Roger Slifer
A behind-the-scenes creative force in comics and animation who unleashed the chaotic, irreverent antihero Lobo on the DC Universe.
1954–2015 (age 61)·American comic book writer, screenwriter, and television producer·Birthday: November 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
Roger Slifer's career was a tour through the pop culture trenches of the 1980s and 90s. Starting in comics, he wrote for Marvel and DC, where he and artist Keith Giffen dreamed up the ultraviolent, satirical Czarnian bounty hunter Lobo during their run on 'Omega Men'—a character who would explode into a fan-favorite phenomenon. Slifer smoothly pivoted to television, becoming a key story editor and producer for influential animated series like 'G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero' and 'The Real Ghostbusters,' shaping their narrative arcs. His work often blended sharp character moments with high-concept action, leaving a mark on the childhoods of millions. A severe 2004 car accident left him with significant injuries, but the industry rallied to support him, a testament to the respect he commanded from his peers.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Roger was born in 1954, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Roger Was Born
The biggest hits of 1954
#1 Movie
White Christmas
Best Picture
On the Waterfront
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Roger's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1954Born
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1959Started school
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1967Became a teenager
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Could drive
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1972Could vote
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Turned 21
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1984Turned 30
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 40
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 50
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 60
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2015Died at 61
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Co-created the massively popular DC Comics character Lobo with artist Keith Giffen.
- Served as a story editor for the iconic 'G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero' animated series.
- Was a producer and story editor for 'The Real Ghostbusters' cartoon.
- Wrote a notable run for DC's 'Omega Men' series in the early 1980s.
Did You Know?
A benefit auction of comic art was held to help pay his medical bills after his debilitating accident.
He also wrote for the animated series 'Jem and the Holograms.'
Slifer worked as an assistant to comic book writer and editor Archie Goodwin early in his career.
The character Lobo was originally conceived as a villain to be killed off but proved too popular.
“Lobo was our middle finger to the grim and gritty trend.”
