William Marshall Rogers III (January 22, 1950 – March 24, 2007),William Marshall Rogers III
Social Security Number 084-38-8742, at United States

Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) was a database of death records created from the United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File until 2014. Since 2014, public access to the updated Death Master File has been via the Limit ...

via FamilySearch.org. Accessed March 2, 2013. known professionally as Marshall Rogers, 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 ...

best known for his work at

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics * ...

and

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 ...

in the 1970s.

Biography

Rogers was born in the

Flushing Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushin ...

neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens, and raised there and in

Ardsley, New York Ardsley is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is part of the town of Greenburgh. The village's population was 4,452 at the 2010 census. The mayor of Ardsley is Nancy Kaboolian. The Ardsley post office serves the entir ...

. He took up

mechanical drawing {{Technical drawingsMechanical systems drawing is a type of technical drawing that shows information about heating, ventilating, air conditioning and transportation around the building (Elevators or Lifts and Escalator).57Archived
from the original on October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011. and then attended

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, where he studied

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

. He said later that he felt this He studied architectural drawing, and his work was characterized by detailed rendering of buildings and structures. He left college in 1971 before graduating, and returned home to New York, where he discovered his family was moving to

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, where his father's employer,

Johns Manville Johns Manville is an American company based in Denver, Colorado, that manufactures insulation, roofing materials and engineered products. For much of the 20th century, the then-titled Johns-Manville Corporation was the global leader in the m ...

, was relocating. Opting to remain, he completed a 52-page story he had begun in college and presented it in 1972 as a sample to

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 ...

production manager

John Verpoorten John Verpoorten (May 15, 1940 – December 15, 1977) was an American comic book artist and editorial worker best known as Marvel Comics' production manager during the latter part of the Silver Age of Comic Books and afterward, during a seminal peri ...

, who found Rogers' work wanting. To earn a living, Rogers did illustrations for men's magazines that he described as " al low-grade schlock sleazo magazines that had illustrations to precede the stories". When one client went bankrupt owing him at least $1,000, a friend, Jim Geraghty, offered him a rent-free house for the winter in Easthampton, New York, on Long Island, in exchange for "four or five illustrations" for a local art project. The following summer he worked in a hardware store for several months, was fired, and while living on unemployment benefits approached the short-lived

Atlas/Seaboard Comics Atlas/Seaboard is the term comic book historians and collectors use to refer to the 1970s line of comics published as Atlas Comics by the American company Seaboard Periodicals, to differentiate from the 1950s' Atlas Comics, a predecessor of Marvel ...

and, he said: At some unspecified point, Rogers recalled, he "bounced in and out of a shipping clerk job" and did some retouching work for

on reprints of 1940s Batman stories. He continued showing samples to both Marvel and DC, and in 1977, his artwork began interesting

Marie Severin Marie Severin (; August 21, 1929 – August 29, 2018) was an American comics artist and colorist best known for her work for Marvel Comics and the 1950s' EC Comics. She is an inductee of the Will Eisner Comics Hall of Fame and the Harvey Awards ...

and

Vince Colletta Vincenzo CollettaColletta, Vince, in (October 15, 1923 – June 3, 1991) was an American Comic book creator, comic book artist and art director best known as one of Jack Kirby's frequent inkers during the 1950s-1960s period called the Silver Age ...

, the two companies' respective art directors. "That got me my first job; it wasn't really the drawing ability", he said in 1980, "as much as my design capabilities." Marshall Rogers Portrait

Some of his first comic-book work appeared in the black-and-white magazine ''The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu'', where he worked with writer Chris Claremont on a story featuring the " Iron Fist" supporting characters

Misty Knight Mercedes "Misty" Knight is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Tony Isabella and Arvell Jones, Knight was first mentioned (by name) in ''Marvel Premiere'' #20 (Jan. 1975) and appeared in ...

and

Colleen Wing Colleen Wing is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Descended from a family of samurai, Wing is a Japanese martial artist who avenged her grandfather's death with the help of the superhero Iron Fis ...

as the Daughters of the Dragon. He eschewed the grey wash that was used in other black-and-white comics stories in favor of applying

screentone Screentone is a technique for applying textures and shades to drawings, used as an alternative to hatching. In the conventional process, patterns are transferred to paper from preprinted sheets. It is also known by the common brand names Zip-A-T ...

. With writer

Steve Englehart Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett. Early lif ...

, Rogers penciled an acclaimed run on the Batman in ''Detective Comics'' #471–476 (Aug. 1977 - April 1978), providing one of the definitive interpretations that influenced the 1989 movie ''Batman'' and that was adapted for the 1990s

animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

. The Englehart and Rogers pairing was described in 2009 by comics writer and historian Robert Greenberger as "one of the greatest" creative teams to work on the Batman character. DC Comics writer and executive

Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...

noted in 2010: "Arguably fans' best-loved version of Batman in the mid-1970s, writer Steve Englehart and penciller Rogers's ''Detective'' run featured an unambiguously homicidal Joker...in noirish, moodily rendered stories that evoked the classic Kane-Robinson era." In their story "The Laughing Fish", the Joker is brazen enough to disfigure fish with a rictus grin, then expects to be granted a federal

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...

on them, only to start killing bureaucrats who try to explain that obtaining such a claim on a natural resource is legally impossible. The supervillain

Deadshot Deadshot (Floyd Lawton) is a supervillain and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by David Vern Reed, Lew Schwartz and Bob Kane, the character made his first appearance in '' Batman'' #59 (June–July 1950). ...

was redesigned by Rogers during his ''Detective Comics'' run. Rogers also penciled the origin story of the Golden Age Batman in '' Secret Origins'' #6 (Sept. 1986) with writer Roy Thomas and inker Terry Austin. The two also did a sequel miniseries, ''Batman: Dark Detective'', and worked together on other series, including Marvel's '' The Silver Surfer'' and a short run on DC's revived ''

Mister Miracle Mister Miracle (Scott Free) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Mister Miracle'' #1 (April 1971) and was created by Jack Kirby. Publication history Mister Miracle debuted in ...

''. Englehart and Rogers' first Batman run was collected in the trade paperback ''Batman: Strange Apparitions'' (), and the second run in ''Batman: Dark Detective'' (). Rogers remained as artist on ''Detective Comics'' for a few issues after Englehart's departure from the series. With writer Len Wein, he co-created the third version of the supervillain Clayface. Rogers' other Batman work included a story arc in '' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' that was begun by writer Archie Goodwin and completed by James Robinson. An Englehart-Rogers story featuring

Madame Xanadu Madame Xanadu is a comic book mystic published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Nimue, the sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Sir Thomas Malory's '' Le Morte d'Arthur''. The character was played by Jeryl Prescott ...

that sat in inventory for a few years was published as a one-shot in 1981, in DC's first attempt at marketing comics specifically to the " direct market" of fans and collectors. In 1986, Rogers drew a graphic novel adaptation of "

Demon with a Glass Hand "Demon with a Glass Hand" is an episode of the American television series '' The Outer Limits'', the second to be based on a script by Harlan Ellison, which Ellison wrote specifically with actor Robert Culp in mind for the lead role. It originally ...

", an episode of '' The Outer Limits'' television series, based on a script by Harlan Ellison. It was the fifth title of the '' DC Science Fiction Graphic Novel'' series. At

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market. It was ...

during the early 1980s, he collaborated on the graphic novel '' Detectives Inc.'' with writer Don McGregor, drew the ''Scorpio Rose'' series and the first '' Coyote'' series written by Englehart, and wrote and drew his own whimsical series ''Cap'N Quick & A Foozle''. In 1992, McGregor and Rogers crafted a two part-story for Marvel in '' Spider-Man'' issues #27–28 dealing with bullying and gun violence.

Personal life

Rogers' mother was Ann White Rogers. He had a sister, Suzanne, and an adopted son, Russell Young. Rogers died on March 24, 2007, at his home in Fremont, California. His ''Batman'' collaborator

said he was told by Spencer Beck, Rogers' agent: "His son found him. They think it was a heart attack, and that he might have been dead for a while."

Awards

* 1978: nominated at the

Eagle Awards The Eagle Awards were a series of awards for comic book titles and creators. They were awarded by UK fans voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's ''Eagle'' comic, they were launched in 1977 for comics released in ...

for Favourite Artist, for Favourite Single Story for ''Detective Comics'' #472: "I am the Batman" with

and for Favourite Continued Story for ''Detective Comics'' #471-472 with Steve Englehart * 1979:

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual conv ...

* 1979: nominated at the Eagle Awards for Favourite Comicbook Artist (US), for Best Continued Story for ''Detective Comics'' #475-476 with Steve Englehart, and for Best Cover for ''Detective Comics'' #476

Bibliography

Comics work (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 ...

'' #566 (cover only, with

Jerry Ordway Jeremiah Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books. He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' ...

) (1985) *''

All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its self-titled serie ...

'' #38 (three pages only) (1984) *''

Atari Force ''Atari Force'' is the name of two comic book series published by DC Comics from 1982 to 1986. Both were loosely based on trademarks of Atari, Inc. Publication history The first ''Atari Force'' title was a series of minicomics created in 198 ...

'' #18, Special #1 (1985–1986) *'' Batman Family'' #11–13 (pages 9–16 only in #13) (1977) *''Batman: Dark Detective'', miniseries, #1–6 (2005) *'' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #132–136 (2000) *''

DC Graphic Novel ''DC Graphic Novel'' is a line of graphic novel trade paperbacks published from 1983 to 1986 by DC Comics. The series generally featured stand-alone stories featuring new characters and concepts with one notable exception. ''The Hunger Dogs'' w ...

'' ''Demon With a Glass Hand'', graphic novel (1986), 144 pages, *''

DC Special Series ''DC Special Series'' was an umbrella title for one-shots and special issues published by DC Comics between 1977 and 1981. Each issue featured a different character and was often in a different format than the issue before it. ''DC Special Serie ...

'' #15 (1978) (Batman) *'' Detective Comics'' #466–468, 471–479, 481 (1976–1979) *''

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, ...

'' #187 (1985) *'' Green Lantern: Evil's Might'', miniseries, #1–3 (2002) *'' Heroes Against Hunger'' (two pages only) (1986) *''

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 ...

'' #254, 274 (1977–1979) *'' Justice League America Annual'' #5 (1991) *''

Justice League Europe ''Justice League Europe'' (''JLE'') is a comic book series published by DC Comics that was a spin-off of the comic book ''Justice League America'' (which was then named '' Justice League International'' (vol. 1) for issues #7 to #25). ''Justice ...

'' #20–22, ''Annual'' #2 (1990–1991) *''

'' #1 (1981) (originally produced for '' Doorway to Nightmare'') *''

'' #19–22 (1977–1978) *''Mister Miracle'' vol. 3 #5–6 (1996) *''

Mystery in Space ''Mystery in Space'' is the name of two science fiction American comic book series published by DC Comics, and of a standalone Vertigo anthology released in 2012. The first series ran for 110 issues from 1951 to 1966, with a further seven issues ...

'' #111 (1980) *'' Realworlds: Batman'' (2000) *'' Secret Origins'' ( Golden Age Batman) #6 (1986) *''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...

'' vol. 3 #7 (1988) *'' Superman'' #400 (1984) *''

The Superman Family ''The Superman Family'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1974 to 1982 featuring supporting characters in the ''Superman'' comics. The term "Superman Family" is often used to refer to the extended cast of characters o ...

'' #182, 194 (1977–1979) *'' The Unexpected'' #191 (1979) *''

Weird War Tales ''Weird War Tales'' was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics. It was published from September–October 1971 to June 1983. Publication history The original title ran for 12 years and 124 issues. It was ...

'' #51–52 (1977) *'' Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' #1–2, 5–7, 11–12, 15, 24 (1985–1987) *''

World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

'' #259 (1979)

Eclipse Comics

*''Cap'n Quick & A Foozle'' #1–2 (1984–1985), writer/artist *'' Detectives Inc.: A Remembrance of Threatening Green'', graphic novel (1980), 52 pages *''

Eclipse Magazine ''Eclipse, The Magazine'' (or simply ''Eclipse'') was a black-and-white comics anthology magazine published by Eclipse Comics from 1981 to 1983. The magazine introduced several new characters and series — including Coyote, Ms. Tree, and Masked ...

'' #1 ("Slab"), #2–8 (Coyote feature) (1981–1983) *'' Eclipse Monthly'' #1–4 (Cap'n Quick feature) (1983–1984), writer/artist *''Scorpio Rose'' #1–2 (1983)

Marvel Comics

*'' Amazing Fantasy'' #19 (2006) *'' Avengers Annual'' #16 (among other artists) (1987) *''

Bizarre Adventures ''Marvel Preview'' is a black-and-white comics magazine published by Magazine Management for fourteen issues and the affiliated Marvel Comics Group for ten issues. The final issue additionally carried the imprint Marvel Magazines Group. Publica ...

'' #25 (1981) *''

Deadly Hands of Kung Fu Deadly may refer to: * Deadliness, the ability to cause death Arts and entertainment * ''Deadly'', a 2011 novel by Julie Chibbaro * ''Deadly'', a children's book series by Morris Gleitzman and Paul Jennings * ''Deadly'' (Australian TV series), a ...

'' #32–33 (1977) *'' Doctor Strange'' #48–53 (1981–1982) *''

Excalibur Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...

'' #10–11 (1989) *'' Fantastic Four Roast'' #1 (among other artists) (1982) *''

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

'' #61, 75, 77, 82, 86 (1987–1989) *''

Howard the Duck Howard the Duck is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck first appeared in ''Adventure into F ...

'' (black and white magazine) #8 (1980) *''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

'' vol. 3 #94–95 (2006) *'' Marvel Comics Presents'' (Hulk) #38, ( Daredevil) #81 (1989–1991) *''Marvel Westerns: Strange Westerns Starring the Black Rider'' #1 (2006) *''

Marvel Fanfare ''Marvel Fanfare'' was an anthology comic book series published by American company Marvel Comics. It was a showcase title featuring a variety of characters from the Marvel universe. Volume one ''Marvel Fanfare'' featured characters and settings ...

'' (Doctor Strange) #5 (1982) *''

Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...

'' vol. 3 #1–10, 12, 21 (1987–1989) *'' Spider-Man'' #27–28 (1992) *''

What If What If may refer to: Film * ''What If'', a 2006 TV film starring Niall Buggy * ''What If...'' (2010 film), an American film * ''What If...'' (2012 film), a Greek film * ''What If'' (2013 film) or ''The F Word'', a Canadian-Irish film Telev ...

'' vol. 2 #38 (

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

) (1992)

Books and compilations

*''Batman: Dark Detective'' collects ''Batman: Dark Detective'' #1–6, April 2006, DC Comics, 144 pages, *''Batman: Strange Apparitions'' includes '' Detective Comics'' #471–476 and #478–479, December 1999, DC Comics, 176 pages, *'' Coyote'' Volume 1 collects ''Eclipse Magazine'' #2–8 and ''Scorpio Rose'' #1–2, September 2005, Image Comics, 128 pages, *''Legends of the Dark Knight - Marshall Rogers'' collects ''Detective Comics'' #468, #471–479 and #481, ''

'' #15, '' Secret Origins'' #6, '' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #132–136 and ''Batman: Dark Detective'' #1–6, November 2011, DC Comics, 496 pages, *''Shadow Of The Batman'' miniseries #1–5 (covers) (1985–1986), DC Comics *''Daughters Of The Dragon Special'' #1 (2005), Marvel Comics *''Silver Surfer Epic Collection #3: Freedom'' collects ''Silver Surfer'' #1–10 and #12, Marvel Comics

Portfolios

*''Strange'' (1979), Schanes & Schanes, six plates, 1200 signed and numbered *''The Batman - Portfolio #1'' (1981), S.Q. Productions Inc, five plates, s/n 1000 *''F.O.O.G. (Friends Of Old Gerber)'' (1982), one plate (Cap'N Quick & A Foozle) *''Heroines'' (1979), one plate (Pulp Heroine) *''Heroes, Heavies & Heroines'' (1981), one plate (Nightcrawler)

Comic strips

*In 1989, he was the first artist to work on the new ''Batman'' newspaper comic strip. Rogers drew the strip from its launch on November 6, 1989 until the conclusion of its first storyline on January 21, 1990. The entirety of Rogers work on the strip was reprinted in ''

Comics Revue ''Comics Revue'' is a bi-monthly small press comic book published by Manuscript Press and edited by Rick Norwood. Don Markstein edited the publication from 1984 to 1987 and 1992 to 1996. As of 2020, it has published more than 350 issues, making ...

'' #41–43.Norwood, Rick, ed. ''Comics Revue'' #41 (1989), #42 (1990), and #43 (1990) Fictioneer Books

References

External links

*
"DC Profiles #26: Marshall Rogers"
at the Grand Comics Database

at the Lambiek Comiclopedia *
Marshall Rogers
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators

Cavalli, David, ed. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Marshall 1950 births 2007 deaths American comics artists Inkpot Award winners Marvel Comics people People from Ardsley, New York People from Flushing, Queens People from Fremont, California Role-playing game artists