Correcting a transcription error in the newest edition of the JOURNAL OF COMICS & CULTURE reminded me to say a few words about the very nice man who headed DC’s accounting department for at least most of the Silver and Bronze ages of comics. (DC’s financial side was headed by very few people in its history: Jack Leibowitz went from being Harry Donenfeld’s accountant to the head of the company, Bernie Kashdan succeeded him until he became more of a business negotiator and contracts manager, then Arthur Gutowitz (whose name was unfortunately mangled in transcription) took over until I began modernizing the business side of the company in the early 1980s and was able to bring Pat Caldon in to take over.
Arthur was a soft-spoken gentleman, very comfortable with the long-standing members of the company. He kept the processes of accounting running smoothly with a small team, satisfying the corporate supervisors from Warner Publishing and above. I suspect he found the years working with Carmine Infantino as the leader of the company challenging–they were difficult years for the comics industry, our parent company had little knowledge of (or respect for) comics, and the business side of the company wasn’t Carmine’s strong suit. He had a much closer relationship with Sol Harrison during Sol’s presidency, and, I think, was initially wary of my youthful energy and desire for change. He began to respect me more after an incident I won’t relate here, involving some inventory payment irregularities I unearthed by one of the old school, much beloved and respected folks. It wasn’t dishonesty per se, but it wasn’t kosher, either.
When he was shifted to report to me as Sol retired and Jenette became President, it was a little awkward, given the age discrepancy (I was literally the age of his daughter). He was nervous about the pace of change: if we switch to using computers for accounting, what do we do if they break? He was, perhaps, frustrated by the tools I wanted: why do we have to know the profit or loss from individual titles? And he was plainly scared by my goals: why are you budgeting for a profit from the publishing business; if you do that they’ll expect you to do it every year? (Yes, and with one unsurprising exception, we did and steadily increased it, for the thirty years I was responsible for that bottom line.)
I suspect I wasn’t gentle and supportive enough with Arthur during the few years he worked for me; I was in my 20s, and in a rush to make things better. He deserves credit for building and managing the team that made DC a reliable paycheck for talent, a team that continued to be part of his successor’s crew for many years. Sorry about the misspelling, Arthur, and thanks for being patient so long ago.
I think it’s cool to reflect on one’s career like this; in terms of working relationships with senior colleagues. I can certainly look back with mild embarrassment at my younger self, bristling with energy, eager to succeed, while coming across incredibly green. I’ll always be grateful for their forbearance, astute guidance and for their fine examples.