Hello MarkWaid , I’m a researcher/fan looking into the literary roots of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Specifically, has it ever been confirmed by Jerry Siegel or other 1960s staff that Lyle Norg’s scientific origin-his chemical serum and genius-level discovery-was a direct homage to H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man? I would appreciate any insight you have from the DC archives or your time with the creators.
17. June 2026
You’ve reached Paul Levitz, not Mark Waid, but I never had a conversation with Jerry on that subject and I’m not aware of his commenting on it elsewhere. Seems likely that he read Wells and it was an influence.
Hello Paul, I just found out you are going to SDCC in July and was wondering how much you are charging per signature on personal comic books (no CGC or grading involved)?
17. June 2026
I don’t charge for my signature on comics I’ve worked on. My readers and DC customers have enabled me to have a very nice lifestyle, and I don’t need any more contributions. If you want to make a donation to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund or Hero Initiative, those are good causes.
Just curious. The Legion was by far my favorite comic, and I was always fascinated by Element Lad. Was he fun to write? Seems you used his powers much more consistently than other writers; always felt they stayed away from using him. God, I miss those days of my childhood.
17. June 2026
I enjoyed Element Lad as a character–tragic background, interesting powers (I was a science geek as a kid). Glad you enjoyed what I did with him.
I just read that the IP of the Will Eisner estate is up for sale. Any thoughts? Wouldn’t it be nice if DC bought them so The Spirit could be with the other Quality Comics characters DC owns? (Or maybe not???)
1. March 2026
I have no insight into the current thinking at DC about such matters, but back in the day, we looked two types of acquisitions: relatively small ones that we thought could bolster our publishing program at the time (e.g., the Charlton characters) and large ones that required corporate approval (e.g., WildStorm). For the latter, there was always the key question of could the material be turned into films or television programs, where the real money was. It’s funny that two of the deals in the first character turned out to generate films (WATCHMEN, SHAZAM) and the one we managed to close in the latter category hasn’t yet…but it brought Jim Lee to the company, where he’s been an important figure for long time.
Hey Paul! I would love to get a legion book signed by you. Is that possible? Will you be doing a CGC signing anytime soon?
1. March 2026
I have no current arrangements for a CGC signing, sorry.
Hi Paul, hope you’re well, to be honest my question for you is fairly simple. Why did you decide the comic book industry was the path for you and your life. I want to get into writing comics on my side of things and just want to know how someone else came to find the medium worth the investment.
1. March 2026
Well, I didn’t plan it that way. I originally thought I was just working in comics to pay my way through college. I was in an BA/MBA program at NYU, and assumed I’d go into what’s now described as the tech industry since I was a science kid originally. But I was enjoying comics, and when Jenette arrived and I had the chance to go full time, I decided to try it. Seems to have worked out well.
Hi Paul, Helena Wayne is my favorite Bronze Age character. Is there regret that the Crisis shelved this version of the character, at least for a number of years?
19. January 2026
I regretted it, then and now, but she keeps coming back in some fashion…
Who would we reach out to for information about booking you for an event speaking engagement?
11. December 2025
Thanks for your interest. You can reach out to me at [email protected], as I don’t have a speakers’ bureau representation or the like, and rarely do such.
I have a friend who purchased a copy of the 75th anniversary of DC Comics that looks like it was signed by you to possibly Carl Gafford. Since he has passed away I am wondering if you did in fact sign a copy for him and if you would like to have it back.