Roger Slifer, longtime comics and animation writer and the first DC Comics direct sales manager, passed away today as he was being taken from a nursing home, where he was recovering from a 2012 hit and run accident, to a hospital via ambulance because he was having difficulty breathing. 

The news was communicated by his sister Connie Slifer on the S.L.I.F.E.R. Needs You Facebook page. 

Slifer wrote for the 70s fan press and became DC Comics’ first direct sales manager in 1981.  In that role, he was responsible for cultivating the rapidly growing direct distribution network to comic stores that was proving so much superior to the ID wholesaler system that had prevailed for decades. 

He wrote and edited for Marvel, and created the character Lobo with Keith Giffen while writing Omega Men for DC.  He later worked as a producer and writer on numerous series including Transformers, G.I. Joe Extreme, and Jem and the Holograms.

He was in a crosswalk in Santa Monica when he was struck and severely injured by a hit and run driver in 2012 (see “Lobo Creator in Critical Condition”).  He recovered to a degree (see “Roger Slifer Breathing on His Own”), and according to his sister’s post had been making good progress recently, beginning to recover his ability to write and to speak. 

Although we hadn’t seen him for some time, we have fond memories of Slifer, who believed in the potential of the comics medium and worked to make that potential a reality.  Our condolences to his family.

Hero Initiative helped with the expenses related to Slifer’s care.