Fletcher Hanks

Fletcher Hanks, Sr. (1 Dec 1887 New Jersey - Feb 1976 New York [ [Social Security Death Index entry no. 051-22-1426 New York] ] ) was a cartoonist from the Golden Age of Comic Books, who wrote and drew stories detailing the adventures of all-powerful, supernatural heroes and their elaborate punishments of transgressors. He also did work under the pseudonyms of "Henry Fletcher", "Barclay Flagg", "Bob Jordan", and "Hank Christy".

Career

Hanks was active in comics from a period of 1939 to 1941 (though as early as 1911 he described himself as a cartoonist [ [Manifest of Passengers for United States Port Authority, S.S. Oceana, sailing from Bermuda 24 April 1911, arriving New York May 1st 1911: Fletcher Hanks age 22, cartoonist, Alice Fletcher Hanks, age 50] ] ), writing and drawing stories for Fiction House and Fox Features Syndicate. His creations include Stardust the Super Wizard, Tabu the Wizard of the Jungle, and Fantomah (one of the first female superheroes, predating Wonder Woman).

A cult following has developed around Hanks' work in recent years. His stories have been reprinted in the comics anthology "Raw" and the book "Art Out Of Time" (2006 ISBN 0810958384), and is the subject of the book "I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets: The Fantastic Comics Of Fletcher Hanks" (2007, ISBN 1560978392) from Fantagraphics edited by Paul Karasik.

A second volume "You Shall Die by Your Own Evil Creation!" is in the works. [http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/paul_karasik_announces_second_fletcher_hanks_collection_following_eisner_wi/]

Here is the list of the stories planned for Volume II:

Yank Wilson: (from Fantastic #6)“The Sabateurs”

Tabu:Jungle #1

Stardust:
#2 “Rip the Blood”
#8 “Emerald Men of Aspergus”
#10 "The Super Fiend"
#12 "The Giant Vultures of Kaos"
# 15 "The 6th Column Kids"

Space Smith
#1 "Meet Space Smith"
#3, “The Leopard Women of Venus”
#4, “The Thinker”
#5 “The Hoppers”
#6, “The Vacuumites”
#8 “Planet Bloodu”

Fantomah
#2 “The Elephants’ Graveyard”
#4 “The Super-Gorillas”
#5 “Mundoor and the Giant Reptiles”
#6 “Phantom of the Tree-Tops”
#8 “Temple of the Mud Pit”
#11 “The Scarlet Shadow”
#14 “The Revenge of Zomax”

Big Red McLane
#1 “King of the North Woods”
#5 “The Sinister Stranger”
#7 “Sledge Sloane Gang”

PLANET COMICS
#2 "The Dashing, Slashing Adventure of the Great Solinoor Diamond"

DARING MYSTERY
#4 & #5, Whirlwind Carter stories

JUNGLE (Fiction House)
#12 [The New Blitzers]
#13 [The Tiger-Women of Wildmoon Mountain]

FIGHT COMICS (Fiction House)Big Red McLane stories under the pen name, "Charles Netcher"
#3 The Timber Thieves
#4 [The Lumber Hijackers]
#6 [The Paper Racketeers]
#8 [The Monk's War Rockets]
#9 Last appearance Sept. 1940 [ Sally Breen]

Personal life

Hanks was the son of William Hanks, a minister, and Alice Fletcher Hanks, the daughter of English immigrants - his parents married c.1885 [ [1900 U.S census return for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania] ] . Fletcher himself married Margaret c.1912 [ [1930 U.S census return for Trappe District, Talbot County, Maryland] ] . Little is known of Hanks's life outside comics; the main source being an interview by Paul Karasik with Fletcher Hanks Junior c.2006 [ ['I Shall Destroy All The Civilised Planets!', Fantagraphics Books 2007, p.107-122] ] . According to his son, Hanks was an abusive father and spouse, as well as being an alcoholic. Hanks earned some income by drawing murals in the homes of the rich and allegedly abandoned his family around 1930 (the U.S. census return for that year shows him described as an artist, living with his wife, Margaret, widowed father, William, and his children Douglas, Alma, Fletcher Jr, and William [ [1930 U.S census return for Trappe District, Talbot County, Maryland] ] ). He died in February 1976 when, apparently, his frozen body was found by police on a park bench in New York City [ ['I Shall Destroy All The Civilised Planets!', Fantagraphics Books 2007, p.119] ] .

References

External links

* [http://www.fletcherhanks.com/ 'Official' site- mainly for book]
* [http://lambiek.net/artists/f/fletcher_henry.htm Lambiek.net biography with links to Tabu, Stardust, and Space Smith stories]
* [http://www.themysterywalk.com/Stardust-Character-Page.html Stardust fan page, featuring most comprehensive collection of Stardust comics online]
* [http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/hartford/103/17two1.html# Fantomah vs. giant spiders]
* [http://www.misterkitty.org/extras/stupidcovers/stupidcomics5.html Fantomah vs. hopped up gorillas]
* [http://thatsmyskull.blogspot.com/2006/01/making-of-super-villain.html World's best supervillain origin]
* [http://www.cnac.org/hanks01.htm Profile of his son, Fletcher Hanks Jr, who talks about childhood with his father]
* [http://www3.lehigh.edu/News/news_story.asp?iNewsID=829&strBack=%2Fnews%2Fnews_archive.asp%3F News article about his son, Fletcher Hanks Jr]