Schelly’s first published book was Harry Langdon, a biography of the Silent film comedian, published by Scarecrow Press in 1982.
It was discontinued after he graduated from college in 1973. By the end of its 12-issue run, Sense of Wonder had presented the first attempt to chronicle the whole career of comics innovator Will Eisner, as well as work by Steve Ditko, Frank Frazetta and Stanley Pitt. In 1970, while attending the University of Idaho, Schelly changed the format of Sense of Wonder to a "general fanzine" made up of articles and artwork about the history of comic books. Begun while living in Pittsburgh, but mostly published after he moved to Lewiston, Idaho, in 1967, it began as a collection of amateur comic strips and stories. It was for his fanzine Sense of Wonder that Schelly became known to the comics community. He launched Super-Heroes Anonymous in February 1965, the first in a string of magazines he edited and published until 1972. Upon seeing his first amateur publication about comics, a mimeographed fanzine called Batmania, Schelly decided to become a fanzine publisher himself. He was living in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he heard about comics fandom in 1964. He is also a portrait and comic book artist.īill Schelly has been a comic book enthusiast since 1960.
Bill Schelly (born November 2, 1951, Walla Walla, Washington, United States) is an author primarily known as a historian of cinema, comic books, and comics Fandom.