Alfred Bester
| Alfred Bester | |
| Biographical information | |
| Born: | December 18, 1913 |
|---|---|
| Died: | September 30, 1987 |
| Nationality: |  American
|
| Occupation: | Writer |
| Website: | N/A |
Alfred Bester was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books. Though successful in all these fields, he is probably best remembered today for his work as a science fiction author, and as the winner of the first Hugo Award in 1953 for his novel The Demolished Man.
In 1942, two of his science fiction editors got work at DC Comics, and invited Bester to contribute to various DC titles. Consequently, Bester left the field of short story writing and began working for DC Comics as a writer on Superman, Green Lantern and other titles. It is popularly believed that Bester wrote the version of the Green Lantern Oath: "In brightest day, In blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, green latern's light".
Bester was also the writer for Lee Falk's comic strips The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician while their creator served in World War II. It is widely speculated how much influence Bester had on these comics. One theory claims that Bester was responsible for giving the Phantom his surname, "Walker".
After four years in the comics industry, in 1946 Bester turned his attention to radio scripts, after wife Rolly (a busy radio actress) told him that the show Nick Carter, Master Detective was looking for story submissions. Over the next few years, Bester wrote for Nick Carter, as well as The Shadow, Charlie Chan, Nero Wolfe and other shows. He later wrote for The CBS Radio Mystery Theater.
Mandrake the Magician Dailies by Alfred Bester(1942-1946)
| # | Title | Writer | Artist | Start | End | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | "Baron Kord" | Bester | Davis | 14 Sep 1942 | 10 Apr 1943 | 30 |
| 29 | "The Witch of Kaloon" | Bester | Davis | 12 Apr 1943 | 23 Oct 1943 | 28 |
| 30 | "The Earthshaker" | Bester | Davis | 25 Oct 1943 | 29 Jan 1944 | 14 |
| 31 | "The Dome" | Bester | Davis | 31 Jan 1944 | 24 Jun 1944 | 21 |
| 32 | "Doctor Congo" | Bester | Davis | 26 Jun 1944 | 7 Oct 1944 | 15 |
| 33 | "The Mirror People" | Bester | Davis | 9 Oct 1944 | 16 Dec 1944 | 10 |
| 34 | "The Ice Lady" | Bester | Davis | 18 Dec 1944 | 31 Mar 1945 | 15 |
| 35 | "The Old Ones" | Bester | Davis | 2 Apr 1945 | 30 Jun 1945 | 13 |
| 36 | "The Mysterious Prince" | Bester | Davis | 2 Jul 1945 | 13 Oct 1945 | 15 |
| 37 | "The Sleeping Beauty" | Bester | Davis | 15 Oct 1945 | 12 Jan 1946 | 13 |
| 38 | "Pleasant Valley" | Bester | Davis | 14 Jan 1946 | 23 Mar 1946 | 10 |
| 39 | "Medusa" | Bester | Davis | 25 Mar 1946 | 1 Jun 1946 | 10 |
| 40 | "The Jinx" | Bester | Davis | 3 Jun 1946 | 3 Aug 1946 | 9 |
| 41 | "Felina" | Bester | Davis | 5 Aug 1946 | 14 Dec 1946 | 19 |