Comic Book’s Ink Includes Ashes of Editor

The late Marvel Comics editor Mark Gruenwald got his wish: His ashes were blended with ink and made into a comic book.

“This is something that he really wanted because he really loved comics. He wanted to be part of his work in a very real sense,” said Mark Harras, Marvel’s editor in chief.

The ashes of Marvel’s senior executive editor were mixed at a printing plant in Canton, Ohio, for use in “Squadron Supreme,” a reprint of a limited edition 1985 comic he wrote, Harras said Thursday.

The book will be out this week in comic book stores and next month in other bookstores.

Though Gruenwald’s death last August in Pawling, N.Y., was unexpected, his desire that his ashes be made part of a comic book was known to many people, including his widow, Catherine.

Gruenwald was 42 when he died of a heart attack.

As a top editor at Marvel, Harras said, Gruenwald supervised some of the company’s biggest titles, including “Captain America” and “The Avengers.”