- Bob LeRose
Robert K. "Bob" LeRose (
June 3 ,1921 ,Brooklyn ,New York City ,New York -August 30 ,2006 ,Elmont, New York ) was an Americanadvertising artist and acomic book colorist forDC Comics , who provided the color for hundreds of stories featuringBatman ,Superman , and other major characters.Biography
Early life and career
Raised in the Richmond Hill neighborhood of
Queens , New York City, Bob LeRose was drated into theU.S. Army in 1942. Following his discharge three years later, he attended Phoenix Art School in New York City on theG.I. Bill . He spent more than two decades as an office manager and awatercolor artist for the advertising agencyJohnstone and Cushing , which created custom comics for "Boys' Life " magazine and suchcorporations asFord ,General Motors , andB.F. Goodrich . In 1962, whenart director Al Stenzel took the "Boy's Life" account, without which the agency could not survive, LeRose followed Stenzel to the newly formed Stenzel Productions.DC Comics
In 1976, comic-book artist
Neal Adams , who had worked with LeRose at Johnstone and Cushing, recommended him to DC. [ [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/1128886921.html?dids=1128886921:1128886921&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+18%2C+2006&author=SUSANA+ENRIQUEZ.+STAFF+WRITER&pub=Newsday&edition=Combined+editions&startpage=A.48&desc=LONG+ISLAND%2C+Bob+LeRose%2C+85%2C+DC+Comics+colorist Enriquez, Susana. "Bob LeRose, 85, DC Comics colorist." "Newsday", September 18, 2006.] ] LeRose's first recorded credits include "Batman Family" #11 (June 1977), "DC Special" #28 (July 1977) and "DC Special Series" #1 (1977).LeRose colored across genres, from superheroes ("
Action Comics , "Detective Comics ", "Justice League America", "Legion of Super-Heroes " "Robin", "World's Finest Comics ") to the supernatural ("Secrets of Haunted House"), fromwar comics ("G.I. Combat ") to Westerns ("Weird Western Tales"). In addition, he was among the handful who handled the multi-issue "Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe" in 1985, and also recolored the hardcoverGolden Age of Comic Books reprint series "Superman Archives" and "Batman: The Dark Knight Archives" in the 1990s.From 1986 to 1993, he was, variously, the cover artist or the colorist of
Mayfair Games ' "DC Heroes" line ofroleplaying games , including "An Element of Danger", "The Green Lantern Corps Sourcebook", "Who's Who in the DC Universe", "Superman: The Man of Steel Sourcebook", and "DC Heroes Role-Playing Game", 3rd Edition.Later life
LeRose semi-retired in 1996, continuing to work at DC one day a week, initially in the office and eventually, due to
emphysema , at home. He died of complications from that disease. He was predeceased by his first wife, Alice, with whom he had three children and who died in 1992. He remarried in 2002, to second wife Veronica. Fact|date=February 2007Footnotes
References
* [http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=005533 Comicon.com (Sept. 4, 2006): "R.I.P. Colorist Bob LeRose", by Bob Rozakis]
* [http://www.comics.org/ The Grand Comics Database]
* [http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=4057 "Pen & Paper": Bob LeRose Roleplaying Game Credits]
* [http://cagle.msnbc.com/hogan/features/johnstonecushing.asp "Hogan's Alley": "Funny Business: The Rise and Fall of Johnstone and Cushing", by Tom Heintjes] (no date)External links
* [http://www.comicbookradioshow.com/nsgl8.html "'Nuff Said!" (WBAI-FM radio show): One-hour interview on Oct. 5, 1998] (No audio; guest-list only)
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