TELLING STORIES
Love of reading led to a lifelong career of film, comic books and publishing for Wake Village native Renee Witterstaetter
Storytelling comes naturally to Wake Village, Texas, xas, native Renee Witterstaetter, whose homegrown talent gave her a lifelong career in the creative worlds of comics, literature, music and film.
Witterstaetter, an 1980s graduate of Texas High School and East Texas State University-Commerce, spent her childhood reading, writing and watching old movies. She said her introduction to comics came from reading comics collected by her brothers, Robert and Ray.
“‘Spider-Man,’ specifically the issue where Peter meets Mary Jane, by Marvel Comics and DC Comics ‘Jerry y Lewis’ books ... these were the first comics I discovered - as a kid from my brother’s h ’ collection, l long before I knew I’d ever work in comics.”
Witterstaetter said she returns to East Texas two or three times a year to keep herself grounded and reminded of the place where she “found the early love of storytelling,” including the inspiration from her grandmother.
“(She) was always writing poetry,” Witterstaetter said of grandmother Eva Hicks of Wake Village. “She made quilts and a used them to remind rem her of a story from f her life with fabric f from an old dress d or a flour sack.” sack In December, Wi Witterstaetter visited vis Books-A-Million A in Texarkana, T which sells a number of graphic gr novels that listW list Witterstaetter’s name in the credits. Witterstaetter is the daughter dau of Erma and Raymond Witterstaetter. She said her influences were many, including elementary teacher Jewel Gwen; French teacher Sue Kimbro, who encouraged her to go to Paris on a school trip; high school journalism teacher Connie Penny; and college professor Dr. Lawrence McNamee, who taught her about William Shakespeare and worked with her on writing collaborations.
Witterstaetter said she became aware of her creative aptitude when she won an award in junior high school for a World War II slide show. She recruited a concentration camp survivor to narrate the project.
Just after completing college, Witterstaetter left East Texas to work at a company that organized comic book events. Eventually, she became an editor at comic book publishers DC, Marvel and Topps. She worked on “Superman” at DC. At Marvel, she worked on the “Silver Surfer,” “Conan the Barbarian,” the reintroduction of “She-Hulk” and the “Conan” saga. At Topps, she was the editor for “Jurassic Park,” “Xena” and “Hercules.” She is the co-creator of the comic book “Spartan X” with artist Michael Golden.
Now, Witterstaetter owns her own publishing company, Eva Ink in Connecticut, and represents several comic artists in the Eva Ink Artists Group. She also has written several historical, film, art and children’s’ books.
Witterstaetter said her career—which took her from working with a Dallas company that organizes comic conventions, to authoring her own books, to working on music videos with Madonna, Usher and Seal—is proof that “doors are always opening.”
“When a door opens and it
feels right, that’s what I do. I am very fortunate and blessed.” Witterstatetter said the comics business is collegial.
“It’s a small industry, and everyone knows everyone in the industry.”
One of those Witterstaetter knows is Mike Carlin, an editor at Marvel and DC.
“He taught me a great deal about the essentials of telling a good story.”
Witterstaetter’s travels to China, Norway, Spain, Australia, Thailand, Costa Rica and Hong Kong and other places have introduced her to celebrities, including Jackie Chan, about whom she wrote a book and whom she considers a good friend, and famed comedian Buster Keaton’s widow, Eleanor, whom Witterstaetter introduced to Chan.
Witterstaetter worked with Chan on his movie “Rush Hour 2” and with Anthony Hopkins on “Red Dragon.”
Witterstaetter studied journalism in high school, at Texarkana College and at Texas A&MCommerce. She was the editor of the Tiger Times, TC News and A&M-Commerce’s student newspaper The East Texan. She also worked at Citizens Tribune newspaper in New Boston.
Witterstaetter said most of the books Eva Ink publishes are limited press, with hopes of getting them picked up by bigger publishers. Her book “Nick Cardy: The Artist at War” recently was picked up by Britain’s Titan Publishing. The book can be purchased on TitanBooks.com and will be in bookstores soon.
Cardy is a movie poster artist and a comic book artist on DC’s “Tomahawk,” “Aquaman” and “Teen Titans.”
Witterstaetter said the idea for Cardy came after she visited the artist a couple of years ago. He showed her some of his neverbefore-seen combat sketches of World War II. Cardy, 92, carried his artist tools with him while an assistant tank driver in the 3rd Armored Division. He received two Purple Hearts.
Witterstaetter said despite the popularity of electronic media, there always will be a place for paper books.
“It’s a treasure that shouldn’t be lost. ... (It’s) an artifact, a history of our existence as people,” she said.
Witterstaetter, who fancies ballroom and salsa dancing and still likes to fish in NYC’s Central Park, has a number of nieces and nephews in East Texas. She will travel to Russia next year to lecture on comics.