- Dick Ayers
-
Dick Ayers 
Dick Ayers at the April 2008 New York Comic Convention.Born Richard Ayers
April 28, 1924
Ossining, New YorkNationality United States Area(s) Penciller, Inker Notable works Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Awards National Cartoonists Society Award, 1985
Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame, 2007Richard "Dick" Ayers (born April 28, 1924)[1][2] is an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of Jack Kirby's inkers during the late-1950s and 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comics, including on some of the earliest issues of Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four, and as the signature penciler of Marvel's World War II comic Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos.
Ayers was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2007.
Contents
Biography
Early life and career
Born in Ossining, New York,[2] the son of John Bache Ayers and Gladys Minnerly Ayers.[3]
Ayers published his first comic strip, Radio Ray, in the military newspaper Radio Post in 1942 while serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II.[2]
Afterward, he broke into comics with unpublished work done for Western Publishing's Dell Comics imprint. "I approached them," Ayers said in a1996 interviews. "I had a story written and drawn. They wanted to wrap a book around it.... I got into it, but Dell decided to scrap the project. ... It was an adventure thing, boy and girl; the boy wanted to be a trumpet player. The girl kept feeding the jukebox and he'd played along to Harry James or whatever sort of thing. ... It didn't make it, but it got me started where I wanted to be in the business."[4]
Magazine Enterprises
Following this, In 1947, Ayers studied under Burne Hogarth in the first class of Hogarth's new institution, New York City's Cartoonists and Illustrators School (renamed the School of Visual Arts 1956). Joe Shuster, co-creator of Superman, would visit the class, and Ayers eventually ventured to his nearby studio. "Next thing I knew," Ayers said in the same interview, "I was penciling a bit here and there."[4] In a 2005 interview, Ayers elaborated that, "Joe had me pencil some of his Funnyman stories after seeing my drawings at Hogarth's evening class" and "sent me to [editor] Vin Sullivan of Magazine Enterprises."[5] There, Sullivan "let me try the Jimmy Durante [humor] strip. I submitted my work and got the job."[4]
Ayers went on to pencil and ink Western stories in the late 1940s for Magazine Enterprises' A-1 Comics and Trail Colt, and for Prize Comics' Prize Comics Western.[6] With writer Ray Krank, Ayers created the horror-themed Western character Ghost Rider in Tim Holt #11 (1949). The character appeared in stories through the run of Tim Holt, Red Mask, A-1 Comics, Bobby Benson's B-Bar-B Riders, and the 14-issue solo series The Ghost Rider (1950–1954),[7] up through the introduction of the Comics Code. After the trademark to the character's name and motif lapsed, Marvel Comics debuted its own near-identical, horror-free version of the character in Ghost Rider #1 (Feb. 1967), by writers Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich and original Ghost Rider artist Ayers.[6]
Ayers' hands appear onscreen as those of a cartoonist played by actor Don Briggs in "The Comic Strip Murders", a 1949 episode of the CBS television series Suspense.[8]
Atlas Comics
In 1952, while continuing to freelance for Magazine Enterprises, Ayers began a long freelance run at Atlas Comics, the 1950s forerunner of Marvel Comics. He drew horror stories in such titles as Adventures into Terror, Astonishing, Journey into Mystery, Journey into Unknown Worlds, Menace, Mystery Tales, Mystic, Strange Tales, and Uncanny Tales.[6] As well, he drew the brief revival of the 1940s Golden Age of Comics superhero the Human Torch, from Marvel's 1940s predecessor Timely Comics, in Young Men # 21-24 (June 1953 - Feb. 1954). An additional, unpublished Human Torch story drawn by Ayers belatedly appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #16 (Sept. 1968).[6]
During the 1950s, Ayers also drew freelance for Charlton Comics, including for the horror comic The Thing and the satirical series Eh!.[4]
Marvel Comics
Ayers first teamed with penciler Jack Kirby at Atlas shortly before the company transitioned to become Marvel Comics. As the comic-book legend's second regular Marvel inker, following Christopher Rule, Ayers would ink countless Kirby covers and stories, including on such landmark comics as most of the earliest issues of The Fantastic Four, in addition to a slew of Western and "pre-superhero Marvel" monster stories in Amazing Adventures, Journey into Mystery, Strange Tales, Tales of Suspense, and Tales to Astonish.[6] Because creator credits were not routinely given at the time, two standard databases disagree over the duo's first published collaboration: The Grand Comics Database cites the cover of Wyatt Earp #24 (Aug. 1959), which AtlasTales.com lists as inked by George Klein.[9] Grand Comics Database tentatively lists Ayers as inker of the Kirby cover for that same month's Strange Tales #70,[10] for which Atlas Tales credits Ayers without qualification.[11]
Ayers himself revealed in 1996, however,
The first work I did with Jack was the cover of Wyatt Earp #25 (Oct. 1959). [Editor-in-chief] Stan Lee liked it and sent me another job, "The Martian Who Stole My Body," for Journey into Mystery #57 (Dec. 1959). I also began Sky Masters, the [syndicated] newspaper strip. There is a lot of confusion on this; people think Wally Wood inked them all, because they're signed Kirby/Wood. But that was Dave Wood, the writer [who was unrelated to artist Wally Wood]. I began Sky Masters with the 36th Sunday page; Jack's pencils, my inks, in September of 1959. I ended the Sundays in January of 1960. I also did the dailies for a period of [over] two years, from September of '59 to December of '61. These were complete inks; I was the only one doing it at the time. Of course, Wally Wood also worked on that strip, in the beginning, before me.[12]Ayers went on to ink scores of Kirby Western and monster stories, including such much-reprinted tales as "I Created The Colossus!" (Tales of Suspense #14, Feb. 1961), "Goom! The Thing From Planet X!" (Tales of Suspense #15, March 1961), and "Fin Fang Foom!" (Strange Tales #89, Oct. 1961). As Marvel introduced its superheroes in the early 1960s, Ayers inked Kirby on the first appearances of Ant-Man (Tales to Astonish #27 & 35, Jan. & Sept. 1962), Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos (issues #1-3, May-Sept. 1963), and the revamped Rawhide Kid (beginning with The Rawhide Kid #17, Aug. 1960); on the second and several subsequent early appearances of Thor (Journey into Mystery #84-89, Sept. 1962 - Feb. 1963); on Fantastic Four #6-20 (Sept. 1962 - Nov. 1963), and the spin-off Human Torch solo series in Strange Tales (starting with its debut in issue #101); and The Incredible Hulk #3-5 (Sept. 1962 - Jan. 1963), among other series.[6]
Additionally, Ayers took over from Kirby as Sgt. Fury penciler with issue #8 (July 1964), beginning a 10-year run that — except for #13 (which he inked over Kirby's pencils), and five issues by other pencilers — continued virtually unbroken through #120 (with the series running Ayers reprints every-other-issue through most but not all from #79 on).[6]
Later career
During the late 1980s, Ayers drew at least one edition of the promotional comic-book series TRS-80 Computer Whiz Kids: Alec and Shanna, alternately titled The Tandy Computer Whiz Kids: Alec and Shanna, published by Archie Comics for Radio Shack.[citation needed] The comics included references to a multitude of Radio Shack products. Ayers, inked by Chic Stone, drew the cover and the 28-page main story, written by Paul Kupperberg, for The Tandy Computer Whiz Kids: The Computers that Said No to Drugs Edition (March 1985).[13]
Ayers' work continued into the 2000s. He contributed a pinup page to the 2001 comic The Song of Mykal, published privately by the comics shop Atlantis Fantasyworld,[14] did inking on "Doris Danger" stories in the magazine Tabloia #572-576, plus a pinup page in the comic Doris Danger's Greatest All-Out Army Battles!,[15]
He wrote and drew the eight-page "Chips Wilde" Western story in the benefit comic Actor Comics Presents #1 (Fall 2006), provided a sketch for the benefit comic The 3-Minute Sketchbook (2007),[16] and contributed to the tribute comic The Uncanny Dave Cockrum (2007).[17]
In 2009, he drew a half-page biographical illustration of a 1940s character in the reference guide Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special, with [6]
Awards and honors
- Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes, drawn by Ayers, won the Alley Award for Best War Title in 1967 and 1968.
- 1985 National Cartoonists Society Award for Best Comic Book
- 2007 inductee, Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame
Audio
- Audio of Merry Marvel Marching Society record, including voice of Dick Ayers, at Dograt.com. WebCitation archive.
References
- ^ Miller, John Jackson. "Comics Industry Birthdays", CBGXtra, June 10, 2005
- ^ a b c Richard Ayers at the Lambiek Comiclopedia
- ^ Ayers, Dick. The Dick Ayers Story: An Illustrated Autobiography, Volume 2 - 1951-1986 (MECCA, 2005) ISBN 978-0976665151. Page unnumbered
- ^ a b c d "Dick Ayers interview". Jack Kirby Collector (13): 16. December 1996. Reprinted in Morrow, John, ed. (1999). The Collected Jack Kirby Collector, Volume 3. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 42. ISBN 978-1893905023.
- ^ Novinskie, Charlie. "Dick Ayers Unveils New Graphic Novel Autobiography" Scoop.DiamonGalleries.com, March 11, 2005
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dick Ayers at Grand Comics Database
- ^ Ghost Rider, The at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Pearl, Barry (December 2009). "The Yancy Street Gang Visits Dick & Lindy Ayers". Alter Ego 3 (90): 10.
- ^ Wyatt Earp #24 at AtlasTales.com
- ^ Strange Tales #70 at Grand Comics Database
- ^ Strange Tales #70 at AtlasTales.com
- ^ "Dick Ayers Interview", p. 17. Reprinted The Collected Jack Kirby Collector Volume Three, p. 43
- ^ Tandy Computer Whiz Kids at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Rappaport, Adrienne (2001). "Atlantis Fantasyworld, Santa Cruz, CA". SequentialTart.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/july01/retailer_0701.shtml. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
- ^ Wisnia, Chris (undated). "Contributors to '"Tabloia". Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. http://www.tabloia.com/contributors.shtml.
- ^ "The 3-Minute Sketchbook #1". Too Old to Grow Up! (podcast site). 2007. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. http://www.toooldtogrowup.com/comics/logan/details/18902.html.
- ^ "Clifford Meth on the Fate of The Uncanny Dave Cockrum Hardcover". Aardwolf Publishing press release via TheComicsReporter.com. December 6, 2006. Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/briefings/cr_reviews/7006/. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
External links
- "Dick Ayers: A Life in the 'Gowanus'". Alter Ego (interview part 1 of 2) 3 (10). Autumn 2001. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. http://www.twomorrows.com/alterego/articles/10ayers.html.
- Alter Ego vol.. 3, #31 (Dec. 2003): Interview with Dick Ayers (part 2 of 2)
- National Cartoonists Society Awards
Categories:- 1924 births
- American comics artists
- Comics inkers
- Living people
- People from Westchester County, New York
- Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees
- United States Army Air Forces soldiers
- American military personnel of World War II
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