Will Murray, a prolific pulp novelist and the co-creator of Squirrel Girl, died August 24. He was 73. When he was a boy, he became a fan of comic books--particularly Spider-man and the other Marvel heroes--and in his teens discovered pulp magazine characters like Doc Savage and the Shadow. He began collecting old comic books and pulps, researching their history and writing articles for fan magazines. He also wrote short stories, many of them influenced by the pulps.
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As a result of his knowledge and contacts with the original publishers, he obtained permission to write a series of new, original Doc Savage novels, which sold well.
Early in his career, Murray interviewed the authors of the popular paperback adventure series the Destroyer, and subsequently wrote a companion book based on the character, assisted the writers in background research for their stories. He went on to ghostwrite 40 novels.
Murray also contributed to many books and comics published by Marvel, including short prose stories and introductions to collections of reprinted material. Marvel later released a comics series based on the Destroyer, with Murray writing the stories.
After Marvel asked him to contribute a comics story using Iron Man, Murray invented his own character, Squirrel Girl, to guest star. He was inspired by his close friend Doreen Greeley and her fondness for animals. The story was illustrated by Steve Ditko, who drew the early adventures of Spider-man. Squirrel Girl would become a cult phenomenon, appearing in her own series and guest starring in other Marvel titles.
In addition, Murray worked regularly as a journalist for Starlog magazine, often covering the making of major films. He continued to contribute articles on comics and popular culture to fan magazines such as Alter Ego and Retrofan, where he had a monthly column, often covering classic television and cartoon shows.
Murray was a frequent guest at Comic Cons and events dedicated to the pulps, and has received numerous awards for his writing and contributions to the medium.