James Galton, Former Marvel President & CEO, Dies at 92

James E. Galton, the former president and CEO of Marvel Entertainment Group, has passed away at the age of 92.

Galton is widely credited with saving Marvel Comics from bankruptcy in the 1970s. He joined Marvel Entertainment Group in 1974. Galton started an animation studio in California and used movie, television, foreign-language publication and merchandising to increase the exposure of the Marvel characters. He was adamant that comic books were a legitimate form of literary expression that deserved respect and used the medium to bolster social change such as energy conservation, civil and women’s rights, child abuse prevention and universal literacy. He retired in 1991 but remained a consultant for Foreign Publishing until 1998.

Galton is survived by his wife of almost 50 years, Lydia (nee Ryan), his daughters Beth Galton and her husband Fred Phelps; Jean Galton and her husband Ron Pellegrino; Maggie Galton and her husband Andrei Nicolayevsky; and his son Edward Galton and his wife Sarah.