Bob Oksner (October 14, 1916 in Paterson, New Jersey – February 18, 2007) was an American

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary a ...

known for both adventure comic strips and for superhero and humor comic books, primarily at

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

Biography

Oksner's early work includes creating the second version of Marvel Boy in 1943 for

Timely Comics Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...

, the predecessor of

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. He later wrote with Jerry Albert and drew the syndicated newspaper comic strip '' Miss Cairo Jones'' (1945–1947), after which DC editor

Sheldon Mayer Sheldon Mayer (; April 1, 1917 – December 21, 1991) was an American comics artist, writer, and editor. One of the earliest employees of Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publications, Mayer produced almost all of his comics wor ...

hired him as an artist on comics adapted from other media. Oksner drew a few

Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...

stories in ''

All Star Comics ''All Star Comics'' is an American comic book series from All-American Publications, one of three companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. While the series' cover-logo trademark reads ''All ...

'' during his early years at DC. He moved from adventure strips to teen-oriented strips such as ''

Leave It to Binky ''Leave It to Binky'' is a teen-humor comic book series published by DC Comics that ran for 82 issues, first appearing in 1948 and wrapping up in 1977. Publication history The adventures of teenager Binky Biggs started in DC Comics' ''Leave It to ...

'' which debuted in February 1948. Oksner's work in this field included ''

The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis ''The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis'' is the title of a celebrity comic book published by DC Comics and featuring the popular team of comedians Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The series ran for forty issues from 1952 through 1957, ...

'' and its successor, ''The Adventures of Jerry Lewis''; ''

The Adventures of Bob Hope ''The Adventures of Bob Hope'' is an American celebrity comics comic book series that was published by National Periodical Publications (an imprint of DC Comics). The series featured stories based on comedian Bob Hope, as well as assorted other hu ...

''; ''

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis ''The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis'' (also known as simply ''Dobie Gillis'' or ''Max Shulman's Dobie Gillis'' in later seasons and in syndication) is an American sitcom starring Dwayne Hickman that aired on CBS from September 29, 1959, to June 5 ...

''; '' Sgt. Bilko''; ''

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

''; and ''

Welcome Back, Kotter ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' is an American sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan as a high-school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse remedial education class called the "Sweathogs." Recorded in front of a live studio audience, the seri ...

''; and, for the

King Features King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial ...

syndicate, the newspaper comic-strip spin-off of the 1950s TV

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along wit ...

''. Other work includes drawing the original humor comics ''

Angel and the Ape ''Angel and the Ape'' was a humor comic book created by E. Nelson Bridwell & Bob Oksner published by DC Comics. The characters first appeared in 1968 in ''Showcase'' #77 then graduated to their own title, with art by comic artist Bob Oksner, ...

'' and '' Stanley and His Monster''. When the demand for humor comics fell off by the 1970s, Oksner began drawing such DC superhero series as '' Superman'', ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...

'', '' Shazam!'', ''

Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane ''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics. The series focusing on the adventures of Lois Lane began publication with a March/April 1958 cover date and ended its run in September/October 1 ...

'', ''

Ambush Bug Ambush Bug is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. His real name is supposedly Irwin Schwab, but he has mental problems that prevent him from truly understanding reality around him, so even his true identity migh ...

'', and others. Oksner's other work in comic strips included succeeding

Gus Edson Gus Edson (September 20, 1901 - September 26, 1966) was an American cartoonist known for two popular, long running comic strips, '' The Gumps'' and ''Dondi''. Born to Max and Emma Edson in Cincinnati, Ohio, Gus Edson dropped out of school at a ...

as writer of artist-creator

Irwin Hasen Irwin Hasen (July 8, 1918 – March 13, 2015) was an American cartoonist best known as the creator (with Gus Edson) of the ''Dondi'' comic strip. He also had a significant run on DC Comics' original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, in the 1940s as well ...

's ''

Dondi Donald Joseph White, "DONDI" (April 7, 1961 – October 2, 1998) was an American graffiti artist. Biography Early life Born in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, Dondi was the youngest of five children. He was of African American a ...

'' for a time beginning in 1965; and drawing and co-creating ''Soozi'' (1967), with Don Weldon. He retired from comics in 1986. Oksner was

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Awards

Oksner won the National Cartoonists Society Division Award for Comic Books in 1960 and 1961, and in 1970 the

Shazam Award The Academy of Comic Book Arts (ACBA) was an American professional organization of the 1970s that was designed to be the comic book industry analog of such groups as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Composed of comic-book profession ...

for Best Pencil Artist (Humor Division) for his work on '' Adventure Comics'' and other DC titles.

Bibliography

Interior pencil art (except where noted) includes:

DC Comics

* ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...

'' ( Superman) #429, 438–441, 446–449, 459 (inks over Curt Swan); #566 (inks over Howard Bender); #573 (inks over Kurt Schaffenberger); #577, 579 (inks over

Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American comics artist and writer. He is known for his work for DC Comics on their '' Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of Lobo. Biography ...

); (

) #560, 563, 565 (inks over Giffen); #572 (inks over Bender) (1973–1986) *'' Adventure Comics'' (

) #410–411, 414 (full art); #412–413 (inks over Art Saaf); #415 (inks over

Win Mortimer James Winslow Mortimer (May 1, 1919 – January 11, 1998) Note: The Marvel Comics 1978 Calendar merchandise lists Mortimer's birth date as June 23 and ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' lists it as May 23 per was a Canadians, Canadian comic book and comic ...

); #417–418 (inks over José Delbo); #421–423 (inks over

Mike Sekowsky Michael Sekowsky (; November 19, 1923 – March 30, 1989) was an American comics artist known as the penciler for DC Comics' ''Justice League of America'' during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on ''Wonder Woman'' during th ...

); #419–420, 424 (inks over

Tony DeZuniga Antony de Zuñiga (November 8, 1932 – May 11, 2012) who worked primarily under the name Tony DeZuniga, was a Filipino comics artist and illustrator best known for his works for DC Comics. He co-created the fictional characters Jonah Hex and ...

) (1970–1972) *''

'' #6–10, 13–17, 19–21, 23–24, 28, 67–77, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92–102, 105 (1950–1967) *'' Adventures of Jerry Lewis'' #2, 4, 25, 36, 52, 73–74, 78, 83–98, 100, 105, 115, 120–122, 124 (1952–1971) *'' All-American Comics'' #102 (1948) *'' All-American Men of War'' #3 (1953) *''

'' (

) #38 (full art); #43–47 (inks over Irwin Hasen) (1947–1949) *''

'' #1–4 (inks over Keith Giffen) (1985) *''Ambush Bug Stocking Stuffer'' #1 (inks over Keith Giffen) (1986) *''

'' #1–7 (1968–1969) *''Binky'' #73, 75 (1970) *''Buzzy'' #23–26 (1949) *'' Comic Cavalcade'' #29 (1948) *''Danger Trail'' #4–5 (1951) *'' Daring New Adventures of Supergirl'' #1–13 (inks over Carmine Infantino) (1982–1983) *'' Date With Debbi'' #13–14 (1971) *''

DC Comics Presents ''DC Comics Presents'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the DC Universe. A recurring bac ...

'' #81 (inks over Keith Giffen) (1985) *'' Detective Comics'' ( Batgirl) #483–484; ("Tales of Gotham City") #492 (1979–1980) *'' Elvira's House of Mystery'' #1 (inks over

Ron Wagner Ron J. Wagner is an American comics artist who has drawn for titles such as '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'', '' The Punisher'', '' Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja'', and '' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight''. He is also an animation storyboard ...

); #2 (1986) *''Everything Happens to Harvey'' #1 (1953) *'' Flash Comics'' (Ghost Patrol) #87–92, 95, 97–100 (inks over Carmine Infantino); (

Atom Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, ...

) #93 (inks over

Paul Reinman Paul J. Reinman (; born Joseph Paul Reinmann, ; 2 September 1910 – 27 September 1988)Paul J. Reinmen

); #94 (full art) (1947–1948) *'' The Fox and the Crow'' #96 (1966) *'' Girls' Love Stories'' #21, 104, 108–110 (1953–1965) *''

Girls' Romances ''Girls' Romances'' was a romance comic anthology published by DC Comics in the United States. Debuting with a Feb.,/Mar. 1950 cover-date, it ran for 160 issues, ending with the Oct. 1971 issue (the final issue came out on October 3, 1971, and s ...

'' #100, 108, 119 (1964–1966) *''

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

'' #27 (inks over

Howard Purcell Howard Purcell (November 10, 1918 – April 24, 1981)Howard Purcell
at the Social S ...

) #34, 36, 38 (inks over

) (1947–1949) *''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strang ...

'' #199 (1972) *''

'' #1, 4, 7–9, 12–13, 15, 17–18, 20–21, 23–28, 32–35, 37, 39, 41, 43–45, 47, 50, 54 (1948–1956) *'' Limited Collectors' Edition'' (Angel and the Ape) #C–34 (1975) *''

'' #2, 5–7, 9, 15–20, 25–26 (1960–1964) *''Miss Beverly Hills of Hollywood'' #2–4, 7 (1949–1950) *''Miss Melody Lane of Broadway'' #1–3 (1950) *'' Mystery in Space'' #3, 5–6, 8, 10–12 (1951–1953) *'' Our Army at War'' #2, 5 (1952) *''

'' #3 (1960) *''

Plop! ''Plop!'', "The New Magazine of Weird Humor!", was a comic book anthology series published by DC Comics in the mid-1970s. It falls into the horror / humor genre. It lasted 24 issues and the series ran from Sept./Oct. 1973 to Nov./Dec. 1976. Bac ...

'' #6 (inks over Mike Sekowsky) (1974) *''Romance Trail'' #1–2 (1949) *''Secret Hearts'' #8, 94 (1952–1964) *'' Secret Origins'' vol. 2 (

Challengers of the Unknown The Challengers of the Unknown is a fictional group of adventurers appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The quartet of adventurers explored paranormal occurrences while facing several fantastic menaces. The characters' provenance is ...

) #12 (inks over Chuck Patton) (1987) *''

Sensation Comics ''Sensation Comics'' is the title of an American comic book anthology series published by DC Comics that ran for 109 issues between 1942 and 1952. For most of its run, the lead feature was Wonder Woman, a character which had been introduced in ''Al ...

'' #84–87, 106 (1948–1951) *''Sensation Mystery'' #113 (1953) *'' Sergeant Bilko'' #5, 9, 11, 13 (1958–1959) *''Sgt. Bilko's Pvt. Doberman'' #6 (1959) *''Shazam!'' ( Captain Marvel) #10–13, 15, 18; (

Mary Marvel Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a superheroine originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in '' Captain Marvel Adventures'' #18 ( cover-dated Dec. 1942). ...

) #10, 13, 16, 19 (1974–1975) *''

Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

'' (Angel and the Ape) #77 (1968) *''Son of Ambush Bug'' #1–6 (inks over Keith Giffen) (1986) *'' Stanley and His Monster'' #109–111 (1968) *'' Strange Adventures'' #6–9, 13–14, 16, 18, 21–28 (1951–1953) *''Strange Sports Stories'' #1 (inks over Curt Swan) (1973) *''

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

Annual'' #1 (inks over Keith Giffen) (1988) *''

Super Friends ''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of ...

'' (The

Seraph A seraph (, "burning one"; plural seraphim ) is a type of celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Christ ...

) #38, 41, 46 (1980–1981) *''Supergirl'', vol. 2, #14–20, 22–23 (inks over Carmine Infantino) (1983–1984) *'' Superman'' (The Private Life of Clark Kent) #267; (Superman) #268, 271, 276, 278, 280–281, 283–287, 289, 291–293, 295–300, 303–306, 399, 401–403 (inks over Curt Swan); #301–302 (inks over José Luis García-López); #404 (inks over Infantino); (Supergirl) #375 (inks over Carmine Infantino) (1973–1985) *'' The Superman Family'' (

Jimmy Olsen Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...

) #183 (inks over Kurt Schaffenberger); ( Nightwing and Flamebird) #193 (inks over Ken Landgraf); (

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...

) #196–197, 202–222 (pencils) (1977–1982) *''

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from September–October 1954 until March 1974, spanning a total of 163 issues. Featuring the adventures of Superman supporting character Jimmy Olsen, it co ...

'' #149–152 (inks over José Delbo) (1972) *''

Swing with Scooter ''Swing with Scooter'' is a DC Comics teen-humor American comic book published from 1966 to 1972. It starred a British teenage musician nicknamed Scooter who lived in the US. Publication history ''Swing with Scooter'' was published by DC Comics for ...

'' #12, 17, 31 (1968–1970) *''

'' #1 (inks over

Jack Sparling John Edmond Sparling (June 21, 1916 – February 15, 1997), was a Canadian comics artist. Biography Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sparling moved to the United States as a child. He received his early arts training at the Arts and Crafts Club in New ...

); #3–5, 8–10 (inks over

Ric Estrada Ric Estrada (February 26, 1928 – May 1, 2009) was a Cuban American comics artist who worked for companies including the major American publisher DC Comics. He also worked in comic strips, political cartoons, advertising, storyboarding, and c ...

) (1976–1978) *''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'' #205 (inks over

Don Heck Donald L. HeckComic_Media.html" ;"title="ic; actually Comic Media">ic; actually Comic Media/nowiki>, in 1952," Heck recalled in 1993, Hardy “called me up and asked me to join."Heck, ''Comics Scene'' #37, p. 55 Heck's first known comics work appe ...

) (1973) *''

Young Romance ''Young Romance'' is a romantic comic book series created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby for the Crestwood Publications imprint Prize Comics in 1947. Generally considered the first romance comic,Ro, Ronin. ''Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, St ...

'' #173 (inks) (1971)

Marvel Comics

* ''

All Winners Comics ''All Winners Comics'' was the name of two American comic book series of the 1940s, both published by Marvel Comics' predecessor, Timely Comics, during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. A superhero anthology comic i ...

'' #9–11, 13 (1943–1944) * '' Captain America Comics'' #65, 67 (1948) * ''Kid Komics'' #1 (1943) * ''

Marvel Mystery Comics ''Marvel Mystery Comics'' (first issue titled simply ''Marvel Comics'') is an American comic book series published during the 1930s–1940s period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. It was the first publication of Mar ...

'' #10–46, 50–57, 72–75, 91 (1940–1949) * ''

Mystic Comics ''Mystic Comics'' is the name of three comic book series published by the company that eventually became Marvel Comics. The first two series were superhero anthologies published by Marvel's 1930-1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, during what fans an ...

'' #2 (1944) * '' U.S.A. Comics'' #7 (1943)

Notes

References

External links

Atlas Comics (retailer) Presents the Top 100 Artists of American Comic Books: #98 — Bob Oksner
accessed June 28, 2006
"DC Profiles #79: Bob Oksner"
at the Grand Comics Database
Bob Oksner
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

The Comic Strip Project, "Who's Who of Comic Strip Producers", O
WebCitation archive
Accessed January 16, 2011.

at Supermanartists.comics.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Oksner, Bob 1916 births 2007 deaths 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists American comics artists American comic strip cartoonists Artists from New Jersey Columbia University alumni Comics inkers DC Comics people Deaths from pneumonia in Florida Golden Age comics creators Jewish American artists People from Paterson, New Jersey Place of death missing Silver Age comics creators