Clarence Matthew Baker (December 10, 1921 – August 11, 1959
at the Lambiek Comiclopedia) was an American

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

artist and illustrator, best known for drawing early comics heroines such as the costumed crimefighter Phantom Lady, and romance comics. Active in the 1940s and 1950s Golden Age of comic books, he is one of the first known

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

artists to find success in the comic-book industry. He also

penciled A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...

St. John Publications' digest-sized " picture novel" '' It Rhymes with Lust'' (1950), the first

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

despite that term not having been coined at the time. Baker was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2009. His influence can be seen in artists such as Dave Stevens and

Adam Hughes Adam Hughes (born May 5, 1967) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known to American comic book readers for his renderings of pinup-style female characters, and his cover work on titles such as ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Catwoman''. H ...

Biography

Early years

Baker was born December 10, 1921, in Forsyth County,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

. At a young age he relocated with his family to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania,Becattini, Alberto, in and after graduating high school in 1940, moved to Washington, D.C. Prevented by a heart condition from being drafted into the U.S. military during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he began studying art at Cooper Union, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He entered comics through the Jerry Iger Studio, one of the 1930s to 1940s "packagers" that provided outsourced comics to publishers entering the new medium. Iger recalled that Baker came into his studio with a single sample of a color sketch in his portfolio; he thought the woman was so naturally beautiful that he hired Baker on the spot, as a

background artist A background artist or sometimes called a background stylist or background painter is one who is involved in the process of animation who establishes the color, style, and mood of a scene drawn by an animation layout artist. The methods used can e ...

before he was given his first scripts. Baker's first confirmed comics work is penciling and inking the women in the 12-page "

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, is a fictional American comic book jungle girl heroine, originally published primarily by Fiction House during the Golden Age of Comic Books. She was the first female comic book character with her own title, with her ...

" story in Fiction House's '' Jumbo Comics'' #69 ( cover-dated Nov. 1944), otherwise penciled by Robert Webb and Alex Blum.Matt Baker
at the Grand Comics Database Much of Baker's work was originally penciled backgrounds as well as female figures for other artists, and most of his work has been inked over, with the inker credited for his work. He quickly developed a reputation as one of the best "Good Girl" artists in the business for his attention to detail when drawing women. During this period, known as the Golden Age of Comic Books, Baker did work for publishers including Fiction House, Fox Comics, Quality Comics, and St. John Publications. In later years, he independently teamed with inker Jon D'Agostino under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

Matt Bakerino at Charlton Comics.

Personal life

Baker's friend Frank Giusto and artist

Lee J. Ames Lee Judah Ames (January 8, 1921 – June 3, 2011) was an American artist noted for his ''Draw 50...'' learn-to-draw books. He was born in Manhattan, New York. His first job at age eighteen was at Walt Disney Studios. He has since led a care ...

have said that Baker was gay. Baker's brother Fred Robinson added of Baker and St. John Publications publisher

Archer St. John St. John Publications was an American publisher of magazines and comic books. During the 1947-1958 existence of its comic-book division, St. John established several industry firsts. Founded by Archer St. John, the firm was located in Manhattan a ...

, "They had a very close relationship. I don't know exactly what it was."

''Phantom Lady''

The character Phantom Lady, created by

Arthur Peddy Arthur F. Peddy
at the

, had originated in 1941 as a Quality Comics feature supplied by the Iger Studio. Cartoonist Frank Borth later took over the art. After Quality dropped the feature, which had appeared in ''Police Comics'' #1-23 (Aug. 1941 – Oct. 1943), Iger supplied it to Fox Comics. Baker redesigned the character into her best-known incarnation. This version (generally but unconfirmably credited to writer Ruth Roche) debuted in Fox's ''Phantom Lady'' #13 (August 1947), the premiere issue after taking over the numbering of the canceled comic ''Wotalife''; the title ran through issue #23 (April 1949). Baker's Phantom Lady also appeared as a backup feature in ''All Top Comics'' #9-16 (Jan. 1948 – March 1949). When psychiatrist

Frederick Wertham Fredric Wertham (; born Friedrich Ignatz Wertheimer, March 20, 1895 – November 18, 1981) was a German-American psychiatrist and author. Wertham had an early reputation as a progressive psychiatrist who treated poor black patients at his Lafargu ...

claimed comics had ill effects on a child's psychological development, he used Baker's ''Phantom Lady'' #17 as a key sample. These criticisms led to the 1954 foundation for the Comics Code Authority and decades of industry-controlled censorship.

Other work

His other artwork for comic books includes the light-humor

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

title ''Canteen Kate'', for which Baker drew all 22 installments, as well as stories in the suspense anthology '' Tales of The Mysterious Traveler''; the comedic-adventure feature "Sky Girl" in Fiction House's ''Jumbo Comics'', with originals and later reprints running from #69-139 (November 1944 – December 1952); the

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

adventure "Tiger Girl"; "Flamingo", "South Sea Girl", "Glory Forbes", "Kayo Kirby"; and "Risks Unlimited". Baker illustrated ''Lorna Doone'' for ''

Classic Comics ''Classics Illustrated'' is an American comic book/magazine series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as ''Les Misérables'', ''Moby-Dick'', ''Hamlet'', and ''The Iliad''. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in 1 ...

'' in December 1946, his one and only contribution to the well-known series. He is the generally credited but unconfirmed artist for Fox's ''Rulah, Jungle Goddess'' #17–27 (Aug. 1948 – June 1949, the title's complete run after having taken over the numbering of the defunct ''Zoot Comics''). He also produced ''Flamingo'' as a syndicated comic strip from 1952 through 1954. His pen names include Curt Davis. Baker shaped women into classy, realistic beauties, full of character in their own stories as opposed to the ways women were portrayed in other comics of the time. In addition to several romance comics and other titles for St. John Publications, Baker

an early form of

, St. John's digest-sized " picture novel" '' It Rhymes with Lust'' (1950), with writers Arnold Drake and

Leslie Waller Leslie Elson Waller (April 1, 1923 – March 29, 2007) was an American writer. Biography He is a son of Ukrainian immigrants and was born in Chicago, Illinois. He suffered from amblyopia and poliomyelitis as a child, but graduated from Hyde Par ...

, writing under the pseudonym "Drake Waller." Baker also created or co-created what writer John Arcudi calls "the first known black hero in American comics." The Tarzan-like jungle hero Voodah, drawn by Baker and scripted by an unknown writer, debuted in the publisher McCombs' ''Crown Comics'' #3 (cover-date Fall 1945, on-sale date Sept. 19, 1945).''Crown Comics'' #3
at the Grand Comics Database. As the Grand Comics Database states, based on art credits from "The Matt Baker Checklist" by Alberto Becattini and Jim Vadeboncoeur Jr. in ''Matt Baker: The Art of Glamour'' (cited under References), "Voodah is colored like a native African in this comic, but after this issue he is colored like a Caucasian." He additionally is Caucasian on the cover.

Later work and death

Later in the decade, Baker freelanced for

Atlas Comics Atlas Comics may refer to * Atlas Comics (1950s) Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic-book publishing label that evolved into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitud ...

, the 1950s forerunner of

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book 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 Comics'' in ...

, beginning with a five-page anthological story generally, if unconfirmably, credited to writer-editor Stan Lee, in the omnibus title ''

Gunsmoke Western ''Gunsmoke Western'' was an American comic book series published initially by Atlas Comics, the 1950s forerunner of Marvel Comics, and then into the 1960s by Marvel. A Western anthology that ran 46 issues, it featured early stories of the Marvel ...

'' #32 (Dec. 1955). At some point during this period, working through artist Vince Colletta's studio, Baker went on to draw stories for Atlas' ''Western Outlaws'', ''Quick Trigger Action'', ''Frontier Western'', and '' Wild Western''; more prolifically for the company's romance comics '' Love Romances'', ''My Own Romance'', and ''Teen-Age Romance''; and one story each for the

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

anthologies '' Strange Tales'', '' World of Fantasy'', and '' Tales to Astonish'' ("I Fell to the Center of the Earth!" in issue #2, March 1959). Baker also supplied artwork for the ''Dell Movie Classic'' edition of ''King Richard and the Crusaders''. In the late fifties, he branched out into illustration work, for instance for the 16-page illustrated condensation he did of Howard J. Lewis' The Complete Guide to Better Bowling (1956, Maco Magazine Corporation) for the General Motors' Information Rack Service number 1R-58-46 and the early issues of the St. John detective pulp digest Manhunt His last known confirmed work is the six-page "I Gave Up the Man I Love!" in Atlas Comics' ''My Own Romance'' #73 (Jan. 1960). His last known work as generally credited but unconfirmed is the first page of the six-page story "Happily Ever After" in Marvel's ''Love Romances'' #90 (Nov. 1960). He died of a heart attack on August 11, 1959.

Awards

Baker was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2009.

References

External links

* Strickler, Dave. ''Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index.'' Cambria, California: Comics Access, 1995.
Black Superhero Hype: Matt BakerMatt Baker ''Canteen Kate'' video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Matt 1959 deaths 1921 births African-American artists African-American comics creators American comics creators Golden Age comics creators People from Homestead, Pennsylvania Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees Artists from North Carolina People from Forsyth County, North Carolina LGBT African Americans LGBT artists from the United States LGBT comics creators Gay artists LGBT people from Pennsylvania LGBT people from North Carolina Cooper Union alumni