Mike Carlin
Michael Carlin (born October 6, 1958) is an American comic book writer, editor, and executive. He has worked principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics since the 1970s. Mike has been married to Janice Cohen since 2005.
Also recorded as Michael Carlin
Mike Carlin

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- Birth Name
- Michael Carlin
- Born
- 6 October 1958
- Nationality
- American
- Awards
- Eisner Award for Best Editor Inkpot Award (1994)
- Occupation
- writer · comics artist · comics editor
- Education
- High School of Art and Design
- Honours
- Inkpot Award · Eisner Award for Best Editor
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Michael Carlin (born October 6, 1958) is an American comic book writer, editor, and executive. He has worked principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics since the 1970s. Mike has been married to Janice Cohen since 2005.
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Note VALÉORINE
Mike Carlin (born 1958) is an author, comics artist and comics editor, among other activities, of American nationality. The author was educated at High School of Art and Design. Honours include Eisner Award for Best Editor and Inkpot Award.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q1933090 · wikipedia · Mike Carlin
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Birth Name — Michael Carlin • Born — 6 October 1958 • Nationality — American • Write — y • Pencil — y • Edit — y • Notable Works — Superman • Awards — Eisner Award for Best Editor Inkpot Award (1994)
Early life
Early life
Carlin attended the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, graduating in 1976. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Cartooning from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1980.
Career
Career
Mike Carlin started out in the business at DC Comics as a high school intern in 1974. He was hired by Marvel Comics as a writer and artist on Crazy Magazine, the company's black-and-white humor title at the end of 1980. His first work appeared in print in 1981. He later became an assistant editor under Mark Gruenwald in 1982 and wrote a short run of stories in Captain America and Ka-Zar as well as the Assistant Editors' Month issue of Marvel Team-Up (Aunt May and Franklin Richards vs. Galactus). Carlin moved to DC Comics as of October 6, 1986, his 28th birthday, and became group editor of the Superman titles. He oversaw "The Death of Superman" storyline and the subsequent introduction of such characters as Superboy (Kon-El) and John Henry Irons. From 1996 to 2002, he served as an executive editor at DC Comics. As of 2011, he was DC Entertainment's Creative Director of Animation.
Appearances within comics
Appearances within comics
The backup story "Bernie America, Sentinel of Liberty" in Captain America #289 (Jan. 1984) features Mike Carlin dressed as The Watcher, introducing the story. The Batman Adventures #13 features a screwball trio of incompetent super-villains: the Mastermind (a caricature of Carlin), The Perfessor (a caricature of Dennis O'Neil), and Mr. Nice (a caricature of Archie Goodwin). Superman: The Man of Steel #75 (Jan. 1998) is a pastiche of Superman's death in Superman vol. 2 #75 (Jan. 1993), where Mister Mxyzptlk creates a duplicate of Doomsday. The confrontation culminates with Mxyzptlk meeting the Supreme Being, who turns out to be Carlin.
Nominations
Nominations
• 1992 Eisner Award for Best Editor, for the Superman titles and The Psycho
DC Comics
DC Comics
• Batman: Gotham Knights #21 (Batman Black and White) (2001) • Cartoon Network Presents #8 (1998) • Flashpoint: The Canterbury Cricket #1 (2011) • Flintstones and the Jetsons #1–2 (1997) • Green Lantern Annual #3 (1987) • Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #8 (1994) • Metal Men vol. 2 #1–4 (1993–1994) • Secret Origins vol. 2 #33 (Mister Miracle) (1988) • Showcase '95 #2, 6 (1995) • Star Trek #41–47 (1987–1988) • Star Trek: The Next Generation #1–6 (1988)
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
• Amazing High Adventure #1 (1984) • Bizarre Adventures #34 (1983) • Captain America #301–306 (1985) • Crazy Magazine #72, 74, 80, 83–92 (1981–1982) • Daredevil #202 (1984) • Dazzler #32–34 (1984) • Ka-Zar the Savage #28–34 (1983–1984) • Marvel Fanfare #39 (Moon Knight) (1988) • Marvel Team-Up #137 (1984) • Masters of the Universe #1–8 (1986–1987) • Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #4, 11, 13–14, 17 (1985–1987) • The Thing #14–17, 23–36 (1984–1986)
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1933090: Mike Carlin
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Mike Carlin”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Awards
• 1994 Eisner Award for Best Editor, for the Superman titles • 1994 Inkpot Award
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Miller, John Jackson. Comics Industry Birthdays. Comics Buyer's Guide. June 10, 2005.
- 2.Talon, Durwin S. Panel Discussions: Design in Sequential Art Storytelling. TwoMorrows Publishing. 5. 2007. 978-1-893905-14-6.
- 3.Superman vol. 2 #4 (April 1987) letters column
- 4."Bullpen Bulletins," Marvel Comics cover-dated February 1984.
- 5.DeFalco, Tom. Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. Dorling Kindersley. 216. 2008. 978-0756641238.
- 6.Burlingame, Russ. Mike Carlin Celebrates Half His Life at DC Entertainment Today. Comicbook.com. October 6, 2014.
- 7.Cronin, Brian. The Death Of Superman: 15 Things You Forgot (Or NEVER Knew). Comic Book Resources. June 15, 2017.
- 8.Batman: Gotham Adventures #13 at the Grand Comics Database
- 9.Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. 1994 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners.
- 10.Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Inkpot Award Winners.
- 11.Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. 1992 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners.
References
Citations
References
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authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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