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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Mandrake the Magician Sundays by Alfred Bester(1942-1946)
| # | Title | Writer | Artist | Start | End | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | "Pacifica" | Bester | Davis | 19 Apr 1942 | 1 Nov 1942 | 29 |
| 23 | "Mystery of the Girls with Red Hair" | Bester | Davis | 8 Nov 1942 | 28 Feb 1943 | 17 |
| 24 | "Cloud City" | Bester | Davis | 7 Mar 1943 | 7 Nov 1943 | 36 |
| 25 | "Gloria Golden" | Bester | Davis | 14 Nov 1943 | 23 Jan 1944 | 11 |
| 26 | "The Garden of Wuzzu" | Bester | Davis | 30 Jan 1944 | 21 May 1944 | 17 |
| 27 | "The Circus Adventure" | Bester | Davis | 28 May 1944 | 27 Aug 1944 | 14 |
| 28 | "The Santa Claus Pirates" | Bester | Davis | 3 Sep 1944 | 3 Dec 1944 | 14 |
| 29 | "Fountain of Youth" | Bester | Davis | 10 Dec 1944 | 18 Mar 1945 | 15 |
| 30 | "Kingdom of the Wind" | Bester | Davis | 25 Mar 1945 | 17 Jun 1945 | 13 |
| 31 | "The Attalan Deep" | Bester | Davis | 24 Jun 1945 | 4 Nov 1945 | 20 |
| 32 | "The Twins of Karana" | Bester | Davis | 11 Nov 1945 | 3 Mar 1946 | 17 |
| 33 | "The Singing Devils" | Bester | Davis | 10 Mar 1946 | 30 Jun 1946 | 17 |
| 34 | "Roc Island" | Bester | Davis | 7 Jul 1946 | 3 Nov 1946 | 18 |
Note: Bester wrote the ending of the story "Pacifica".