Who was Jim Shooter’s father and what happened to him? Family tragedy explored as Marvel EIC dies from esophageal cancer

Former Marvel Editor-in-Chief, Jim Shooter died of cancer on June 30. Jim Shooter was the son of Kenneth Shooter, a World War II veteran who had recieved the Purple Heart for his injuries, according to Forbes. According to Comics Beat, the pioneering editor for Marvel passed away from esophageal cancer, the news of which was announced by comic writer Mark Waid, who released a statement on Facebook saying:

"I’ve just received word that Jim Shooter passed away of esophogeal cancer, which he’s been battling for some time. I realize that for many he’s been a controversial figure in the past (game knows game), mostly with regards to his managereal style, but my experiences with him lay outside that realm and began with my lifelong love for his writing beginning with the first time I ever picked up a copy of Adventure Comics in 1967."

According to Tribune, at the age of fourteen Jim Shooter started working in the Comics industry, and had previously worked at DC Comics, before joining Marvel. He would later rise to the role of the ninth Marvel comics Editor-in-Chief in 1978. He worked in the role for nine years, after which he left to found his own company, Valiant Comics in 1989.

More about Jim Shooter's father, as legendary Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief passes away

Jim Shooter was born on 27 September 1951 to parents, Eleanor and Kenneth Shooter. According to Jim Shooter's website, his father, who was a World War II veteran, received the Bronze Star for his bravery during his time in the war. Kenneth Shooter was among the thousand soldiers who were dropped at the Omaha Beach during the second wave on D-Day. He was also awarded the Purple Heart for the injuries he sustained during the operation. According to Jim Shooter, his father was injured in the midsection, after which he was sent home from the war.

According to Jim Shooter, in February 2001 he had dreamt of his father being ill, prompting him to call his family back in Pittsburgh to check up on him. It was later revealed that his father was indeed sick and was later rushed to the hospital. He said

"Sometime in early February of 2001, in the middle of the night, I woke up from an intense dream. I dreamed that my father was gravely ill. Dying. Just a dream, I told myself. It became a recurring dream. It happened five more times before March 14th, my mother’s birthday. I hadn’t been keeping in touch [with] the family back in Pittsburgh much, hadn’t been home to visit for a while. Long story there. But I called my mother on her birthday, of course.

He further added:

"While I was on the phone with my mother, in the background I heard my father grumbling to himself about stomach pains. “I hurt,” he said. My father, Kenneth Shooter, was a man in the way you were supposed to be a man in his generation. I knew of many times when he’d been hurting. I’d never heard him admit it. It was troubling enough so that I e-mailed my brother-in-law and my cousin, the two most responsible relatives I had who lived in the Pittsburgh area. I told them that they should get my father to a doctor, pronto. My sister and brother-in law took Ken to a doctor. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Jim Shooter shared that the tragic part of the situation was that it was already too late for doctors to help.

"The doctors offered no hope. He was no quitter. The doctors sort of humored my father’s will to fight but didn’t try too hard. They surrendered the first day.I think he lived longer than expected on willpower alone."

Kenneth Shooter passed away on 17 September, 2001, seven months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Shooter also recounted how during an X-ray it was discovered that pieces of shrapnel were still logded in his father's body, adding that they grew close during the final months of his father's life. He said:

"The doctor showed me his x-rays. All throughout his midsection you could see little bits of metal, pieces of grenade and gun barrel still there 56 years later. He was so angry about the terrorist attacks on 9/11 that he wanted to get out of his hospice bed, get his shotgun and go after bin Laden. Sane people wouldn’t let him get up, but I think patriotic adrenaline kept him alive an extra six days. He died on September 17, 2001."

He further added:

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"During those last few months of his life, we became closer than we had in all the years before. He needed someone he could talk to, and by virtue of keeping my cool and remaining rational, I was elected. I didn’t make it to Pittsburgh in time the day he died, but that was okay. The whole seven months of his ordeal was our good-bye."

Jim Shooter, who himself passed away on Monday at the age of seventy three, is now being remembered by fans around the world for his remarkable contributions to both DC and Marvel comics.

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