Al Plastino: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
m standard quote handling in WP;standard Apostrophe/quotation marks in WP; MOS general fixes |
WP:INFONAT cleanup (via WP:JWB) |
||
| (46 intermediate revisions by 26 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|American comic artist}} |
|||
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}} |
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}} |
||
{{Infobox comics creator |
{{Infobox comics creator |
||
| image = Al_Plastino_in_2007.jpeg |
| image = Al_Plastino_in_2007.jpeg |
||
| imagesize = |
|||
| caption = Al Plastino in 2007 |
| caption = Al Plastino in 2007 |
||
| alt = |
| alt = |
||
| birth_name = |
| birth_name = Alfred John Plastino |
||
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1921|12|15}} |
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1921|12|15}} |
||
| birth_place = [[Manhattan]], New York |
| birth_place = [[Manhattan]], New York, U.S. |
||
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|11|25|1921|12|15}} |
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|11|25|1921|12|15}} |
||
| death_place = [[Patchogue, New York]] |
| death_place = [[Patchogue, New York]], U.S. |
||
| nationality = American |
|||
| area = |
| area = |
||
| write = y |
| write = y |
||
| Line 21: | Line 20: | ||
| signature = |
| signature = |
||
| notable works = ''[[Action Comics]]''<br>''[[Adventure Comics]]''<br>''[[Superboy (comic book)|Superboy]]''<br>''[[Superman (comic book)|Superman]]'' |
| notable works = ''[[Action Comics]]''<br>''[[Adventure Comics]]''<br>''[[Superboy (comic book)|Superboy]]''<br>''[[Superman (comic book)|Superman]]'' |
||
| awards = Inkpot Award 2008 |
| awards = [[Inkpot Award]] 2008 |
||
| sortkey = Plastino, Al |
|||
| subcat = American |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Alfred John Plastino'''<ref name="nytobit" /> (December 15, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American [[comics artist]] best known as one of the most prolific [[Superman]] artists of the 1950s, along with his [[DC Comics]] colleague [[Wayne Boring]]. Plastino also worked as a comics writer, editor, [[letterer]], and [[colorist]]. |
'''Alfred John Plastino'''<ref name="nytobit" /> (December 15, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American [[comics artist]] best known as one of the most prolific [[Superman]] artists of the 1950s, along with his [[DC Comics]] colleague [[Wayne Boring]]. Plastino also worked as a comics writer, editor, [[letterer]], and [[colorist]]. |
||
| Line 32: | Line 29: | ||
===Early life and career=== |
===Early life and career=== |
||
Born at [[Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center]] in [[Manhattan]], New York City, on December 15, 1921,<ref name=newsdayobit>{{cite news | title = Al Plastino, 'Superman' illustrator from Shirley, dies at 91 | url = http://www.newsday.com/news/al-plastino-superman-illustrator-from-shirley-dies-at-91-1.6503304 | work = [[Newsday]] | location = New York/Long Island | date=November 26, 2013 | |
Born at [[Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center]] in [[Manhattan]], New York City, on December 15, 1921,<ref name=newsdayobit>{{cite news | title = Al Plastino, 'Superman' illustrator from Shirley, dies at 91 | url = http://www.newsday.com/news/al-plastino-superman-illustrator-from-shirley-dies-at-91-1.6503304 | work = [[Newsday]] | location = New York/Long Island | date=November 26, 2013 | author-link= Frank Lovece | first= Frank | last=Lovece | access-date= November 26, 2013 | archive-date= December 3, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131203051110/http://www.newsday.com/news/al-plastino-superman-illustrator-from-shirley-dies-at-91-1.6503304 | url-status = live|df=mdy-all}} {{subscription required}}</ref> and raised in [[The Bronx]], Plastino was interested in art since grade school.<ref name=newsday2012 /> He attended the [[High School of Art and Design|School of Industrial Art]] in New York City,<ref name=newsday2012>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/retirement/long-islanders-behind-batman-comics-1.3909300 |title=Long Islanders behind Batman comics |date=August 16, 2012 |first=Daniel |last=Bubbeo |work=Newsday |location=New York/Long Island |pages=B4–B5 |access-date=August 18, 2012 |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203030927/http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/retirement/long-islanders-behind-batman-comics-1.3909300 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} {{subscription required}}</ref> and afterward began illustrating for ''Youth Today'' magazine. He was accepted into the college [[Cooper Union]] but chose to continue working as a freelance artist.<ref name=Al /> His earliest known credited comic-book work is as [[penciler]]-[[inker]] of the [[Dynamic Man (Dynamic Publications)|Dynamic Man]] and Major Victory superhero features and Green Knight medieval-adventure story in [[Dynamic Publications]]' ''Dynamic Comics'' #2 ([[cover-date]]d Dec. 1941).<ref name=gcd>{{gcdb|type=credit|search= Al+Plastino|title= Al Plastino}}</ref> Before the war, Plastino inked some issues of ''[[Captain America Comics]]''.<ref name="NYCC">Plastino bio, "Living Legends," New York Comic-Con program booklet #4 (Reed Exhibitions, 2009), p. 14.</ref> |
||
With the outbreak of [[World War II]], Plastino and his brothers were drafted, and he served in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]. There, a sketch he had made for a model airplane he had designed<ref name=Al /> caught an officer's attention, leading to his being assigned to [[Grumman|Grumman Aerospace Corporation]], the [[National Inventors Council]], and then [[The Pentagon]].<ref name=newsday2012 /> He was assigned there to the [[Adjutant general#United States|Adjutant General]]'s office,<ref name=Al /> where he designed war posters and field manuals.<ref name=newsday2012 /> After his discharge he began working for |
With the outbreak of [[World War II]], Plastino and his brothers were drafted, and he served in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]. There, a sketch he had made for a model airplane he had designed<ref name=Al /> caught an officer's attention, leading to his being assigned to [[Grumman|Grumman Aerospace Corporation]], the [[National Inventors Council]], and then [[The Pentagon]].<ref name=newsday2012 /> He was assigned there to the [[Adjutant general#United States|Adjutant General]]'s office,<ref name=Al /> where he designed war posters and field manuals.<ref name=newsday2012 /> After his discharge he began working for Steinberg Studios, drawing Army posters.<ref name=newsday2012 /> |
||
===Comics=== |
===Comics=== |
||
While working out of a studio in New York City with two other |
While working out of a studio in New York City with two other cartoonists in 1948, Plastino showed sample art of Superman to DC Comics, which offered him work at $35 a page. Plastino, who had heard that Superman artists were receiving $55 a page, negotiated a $50 rate.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.wtv-zone.com/silverager/interviews/plastino_1.shtml|title= Al Plastino interview (Pt. 1)|first= Bryan|last= Stroud|date= December 12, 2007|publisher= The Silver Age Sage|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120901223828/http://www.wtv-zone.com/silverager/interviews/plastino_1.shtml|archive-date= September 1, 2012|url-status= live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Now settled in the comic book field, he largely dropped other commercial work for two decades. Early on at DC, Plastino was forced to copy [[Wayne Boring]]'s style but gradually began using his own style.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.tcj.com/excerpts-from-last-superman-standing-the-al-plastino-story/|title= Excerpts from ''Last Superman Standing: The Al Plastino Story''|first= Eddy|last= Zeno|date= December 2, 2013|location= Seattle, Washington|work= [[The Comics Journal]]|publisher= [[Fantagraphics Books]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131203110148/http://www.tcj.com/excerpts-from-last-superman-standing-the-al-plastino-story/|archive-date= December 3, 2013|url-status= live|df=mdy-all|quote= When asked why he broke from following Boring's lead, Plastino said, 'No one said change it. Wayne's work was really clean cut and professional, though the characters were a little stiff. It almost hurt me to draw like him. I tried to keep the look consistent, but it gradually did change.'}}</ref> He did 48<ref name=gcd /> ''Superman'' covers as well as countless DC stories. Plastino and writer [[Bill Finger]] produced the story for ''[[Superman (comic book)|Superman]]'' #61 (Nov. 1949) in which [[kryptonite]], which had originated on ''[[The Adventures of Superman (radio)|The Adventures of Superman]]'' radio program, made its way into the comic books.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wallace|first1= Daniel|last2=Dolan|first2=Hannah|chapter= 1940s|title = DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=2010|location= London, United Kingdom|isbn= 978-0-7566-6742-9 |page= 61|quote = Kryptonite finally appeared in comics following its introduction in ''The Adventures of Superman'' radio show back in 1943. In a story by writer Bill Finger and artist Al Plastino...the Man of Steel determined that the cause of his weakness was a piece of meteorite rock.}}</ref> He drew the Lois Lane feature in ''[[Showcase (comics)|Showcase]]'' #9 (Aug. 1957) which served as a tryout for the character's own series.<ref>[[Alexander C. Irvine|Irvine, Alex]] "1950s" in Dolan, p. 85: "The future title ''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' got a tryout in issues #9 and #10 of ''Showcase'', when Lois Lane stepped in as the lead feature. The lead story in ''Showcase'' #9, 'The Girl in Superman's Past', by writer Jerry Coleman and artist Al Plastino, introduced Lois Lane to Superman's old flame Lana Lang."</ref> |
||
Plastino worked on several titles within the Superman family of comics, including ''[[Superboy (comic book)|Superboy]]'' and ''[[Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane]]''. Plastino drew the Superboy story in ''[[Adventure Comics]]'' #247 (April 1958) that introduced the [[Legion of Super-Heroes (1958 team)|Legion of Super-Heroes]], a teen superhero team from the future that eventually became one of DC's most popular features;<ref>Irvine "1950s" in Dolan, p. 89: "The Legion of Super-Heroes would become one of DC's most enduring and popular groups despite their humble beginnings, in a story by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino."</ref> with writer [[Otto Binder]], Plastino co-created the first Legion characters |
Plastino worked on several titles within the Superman family of comics, including ''[[Superboy (comic book)|Superboy]]'' and ''[[Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane]]''. Plastino drew the Superboy story in ''[[Adventure Comics]]'' #247 (April 1958) that introduced the [[Legion of Super-Heroes (1958 team)|Legion of Super-Heroes]], a teen superhero team from the future that eventually became one of DC's most popular features;<ref>Irvine "1950s" in Dolan, p. 89: "The Legion of Super-Heroes would become one of DC's most enduring and popular groups despite their humble beginnings, in a story by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino."</ref> with writer [[Otto Binder]], Plastino co-created the first Legion characters, [[Cosmic Boy]], [[Garth Ranzz|Lightning Lad]] (as Lightning Boy) and [[Saturn Girl]].<ref name=gcd /> Binder and Plastino debuted the villain [[Brainiac (character)|Brainiac]] and the Bottle City of [[Kandor (comics)|Kandor]] in ''[[Action Comics]]'' #242 (July 1958).<ref>Irvine "1950s" in Dolan, p. 90: "The mythology of Krypton expanded dramatically with the introduction of the evil Brainiac and the Bottle City of Kandor in the ''Action Comics'' #242 story 'The Super-Duel in Space', written by Otto Binder and [drawn by] artist Al Plastino"</ref> The two men co-created [[Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)|Supergirl]] in ''Action Comics'' #252 (May 1959).<ref name=gcd /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toonopedia.com/suprgirl.htm |title=Supergirl |first=Don |last=Markstein |year=2010 |publisher=[[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240527012840/https://www.webcitation.org/6Q7JSTo8m?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/suprgirl.htm |archive-date=May 27, 2024 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Plastino drew the first appearance of the supervillain the [[Parasite (comics)|Parasite]] in ''Action Comics'' #340 (Aug. 1966).<ref>McAvennie, Michael "1960s" in Dolan, p. 118: "With a story written by Jim Shooter and drawn by Al Plastino, the Parasite entered Superman's life."</ref> |
||
Plastino's "greatest pride"'<ref name="nytobit" /> was a story he drew for ''Superman'' #168 (April 1964, scheduled for publication Feb. 1964), titled "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy."<ref name=JFK>[http://www.comics.org/issue/18481/#140034 "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy"] at the [[Grand Comics Database]]</ref> The piece was done in collaboration with the Kennedy administration to help promote the president's national physical fitness program. In the story, Superman visits the White House, and trusts President [[John F. Kennedy]] with his secret identity. The story was produced shortly before [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|Kennedy was assassinated]], which led to the cancellation of its publication. At the behest of President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], it was published two months later, in ''Superman'' #170 (June 1964),<ref name=JFK /> with Plastino adding a title page showing a ghostly figure of Kennedy looking down from the heavens at Superman flying over Washington, D.C.<ref name=Italiano>{{cite news|last=Italiano |first=Laura |url=https://nypost.com/2013/10/25/comics-artist-devastated-to-find-masterpiece-at-auction/ |title='Superman' artist stunned to find 'donated' work on sale |newspaper=[[New York Post]] |date=October 25, 2013 | |
Plastino's "greatest pride"'<ref name="nytobit" /> was a story he drew for ''Superman'' #168 (April 1964, scheduled for publication Feb. 1964), titled "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy."<ref name=JFK>[http://www.comics.org/issue/18481/#140034 "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy"] at the [[Grand Comics Database]]</ref> The piece was done in collaboration with the [[Kennedy administration]] to help promote the president's national physical fitness program. In the story, Superman visits the White House, and trusts President [[John F. Kennedy]] with his secret identity. The story was produced shortly before [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|Kennedy was assassinated]], which led to the cancellation of its publication. At the behest of President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], it was published two months later, in ''Superman'' #170 (June 1964),<ref name=JFK /> with Plastino adding a title page showing a ghostly figure of Kennedy looking down from the heavens at Superman flying over Washington, D.C.<ref name=Italiano>{{cite news|last=Italiano |first=Laura |url=https://nypost.com/2013/10/25/comics-artist-devastated-to-find-masterpiece-at-auction/ |title='Superman' artist stunned to find 'donated' work on sale |newspaper=[[New York Post]] |date=October 25, 2013 |access-date=November 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127154634/http://nypost.com/2013/10/25/comics-artist-devastated-to-find-masterpiece-at-auction/ |archive-date=November 27, 2013 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all |quote=...Plastino's daughter, MaryAnn Plastino Charles, 55, told The Post. 'He is 91, he has prostate cancer, and this is not helping him at all,' she said of her dad.... }}</ref> Plastino had always believed the artwork had been donated to the [[John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum]] in Boston, but the artwork was placed on auction by a private entity in late 2013.<ref name=Italiano /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsarama.com/19679-dc-comics-reports-the-passing-of-artist-al-plastino.html|title= DC Comics Reports the Passing of Artist Al Plastino|date= November 26, 2013| first=Michael | last=Doran|publisher = Newsarama | archive-date= December 5, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131205044229/http://www.newsarama.com/19679-dc-comics-reports-the-passing-of-artist-al-plastino.html |url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> DC Entertainment subsequently purchased the art and donated it to the Library.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2013/12/16/al-plastino-art-acquired-and-to-be-donated-by-dc-entertainment-to-john-f-kennedy| title = Al Plastino Art Acquired and to be Donated by DC Entertainment to John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston| date= December 16, 2013|publisher= DC Entertainment|archive-date= May 5, 2014|url-status= live|df=mdy-all|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140505193334/http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2013/12/16/al-plastino-art-acquired-and-to-be-donated-by-dc-entertainment-to-john-f-kennedy}}</ref> |
||
In the early 1970s, DC Comics, fearing [[Jack Kirby]]'s versions of Superman and [[Jimmy Olsen]] were too different from their established representations, assigned Plastino (among other artists) to redraw those characters' heads in Kirby's various titles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsfromme.com/2003/08/22/jack-kirbys-superman/ |title=Jack Kirby's Superman |first=Mark |last=Evanier | |
In the early 1970s, DC Comics, fearing [[Jack Kirby]]'s versions of Superman and [[Jimmy Olsen]] were too different from their established representations, assigned Plastino (among other artists) to redraw those characters' heads in Kirby's various titles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsfromme.com/2003/08/22/jack-kirbys-superman/ |title=Jack Kirby's Superman |first=Mark |last=Evanier |author-link=Mark Evanier |date=August 22, 2003 |publisher=News From ME |df=mdy-all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308170721/http://www.povonline.com/notes/Notes082203.htm |archive-date=March 8, 2012 |url-status=live |access-date=April 22, 2012 |quote=Plastino drew new Superman figures and Olsen heads in roughly the same poses and positions, and these were pasted into the artwork. }}</ref> In 1996, Plastino was one of the many artists who contributed to the ''[[Superman: The Wedding Album]]'' one-shot wherein the title character married [[Lois Lane]].<ref>Manning, Matthew K. "1990s" in Dolan, p. 275: " The behind-the-scenes talent on the monumental issue appropriately spanned several generations of the Man of Tomorrow's career. Written by Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, David Michelinie, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern, the one-shot featured the pencils of John Byrne, Gil Kane, Stuart Immonen, Paul Ryan, Jon Bogdanove, Kieron Dwyer, Tom Grummett, Dick Giordano, Jim Mooney, Curt Swan, Nick Cardy, Al Plastino, Barry Kitson, Ron Frenz, and Dan Jurgens."</ref> |
||
===Comic strips=== |
===Comic strips=== |
||
Plastino drew the [[Print syndication|syndicated]] ''[[Batman (comic strip)#Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, 1966–1974|Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder]]'' comic strip<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.wtv-zone.com/silverager/interviews/plastino_2.shtml|title= Al Plastino interview (Pt. 2)|first= Bryan|last= Stroud|date= May 12, 2008|publisher= The Silver Age Sage| |
Plastino drew the [[Print syndication|syndicated]] ''[[Batman (comic strip)#Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, 1966–1974|Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder]]'' comic strip<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.wtv-zone.com/silverager/interviews/plastino_2.shtml|title= Al Plastino interview (Pt. 2)|first= Bryan|last= Stroud|date= May 12, 2008|publisher= The Silver Age Sage|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120901223615/http://www.wtv-zone.com/silverager/interviews/plastino_2.shtml|archive-date= September 1, 2012|url-status= live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> from March 17, 1968, to January 1, 1972<ref>{{cite book|last= Zeno|first= Eddy|chapter= The 'Most Plastino' Hero|title= Al Plastino: Last Superman Standing|publisher= [[TwoMorrows Publishing]]|date= 2016|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|page= 45|isbn= 978-1605490663}}</ref> and was the uncredited [[ghost artist]] on the ''[[Superman (comic strip)|Superman]]'' strip from 1960 to 1966.<ref name=bails>{{cite web|author-link1=Jerry Bails |last1=Bails |first1=Jerry|last2= Ware|first2= Hames|url=http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=PLASTINO%2c+AL |title=Plastino, Al|work=Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999|access-date= November 30, 2013 |archive-date= December 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202234611/http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=PLASTINO%2C+AL |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> In 1970, he took over the syndicated strip ''[[Ferd'nand]]'', which he drew until his retirement in 1989.<ref name="Lambiek">{{cite web|url=http://www.lambiek.net/artists/p/plastino_al.htm |title=Al Plastino |date=November 26, 2013 |publisher=[[Lambiek|Lambiek Comiclopedia]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606210521/http://www.lambiek.net/artists/p/plastino_al.htm |archive-date=June 6, 2014 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> |
||
Plastino also worked on Sunday episodes of ''[[Nancy (comic strip)|Nancy]]'' from 1982 to 1983 after [[Ernie Bushmiller]] died.<ref name="Lambiek" /> Plastino's official website says the artist was commissioned by the [[United Media]] newspaper syndicate to ghost ''[[Peanuts]]'' when [[Charles Schulz]] underwent heart surgery in 1983,<ref name=Al>{{cite web|url=http://www.alplastino.com/alplastino/About_Al.html |title=About Al|publisher=Al Plastino (official site) | |
Plastino also worked on Sunday episodes of ''[[Nancy (comic strip)|Nancy]]'' from 1982 to 1983 after [[Ernie Bushmiller]] died.<ref name="Lambiek" /> Plastino's official website says the artist was commissioned by the [[United Media]] newspaper syndicate to ghost ''[[Peanuts]]'' when [[Charles Schulz]] underwent heart surgery in 1983,<ref name=Al>{{cite web |url=http://www.alplastino.com/alplastino/About_Al.html |title=About Al |publisher=Al Plastino (official site) |archive-date=July 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707115920/http://www.alplastino.com/alplastino/About_Al.html |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all |access-date=November 17, 2009 }}</ref> but [[David Michaelis]], author of ''Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography'', revealed that syndicate president William C. Payette had hired Plastino to draw a backlog of ''Peanuts'' strips during contract negotiations with Schulz in the 1970s. When Schulz and the syndicate reached a successful agreement, United Media stored these unpublished strips, the existence of which eventually became public.<ref>{{cite web | title = Comic Book Legends Revealed #401 | first = Brian | last = Cronin |date = January 11, 2013 | publisher = [[Comic Book Resources]] | url = http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2013/01/11/comic-book-legends-revealed-401/ | access-date = May 7, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130116063259/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2013/01/11/comic-book-legends-revealed-401/ | archive-date = January 16, 2013 | url-status = live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
||
== Personal life == |
== Personal life == |
||
Plastino lived for many years in [[Shirley, New York]], on [[Long Island]].<ref name=newsdayobit/> At the time of his death on November 25, 2013,<ref name=Evanier>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsfromme.com/2013/11/25/al-plastino-r-p/ |title=Al Plastino, R.I.P. | date= November 25, 2013 | publisher=News From Me | |
Plastino lived for many years in [[Shirley, New York]], on [[Long Island]].<ref name=newsdayobit/> At the time of his death on November 25, 2013,<ref name=Evanier>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsfromme.com/2013/11/25/al-plastino-r-p/ |title=Al Plastino, R.I.P. | date= November 25, 2013 | publisher=News From Me |access-date=November 26, 2013 | first= Mark | last= Evanier | quote= ...who died this afternoon. | archive-date= December 7, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131207014230/http://www.newsfromme.com/2013/11/25/al-plastino-r-p/ | url-status = live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> at Brookhaven Hospital in [[Patchogue, New York]],<ref name="nytobit">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/30/arts/design/al-plastino-91-dies-drew-many-superheroes.html|title=Al Plastino, 91, Dies; Drew Many Superheroes|date=November 29, 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | last = Yardley | first = William | access-date = November 30, 2013| archive-date= December 3, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131203031037/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/30/arts/design/al-plastino-91-dies-drew-many-superheroes.html | url-status =live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/comics/longtime-illustrator-superman-comic-book-legends-dies-article-1.1530376 |title=Longtime illustrator for 'Superman' and other comic book legends dies |work= [[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location= New York, New York|first= Barbara|last= Ross | date= November 26, 2013 |access-date= November 30, 2013| archive-date= December 18, 2013|url-status= live|df=mdy-all| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131218055317/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/comics/longtime-illustrator-superman-comic-book-legends-dies-article-1.1530376}}</ref> he had been suffering from [[Guillain–Barré syndrome]]. He and his wife AnnMarie were married for 55 years. They had four children: Fred, Janice, Arlene, and the eldest, MaryAnn,<ref name=newsdayobit/> who managed his business affairs.<ref name=Italiano /> |
||
==Bibliography== |
==Bibliography== |
||
| ⚫ | |||
===Avon Comics=== |
===Avon Comics=== |
||
* ''Molly O'Day'' #1 (1945) |
* ''Molly O'Day'' #1 (1945) |
||
| Line 68: | Line 63: | ||
===DC Comics=== |
===DC Comics=== |
||
| ⚫ | |||
* ''[[Action Comics]]'' ([[Superman]]) #120, 122–128, 130–131, 133, 135, 139–140, 143, 145, 148–149, 152–157, 169–170, 172, 176–177, 183, 185, 193, 197, 201, 205, 208, 212–214, 217, 220, 222, 228, 242, 247, 249, 251–252, 254–255, 259–260, 271, 273, 281–282, 289, 291–292, 294, 296, 300–302, 306, 308, 314, 317, 320, 322–324, 328–329, 331–335, 337, 340, 341–345, 354, 361 (1948–1968) |
* ''[[Action Comics]]'' ([[Superman]]) #120, 122–128, 130–131, 133, 135, 139–140, 143, 145, 148–149, 152–157, 169–170, 172, 176–177, 183, 185, 193, 197, 201, 205, 208, 212–214, 217, 220, 222, 228, 242, 247, 249, 251–252, 254–255, 259–260, 271, 273, 281–282, 289, 291–292, 294, 296, 300–302, 306, 308, 314, 317, 320, 322–324, 328–329, 331–335, 337, 340, 341–345, 354, 361 (1948–1968) |
||
*''[[Adventure Comics]]'' ([[Superboy (Kal-El)|Superboy]]) #245, 247, 253, 256, 268, 271, 276, 278, 281, 286, 292, 294, 296, 298, 324, 333, 335, 341, 344 (1958–1966) |
*''[[Adventure Comics]]'' ([[Superboy (Kal-El)|Superboy]]) #245, 247, 253, 256, 268, 271, 276, 278, 281, 286, 292, 294, 296, 298, 324, 333, 335, 341, 344 (1958–1966) |
||
| Line 78: | Line 74: | ||
* ''[[Superman: The Wedding Album]]'' #1 (1996) |
* ''[[Superman: The Wedding Album]]'' #1 (1996) |
||
* ''[[World's Finest Comics]]'' #34, 39–43, 47, 49, 51, 54–58, 60–61, 64, 67, 70, 165 (1948–1967) |
* ''[[World's Finest Comics]]'' #34, 39–43, 47, 49, 51, 54–58, 60–61, 64, 67, 70, 165 (1948–1967) |
||
| ⚫ | |||
===Harvey Comics=== |
===[[Harvey Comics]]=== |
||
* ''All-New Short Story Comics'' #2 (1943) |
* ''All-New Short Story Comics'' #2 (1943) |
||
| Line 87: | Line 84: | ||
===Marvel Comics=== |
===Marvel Comics=== |
||
* ''[[Marvel Mystery Comics]]'' #33–36 (1942) |
* ''[[Marvel Mystery Comics]]'' #33–36 (1942) |
||
| ⚫ | |||
==References== |
==References== |
||
| Line 97: | Line 93: | ||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
{{Commons category|Al Plastino}} |
{{Commons category|Al Plastino}} |
||
| ⚫ | |||
* {{comicbookdb|type=creator|id= 2193|title= Al Plastino}} |
* {{comicbookdb|type=creator|id= 2193|title= Al Plastino}} |
||
* [http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/creator.php?creatorid=61 Al Plastino] at Mike's Amazing World of Comics |
* [http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/creator.php?creatorid=61 Al Plastino] at Mike's Amazing World of Comics |
||
| Line 105: | Line 102: | ||
{{succession box|title= ''[[Superboy (comic book)|Superboy]]'' penciller|before= John Sikela|after= [[Bob Brown (comics)|Bob Brown]]|years= 1957–1968}} |
{{succession box|title= ''[[Superboy (comic book)|Superboy]]'' penciller|before= John Sikela|after= [[Bob Brown (comics)|Bob Brown]]|years= 1957–1968}} |
||
{{s-end}} |
{{s-end}} |
||
{{Inkpot Award 2000s}} |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
{{Authority control}} |
{{Authority control}} |
||
| Line 113: | Line 108: | ||
[[Category:1921 births]] |
[[Category:1921 births]] |
||
[[Category:2013 deaths]] |
[[Category:2013 deaths]] |
||
[[Category:20th-century American artists]] |
|||
[[Category:American comics artists]] |
[[Category:American comics artists]] |
||
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]] |
|||
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]] |
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]] |
||
[[Category:American poster artists]] |
[[Category:American poster artists]] |
||
[[Category:Artists from New York City]] |
|||
[[Category:Comic book editors]] |
[[Category:Comic book editors]] |
||
[[Category:Comic book letterers]] |
[[Category:Comic book letterers]] |
||
[[Category:Comics colorists]] |
[[Category:Comics colorists]] |
||
[[Category:DC Comics people]] |
|||
[[Category:Golden Age comics creators]] |
[[Category:Golden Age comics creators]] |
||
[[Category:High School of Art and Design alumni]] |
[[Category:High School of Art and Design alumni]] |
||
[[Category:People from Shirley, New York]] |
[[Category:People from Shirley, New York]] |
||
[[Category:People with Guillain–Barré syndrome]] |
|||
[[Category:Silver Age comics creators]] |
[[Category:Silver Age comics creators]] |
||
[[Category:United States Army |
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]] |
||
Latest revision as of 04:13, 14 June 2024
| Al Plastino | |
|---|---|
 Al Plastino in 2007 | |
| Born | Alfred John Plastino December 15, 1921 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 25, 2013 (aged 91) Patchogue, New York, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Writer, Penciller, Inker, Editor, Letterer, Colourist |
Notable works | Action Comics Adventure Comics Superboy Superman |
| Awards | Inkpot Award 2008 |
Alfred John Plastino[1] (December 15, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American comics artist best known as one of the most prolific Superman artists of the 1950s, along with his DC Comics colleague Wayne Boring. Plastino also worked as a comics writer, editor, letterer, and colorist.
With writer Otto Binder, he co-created the DC characters Supergirl and Brainiac, as well as the teenage team the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Biography
[edit]Early life and career
[edit]Born at Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center in Manhattan, New York City, on December 15, 1921,[2] and raised in The Bronx, Plastino was interested in art since grade school.[3] He attended the School of Industrial Art in New York City,[3] and afterward began illustrating for Youth Today magazine. He was accepted into the college Cooper Union but chose to continue working as a freelance artist.[4] His earliest known credited comic-book work is as penciler-inker of the Dynamic Man and Major Victory superhero features and Green Knight medieval-adventure story in Dynamic Publications' Dynamic Comics #2 (cover-dated Dec. 1941).[5] Before the war, Plastino inked some issues of Captain America Comics.[6]
With the outbreak of World War II, Plastino and his brothers were drafted, and he served in the U.S. Army. There, a sketch he had made for a model airplane he had designed[4] caught an officer's attention, leading to his being assigned to Grumman Aerospace Corporation, the National Inventors Council, and then The Pentagon.[3] He was assigned there to the Adjutant General's office,[4] where he designed war posters and field manuals.[3] After his discharge he began working for Steinberg Studios, drawing Army posters.[3]
Comics
[edit]While working out of a studio in New York City with two other cartoonists in 1948, Plastino showed sample art of Superman to DC Comics, which offered him work at $35 a page. Plastino, who had heard that Superman artists were receiving $55 a page, negotiated a $50 rate.[7] Now settled in the comic book field, he largely dropped other commercial work for two decades. Early on at DC, Plastino was forced to copy Wayne Boring's style but gradually began using his own style.[8] He did 48[5] Superman covers as well as countless DC stories. Plastino and writer Bill Finger produced the story for Superman #61 (Nov. 1949) in which kryptonite, which had originated on The Adventures of Superman radio program, made its way into the comic books.[9] He drew the Lois Lane feature in Showcase #9 (Aug. 1957) which served as a tryout for the character's own series.[10]
Plastino worked on several titles within the Superman family of comics, including Superboy and Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane. Plastino drew the Superboy story in Adventure Comics #247 (April 1958) that introduced the Legion of Super-Heroes, a teen superhero team from the future that eventually became one of DC's most popular features;[11] with writer Otto Binder, Plastino co-created the first Legion characters, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad (as Lightning Boy) and Saturn Girl.[5] Binder and Plastino debuted the villain Brainiac and the Bottle City of Kandor in Action Comics #242 (July 1958).[12] The two men co-created Supergirl in Action Comics #252 (May 1959).[5][13] Plastino drew the first appearance of the supervillain the Parasite in Action Comics #340 (Aug. 1966).[14]
Plastino's "greatest pride"'[1] was a story he drew for Superman #168 (April 1964, scheduled for publication Feb. 1964), titled "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy."[15] The piece was done in collaboration with the Kennedy administration to help promote the president's national physical fitness program. In the story, Superman visits the White House, and trusts President John F. Kennedy with his secret identity. The story was produced shortly before Kennedy was assassinated, which led to the cancellation of its publication. At the behest of President Lyndon B. Johnson, it was published two months later, in Superman #170 (June 1964),[15] with Plastino adding a title page showing a ghostly figure of Kennedy looking down from the heavens at Superman flying over Washington, D.C.[16] Plastino had always believed the artwork had been donated to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, but the artwork was placed on auction by a private entity in late 2013.[16][17] DC Entertainment subsequently purchased the art and donated it to the Library.[18]
In the early 1970s, DC Comics, fearing Jack Kirby's versions of Superman and Jimmy Olsen were too different from their established representations, assigned Plastino (among other artists) to redraw those characters' heads in Kirby's various titles.[19] In 1996, Plastino was one of the many artists who contributed to the Superman: The Wedding Album one-shot wherein the title character married Lois Lane.[20]
Comic strips
[edit]Plastino drew the syndicated Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder comic strip[21] from March 17, 1968, to January 1, 1972[22] and was the uncredited ghost artist on the Superman strip from 1960 to 1966.[23] In 1970, he took over the syndicated strip Ferd'nand, which he drew until his retirement in 1989.[24]
Plastino also worked on Sunday episodes of Nancy from 1982 to 1983 after Ernie Bushmiller died.[24] Plastino's official website says the artist was commissioned by the United Media newspaper syndicate to ghost Peanuts when Charles Schulz underwent heart surgery in 1983,[4] but David Michaelis, author of Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography, revealed that syndicate president William C. Payette had hired Plastino to draw a backlog of Peanuts strips during contract negotiations with Schulz in the 1970s. When Schulz and the syndicate reached a successful agreement, United Media stored these unpublished strips, the existence of which eventually became public.[25]
Personal life
[edit]Plastino lived for many years in Shirley, New York, on Long Island.[2] At the time of his death on November 25, 2013,[26] at Brookhaven Hospital in Patchogue, New York,[1][27] he had been suffering from Guillain–Barré syndrome. He and his wife AnnMarie were married for 55 years. They had four children: Fred, Janice, Arlene, and the eldest, MaryAnn,[2] who managed his business affairs.[16]
Bibliography
[edit]Avon Comics
[edit]- Molly O'Day #1 (1945)
Centaur Publications
[edit]- The Arrow #3 (1941)
Chesler/Dynamic
[edit]- Dynamic Comics #2, 13 (Dynamic Man) (1941–1945)
- Punch Comics #2, 11, 13–14, 16 (1942–1946)
- Spotlight Comics #2 (1945)
DC Comics
[edit]- Action Comics (Superman) #120, 122–128, 130–131, 133, 135, 139–140, 143, 145, 148–149, 152–157, 169–170, 172, 176–177, 183, 185, 193, 197, 201, 205, 208, 212–214, 217, 220, 222, 228, 242, 247, 249, 251–252, 254–255, 259–260, 271, 273, 281–282, 289, 291–292, 294, 296, 300–302, 306, 308, 314, 317, 320, 322–324, 328–329, 331–335, 337, 340, 341–345, 354, 361 (1948–1968)
- Adventure Comics (Superboy) #245, 247, 253, 256, 268, 271, 276, 278, 281, 286, 292, 294, 296, 298, 324, 333, 335, 341, 344 (1958–1966)
- Girls' Love Stories #12 (1951)
- Showcase #9 (Lois Lane) (1957)
- Superboy #59–60, 62, 65, 67, 79, 81, 83, 86, 88, 90, 93, 96, 98, 102, 105, 107–108, 110, 114, 116, 125, 128–129, 133, 137, 140, 143, 149 (1957–1968)
- Superman #53–56, 58–59, 61, 63–69, 71–73, 75–109, 112, 114–118, 120, 122, 124–125, 129–131, 133, 135–136, 138–139, 144–147, 150–153, 157, 160–161, 163–165, 169–171, 173–174, 178–180, 183–184, 186, 191, 193–194, 196–198, 201–206 (1948–1968)
- Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #5, 12, 18, 20 (1958–1960)
- Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #50, 55–56, 60, 64, 73, 76, 78, 87 (1961–1965)
- Superman: The Wedding Album #1 (1996)
- World's Finest Comics #34, 39–43, 47, 49, 51, 54–58, 60–61, 64, 67, 70, 165 (1948–1967)
- All-New Short Story Comics #2 (1943)
Magazine Enterprises
[edit]- The American Air Forces #1–3, 74 (1944–1953)
Marvel Comics
[edit]- Marvel Mystery Comics #33–36 (1942)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Yardley, William (November 29, 2013). "Al Plastino, 91, Dies; Drew Many Superheroes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ a b c Lovece, Frank (November 26, 2013). "Al Plastino, 'Superman' illustrator from Shirley, dies at 91". Newsday. New York/Long Island. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013. (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d e Bubbeo, Daniel (August 16, 2012). "Long Islanders behind Batman comics". Newsday. New York/Long Island. pp. B4–B5. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2012. (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d "About Al". Al Plastino (official site). Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Al Plastino at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Plastino bio, "Living Legends," New York Comic-Con program booklet #4 (Reed Exhibitions, 2009), p. 14.
- ^ Stroud, Bryan (December 12, 2007). "Al Plastino interview (Pt. 1)". The Silver Age Sage. Archived from the original on September 1, 2012.
- ^ Zeno, Eddy (December 2, 2013). "Excerpts from Last Superman Standing: The Al Plastino Story". The Comics Journal. Seattle, Washington: Fantagraphics Books. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013.
When asked why he broke from following Boring's lead, Plastino said, 'No one said change it. Wayne's work was really clean cut and professional, though the characters were a little stiff. It almost hurt me to draw like him. I tried to keep the look consistent, but it gradually did change.'
- ^ Wallace, Daniel; Dolan, Hannah (2010). "1940s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
Kryptonite finally appeared in comics following its introduction in The Adventures of Superman radio show back in 1943. In a story by writer Bill Finger and artist Al Plastino...the Man of Steel determined that the cause of his weakness was a piece of meteorite rock.
- ^ Irvine, Alex "1950s" in Dolan, p. 85: "The future title Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane got a tryout in issues #9 and #10 of Showcase, when Lois Lane stepped in as the lead feature. The lead story in Showcase #9, 'The Girl in Superman's Past', by writer Jerry Coleman and artist Al Plastino, introduced Lois Lane to Superman's old flame Lana Lang."
- ^ Irvine "1950s" in Dolan, p. 89: "The Legion of Super-Heroes would become one of DC's most enduring and popular groups despite their humble beginnings, in a story by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino."
- ^ Irvine "1950s" in Dolan, p. 90: "The mythology of Krypton expanded dramatically with the introduction of the evil Brainiac and the Bottle City of Kandor in the Action Comics #242 story 'The Super-Duel in Space', written by Otto Binder and [drawn by] artist Al Plastino"
- ^ Markstein, Don (2010). "Supergirl". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024.
- ^ McAvennie, Michael "1960s" in Dolan, p. 118: "With a story written by Jim Shooter and drawn by Al Plastino, the Parasite entered Superman's life."
- ^ a b "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy" at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ a b c Italiano, Laura (October 25, 2013). "'Superman' artist stunned to find 'donated' work on sale". New York Post. Archived from the original on November 27, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
...Plastino's daughter, MaryAnn Plastino Charles, 55, told The Post. 'He is 91, he has prostate cancer, and this is not helping him at all,' she said of her dad....
- ^ Doran, Michael (November 26, 2013). "DC Comics Reports the Passing of Artist Al Plastino". Newsarama. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013.
- ^ "Al Plastino Art Acquired and to be Donated by DC Entertainment to John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston". DC Entertainment. December 16, 2013. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014.
- ^ Evanier, Mark (August 22, 2003). "Jack Kirby's Superman". News From ME. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
Plastino drew new Superman figures and Olsen heads in roughly the same poses and positions, and these were pasted into the artwork.
- ^ Manning, Matthew K. "1990s" in Dolan, p. 275: " The behind-the-scenes talent on the monumental issue appropriately spanned several generations of the Man of Tomorrow's career. Written by Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, David Michelinie, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern, the one-shot featured the pencils of John Byrne, Gil Kane, Stuart Immonen, Paul Ryan, Jon Bogdanove, Kieron Dwyer, Tom Grummett, Dick Giordano, Jim Mooney, Curt Swan, Nick Cardy, Al Plastino, Barry Kitson, Ron Frenz, and Dan Jurgens."
- ^ Stroud, Bryan (May 12, 2008). "Al Plastino interview (Pt. 2)". The Silver Age Sage. Archived from the original on September 1, 2012.
- ^ Zeno, Eddy (2016). "The 'Most Plastino' Hero". Al Plastino: Last Superman Standing. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 45. ISBN 978-1605490663.
- ^ Bails, Jerry; Ware, Hames. "Plastino, Al". Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ a b "Al Plastino". Lambiek Comiclopedia. November 26, 2013. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014.
- ^ Cronin, Brian (January 11, 2013). "Comic Book Legends Revealed #401". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- ^ Evanier, Mark (November 25, 2013). "Al Plastino, R.I.P." News From Me. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
...who died this afternoon.
- ^ Ross, Barbara (November 26, 2013). "Longtime illustrator for 'Superman' and other comic book legends dies". Daily News. New York, New York. Archived from the original on December 18, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
Further reading
[edit]- Cadigan, Glen. The Legion Companion TwoMorrows Publishing, 224 pages, 2003, ISBN 978-1893905221
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Al Plastino.
- Al Plastino at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Al Plastino at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
Categories:
- 1921 births
- 2013 deaths
- 20th-century American artists
- American comics artists
- American people of Italian descent
- American poster artists
- Artists from New York City
- Comic book editors
- Comic book letterers
- Comics colorists
- DC Comics people
- Golden Age comics creators
- High School of Art and Design alumni
- People from Shirley, New York
- Silver Age comics creators
- United States Army soldiers