Dann Thomas

American comic book writer

Dann Thomas
Born	Danette Maxx Couto (1952-01-30) January 30, 1952 (age 72)
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer
Notable works	All-Star Squadron Arak, Son of Thunder Avengers West Coast Infinity, Inc. Young All-Stars
Spouse(s)	Roy Thomas

Dann Thomas (born Danette Maxx Couto;^[1] January 30, 1952)^[2] is an American comic book writer and is married to comic book writer and editor Roy Thomas. She has at times collaborated with her husband on All-Star Squadron, Arak, Son of Thunder, the Crimson Avenger miniseries, and Avengers West Coast.

She married Roy Thomas in May 1981^[3] and legally changed her first name from Danette in the early 1980s.^[4]

Biography

Dann Thomas' earliest comic book credit appears on "The Sea of No Return" (credited as "Adapted from a story by Danette Couto") in Savage Sword of Conan #66 (July 1981).^[5] Her husband credits her with the original idea for Arak, Son of Thunder, noting, "Danette Couto (soon to be Dann Thomas) had this idea: What if a Native American had discovered Europe?"^[1] She began co-writing the Arak title with issue #12 (Aug. 1982) and would work with Thomas on most of his projects afterwards. Roy Thomas explained in 2011 that "Dann and I co-wrote Infinity [Inc.] from the beginning, coplotting it, with Dann usually, if not always, doing the first draft on the script, which I then rewrote. Not that she was openly credited as co-writer right away; I had to take it slow in that area."^[6] Dann Thomas co-wrote Wonder Woman #300 (Feb. 1983)^[7] and, as Roy Thomas noted in 1999 "became the first woman ever to receive scripting credit on the world's foremost super-heroine."^[4] A rare example of Dann Thomas' solo writing appeared in the Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents series published by Deluxe Comics.^[8] Roy Thomas' contractual obligations to DC Comics prevented him from working on the series but Dann Thomas was able to work on it.^[9]

Dann Thomas' last new comic book writing appeared in Cadillacs and Dinosaurs #9 (Nov. 1994), published by Topps Comics.^[10]

In 2003, she obtained her Masters of Arts degree from California State University. Her thesis was entitled "Comic Books 1938-1945: A Study of the Evolution of Attitudes Towards the Enemy Nations and Their Populations In American Comic Books During World War II." In it, she credits her "husband, Roy Thomas, for his encouragement and support, and for the use of his library of comics-related materials."^[11]

Tributes

The super-heroine Firebrand of the All-Star Squadron takes her civilian name, Danette Reilly, from Dann Thomas.^[12] Dann Thomas co-wrote later issues of All-Star Squadron. Another character based upon Dann Thomas is a woman named Danette who appeared in the story "What If Conan the Barbarian Walked the Earth Today?" published in What If? #13 (Feb. 1979).^[13]

Bibliography

Blue Comet Press

Crime Smasher Special Edition #1 (1987)

Dark Horse Comics

Cormac Mac Art #1–4 (1990)

DC Comics

Action Comics Weekly #623–626 (Shazam backup feature) (1988)
All-Star Squadron #46, 51–55, 58–59, Annual #3 (1984–1986)
America vs. the Justice Society #1–4 (1985)
Arak, Son of Thunder #12–50, Annual #1 (1982–1985)
Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! #16 (1983)
Crimson Avenger #1–4 (1988)
Infinity, Inc. #1–53, Annual #1–2, Special #1 (1984–1988)
Jonni Thunder a.k.a. Thunderbolt #1–4 (1985)
Last Days of the Justice Society Special #1 (1986)
The New Teen Titans vol. 2 #38 (1987)
Secret Origins #5 (Crimson Avenger), #26 (Miss America) (1986–1988)
Shazam!: The New Beginning #1–4 (1987)
Wonder Woman #300 (1983)
Young All-Stars #1–31, Annual #1 (1987–1989)

Deluxe Comics

Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1–2, 4 (1984–1986)

First Comics

Alter Ego #1–4 (not to be confused with the magazine of the same name) (1986)

Hero Comics

Captain Thunder and Blue Bolt #1–10 (1987–1988)
Captain Thunder and Blue Bolt vol. 2 #1–2 (1992)

Marvel Comics

The Avengers Annual #19–20 (1990–1991)
Avengers Spotlight #37–39 (1990)
Avengers West Coast #60–63, 65–94, 96, Annual #5–7 (1990–1993)
Black Knight #1–4 (1990)
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #5–24, 26–40 (1989–1992)
Eternals: The Herod Factor #1 (1991)
Impossible Man Special #1 (1990)
Iron Man Annual #11–12 (1990–1991)
Marvel Super-Heroes vol. 2 #6–7 (1991)
Nightmask #6–7, 10–12 (1987)
Saga of the Sub-Mariner #1–12 (1988–1989)
Savage Sword of Conan #66 (credited as "Danette Couto"), #190–195, 207–210, 225 (1981–1994)
Spider-Woman #1–3 (1993–1994)
Thor Annual #15 (1990)

Star*Reach

Within Our Reach #1 (1991)

Topps Comics

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs #9 (1994)

Screenwriting

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1985)

References

^ ^a ^b Thomas, Roy (July 2005). "Roy Thomas Checklist". Alter Ego. 3 (50). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 23.
^ Miller, John Jackson (June 10, 2005). "Comics Industry Birthdays". Comics Buyer's Guide. Iola, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on February 18, 2011.
^ Catron, Michael (August 1981). "Personal Notes". Amazing Heroes (3). Stamford, Connecticut: Fantagraphics Books: 23.
^ ^a ^b Thomas, Roy (Summer 1999). "The Secret Origins of Infinity, Inc". Alter Ego. 3 (1). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 27.
^ Savage Sword of Conan #66 (July 1981) at the Grand Comics Database
^ Thomas, Roy (2011). Alter Ego: Centennial (PDF). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-60549-031-1.
^ Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. The Amazing Amazon was joined by a host of DC's greatest heroes to celebrate her 300th issue in a seventy-two-page blockbuster...Written by Roy and Dann Thomas, and penciled by Gene Colan, Ross Andru, Jan Duursema, Dick Giordano, Keith Pollard, Keith Giffen, and Rich Buckler. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Dallas, Keith (2013). "Chapter Five: 1984". American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1980s. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 121. ISBN 978-1605490465.
^ Boyd, Jerry (February 2017). "Lightning Does Strike Twice! How the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents stormed back into comics in the 1980s". Back Issue! (94). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 63–65.
^ Dann Thomas at the Grand Comics Database
^ Thomas, Dann M. (Fall 2003). Comic Books 1938-1945: A Study of the Evolution of Attitudes Towards the Enemy Nations and Their Populations In American Comic Books During World War II. A thesis presented to the Faculty of California State University Dominguez Hills.
^ Thomas, Roy (January 2002). "Hail, Hail, Now the Gang's Really All Here!". Alter Ego. 3 (12). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 31.
^ Christiansen, Jeff (January 3, 2004). "Danette". The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013.