THE ART OF GEORGE TUSKA Edited by Dewey Cassell with Aaron Sultan and Mike Gartland Designed by Scott Saavedra Proofreading by Eric Nolen-Weathington and John Morrow
TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive Raleigh, North Carolina 27614 phone 919-449-0344 www.twomorrows.com • e-mail: twomorrow@aol.com First Printing • February 2005 • Printed in Canada Remastered Digital Edition • October 2015 ISBN: 1-893905-40-3
Trademarks & Copyrights All artwork or other trademarked material herein is printed in these pages with the consent of the copyright holder and/or for journalistic, educational and historical purposes with no infringement intended or implied. Angel, Avengers, Baron Zemo, Beast, Black Bolt, Black Goliath, Black Knight, Black Terror, Black Widow, Captain America, Champions, Cyclops, Angel, Daredevil, Dr. Doom, Dr. Octopus, Dr. Strange, Electro, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Gladiator, Goliath, Green Goblin, Gunhawk, Hawkeye, Hercules, Hulk, Human Torch, Iceman, Invisible Girl, Iron Man, J. Jonah Jameson, Ka-Zar, Kid Colt, Kingpin, Lizard, Luke Cage, Magneto, Mandarin, Marvel Girl, Mr. Fantastic, Mysterio, Nick Fury, Owl, Professor Xavier, Quicksilver, Red Skull, Sandman, Scarlet Witch, Shanna the She-Devil, Spider-Man, Stiltman, Sub-Mariner, Thing, Thor, Tony Stark, Two-Gun Kid, Vision, Vulture, Wasp, X-Men TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. • Aquaman, Batman, Black Canary, Captain Marvel, Deadman, Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Justice League, Kid Flash, Legion of Super-Heroes, Lightning Lad, Lilith, Lois Lane, Mal, Phantom Lady, Robin, Solomon Grundy, Speedy, Superboy, Superman, Teen Titans, Uncle Sam, Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman, World’s Greatest Superheroes TM & © DC Comics. • WildC.A.T.s TM & © Jim Lee/Wildstorm. • The Shadow TM & © Advance Magazine Publishers, Inc./Conde Nast Publishing. • Planet of the Apes TM & © APJAC Productions & 20th Century Fox. • He-Man, Masters of the Universe TM &© Filmation. • Dynamo, Lightning, Menthor, Noman, Raven, THUNDER Agents TM & © John Carbonaro. • Tarzan TM & © ERB Inc. • Buck Rogers TM & © Dille Family Trust. • Vampirella TM & © Harris Comics. • Doc Strange, Enchanted Dagger, Gay Desperado, Glory Forbes, Hooks Devlin, Ka'a'nga, Mob Buster Robinson, Pirana, Scorchy Smith, Shark Brodie, Spike Marlin, Spyman, Zanzibar the Magician TM & © the respective copyright holder. This entire book is © TwoMorrows Publishing and Dewey Cassell, and may not be reprinted or retransmitted without written permission of the copyright holders.
Dedication This book is lovingly dedicated to my wife and parents. Through the years, they have each, in turn, been unconditionally supportive of me and my somewhat unconventional hobbies, for which I am eternally grateful.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Origins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 George . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Dorothy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Marriage and Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 The Golden Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Eisner-Iger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Will Eisner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Nick Cardy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Harry “A” Chesler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Fiction House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Jim Mooney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 World War II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Standard / Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Lev Gleason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Marvel Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Timely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 John Romita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 The House of Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 John Romita Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Captain America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Roy Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 The X-Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 The Incredible Hulk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Marie Severin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Daredevil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Gene Colan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 The Invincible Iron Man . . . . . . . . . . .60 Roy Thomas Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 Gene Colan Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Mike Esposito . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Bob Layton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Sub-Mariner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Jim Mooney Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Luke Cage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Spider-Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 John Romita Part III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Roy Thomas Part III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Heroes and Villains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 The Magazines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Mike Esposito Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Roy Thomas Part IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 Sketchagraphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 DC Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Paul Levitz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 Romance Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 Challengers of the Unknown . . . . . . .85 Teen Titans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 Nick Cardy Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 The Legion of Super-Heroes . . . . . . . .88 Justice League of America . . . . . . . . . .89 Masters of the Universe . . . . . . . . . . . .90 Green Lantern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 Horror Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
The Other Guys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 Simon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 Joe Simon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 Archie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Dell / Gold Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Harvey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 Tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 Warren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 The Strips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Scorchy Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 Buck Rogers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 The World’s Greatest Superheroes . . .105 Paul Levitz Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 “Retirement” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108 Fan Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Nick Cardy Part III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110 WildStorm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110 Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Afterword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119 Index of Tuska Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 BONUS: Inking Tuska . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126 BONUS: 1997 Interview . . . . . . . . . . . .131
NEW!
Digital Edition Exclusives On Pages 126 & 131
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George and Dorothy Tuska are classic examples of what Tom Brokaw has called “The Greatest Generation.” Children of immigrants and humble beginnings, both George and Dorothy overcame adversity to achieve the American dream—a steady income, a comfortable home and a loving family.
George George Tuska as a young boy George Tuska is a gentle giant. At his peak, George was 6 feet 2 inches tall. He lost his father at an early age and the strength his mother showed was an inspiration to her son. He is quiet and pensive and universally well liked. He is a family man who was fortunate enough to be able to do something he loved for a living. George started drawing eighty years ago and he is still drawing, some say better than ever. We talked with George about his background and family and foray in the field of comic art: Cassell: What is your full name? When and where were you born?
In time, they moved to Connecticut. Once she was in Hartford, she bought property. When I was a kid, my mother worked for an electrical company. She had some relatives in Patterson, New Jersey and we went to visit one time. While my mother was in Patterson, she looked around and decided to set up a restaurant. She did her own cooking and all that. She was a good cook. I used to make out the menus. There were two shifts in the restaurant. She would get as much sleep as she could, get up early in the morning for the first shift, take a nap before the next shift, and stayed until about ten o’clock at night. There was a silk factory nearby. There was no other restaurant there. All these people, when they were able to get out or have time off, they would come over. Cassell: What about your father?
Tuska: George Tuska. I was born in Hartford, Connecticut on April 26, 1916. Cassell: What was your mother’s name? Tuska: Anna Onisko. She was eighteen years old when she emigrated from Russia to New York City, where she met my father.
Peter and George Tuska on the beach in Miami
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Tuska: My father was from Russia, too. His name was Harry. In Hartford, he was a foreman at an automobile tire company. He passed away when I was fourteen. He had bleeding ulcers. That’s where I got them. Fortunately, the kids don’t have it. My mother later remarried.
Cassell: And what about your brother and sister? Tuska: My brother was Peter and my sister was Mary. My brother was oldest and my sister was in between; I am the youngest. They were born in New York. Mary had a son. Afterwards, the doctor warned her not to have any more children, but somehow, it happened and she didn’t make it— the child and my sister. She passed away. We were very close. She lived here in Jersey. We lost touch with my nephew— never heard from him. Cassell: How did you get interested in art? Tuska: My first interest in art was looking at my brother’s pulp magazine illustrations. Then when I was about eight years old, I had an appendix operation in the hospital, and after the operation, when I was able to walk around, an elderly patient called me over. He was in bed. He showed me how to draw Uncle Sam, cowboys and Indians. That was popular in those days. I was fascinated with the way he penciled them. He gave the drawings to me. As soon as I got out of the hospital,
I went home and went to the kitchen table and started drawing. Cassell: Was anyone else in the family artistic? Tuska: No. I was the only artist. Cassell: Did your mother ever discourage you from drawing? Tuska: Never. Whatever I did, my mother loved me. She didn’t tell me, “Do this, do that.” I was free. Of course, she was strict, a very strict person. I felt close to her.
When George was young, he would travel with his mother to a farm ten miles north of Hartford, where they would pick tobacco. It was a thin, fine leaf, used for the outside wrapping on cigars. What
Preliminary sketch of a cowboy by Tuska
Hand studies
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drawing aspect, art really takes on your whole persona. You look, you listen, you observe things differently. So, it was a great learning experience. Cassell: Where did you go to art school? The Tuskas and Lees at the 1997 San Diego Comic-Con
Bob Tuska: I went to Farmingdale University, out on Long Island, for advertising. I would commute from Hicksville to Farmingdale. There I learned airbrushing, photo retouching, and got involved with a painter teacher there. And then I went to Parsons in New York City and took up illustration. Cassell: Is that where you had some classes with John Romita, Jr.?
Painting by Bob Tuska
Bob Tuska: No, that was at Farmingdale. John Romita was in advertising. And actually, I think after the two years of that school, he went directly into Marvel. I went in also, but I just didn’t like it. In the beginning, you’re the gopher. You’re really starting at the bottom. And John was there for many years. He would occasionally help out with covers or do things and slowly built up to where he is now. I guess I was too impatient for that. Cassell: So you actually worked at Marvel for a while?
George, Barbara, Dorothy, Bob, and Kathy in front of the Tuska home in New Jersey
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Bob Tuska: No, I didn’t work. I went in and I interviewed with Marie and they wanted me to do more drawings and to come back and continue, but I went in another direction and got more involved in painting and surrealism and more of the artistic art scene in the city at that time, in the late Seventies and early Eighties, which in the East Village was very alive. Cassell: I understand from your Mom that today you do murals? Bob Tuska: Right. Now I do residential and commercial murals, mostly scenery, landscaping. And on the side I still do drawings for children’s books that I hope to get published. So I’m out there trying to get that going also. But the murals for the residentials are fun. I get sent all over the country through designers to do these jobs. Cassell: Is there anything in particular that you would want people to know about your father, for posterity? Bob Tuska: He was a loving and caring father. He had a great sense of humor that would carry over into everything he did, to the people that he knew, to the things he would do outside of comics. He has a great rapport. He’s very warm and giving. It just made life better growing up to have such a great set of parents.
Having a loving and supportive family is critical to being successful in your career. George was fortunate to have that support in his parents, wife and children. And from the beginning, George made his mark on the growing comic book industry.
THE GOLDEN AGE
One of his earliest contributions to the Golden Age was Shark Brodie 19
Splash page from Crime Does Not Pay # 50
Crime and Horror comics on trial
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Dr. Frederick Wertham and subsequent Congressional hearings led by Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver. The premise was that comic books, especially crime and horror comics depicting graphic scenes of violence, were leading to the corruption of America’s youth. No amount of persuasion from saner minds, including E.C. Comics publisher Bill Gaines whose best-selling books like Tales from the Crypt were at the center of the controversy, was able to change the outcome of the proceedings.
The creators whose work was cited in the Kefauver hearings as an example of overtly violent comics included such legendary artists as Jack Davis, Johnny Craig, Graham Ingels… and George Tuska. Although George illustrated other comics for Lev Gleason, he remains best known for his landmark contributions to Crime Does Not Pay. In his book Great American Comic Books, Ron Goulart refers to Tuska as “the premiere crime comic artist.” Pete Morisi, an artist perhaps best known for his creation of Peter Cannon—Thunderbolt, was reportedly once advised by an editor to emulate Tuska’s style. George exhibited a genuine talent for illustrating realistic, compelling characters in crime comics. Such ghastly pictures coming from this gentle, unassuming artist is a twist of irony in itself. The ultimate result of the witch-hunt by Wertham and Kefauver was the establishment of the Comics Code and the rapid departure of crime and horror comics from store shelves. This censorship had a profound impact on the comic book industry and the artists and writers who depended on it for their livelihood. (It did not, however, appear to have any appreciable impact on the corruption of America’s youth.) However, the artistic and commercial success of Crime Does Not Pay earned George a lasting reputation that enabled him to land on his feet.
MARVEL COMICS
Tales of Suspense commission by Tuska in ink and wash
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We talked to George about his contributions to the Marvel Silver Age card set: Cassell: I read that you illustrated 700 sketchagraphs? Tuska: Actually, it was 1000. 1000 sketchagraphs and 1000 autograph cards. I did the 1000 autograph cards all in one day. I wanted to see if I could do it, and I did. The sketchagraphs took a while. I just paced myself. We ran right up to the deadline, though. We had to drive down there to hand them in on the day they were due. Cassell: Did they tell you what characters to draw? Tuska: No, I picked them. Cassell: How much did you get paid for doing the sketchagraphs? Tuska: I think I got $2 each for the sketchagraph cards and $1 each for the autograph cards. I made $1000 in one day for the autograph cards.
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Cassell: You did a wonderful job on the sketchagraph cards. Each one seemed to have a unique pose and there was lots of action. Other artists didn’t seem to put that much effort into it. Tuska: Well, thank you. I enjoyed it.
The chase cards from the Marvel Silver Age set have become highly prized collectibles. Autograph cards with George’s signature routinely fetch five to ten times what he made on them. Tuska sketchagraphs have been known to sell for between $65 and $150, depending on the character and the pose. Tuska did sketchagraphs featuring 15 different characters, including Black Panther, Captain America, Daredevil, Dr. Doom, Hawkeye, Hercules, Hulk, Iron Man, Luke Cage, Magneto, Mandarin, Spider-Man, Thing, Thor, and Tony Stark. Each box of 36 packs included one sketchagraph card and one autograph card, randomly inserted. Fleer/Skybox produced 10,000 boxes of Marvel Silver Age cards. The Marvel Silver Age artists often retained any extra cards, leading to the availability of numerous “uncut” sketchagraph cards. Before they are cut down to the normal 2.5" x 3.5" card size, the sketchagraph cards measure 4.5" x 5.5". There is no way of knowing how many uncut sketchagraphs George may have done, but several examples are included here.
DC COMICS
DC advertising art by Tuska for the World's Greatest Superheroes newspaper strip 81
THE OTHER GUYS
Tuska cover to 1950s horror magazine Weird Mysteries 94
Over the years, Tuska worked freelance for a number of other publishers, including Joe Simon, Harvey, Dell/Gold Key, Archie, Tower and Warren. Here is a brief look at the “Other Guys.”
Simon One way to avoid the problems with the Comics Code was to switch to magazine format. Magazines were not subject to the restrictions of the Comics Code. One publisher who undertook this approach with horror comics in the late 1950s was Joe Simon. (The same Joe Simon who, years before, had teamed with Jack Kirby to create Captain America.) In 1959, two blackand-white magazines appeared, utilizing some of the same writers and artists that had made EC Comics so successful, including Joe Orlando and Al Williamson. Weird Mysteries and Eerie Tales appeared on newsstands within six months of each other, featuring a scary host “Morgue’n the Morgue Keeper.” Weird Mysteries featured a beautiful painted cover by George Tuska and the magazine included three stories illustrated by George. Eerie Tales also featured a painted cover, as well as one story illustrated by George entitled “Gunk.” Weird Mysteries was published by Pastime Publications, under the direction of Joe Simon. Eerie Tales was published by Hastings Associates, using material apparently sold to them by Simon. Only one issue of each magazine was published, presumably due to a lack of sales, perhaps because it was too soon after the Kefauver
hearings. Nonetheless, they proved the efficacy of horror comics in a black-andwhite magazine format. For a detailed analysis of these predecessors to Warren, see the exceptional article “Horror’s Missing Link” by Michael T. Gilbert in issue # 31 of Alter Ego, available from TwoMorrows. Simon had much better luck with another black and white magazine—Sick. Bill Gaines had switched Mad from a comic book to a magazine in 1955 and its popularity had steadily risen. In 1958, Globe Communications began publishing its own humor magazine, Cracked, which remains the longest running competitor of Mad. Joe Simon weighed into the fray in 1960 with Sick magazine, which featured a “mascot” named Huckleberry Fink, who bore more than a passing resemblance to Alfred E. Neuman, and whose catch phrase was “Why try harder?” The magazine lasted until the late 1970s and featured artwork by artists Angelo Torres and Mort Drucker, as well as George Tuska. Tuska didn’t do many humor stories during his professional career, although his work in Sick demonstrates that he clearly had a knack for it. Tuska drew stories for numerous issues of Sick, building a strong relationship with Simon that would later provide opportunities for additional artistic collaboration.
Splash page to “Gunk” story from Eerie Tales
Joe Simon We had the good fortune to communicate briefly via email with the legendary Joe Simon regarding his relationship with George Tuska. Joe was very complimentary about George:
Joe Simon
“George Tuska is one of my all-time favorites. George lived in Hicksville, Long Island and I lived in Woodbury, Long Island. George would come to my studio to pick up and deliver scripts. We worked together for many years. I am a big fan of George.” We asked Joe a few questions about working with George: 95
ries. The stable of regular Warren contributors included Bernie Wrightson, Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood, Ken Kelly and José Gonzalez. Given his long association with crime stories, it was perhaps inevitable that Tuska would eventually contribute to the Warren legacy, albeit only once. According to The Warren Companion, available from TwoMorrows, George is credited with only one Warren story, a six-page tale called “A Vested Interest,” written by Ron Parker. It was published in 1966 in issue #8 of Creepy magazine (and later reprinted in issue #20). We asked George about his work with Warren: Cassell: Did you enjoy doing a wash? Tuska: Not for comic books, but for commissions. Warren goes for wash stuff. Black-and-white. Inking, then wash. You had to have a lot of blacks to make it creepy. Cassell: What about this story you did for Creepy. Isn’t this a wash? Tuska: No, it’s CraftTint. It gives you different tones. It’s a cellophane. You cut it out and the back part is sticky and you stick it on. Wash would never come out clear, even. It’s a watercolor. I used CraftTint on Buck Rogers, too.
Tuska werewolf story from Creepy magazine
Cassell: Do you recall why you did this story for Warren? This is the only story you ever did for Jim Warren. Tuska: No, I don’t remember how I got involved with it. I wasn’t there long—a very short time. But years ago, I worked at Eisner and Iger with Reed Crandall.
The Rest of the Story
Vampirella
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As difficult as it might be to believe, there is more to the story. George did freelance work for a number of other publishers during the Golden and Silver Age that are not included here, including St. John, Prize, Charlton, and Ace Magazines. In fact, there may be even more that are not documented. Often it was just one or two issues, but it is reflective of the depth and breadth of impact that George had on the field of comic art.
THE STRIPS
Sunday strip from World’s Greatest Superheroes
Unpublished World’s Greatest Superheroes Sunday strip 101
(above) Tuska inks Tuska This is an unpublished single panel daily from the World’s Greatest Superheroes newspaper strip, featuring a rare appearance of Green Lantern. For reasons lost to time, the editors chose to excise GL from this storyline, so this strip was never used, but Tuska inked it for his own edification. The detail is extraordinary, down to the fine hairs on the arm of the character on the far right. When it comes to inking, there is some truth to the old adage, “If you want a job done right, do it yourself.” (left) Billy Graham inks Some of Graham’s inking over Tuska pencils is more balanced, as in the example from issue #17 of Power Man on page 44, but this 1973 splash page from Hero for Hire is mostly Graham. The pairing was deliberate, though, and Marvel must have liked the results because they worked together on a dozen Luke Cage stories.
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1997 INTERVIEW
NEW!
Digital Edition Exclusive
This is an interview that was done with George Tuska on July 20, 1997 at the San Diego Comic-Con, where he received the Inkpot Award. He was 81 years old at the time the interview was conducted. Permission was granted by Comic-Con International to transcribe the interview and excerpts were included in issue #99 of Alter Ego, but it has not previously been published in its entirety. The transcript has been edited for clarity. (Note that the timeframes George cites are not precisely accurate.) The interview started with George making some opening remarks. Tuska: At the age of eight, I was in the hospital for an appendix operation. After the operation, I was able to walk around the hospital and an elderly person showed me how to draw Uncle Sam and cowboys and Indians. That was the start. My first job in comics was with Eisner and Iger. I got it through a professional agency. Eisner called for me to bring some samples. I did individual cartoons, funny characters, and I showed it to him, and he said, “That’s not the thing we do.” He showed me a comic book. I asked him if I could have another chance to do it. He said, “Sure.” So I went home and I came back the following day with a completed story. I did the whole thing, backgrounds, lettering, panels. He liked it. It was a story about the mounted police capturing a
criminal. He bought it for five dollars and asked me if I wanted to work in the office. I said, “That would be fine.” It was small.
Tuska commission drawing for a fan
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