PASSAGES 2010 - THE COMICS

Cartooning must be a good job to have if you want to live a long time. With a few exceptions, most of the guys on this list average out in their 80s. Not a bad run. Here we celebrate these creators and the work they left behind. Thanks to D.D. Degg who created the more comprehensive list on which this entry is partly based.

2/3 Barry Blair, 55
- independent comics publisher/founder of Aircel Comics (1985-92)
- writer/artist who did many of his own titles and later work on the Elfquest line of books


2/11 Marvin Stein, 85
- comic artist for Timely and DC in the ‘40s, Feature & Atlas in the ‘50s and Archie & Gold Key in the ‘60s
- comic strips: Funnyman (194http://comicsdc.blogspot.com/2011/01/2010-comics-deaths-comic-riffs-and.html8-49), McGurk’s Mob (1965-68)



2/19 Jerry Grandenetti, 83
- assistant on “The Spirit” (1948-51)
- 17 years at DC, drawing for all Big 5 war titles
- Contributor to Warren magazines, 1966-72




3/6 Don Sherwood, 79
- assistant to George Wunder on “Terry & the Pirates” (1961-62)
- creator of “Dan Flagg” (1963-67)
- artist of “Dick Clark’s Rock Roll and Remember” strip (1994-95)
- artist on “The Partridge Family” comic for Charlton



3/27 Dick Giordano, 77
- DC: Editor (1968-71, 1980-83); VP Executive Editor (1983-93)
- Editor-in-chief for Charlton 1965-68
- Mainstay inker/artist for DC during editing tenure and as a freelancer
- Co-founder of Continuity Associates with Neal Adams





4/4 Henry Scarpelli, 80
- Artist for Archie Comics and the “Archie” comic strip
- Freelancer for other comic book companies (1960s/70s)



5/3 Peter O’Donnell, 90
- creator of “Modesty Blaise”, which he wrote 1963-2001



5/10 Frank Frazetta, 82
- fantasy artist who influenced all who followed him
- comic book artist in the Golden Age & 1950s
- assistant to Al Capp on “Li’l Abner” in the 1950s
- drew his own strip “Johnny Comet” (1952)
- move posters/book covers in the 1960s
- Album covers/fantasy art in the 1970s
- Will Eisner and Jack Kirby Hall of Famer





5/21 Howie Post, 83
- comic book artist: funny animal artist for DC in the Golden Age, Atlas in the ‘50s
- Harvey Comics artist, early 1960s
- Creator of “Anthro” for DC (1968-69)
- comic strip: “The Dropouts” (1968-81)




6/2 Tony DiPreta, 88
- comic strip artist: “Joe Palooka” (1959-84), “Rex Morgan, M.D.” (1994-2000)
- comic book artist: Timely/Atlas, Quality, Lev Gleason




6/12 Al Williamson, 79
- comic strip artist: “Secret Agent Corrigan” (1967-80), “Star Wars” (1981-83), assistant on “Rip Kirby” (1960-63)
- comic book legend: “Flash Gordon” for King/Whitman, science fiction stories for EC
- drew the comic book adaptation of “The Empire Strikes Back” as well as original Star Wars comics
- spent the bulk of his last 25 years as an inker
- a closer look at his "ESB" comic can be found here





6/23 Joe Messerli, 79
- designer of the “Twilight Zone” logo
- comic book artist for Western (1960s-‘80s), specializing in cartoon characters



7/12 Harvey Pekar, 70
- comic book writer; pioneer in autobiographical comics with American Splendor (1976-2008)
- subject of the film “American Splendor” (2003)
- frequent, contentious guest on Letterman





9/4 Paul Conrad, 86
- Editorial cartoonist for the L.A. Times (1963-93)
- Pulitzer prize winner 1964, 1971 and 1984




9/19 Howard Brodie, 94
- Combat artist from WWII to Vietnam
- Courtroom artist for the Manson, Ruby & Chicago 7 trials
- Illustrator for Yank Magazine during WWII



9/19 Stoo Hample, 84
- comic strip artist – “Inside Woody Allen”
- read Hample's story behind the strip here


10/19 Jonny Rench, 28
- colorist for Wildstorm (2006-10), including Welcome to Tranquility, Red Menace and Claw, the Unconquered


10/22 Alex Anderson, 90
- creator of Rocket J. Squirrel, Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right and Crusader Rabbit




10/23 Leo Cullum, 68
- Cartoonist who had 819 cartoons published in the New Yorker from 1977-2010




10/24 Mike Esposito, 83
- Mainstay Marvel & DC inker 1950s-2000s, primarily partnered with artist Ross Andru
- DC: Big 5 war titles, Wonder Woman, Flash
- Marvel: Amazing Spider-Man (1966-79)
- Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Famer




11/28 Jon D’Agostino, 81
- Comic book artist; drew from the Golden Age to 2010
- Best known as an inker, primarily for Archie Comics and Charlton
- Letterer of the historic Amazing Spider-Man #1


12/14 Adrienne Roy, 57
- DC colorist from the 1970s-‘90s; staggering 15 & 16 year runs on Batman and Detective Comics, respectively
- Also long tenures on Robin, New Teen Titans, Warlord