Bob Larkin (born July 10, 1949) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literar ...

primarily known for his painted covers for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

' magazine-format titles Marvel Magazines in the 1970s and early 1980s and for his 32 painted covers on the

Bantam Books Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin Jr., Sidney B. K ...

paperback reissues series of the

Doc Savage Doc Savage is a fictional character of the competent man hero type, who first appeared in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. Real name Clark Savage Jr., he is a polymathic scientist, explorer, detective, and warrior who "right ...

pulp novels.

Biography

Bob Larkin began his career as an illustrator in 1969 and his many credits include titles such as ''

Crazy Magazine ''Crazy Magazine'' is an illustrated satire and humor magazine that was published by Marvel Comics from 1973 to 1983 for a total of 94 regular issues (and a ''Super Special'' (Summer 1975)). It was preceded by two standard-format comic book seri ...

'', '' Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu'', ''

Marvel Preview ''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 ...

'', ''

Marvel Super Special ''Marvel Comics Super Special'' was a 41-issue series of one-shot (comics), one-shot comic-magazines published by American company Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. They were cover-priced $1.50 to $2.50, while regular color comics were priced 30 cen ...

'', ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is a science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic world in which humans and intelligent apes c ...

'', ''

Savage Sword of Conan ''The Savage Sword of Conan'' is a black-and-white magazine-format comic book series published beginning in 1974 by Curtis Magazines, an imprint of American company Marvel Comics, and then later by Marvel itself. ''Savage Sword of Conan'' starred ...

'', and ''

The Tomb of Dracula ''The Tomb of Dracula'' is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. The 70-issue series featured a group of vampire hunters who fought Count Dracula and other supernatural menaces. On rare ...

''. Larkin painted covers for many of the

Marvel Fireside Books ''Marvel Fireside Books'' were a series of full-color trade paperbacks featuring Marvel Comics stories and characters co-published by Marvel and the Simon & Schuster division Fireside Books from 1974 to 1979. The first book, 1974's '' Origins of ...

paperback collections, lending them a simple, movie-poster feel. He did the same thing for the cover to the second major

intercompany crossover A crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders (known as intercompany ...

, '' Superman and Spider-Man''. In addition, Marvel occasionally tapped Larkin to paint covers for premiere issues of such comic book titles as '' Dazzler'' (March 1981) and '' The Saga of Crystar'' (May 1983). A rare example of Larkin providing interior art is the three-page story "For the Next 60 Seconds" in ''

Epic Illustrated ''Epic Illustrated'' was a comics anthology in magazine format published in the United States by Marvel Comics. Similar to the US-licensed comic book magazine ''Heavy Metal (magazine), Heavy Metal'', it allowed explicit content to be featured, un ...

'' #1 (Spring 1980). Besides his work for Marvel, Larkin has painted covers for ''

Vampirella Vampirella () is a vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of '' Creepy'' and ''E ...

'' and '' The Rook'' (

Warren Publishing Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren (publisher), James Warren, who published his first magazines in 1957 and continued in the business for decades. Magazines published by Warren include ''After Hours (magazin ...

), ''The Amazing Adventures of Holo-Man'' (

Peter Pan Records Peter Pan Records is an American record label specializing in children's music. The label was introduced to the public in March 1948. The label was owned by the Synthetic Plastics Company of Newark, New Jersey until the 1970s. The label became ...

), ''Lorelei: Building the Perfect Beast'' (StarWarp Concepts), and many others. Larkin provided covers to

reprints of

, as well as

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

merchandise featuring The Rock,

Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by his ring name the Undertaker, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway ...

, Kane, and

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...

Personal life

With former wife Fran, Larkin is the father of son Ken and daughters Claire and Holly. Shooter, Jim. "

Bullpen Bulletins "Bullpen Bulletins" (originally titled "Marvel Bullpen Bulletins") was the news and information page that appeared in most regular monthly comic books from Marvel Comics. In various incarnations since its inception in 1965 until its demise in 200 ...

" in

cover-date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d July 1981, including ''Iron Man'' #148.

Bibliography

Covers

DC Comics

* '' The Resistance'' #8 (2003)

Hammond Incorporated

* '' Hammond's Captain Atlas and the Globe Riders'' #1 (1987)

Marvel Comics

* ''Bizarre Adventures'' #28 (1981) * '' Conan Saga'' #26, 38, 43, 45, 67, 77, 90 (1989–1994) * ''Conan: The Ravagers Out of Time'' GN (1992) * ''

'' #17–63, 65, 68–69, 71–72, 74–75, 77–78, 80–81, 83–94 (1976–1983) * '' Dazzler'' #1 (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 ...

'' #5–6, 8, 19, 21–22, 24, 31 (1974–1976) * '' Haunt of Horror'' #1, 4 (1974) * '' The Hulk!'' #11, 14, 18, 21–22 (1978–1980) * ''

Marvel Graphic Novel ''Marvel Graphic Novel'' (''MGN'') is a line of graphic novel trade paperbacks published from 1982 to 1993 by Marvel Comics. The books were published in an oversized format, 8.5" x 11", similar to French albums. In response, DC Comics estab ...

: The Amazing Spider-Man: Parallel Lives'' (1989) * Marvel Illustrated Books ** ''The Marvel Comics Illustrated Version of

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

'' #02883 (1982) ** ''The Marvel Comics Illustrated Version of

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...

'' #02838 (1982) ** ''The Marvel Comics Illustrated Version of

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'' #02821 (1982) ** ''The Marvel Comics Illustrated Version of

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 ...

'' #02832 (1982) ** ''Mighty Marvel Team-Up Thrillers'' (1983) ** ''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

: His Greatest Team-Up Battles'' #02722 (1981) ** ''Stan Lee Presents Spider-Man 2 Together with

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

, Havok and the

Man-Thing The Man-Thing (Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in ' ...

!'' #02858 (1982) ** ''Stan Lee Presents The Marvel Comics Illustrated Version of Daredevil'' #02041 (1982) * ''

'' #7, 18–19, 21 (1976–1980) * ''Marvel Special Edition Featuring Star Wars:

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...

'' #2 (1980) * ''Marvel Super Action'' #1 (1976) * ''

'' #3, 5–6, 15–16 (1978–1980) * ''

Marvel Treasury Edition ''Marvel Treasury Edition'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics from 1974 to 1981. It usually featured reprints of previously published stories but a few issues contained new material. The series was published in an oversiz ...

'' #28 ('' Superman and Spider-Man'') (1981) * '' Monsters of the Movies'' #2–8 (1974–1975) * '' Monsters Unleashed'' #5 (1974) * ''

Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. ''Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is a six-issue comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics in 1988. It was written by Bob Harras and drawn by Paul Neary. Each issue is 48 pages long and they are referred to as books. The series was the first t ...

'' tpb (1989) * ''

'' #1–7, 10, 13, 15, 17, 19, 24 (1974–1976) * ''

Power Man and Iron Fist ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' (originally ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' then ''Luke Cage, Power Man'') was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the superheroes Power Man and Iron Fist. Publication history ''Hero ...

'' #75 (1981) * '' The Punisher Magazine'' #13 (1990) * ''The Punisher: A Man Named Frank'' (1994) * ''

The Punisher War Zone ''The Punisher War Zone'' or ''Punisher War Zone'' is a comic book spin-off title featuring the Punisher, a fictional character published by Marvel Comics. The 2008 Marvel film, '' Punisher: War Zone'' was loosely based on the series. Publicatio ...

'' #25 (1994) * '' The Saga of Crystar, Crystal Warrior'' #1 (1983) * ''

'' #27, 42–44, 82, 89, 92–93, 103, 120, 137, 141, 192, 198, 206 (1978–1993) * ''Spider-Man Team-Up'' #6 (1997) * ''

Spider-Woman Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first major version is Jessica Drew (and later impersonated by Veranke), the second major version is Julia Carpenter, and the third m ...

'' #50 (1983) * ''

'' vol. 2 #1–3 (1979–1980) * ''

Vampire Tales ''Vampire Tales'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 11 issues and one annual publication from 1973 to 1975, and featuring vampires as both ...

Annual'' #1 (1975)

Peter Pan Records

* ''Amazing Adventures of Holo-Man'' (Book and Record Set) #PR36 (1978)

Simon & Schuster

** ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (1979) ** ''

Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...

Master of the Mystic Arts'' (1979) ** ''The

'' (1979) ** ''The Incredible Hulk'' (1978) ** ''The Mighty Marvel Pin-Up Book'' (1978) * Marvel Novel Series ** #1 ''The Amazing Spider-Man: Mayhem in Manhattan'' (1978) ** #6 ''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

: And Call My Killer...

MODOK MODOK (; also written as M.O.D.O.K.; an acronym for Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Ja ...

!'' (1979) ** #7 ''Doctor Strange:

Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...

'' (1979) ** #8 ''The Amazing Spider-Man: Crime Campaign'' (1979) ** #11 ''The Hulk and Spider-Man: Murdermoon'' (1979)

Warren Publishing

* ''

Creepy Creepiness is the state of being creepy, or causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or unease to someone and/or something. Certain traits or hobbies may make people seem creepy to others; interest in horror or the macabre might come across as 'c ...

'' #99–100 (1978) * ''

Eerie Eerie may refer to: * Feeling of creepiness * Eerie (magazine), ''Eerie'' (magazine), an American horror comic first published in 1966 * Eerie (Avon), ''Eerie'' (Avon), a 1947 horror comic * Eerie (film), ''Eerie'' (film), a 2018 Filipino horror fi ...

'' #119 (1981) * '' The Rook Magazine'' #2–3, 6, 8–9, 11–12 (1980–1981) * ''

'' #73 (1978) * ''Warren Presents'' #8, 14 (1980–1981)

References

External links

*
Bob Larkin
at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
Bob Larkin The Illustrated Man
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, Bob 1949 births 20th-century American painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists American comics artists American illustrators American male painters American fantasy artists Living people Marvel Comics people American science fiction artists