Alfred Bester

Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 - September 30, 1987), renown science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, & magazine editor most famously known for his novels the Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination, was also for a time a writer of comic books.

Starting in 1942 he worked on Superman, Green Lantern, and several other titles as well as creating the minor character Genius Jones, and the villains Solomon Grundy and Vandal Savage.

Bester also worked on a number of noted newspaper strips such as Mandrake the Magician and The Phantom.

Bester is the subject of two popular fan rumors. One stating that he was the author of the Green Lantern oath and that he was the writer to first refer to The Phantom as “Mr. Walker.”

The first rumor however was shone to be false when Bester himself in an interview stated that the oath was already in place when he started work in the magazine.

The second is still a possibility.

A character on Babylon 5 was named after Alfred Bester