Archie Comics Editor in Chief Victor Gorelick Dies

Archie Comics editor-in-chief Victor Gorelick has died. The announcement came from the official Archie Comics Twitter account on Saturday which noted that “no person embodied the Archie spirit more than Victor, who was a leader, friend, and mentor to everyone who walked through the doors of Archie.” Gorelick had worked in a variety of roles for Archie Comics for over sixty years. No cause of death has been provided. He was 78.

“We are extremely heartbroken and devastated to inform the Archie family of the passing of Archie Comics icon and Editor in Chief, Victor Gorelick, who made Riverdale his home for over sixty years,” the statement read. “No person embodied the Archie spirit more than Victor, who was a leader, friend, and mentor to everyone that walked through the doors of Archie. A lifelong friend and mentor to Archie Comics Co-CEO, Jon Goldwater – and an inspiration to the entire Archie Comics family – Victor will never be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Kathie, his family, his friends, and his many fans.”

Gorelick first joined Archie Comics at just 16, coming on board as an art assistant while Archie Comics was run by original founders John Goldwater and Louis Silberkleit. From there, he picked up various skills and moved through several other positions, such as production coordinator and art director, ultimately becoming editor-in-chief in 2007. Gorelick was honored with an Inkpot Award in 2008.

“I came to work here right out of high school,” Gorelick told the Washington Post in 2009. “I started working in the art department — making corrections, learning the business. I started learning how to color, to ink. The company was being run by two of the original founders: Jon Goldwater and [Louis] Silberkleit.”

During his time at Archie Comics, Gorelick oversaw some of the publisher’s more interesting collaborations, including Kraft General Foods, Radio Shack, and even the F.B.I. In addition to his work at Archie Comics, Gorelick served on the Comic Magazine Association o f America’s Code Authority Guidelines Committee and was a member of the Board of Advisors of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. He also taught cartooning as an instructor at Kingsborough Community College in New York City.