Douglas Curtis Swan (February 17, 1920 – June 17, 1996) 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 comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literar ...
. The artist most associated with
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
during the period fans call the
Bronze Age of Comic Books
The Bronze Age of Comic Books is an informal name for a period in the history of American superhero comic books, usually said to run from 1970 to 1985. It follows the Silver Age of Comic Books and is followed by the Modern Age of Comic Books.
...
, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 1950s through the 1980s.
Biography
Early life and career
Curt Swan was born in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
on February 17, 1920, the youngest of five children. Swan's
Swedish grandmother had shortened and Americanized the original family name of Svensson. Father John Swan worked for the
railroads
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...
; mother Leontine Jessie Hanson
had worked in a local hospital. As a boy, Swan's given name – Douglas – was shortened to "Doug," and, disliking the phonetic similarity to "Dog," Swan thereafter reversed the order of his given names and went by "Curtis Douglas," rather than "Douglas Curtis."
Having enlisted in Minnesota's National Guard's 135th Regiment,
34th Division in 1940, Swan was sent to Europe when the "federalized" division was shipped initially to Northern Ireland and Scotland. While his comrades in the 34th eventually went into combat in North Africa and Italy, Swan spent most of World War II working as an artist for the G.I. magazine ''
Stars and Stripes''. While at ''Stars and Stripes'', Swan met writer
France Herron, who eventually directed him to
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
.
During this period Swan married the former Helene Brickley, whom he had met at a dance at
Fort Dix
Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Fo ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, and who was stationed near him in Paris in 1944 as a
Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
worker; they were married in Paris in April 1945. Shortly after returning to civilian life in 1945, he moved from Minnesota to New Jersey and began working for
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
.
Apart from a few months of night classes at the
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...
under the
G.I. Bill
The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...
, Swan was an entirely self-taught artist. After a stint on ''
Boy Commandos'' he began to just pencil pages, leaving the inking to others.
Superman
Initially, Swan drew many different features, including "
Tommy Tomorrow" and "
Gangbusters",
but slowly he began gravitating towards the
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
line of books. His first job pencilling the iconic character was for ''
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
'' #51 (March–April 1948).
Many comics of the 1940s and 1950s lacked contributor credits, but research shows that Swan began pencilling the ''
Superboy
Superboy is an identity used by several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series ...
'' series with its fifth issue in 1949. He drew the first comics meeting of Superman and
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
in ''Superman'' #76 (May–June 1952). The two heroes began teaming on a regular basis in ''
World's Finest Comics
''World's Finest Comics'' is 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 ...
'' #71 (July–August 1954) in a story which was also drawn by Swan. Swan always felt that his breakthrough came when he was assigned the art duties on ''
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen'', in 1954.
[Zeno "The First Fifteen Years", p. 16]
Swan didn't take to line editor
Mort Weisinger
Mortimer Weisinger (; April 25, 1915 – May 7, 1978) was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' ''Superman'' during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books. He also co-created such features ...
's controlling style. Swan discussed this period in an interview: "I was getting terrible migraine headaches and had these verbal battles with Mort. So it was emotional, physical. It just drained me and I thought I'd better get out of here before I go whacko." After leaving comics for the advertising world in 1951, Swan soon returned, for DC's higher paychecks. And as biographer Eddy Zeno notes, "The headaches went away after
wangained Weisinger's respect by standing up to him."
Around 1954, Swan unsuccessfully pitched an original
comic strip
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
for newspaper syndication. Called ''Yellow Hair'', it was about a blond boy raised by
Native Americans. A couple of years later, starting with the episode of June 18, 1956, Swan drew the ''Superman'' daily newspaper
comic strip
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
, which he continued on until November 12, 1960.
In the view of comics historian
Les Daniels, Swan became the definitive artist of Superman in the early 1960s with a "new look" to the character that replaced
Wayne Boring
Wayne Boring (June 5, 1905 – February 20, 1987) was an Americans, American Comics artist, comic book artist best known for his work on Superman from the late 1940s to 1950s. He occasionally used the pseudonym Jack Harmon.
Biography Early life a ...
's version. The
Composite Superman was co-created by Swan and
Edmond Hamilton
Edmond Moore Hamilton (October 21, 1904 – February 1, 1977) was an American writer of science fiction during the mid-twentieth century. He is known for writing most of the Captain Future stories.
Early life
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he ...
in ''World's Finest Comics'' #142 (June 1964). Swan and writer
Jim Shooter
James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor, and publisher in the comics industry. Beginning his career writing for DC Comics at the age of 14, he had a successful but controversial run as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comic ...
crafted the story "Superman's Race with the Flash!" in ''Superman'' #199 (August 1967) which featured the first race between the
Flash and Superman, two characters known for their
super-speed powers. Over the years, Swan was a remarkably consistent and prolific artist, often illustrating two or more titles per month. Swan remained as artist of ''Superman'' when
Julius Schwartz
Julius "Julie" Schwartz ( ; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was an American comic book editor, and a science fiction agent. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various times he ...
became the editor of the title with issue #233 (January 1971), and writer
Denny O'Neil streamlined the Superman mythos, starting with the elimination of
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton (comics), Krypton that emits a u ...
. Among Swan's contributions to the Superman mythos, he and writer
Cary Bates co-created the
supervillain
A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...
s
Terra-Man
Terra-Man (Tobias Manning) is a supervillain appearing in media published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of Superman.
Publication history
Terra-Man first appeared in ''Superman'' #249 (March 1972) and was created by Cary Bates, Curt Swan, and ...
and the 1970s version of the
Toyman
Toyman is the name of three supervillains and one adolescent superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, as an adversary for Superman.
The most well-known incarnation of Toyman is Winslow Schott, a criminal who uses toy-based or to ...
as well as the
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
Vartox. Writer
Martin Pasko
Martin Joseph "Marty" Pasko (born Jean-Claude Rochefort; August 4, 1954– May 10, 2020) was a Canadian comic book writer and television screenwriter.
Pasko worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his superhero stories for DC Com ...
and Swan created the
Master Jailer character in ''Superman'' #331 (January 1979).
Later life and career
After DC's 1985 12-issue
limited series ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths
''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
'' and with the impending 1986 revision of Superman by writer/artist
John Byrne, Swan was released from his duties on the Superman comics. Critic Wallace Harrington summed up Swan's dismissal this way:
Swan's last work as regular artist on Superman was the non-canonical 1986 story "
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", written by
Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
.
After this, Swan continued to do occasional minor projects for DC, including the artwork of what is thought to be one of the rarest Superman comics ever published, titled "This Island Bradman" (written by
David P. Levin), a comic book that was privately commissioned in 1988 by real estate tycoon Godfrey Bradman as a Bar Mitzvah gift for his son, as well as an
Aquaman
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...
limited series and special in 1989, and various returns on illustrating Superman, including the prestige format graphic novel one-shot ''Superman: The Earth Stealers'' in 1988.
In 1995, Swan did four illustrations for ''
Penthouse Comix'' for the
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His 1970 novel ''Ringworld'' won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus, Ditmar Award, Ditmar, and Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula award ...
essay "
Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex
"Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" is a 1969 essay in which science fiction author Larry Niven details the problems that Superman would face in sexual intercourse and sexual reproduction, reproduction with a human woman, using arguments based on h ...
," which detailed the problems that Superman would face in having
sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...
and
reproducing with a human woman, using arguments based on humorous yet logical reconciliations between
physics
Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
,
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...
, and the abilities of
Kryptonians
Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race within the DC Comics universe that originated on the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman. The stories also use "Kryptonian" as an adjective to ref ...
as presented in the Superman comic books.
Swan's
swan song
The swan song (; ) is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. The phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful song just before their death while they have been ...
was five pages published posthumously in the 1996 special ''
Superman: The Wedding Album''.
Swan died June 17, 1996, in
Wilton, Connecticut
Wilton is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,503. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Wester ...
.
[ Helene Swan died at the age of 91 on January 27, 2012.
A previously unpublished story featuring Swan's art debuted in ''Action Comics'' #1000.
]
Art style
Comics historian Arlen Schumer praised Swan's ability to depict "the spectrum of human emotion, from agony to anger, mournful to mirthful." As characterized by critic Paul Gravett, Swan's Superman made "...Krypton's last son in exile, the alien in our midst, into someone like us, who would think and feel as well as act, who was approachable, big-hearted, considerate, maybe physically superpowerful yet gentle, noble yet subtly tragic." In a similar vein, Swan biographer Eddy Zeno calls Swan "the Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...
of ... comics." Gary Groth
Gary Groth (born September 18, 1954) is an American comic book editor, publisher and critic. He is editor-in-chief of ''The Comics Journal'', a co-founder of Fantagraphics Books, and founder of the Harvey Awards.
Early life
Groth is the son ...
, the editor-in-chief of ''The Comics Journal
''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...
'', was less complimentary, remarking that "Swan is symptomatic of what the industry requires. They adore Swan at DC because they give Swan a script and it says 'Superman flies out the window'...and there's Superman flying out the window. The script says 'Clark Kent walking down the hall' and there's Clark Kent walking down a hall. He's just a technician who does exactly what's required of him."
With his frequent inker Murphy Anderson
Murphy C. Anderson Jr. (July 9, 1926 – October 22, 2015) was an American comics artist, known as one of the premier inkers of his era, who worked for companies such as DC Comics for over fifty years, starting in the Golden Age of Comic Books in ...
from 1970 to 1974 and 1988 to 1989, the pair's collaborative artwork came to be called "Swanderson" by the fans. Despite his and Anderson's success together, Swan's favorite inker was Al Williamson
Alfonso Williamson (March 21, 1931 – June 12, 2010) was an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western, science fiction and fantasy.
Born in New York City, he spent much of his early childhood in ...
, with whom he only worked for a short time, from 1985 to 1986.
Legacy
In 1985, DC Comics named Swan as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publication '' Fifty Who Made DC Great''.
Swan's favorite story – one of the few he both pencilled and inked – was "I Flew with Superman" from ''Superman Annual'' #9 (1983), in which Swan himself appears and helps Superman solve a case.
In a story titled "Swan's Way", issue #92 of the ''Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...
'' (May 1997) memorialized Swan with a cameo appearance as an art teacher.
Elliot S. Maggin:
Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
:
The Westport Arts Center has dedicated a granite plaque in memoriam of Curt Swan, alongside others Connecticut artists.
Bibliography
Swan's comics work (interior pencil art) includes:Interior pencil art by Curt Swan
at the Grand Comics Database
The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information use ...
* ''
Action Comics
''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...
'' (
Tommy Tomorrow) #127–171; (
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
) #189, 244, 253, 256, 260, 265, 269, 270, 272, 277–278, 280, 283–284, 286–288, 290, 295, 297–298, 303–305, 307, 309–312, 318–321, 325–327, 330, 334, 336, 338–339, 343, 351–352, 355, 358–359, 367–390, 393–473, 477–485, 487–500, 502–524, 527–534, 537, 542–544, 547, 555, 556–557, 568,
583, 658 (full art); #601–642 (two-page stories); #600, 650, 667, 723 (among other artists) (1948–1996)
* ''Action Comics Annual'' #2 (among other artists) (1989)
* ''
Adventure Comics
''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...
'' (
Superboy
Superboy is an identity used by several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series ...
) #156, 159–160, 167, 169, 174, 176, 178, 179–180, 182, 184–185, 187, 190–192, 195, 197–198, 201, 205, 208, 210–212, 214–220, 223, 224–225, 227, 230, 238, 241–243, 246, 249, 257, 279, 285, 291, 293, 301–302, 311, 320, 327–328, 330, 334, 336, 339; (
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...
) #313, 340–347, 349–360, 365–372 (1950–1968)
* ''The Adventures of Superboy'' #22 (1992)
* ''The Adventures of Superboy Special'' #1 (1992)
* ''
Adventures of Superman'' #471 (full art); #480, 536 (among other artists) (1990–1996)
* ''Adventures of Superman Annual'' #2 (among other artists) (1990)
* ''
All-Star Squadron
The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, 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 s ...
'' #15 (1982)
* ''The Amazing World of Superman, Metropolis Edition'' #1 (pencils from
Carmine Infantino
Carmine Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are ...
layouts) (1973)
* ''
Aquaman
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...
'' vol. 3 #1–5 (pencils from
Keith Giffen
Keith Ian Giffen (November 30, 1952 – October 9, 2023) was an American comics artist and writer. He was 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 ...
layouts) (1989)
* ''Aquaman Special'' #1 (1989)
* ''
Arak, Son of Thunder'' (
Masters of the Universe
''Masters of the Universe'' (sometimes referred to as the ''He-Man'' or ''She-Ra'' series) is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man (the alter ego of Prince A ...
) #15 (1982)
* ''
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
'' #70 (1952), #358 (1983)
* ''Batman: A Word to the Wise'' (1992)
* ''
The Batman Chronicles'' (
Robin) #6 (1996)
* ''
The Batman Family'' (
Batgirl
Batgirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. The character Bette Kane, Betty Kane was introduced into publica ...
and
Robin) #5, 7, 11 (1976–1977)
* ''
Boy Commandos'' #16–20, 22, 25–31, 33 (1946–1949)
* ''
Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!
''Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!'' is a DC Comics series about a team of talking animals in fiction, talking animal superheroes called the Zoo Crew. The characters first appeared in a 16-page DC Comics insert previews, special insert ...
'' (Masters of the Universe) #9 (1982)
* ''
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 ...
'' #30, 35, 47, 50–51, 53, 56, 58, 67–68, 71, 77–80, 87, 91–92 (1981–1986)
* ''
DC Special Series'' (Superman) #5 (1977)
* ''
DC Super Stars
''DC Super Stars'' was a comics anthology series published by DC Comics from March 1976 to February 1978. Starting off as a reprint title, it finished its run with original stories.
Publication history
The tagline "The Line of DC Super-Stars" wa ...
'' (Superboy) #12 (1977)
* ''
Detective Comics
''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...
'' (Boy Commandos) #110–127, 129–133, 135, 138–143, 149 (1946–1949)
* ''
The Fury of Firestorm'' (Masters ...) #6 (1982)
* ''The Fury of Firestorm Annual'' #4 (among other artists) (1986)
* ''
Gang Busters'' #10–13, 15–20, 22, 25–27, 29, 32–42 (1949–1954)
* ''
Ghosts
In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
'' #4 (1972)
* ''
Hawk and Dove'' #28 (with Greg Guler) (1991)
* ''Hawk and Dove Annual'' #1 (among other artists) (1991)
* ''
Heroes Against Hunger'' #1 (two-page story, among other artists) (1986)
* ''
House of Mystery
''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror comics, horror, fantasy comics, fantasy, and mystery fiction, mystery comics anthology, comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets (DC Comi ...
'' #1–6, 8, 10–29 (1951–1954)
* ''
Justice League Quarterly'' (
General Glory) #16 (among other artists) (1994)
* ''The Krypton Chronicles'' miniseries #1–3 (1981)
* ''
L.E.G.I.O.N. '94 Annual'' #5 (among other artists) (''
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint (trade name), imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that take place outside the DC Universe Canon (fictional), canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realities that ...
'', 1994)
* ''
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...
'' vol. 2 #300 (five-page story); #306 (with Keith Giffen) (1983)
* ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' vol. 3 #45 (five-page story, among other artists) (1988)
* ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' vol. 4 #31 (with
Colleen Doran
Colleen Doran (born July 24, 1964) is an American comic book creator, writer-artist and cartoonist. She illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, including the autobiographical graphic novel of Marvel Comics editor and ...
) (1992)
* ''Legion of Super-Heroes Annual'' #3 (1984)
* ''Legion of Super-Heroes Annual'' #2 (1986)
* ''Legion of Super-Heroes Annual'' #5 (among other artists) (1990)
* ''
M.A.S.K.'' vol. 2 #1–9 (1987)
* ''
Mr. District Attorney'' #9–10, 15, 21 (1949–1951)
* ''
The New Adventures of Superboy'' #51 (1984)
* ''
The New Teen Titans'' #5, 25 (1981–1982)
* ''The New Teen Titans'' vol. 2 #43 (1988)
* ''The New Titans'' #81, 86 (1991–1992)
* ''The New Titans Annual'' #6 (full art); #8 (among other artists) (1990–1992)
* ''The
Phantom Stranger
The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo imprint. The character ...
'' #5 (two-page story) (1970)
* ''
The Power of Shazam!'' #8, 11, 17 (with Pete Krause) (1995–1996)
* ''Real Fact Comics'' #7–8, 13, 16–17, 19, 21 (1947–1949)
* ''
Secret Hearts'' #17 (1953)
* ''
Secret Origins
''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters.
Publication history
''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...
'' vol. 2 (Justice League of America) #46; (Legion of Super-Heroes) #46–47 (1989–1990)
* ''
Showcase'' (Manhunters) #5 (1956)
* ''
Star-Spangled Comics'' (
Newsboy Legion) #55, 61–64; (Robin) #72; (Manhunters Around the World) 94–108, 114–120; (War stories) #131–133 (1946–1952)
* ''
Star Spangled War Stories'' #3–13, 16–17 (1952–1954)
* ''
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 ...
'' #37 (1984)
* ''Star Trek Annual'' #3 (1988)
* ''Star Trek'' vol. 2 ''Annual'' #2 (with James Fry) (1991)
* ''
Strange Adventures'' #1–4, 6 (1950–1951)
* ''Strange Sports Stories'' #1–3 (1973–1974)
* ''
Superboy
Superboy is an identity used by several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series ...
'' #5, 8, 10–20, 22–23, 25–48, 50–58, 63, 70, 73, 80, 89, 92, 98, 100, 103–107, 112–113, 117–118, 121, 123, 126, 129, 132, 136, 138, 146–148 (1949–1968)
* ''Superboy'' vol. 2 #9–17 (1990–1991)
* ''
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
'' #51, 73, 76, 89, 97, 118, 121, 127, 130, 137, 139, 144–182, 186–187, 192–195, 197–199, 201, 207–215, 217–300, 303–306, 310–363, 365–368, 370–392, 395–396, 398–399, 401–403, 408-
423 (1948–1986)
* ''Superman Annual'' #9–10 (1983–1984)
*
''Superman'' vol. 2, #35, 48 (full art); #50, 114 (among other artists) (1989–1996)
* ''
The Superman Family'' #164–172, 174–181, 186–187 (1974–1978)
* ''Superman and Wonder Woman: The Computer Masters of Metropolis'' (1982)
* ''Superman: Victory by Computer'' (1981)
* ''
Superman III: The Official Adaptation'' (1983)
* ''
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace – Movie Special'' (1987)
* ''
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' #17, 27, 29, 32–33, 35–39, 41, 45, 54, 59, 68, 72, 86, 89, 91–92, 94, 96, 98, 102–103, 113, 122 (1960–1972)
* ''
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 conta ...
'' #1–91, 95, 104, 106–114, 116–117, 119, 121–123, 125–129, 131, 140 (1954–1971)
* ''
Superman: The Man of Steel'' #5 (with
Jon Bogdanove); #58 (among other artists) (1991–1996)
* ''Superman: The Secret Years'', miniseries, #1–4 (1985)
* ''
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...
'' vol. 2 #165 (with
Phil Hester) (1996)
* ''
Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes'' #7 (among other artists) (1988)
* ''
The Witching Hour'' #80 (1978)
* ''
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
'' #212, 214, 219, 221, 224 (1974–1976)
* ''Wonder Woman'' vol. 2 ''Annual'' #1 (among other artists) (1988)
* ''
World's Finest Comics
''World's Finest Comics'' is 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 ...
'' (Boy Commandos) #21–23, 25–31; 33–38 (Manhunters Around the World) #61–62; (other stories) #70; (Superman and Batman) #71–77, 84–85, 109, 116–117, 124, 141–173, 177–179, 184, 196–197, 223–225, 227, 230, 234, 239, 243, 245 (1946–1977)
Notes
References
External links
Curt Swan in MNopedia, the Minnesota Encyclopedia*
"DC Profiles #7: Curt Swanat the Grand Comics Database
Curt Swanat Mike's Amazing World of Comics
Curt Swan Superman Home Page
* Reed, Bill. (July 22, 2007
"365 Reasons to Love Comics: #203" Comics Should be Good, Comic Book Resources
*Hughes, Bob
Who's Whose in the DC Universe?
* Kimball, Kirk
"Super Artist Curt Swan!" Dial B for Blog #231
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swan, Curt
1920 births
1996 deaths
American comics artists
American people of Swedish descent
American Presbyterians
Artists from Minneapolis
DC Comics people
Golden Age comics creators
Inkpot Award winners
People from Willmar, Minnesota
People from Wilton, Connecticut
Silver Age comics creators
United States Army personnel of World War II
United States Army soldiers
Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees