Steve Englehart's history-making contributions to the Marvel
Universe began with the Beast's solo feature in Amazing Adventures,
in which the eloquent X-Man first assumed furry form. As Avengers
writer, he masterminded such major events as "The
Avengers/Defenders War" (in both teams' titles) and "The Celestial
Madonna Saga." In Captain America, he identified and solved the
"mystery" of the 1950s Captain America (later revived by Ed
Brubaker), and gave the true Cap the alternate identity of Nomad.
Englehart's Dr. Strange storyline in Marvel Premiere established
the character as Sorcerer Supreme and covered the creation of the
universe itself. At DC, he helped revamp Batman, Green Lantern,
Superman and other major heroes for the 1970s. Back at Marvel, he
wrote the first few years of West Coast Avengers and Silver Surfer.
His published novels include Countdown to Flight, Hellstorm (part
of the TALON Force series), Majorca, The Point Man and, with wife
Terry Beach, books in the DNAgers young-adult series. Englehart has
also written TV episodes and designed video games.
Born Jacob Kurtzberg in 1917 to Jewish-Austrian parents on New
York's Lower East Side, Jack Kirby came of age at the birth of the
American comic book industry. Beginning his career during the
rising tide of Nazism, Kirby and fellow artist Joe Simon created
the patriotic hero Captain America. Cap's exploits on the comic
book page entertained millions of American readers at home and
inspired U.S. troops fighting the enemy abroad. When World War II
ended, the public's interest in super heroes waned; Kirby turned
his artistic talents during the 1950s to other genres, such as
monsters, Westerns and crime - as well as the first-of-its-kind
Young Romance Comics. In 1961, Kirby returned to super heroes to
illustrate what would become the defining issue in Marvel Comics
history- Fantastic Four #1. Written by Stan Lee, the team's debut
revolutionized the industry overnight. In contrast to the staid
artwork of his predecessors, Kirby's illustrations seemed to leap
off the page with eye-popping action and drama. For the next
decade, Kirby and Lee would introduce a mind-boggling array of new
characters - including the Avengers, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the
Silver Surfer and the X-Men. Taken together, Kirby's groundbreaking
work with Lee formed the foundation of the Marvel Universe. In the
early 1970s, Kirby moved to DC Comics, where his boundless
creativity continued. He returned to Marvel in 1975, writing and
illustrating Captain America and introducing his final major
concept, the Eternals. With the explosion of TV animation during
the 1980s, Kirby's talents turned to the small screen. Comic fans
quickly recognized his work on such series as Thundarr the
Barbarian and Turbo Teen. Kirby died in 1994, but his influence on
the comic book industry is as strong as ever. His work has inspired
a generation of professional artists and modern writers who
continue to explore his vast universe of concepts and
characters.
After over three decades of writing and drawing the Johnny Hazard
comic strip, which he created in 1944, Frank Robbins (1917-1994)
co-created Invaders with Roy Thomas, marking Marvel's first major
revival of Golden Age super heroes. His distinctive art style
subsequently graced Captain America, Ghost Rider, and the licensed
properties Human Fly and Man from Atlantis. Following a stint as
writer on DC Comics' Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane, he
collaborated with artists Neal Adams and Irv Novick on runs of
Batman and Detective Comics, respectively; his work is credited as
instrumental in returning the Darknight Detective to his
gothic/noir roots.
After a start as inker to his older brother John, Sal Buscema
penciled Captain America, Defenders, Incredible Hulk and more.
Famed for his ability to meet tight deadlines, he spread his
talents across multiple genres. His 1970s work ranged from Ms.
Marvel and Nova to Sub-Mariner and Spider-Woman's first appearance
in Marvel Spotlight. He was the uninterrupted artist on Spectacular
Spider-Man for more than one hundred issues and penciled the
web-slinger's adventures in Marvel Team-Up, in which he and writer
Bill Mantlo introduced Captain Jean DeWolff. After handling more
team-ups in the Thing's Marvel Two-in-One, he reunited with brother
John on Steve Englehart's Fantastic Four. He later provided inks
for Tom DeFalco's Spider-Girl titles and Thunderstrike
miniseries.
Beginning as Stan Lee's production assistant, Herb Trimpe
(1939-2015) went on to pencil a seven-year run on Marvel mainstay
Incredible Hulk - during which he debuted the future X-Man,
Wolverine - as well as 1970s classics Marvel Team-Up, Shogun
Warriors and Godzilla. He was equally prolific during the 1980s on
Nick Fury, The 'Nam and G.I. Joe; the 1990s saw him illustrate
Marvel's First Family on Fantastic Four Unlimited. Trimpe's
war-story credits also include the introduction of the Phantom
Eagle, the WWI aviator hero whose adventures were later chronicled
by Garth Ennis.
Ask a Question About this Product More... |