Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: marvel, rip, Ron Zimmerman

Marvel Comics Writer Ron Zimmerman Has Died

Published Sat, 30 Jul 2022 13:57:09 -0500

Last updated Sat, 30 Jul 2022 17:27:35 -0500

It has been reported by friends and family on social media that Ron Zimmerman, stand-up comedian, producer and comic book writer, died two days ago. And he is being mourned by those who loved him the most. He is known in film and television for working on Friday the 13th IV and V, being a regular guest and producer on Howard Stern's show, and producing shows like Shake It Up, The Michael Richards Show, Action, VIP, 7th Heaven. He wrote for the Simpsons and Justice League Unlimited – even once writing an episode of Charles In Charge on a bet. He was also, for some time, the partner of singer/songwriter Cher, who managed to visit him on Wednesday.

But in comic books, Ron Zimmerman was best known for being hired off the Howard Stern Show by then Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada to write for Marvel Comics. That's where he wrote the series Spider-Man: Get Kraven, about a disillusioned Kraven meeting up with a disillusioned screenwriter to make a story of his life.

There was the Ultimate Adventures series, introducing Marvel versions of Batman and Robin to the Ultimate universe,part of then Marvel publisher Bill Jemas' U-Decide competition/promotion between warring factions within the publisher. Zimmerman also wrote a number of short stories for The Punisher, Captain Marvel and Spider-Man.

But most prominently there was Rawhide Kid, for Marvel's mature readers MAX line, a gay-innuendo cowboy character revival comic that got huge amounts of coverage, from many offended that Marvel Comics would have a comic book with a lead gay character, even one as chaste and stereotypical as the Rawhide Kid. It was internal debate over the comic book that would, eventually, lead to publisher Bill Jemas being dropped by Marvel after the next reorganisation of the executives.

After this period, Zimmerman didn't write for comic books again, but had plenty of scriptwriting, screenwriting and producing work to follow.

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