Edward Nelson Bridwell (September 22, 1931 – January 23, 1987) was an American writer for Mad magazine (writing the now-famous catchphrase, "What you mean...we?"

[4] In 1962, while still residing in Oklahoma City, Bridwell submitted to the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction his first idea for a Feghoot adventure, a specific type of shaggy dog story that ends in a humorous and unexpected play on words.

"[4] He wrote scripts for various Weisinger-edited series, such as Superboy and The Legion of Super-Heroes, as well as writing for DC anthology titles such as Unexpected, Mystery in Space and Strange Adventures.

[11] Recalling an early interest in comic book continuity, Bridwell "remembered getting a bit perturbed at times when I was a kid by having things that didn't fit", particularly over the wide range of Martian races in evidence in the adventures of DC's Atom, Wonder Woman, and Superman characters.

He also worked as assistant editor to Julius Schwartz, keeping track of continuity between the numerous Superman titles published.

Part of his job was to manage the letter columns for all the Superman titles, and in response to constant reader questions, Bridwell standardized the Kryptonian language and alphabet.

[14] The first use of the Super Friends name on a DC Comics publication was in Limited Collectors' Edition #C–41 (December 1975–January 1976) which reprinted stories from Justice League of America within a new framing sequence by Bridwell and artist Alex Toth.

[20] He co-created the Justice League members Fire and Ice[21] in the Super Friends series and introduced the Global Guardians in DC Comics Presents #46 (June 1982).