version of his Justice Society. This key Silver Age issue directly inspired Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to create the Fantastic Four at Marvel, making Fox an unwitting catalyst of the Marvel Age of Comics. He scripted the JLA throughout its first decade, writing the famous annual Justice League/Justice Society crossovers that explored the multiverse.

Despite this extraordinary output — he is estimated to have written more than 4,000 stories — Fox, like many creators of his generation, never received royalties for his creations. He passed away on December 24, 1986. For collectors, his issues form the historical bedrock of the DC and Marvel universes. All Star Comics #3, Flash Comics #1, Flash #123, and Brave and the Bold #28 are cornerstones of any major collection.

Co-created Characters