Jim Shooter, a hard-driving giant of a comic-book editor who took the helm at Marvel at the tender age of 27, then spent nearly a decade revolutionizing the way superhero stories are written, drawn and sold, died on Monday at his home in Nyack, N.Y. He was 73.

His son, Ben Shooter, confirmed the death but did not specify a cause. Mr. Shooter was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last year.

Powerfully built, with a looming 6-foot 7-inch frame, Mr. Shooter dominated the comic-book world for much of the 1980s, reinvigorating an art form that had been in decline by finding new markets and new readers.

Though he was not yet 30 when he took over at Marvel in 1978, he was already an industry veteran. He sold his first comic story, to DC, Marvel’s rival, when he was just 14, and he worked for both companies while still a teenager.

As editor in chief at Marvel, he rationalized what had been a chaotic operation, instituting a coherent editing process and driving his staff to meet deadlines. He pushed into the growing comic-store market, targeting dedicated fans over the casual reader.