Former Marvel EIC Bobbie Chase Has Reportedly Retired from Comics

Barbara “Bobbie” Chase, a prolific comic book writer and editor, is officially retiring from comics. The news arrived on Monday via a report from Bleeding Cool, which claims that Chase has no longer been working in the industry as of January 2024. The outlet also reports that Chase has started working on a tell-all memoir about her career, particularly about her time at Marvel Comics. Chase began working for Marvel in 1985 when she was hired for the publisher’s Special Projects Departments, going on to become an editor at the company and later its first Editor-in-Chief.

A year after being hired by Marvel, Chase was promoted to editor, working on the company’s wave of G.I. Joe titles. She then took over as editor for The Incredible Hulk in 1988, ultimately holding the role for ten years. She also edited John Byrne’s Sensational She-Hulk series, and Byrne claims she led to his departure from the book. In subsequent years, Chase helped relaunch Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange as ongoing titles.

By 1994, Chase was promoted to Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Edge, the imprint publishing edgier and teen-oriented titles. While the Marvel Edge imprint only lasted for a single year, it included titles like Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, Ghost Rider, Incredible Hulk, and Punisher. In 1995, Chase was promoted to Marvel Entertainment’s Executive Editor. Her later work at Marvel included the Star Trek titles, Heroes Return, Iron Man, and Fantastic Four. She remained in the role until 2001, briefly moving into children’s publishing.

In 2011, Chase began operating as the senior editor of DC’s Batman titles, overseeing books such as Nightwing, Batgirl, and Teen Titans. She was then promoted to DC’s Editorial Director a year later, and Vice President of Talent Development in 2015. She was laid off from DC in 2020, and went on to become the Executive Editor and Webtoon Unscrolled, the print arm of the hit webcomic company. Just days before the news of her retirement was made public, Chase made headlines for revealing that, going forward, Roy Thomas will be credited among the co-creators of Wolverine. 

“Even if Roy could have contributed as much to the character as Len – should he get the credit?” Chase’s post on the subject reads in part. “Does contributing a name and a country of origin mean he deserves a percentage of the creator equity, when he was on staff at the company? Does Marvel now deserve a split, as they would then be co-creators, having hired the editor now taking credit? Marvel is the character’s owner, in this particular case and in most cases, 100%. Character equity in no way implies that creators own any part of a character.”

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