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 panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, t ...

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 19 ...

pop-culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** C ...

Sal Buscema Sal Buscema (; ; born Silvio Buscema, January 26, 1936) is an American comics artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk'' and an eight-year run as ar ...

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 ...

sword-and-sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the ta ...

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...

pencilled 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 ...

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...

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 ...

Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame The following is a list of winners of the Eisner Award, sorted by category. The Eisner Awards have been presented since 1988, but there were no Eisner Awards in 1990 due to balloting mix-ups."Eisners Cancelled," ''The Comics Journal'' #137 (Sept. ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

Sicilian Sicilian refers to the autonomous Italian island of Sicily. Sicilian can also refer to: * Sicilian language, a Romance language spoken on the island of Sicily, its satellite islands, and southern Calabria * Sicilians, people from or with origins ...

Pozzallo Pozzallo ( scn, Puzzaddu) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. Pozzallo is now a major summer tourist destination: as of March 2020, two beaches in Pozzallo hold a Blue Flag award, presented by the FEE ...

Ragusa Ragusa is the historical name of Dubrovnik. It may also refer to: Places Croatia * the Republic of Ragusa (or Republic of Dubrovnik), the maritime city-state of Ragusa * Cavtat (historically ' in Italian), a town in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Cro ...

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.superhero comic books and such

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extr ...

comic strips as

Hal Foster Harold Rudolf Foster, FRSA (August 16, 1892 – July 25, 1982) was a Canadian-American comic strip artist and writer best known as the creator of the comic strip ''Prince Valiant''. His drawing style is noted for its high level of draftsmanship a ...

's ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

'' and ''

Prince Valiant ''Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur'', often simply called ''Prince Valiant'', is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stret ...

'',

Burne Hogarth Burne Hogarth (born Spinoza Bernard Ginsburg, December 25, 1911 – January 28, 1996) was an American artist and educator, best known for his work on the ''Tarzan'' newspaper comic strip and his series of anatomy books for artists. Early life ...

's ''Tarzan'',

Alex Raymond Alexander Gillespie Raymond Jr. (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American cartoonist who was best known for creating the ''Flash Gordon'' comic strip for King Features Syndicate in 1934. The strip was subsequently adapted into many ...

's ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established '' Buck Rogers'' ad ...

'', and

Milton Caniff Milton Arthur Paul Caniff (; February 28, 1907 – April 3, 1988) was an People of the United States, American cartoonist famous for the ''Terry and the Pirates (comic strip), Terry and the Pirates'' and ''Steve Canyon'' comic strips. Biography ...

's ''

Terry and the Pirates ''Terry and the Pirates'' is an action-adventure comic strip created by cartoonist Milton Caniff, which originally ran from October 22, 1934, to February 25, 1973. Captain Joseph Patterson, editor for the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate ...

''. He showed an interest in

commercial illustration Commercial art is the art of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. Commercial art uses a variety of platforms (magazines, websites, apps, television, etc.) for viewers with the intent of pr ...

of the period, by such artists as

N. C. Wyeth Newell Convers Wyeth (October 22, 1882 – October 19, 1945), known as N. C. Wyeth, was an American painter and illustrator. He was the pupil of Howard Pyle and became one of America's most well-known illustrators. Wyeth created more than 3,00 ...

,

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 ...

,

Dean Cornwell Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles ...

,

Coby Whitmore Maxwell Coburn Whitmore (June 11, 1913 – October 12, 1988)M.C. Whitmore

,

Albert Dorne Albert Dorne (February 7, 1906 - December 15, 1965) was an American illustrator and entrepreneur, and was co-founder of correspondence schools for aspiring artists, photographers, and writers. Dorne was co-founder of the Code of Ethics and Fair Pra ...

, and

Robert Fawcett Robert Fawcett (1903–1967) was an English artist. He was trained as a fine artist but achieved fame as an illustrator of books and magazines. Born in England, he grew up in Canada and later in New York. His father, an amateur artist, encoura ...

. Buscema graduated from

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

's

High School of Music and Art The High School of Music & Art, informally known as "Music & Art" (or "M&A"), was a public specialized high school located at 443-465 West 135th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York, from 1936 until 1984. In 1961, Music & Art and the H ...

. He took night lessons at

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was founded in 1887 ...

as well as

life drawing A figure drawing is a drawing of the human form in any of its various shapes and postures using any of the drawing media. The term can also refer to the act of producing such a drawing. The degree of representation may range from highly detailed, ...

classes at the

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown ...

. While training as a

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom *Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe eel, ...

, he began painting portraits of boxers and sold some cartoons to '' The Hobo News''. Seeking work as a commercial illustrator while doing various odd jobs, Buscema found himself instead entering the comic book field in 1948, landing a staff job under

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

and art director

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which w ...

at

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 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 19 ...

. The Timely "bullpen", as the staff was called, included such fellow staffers as established veterans

Syd Shores Sydney Shores (1916 – June 3, 1973) was an American comic book artist known for his work on Captain America both during the 1940s, in what fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books, and during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books. Bi ...

,

Carl Burgos Carl Burgos (; born Max Finkelstein ; April 18, 1916 – March 1, 1984) Note: Gives only month and year of death. was an American comic book and advertising artist best known for creating the original Human Torch in ''Marvel Comics'' #1 (Oct. 1 ...

,

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 ...

, George Klein, and Marty Nodell. Fellow newcomer

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the Steranko, Jim, in Spurlock, p. 5 recalled that "... John never seemed very happy in comics ... there always seemed to be something else he really wanted to do." His first recorded credit is penciling the four-page story "Till Crime Do You Part" in Timely's ''Lawbreakers Always Lose'' #3 (Aug. 1948). He contributed to the "real-life" dramatic series ''True Adventures'' and ''Man Comics'' (the premiere issue of which sported one of Buscema's earliest recorded comic book covers), as well as to ''Cowboy Romances'', ''Two-Gun Western'' (for which he drew at least one story of the continuing character the

Apache Kid Haskay-bay-nay-ntayl ( 1860 – in or after 1894), better known as the Apache Kid, was born in Aravaipa Canyon (25 miles (40 kilometers) south of San Carlos Agency) into one of the three local groups of the Aravaipa/Arivaipa Apache Band (in Ap ...

), '' Lorna the Jungle Queen'', and ''

Strange Tales ''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their debuts in ''Strange Tales''. It was a showcase for the science ...

''.Buscema/sort/chrono/ Archived
from the original December 5, 2011. Until the bullpen was dissolved a year-and-a-half later, as comic books in general and superhero comics in particular continued their post-war fade in popularity, Buscema

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 ...

and

inked Inked may refer to: * Inked (video game), ''Inked'' (video game) * Inked (magazine), ''Inked'' (magazine) See also

*Ink (disambiguation) {{dab ...

in a variety of genres, including

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

and

romance fiction A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

.

1950s

Buscema married in 1953. He continued to freelance for Timely, by now known as

Atlas Comics Atlas Comics may refer to * Atlas Comics (1950s), one of the two comic publishing companies that would be the forerunner of Marvel Comics * Seaboard Periodicals Atlas/Seaboard is the term comic book historians and collectors use to refer to the 1 ...

, as well as for the publishers

Ace Comics ''Ace Comics'' was a comic book series published by David McKay Publications between 1937 and 1949 — starting just before the Golden Age of Comic Books. The title reprinted syndicated newspaper strips owned by King Features Syndicate, followi ...

,

Hillman Periodicals Hillman Periodicals, Inc., was an American magazine and comic book publishing company founded in 1938 by Alex L. Hillman, a former New York City book publisher. It is best known for its true confession and true crime magazines; for the long-ru ...

, Our Publications/Orbit,

Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company which operated from 1937 to 1956 and was a creative, influential force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Notable, long-running titles published by Qualit ...

,

St. John Publications 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 ...

, and

Ziff-Davis Ziff Davis, Inc. is an American digital media and internet company. First founded in 1927 by William Bernard Ziff Sr. and Bernard George Davis, the company primarily owns technology-oriented media websites, online shopping-related services, and ...

. Buscema's mid-1950s work includes

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark" ...

' ''

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

Comics'' #74–91 (Feb. 1954 – July 1955) and subsequent ''Roy Rogers and Trigger'' #92–97 and #104–108 (Aug. 1955 – Jan. 1956 & Aug.–Dec. 1956); and the

Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T.W.O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton ...

series ''Ramar of the Jungle'' and ''Nature Boy'' — the latter, Buscema's first superhero work, with a character created by himself and Superman co-creator

Jerry Siegel Jerome Siegel ( ; October 17, 1914 – January 28, 1996) Roger Stern. ''Superman: Sunday Classics: 1939–1943'' DC Comics/Kitchen Sink Press, Inc./Sterling Publishing; 2006 was an American comic book writer. He is the co-creator of Superman, ...

. Buscema next produced a series of

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

,

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, and

sword and sandal Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (pepla plural), is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or Biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget ...

film adaptations for Dell's ''

Four Color ''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic b ...

'' series. Buscema recalled, "I did a bunch of their movie books ... that was a lot of fun. I worked from stills on those, except for ''The Vikings''. ... I think one of the best books I ever did was ''Sinbad the Sailor''." He drew at least one issue of the radio, film, and TV character the

Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in ''Everybody's Magazi ...

for Dell in 1957, as well as one- to eight-page biographies of every U.S. president through Dwight Eisenhower for that company's

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...

''Life Stories of American Presidents''. During a late 1950s downturn in the comics industry, Buscema drew occasional mystery,

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

, and

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 univer ...

stories for Atlas Comics' ''

Tales to Astonish ''Tales to Astonish'' is the name of two American comic book series and a one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics. The primary title bearing that name was published from January 1959 to March 1968. It began as a science-fiction anthology tha ...

'', ''

Tales of Suspense ''Tales of Suspense'' is the name of an American comic book anthology series and two one-shot comics published by Marvel Comics. The first, which ran from 1959 to 1968, began as a science-fiction anthology that served as a showcase for such art ...

'', and '' Strange Worlds'', and

American Comics Group American Comics Group (ACG) was an American comic book publisher started in 1939 and existing under the ACG name from 1943 to 1967. It published the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title, '' Adventures into the Unknown''. ACG's best-known ...

's ''

Adventures into the Unknown ''Adventures Into the Unknown'' was an American comic-book magazine series best known as the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title. Published by the American Comics Group, initially under the imprint B&I Publishing, it ran 174 issues (cover- ...

'', and ''

Forbidden Worlds ''Forbidden Worlds'' was a fantasy comic from the American Comics Group, which won the 1964 Alley Award for Best Regularly Published Fantasy Comic. It published 145 issues between July/August 1951 to August 1967. Publication history ''Forbidd ...

'' before leaving comics to do freelance commercial art.Steranko, p. 6 He began a freelance position for the New York City

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

firm the Chaite Agency, which employed such commercial artists as

Bob Peak Robert M. Peak (May 30, 1927 – August 1, 1992) was an American commercial illustrator. He is best known for his developments in the design of the modern film poster. His artwork has been on the cover of ''Time'' magazine, ''TV Guide'', and ...

and Frank McCarthy.

1960s

Buscema spent approximately eight years in the commercial-art field, freelancing for the Chaite Agency and the studio Triad, doing a variety of assignments: layouts,

storyboard A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in th ...

s, illustrations, paperback book covers, etc. in a variety of media. Buscema called this time "quite a learning period for me in my own development of techniques". He returned to comic books in 1966 as a regular freelance penciller for

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 19 ...

, debuting over

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential c ...

layouts on the "

Nick Fury Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in '' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos' ...

, Agent of

S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often deal ...

" story in ''

Strange Tales ''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their debuts in ''Strange Tales''. It was a showcase for the science ...

'' #150 (Nov. 1966), followed by three " Hulk" stories in ''

Tales to Astonish ''Tales to Astonish'' is the name of two American comic book series and a one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics. The primary title bearing that name was published from January 1959 to March 1968. It began as a science-fiction anthology tha ...

'' #85–87 (Nov. 1966 – Jan. 1967). He then settled in as regular penciller of '' The Avengers'', which would become one of his signature series, with #41 (June 1967). ''Avengers'' #49–50, featuring Hercules and inked by Buscema, are two of his "best-looking ssuesof that period", said comics historian and one-time Marvel editor-in-chief

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...

, who wrote those issues. Thomas and Buscema introduced new versions of the

Black Knight The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted wit ...

and the

Vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

during their collaboration on ''The Avengers''. In order to adapt to the Marvel Comics style of superhero adventure, Buscema "synthesized the essence of ackKirby's supercharged action figures, harrowing perspectives, monolithic structures, mega-force explosions, and mythological planetscapes into a formula that he instantly integrated into his own superbly crafted vision," wrote comics artist and historian

Jim Steranko James F. Steranko (; born November 5, 1938) is an American graphic artist, comics artist, comic book writer/artist, comics historian, Illusionist, magician, publisher and film production illustrator. His most famous comic book work was with the ...

. "The process brought Buscema's art to life in a way that it had never been before. Anatomically balanced figures of Herculean proportions stalked, stormed, sprawled, and savaged their way across Marvel's universe like none had previously". Buscema would pencil an average of two comics a month in collaboration with such inkers as George Klein,

Frank Giacoia Frank Giacoia (July 6, 1924 – February 4, 1988) was an American comics artist known primarily as an inker. He sometimes worked under the name Frank Ray, and to a lesser extent Phil Zupa, and the single moniker Espoia, the latter used for collab ...

,

Dan Adkins Danny L. AdkinsDanny L. Adkins
at the Joe Sinnott Joseph Leonard Sinnott (; October 16, 1926 June 25, 2020) was an American comic book artist. Working primarily as an inker, Sinnott is best known for his long stint on Marvel Comics' ''Fantastic Four'', from 1965 to 1981 (and briefly in the la ...

, his younger brother

Sal Buscema Sal Buscema (; ; born Silvio Buscema, January 26, 1936) is an American comics artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk'' and an eight-year run as ar ...

, Tom Palmer, and, occasionally, Marvel production manager and sometime inker-

cartoonist 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 an ...

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 ...

. John Buscema named Frank Giacoia, Sal Buscema, and Tom Palmer as his favorite inkers. Among Buscema's works during this period fans and historians call the

Silver Age of comic books The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an int ...

are ''The Avengers'' #41–62 (June 1967 – March 1969) and ''The Avengers Annual'' #2 (Sept. 1968); the first eight issues of ''The Sub-Mariner'' (May–Dec. 1968); ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...

'' #72–73, 76–81, 84–85 (ranging from June 1969 – June 1970 providing layouts finished by either

John Romita Sr. John V. Romita (; born January 24, 1930) is an American comic book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' and for co-creating characters including the Punisher and Wolverine. He was inducted into the Wil ...

or

Jim Mooney James Noel Mooney (August 13, 1919 – March 30, 2008) was an American comics artist best known for his long tenure at DC Comics and as the signature artist of Supergirl, as well as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, both during ...

), and two issues he himself finished over Romita layouts. Buscema drew the first appearance of the

Prowler Prowler may refer to: * "Prowler", a song by Iron Maiden from ''Iron Maiden'', 1980 * Prowler (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics superhero * ''The Prowler'' (1951 film), a film starring Van Heflin * "The Prowler" (''Australian Playhouse''), an ep ...

in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #78 (Nov. 1969). In August 1968, Buscema and Stan Lee launched a new title, ''The

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 ...

''. That series about a philosophical alien roaming the world trying to understand both the divinity and the savagery of humanity was a personal favorite of Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee, who scripted. Buscema penciled 17 of its 18 issues — the first seven as a 25¢ "giant-size" title at a time when comics typically cost 12¢. "Beautifully drawn by John Buscema, this comic book represented an attempt to upgrade the medium with a serious character of whom Lee had grown very fond," assessed comics historian

Les Daniels Leslie Noel Daniels III, better known as Les Daniels (October 27, 1943 – November 5, 2011), was an American writer. Background Daniels attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wrote his master's thesis on '' Frankenste ...

. Roy Thomas said Buscema considered ''Silver Surfer'' #4 (Feb. 1969), featuring a battle between the Silver Surfer and Thor, "as the highpoint of his Marvel work". Characters Buscema co-created in ''The Silver Surfer'' include the long-running arch-demon

Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * '' Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German-Hungarian film based ...

in issue #3 (Dec. 1968). Toward the end of the decade, Buscema drew some fill-in issues of superhero series and returned to familiar 1950s genres with a spate of supernatural mystery stories in ''

Chamber of Darkness ''Chamber of Darkness'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics. Under this and a subsequent name, it ran from 1969 to 1974. It featured work by creators such as writer-editor Stan Lee, writers Gerr ...

'' and ''

Tower of Shadows ''Tower of Shadows'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics under this and a subsequent name from 1969 to 1975. It featured work by writer-artists Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Johnny Craig, and Wall ...

'', and romance tales in ''My Love'' and ''Our Love''. He then returned to his signature series ''The Avengers'' for 11 issues inked by Tom Palmer.

1970s

The creative team of Roy Thomas and John Buscema introduced new characters such as

Arkon Arkon is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the warlord and ruler of the extra-dimensional world of Polemachus. The concept of the character is that he is a hero from the sword-and-sorcery ge ...

in ''The Avengers'' #75 (April 1970),

Red Wolf The red wolf (''Canis rufus'') is a canine native to the southeastern United States. Its size is intermediate between the coyote (''Canis latrans'') and gray wolf (''Canis lupus''). The red wolf's taxonomic classification as being a separate ...

in #80 (Sept. 1970), and the

Squadron Supreme The Squadron Supreme is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, of which there are several notable alternate versions. The original team was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, derived from the previ ...

in #85 (Feb. 1971). With Jack Kirby's departure from Marvel in 1970, Buscema succeeded him on both of Kirby's titles: ''Fantastic Four'' (penciling issues #107–141, following

John Romita Sr. John V. Romita (; born January 24, 1930) is an American comic book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' and for co-creating characters including the Punisher and Wolverine. He was inducted into the Wil ...

) and ''

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 ...

'' (#182–259). He additionally launched the feature "

Black Widow Black widow may refer to: Spiders * Black widow spider, a common name for some species of spiders in the genus ''Latrodectus'' American species * ''Latrodectus apicalis'', the Galapagos black widow * ''Latrodectus curacaviensis'', the South Amer ...

" in ''

Amazing Adventures ''Amazing Adventures'' is the name of several anthology comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics. The earliest Marvel series of that name introduced the company's first superhero of the late-1950s to early-1960s period fans and ...

'' vol. 2, #1 (Aug. 1970). Marvel editor-in-chief

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which w ...

, who collaborated with Buscema on many stories up to this time, wrote, Buscema began penciling ''

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...

'' with #25 (April 1973) following Barry Smith's celebrated run, and debuted as the Conan artist of the black-and-white comics-magazine omnibus ''

Savage Sword of Conan ''The Savage Sword of Conan'' was 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'' starre ...

'' with issue #1 (Aug. 1974). He would eventually contribute to more than 100 issues of each title, giving him one of the most prolific runs for an artist on a single character. He additionally drew the ''Conan'' Sunday and daily

syndicated Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

newspaper comic strip upon its premiere in 1978, and even contributed some storyboard illustrations for the 1982 Conan movie, as well as painting four covers for the Conan magazines. In 2010,

Comics Bulletin Comics Bulletin was a daily website covering the American comic-book industry. History Silver Bullet Comicbooks The site was founded in January 2000 as Silver Bullet Comicbooks by its New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice. During thi ...

ranked Buscema's work on ''Conan the Barbarian'' seventh on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels". For about ten years, he would produce an average three to four books' worth of pencils a month, such as ''

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

'' (1976) and ''

Ms. Marvel Ms. Marvel is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was originally conceived as a female counterpart to Captain Marvel. Like Captain Marvel, most of the bearers of the Ms. ...

'' (1977). In addition to his regular assignments he would pencil covers and fill-in issues of titles including ''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1 ( cover dated March 1941) from T ...

'', ''

Captain Britain Captain Britain is a title used by various superheroes in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Excalibur. The moniker was first used in publication by Brian Braddock in ''Captain Britain Weekly'' #1 by writer ...

'' (Marvel UK), ''

Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superhe ...

'', ''

The Frankenstein Monster Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compares ...

'', ''

Howard the Duck Howard the Duck is a fictional 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 Fear'' #19 (cover-d ...

'', ''

Master of Kung Fu Zheng Shang-Chi ( ), also known as the Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in '' ...

'', ''

Red Sonja Red Sonja is a fictional sword and sorcery comic-book superheroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino. Marvel Comics pub ...

'' and ''

Warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives '' warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver" and was given special applicat ...

''. He also drew a story for the

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 univer ...

anthology ''

Worlds Unknown ''Worlds Unknown'' was a science-fiction comic book published by American company Marvel Comics in the 1970s, which adapted classic short stories of that genre, including works by Frederik Pohl, Harry Bates, and Theodore Sturgeon. Publication h ...

''. Buscema contributed as well to Marvel's black-and-white comics magazines, including the features " Ka-Zar" in ''

Savage Tales ''Savage Tales'' is the title of three American comics series. Two were black-and-white comics- magazine anthologies published by Marvel Comics, and the other a color comic book anthology published by Dynamite Entertainment. Publication history ...

'' #1 (May 1971) and "

Bloodstone Bloodstone may refer to: *Heliotrope (mineral) or bloodstone, a form of chalcedony Film * ''Bloodstone'' (1988 film), an Indian-American action/comedy film *'' Bloodstone: Subspecies II'', a 1993 horror film * Bloodstone: An Epic Dwarven Tale, ano ...

" in ''Rampaging Hulk'' #1 (Jan. 1977), and ''

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 doctor, scientist, adventurer, detective, and polymath who "rights ...

'' #1 and 3 (Aug. 1975, Jan. 1976). Other magazine work ran the gamut from

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction ** Korean horror, Korean horror fiction *Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing on ...

(''Dracula Lives!'', ''Monsters Unleashed'', ''

Tales of the Zombie ''Tales of the Zombie'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 10 issues and one '' Super Annual'' from 1973 to 1975, many featuring stories of t ...

'') to humor (''Crazy'', ''Pizzaz''). Buscema left the ''Thor'' title for a time to launch the Marvel version of the Edgar Rice Burroughs character

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

in 1977. Other licensed projects include a 72-page ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to: *'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz'' ** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...

'' movie adaptation in an oversized " Treasury Edition" format with DeZuniga inking. For Power Records, which produced children's book-and-record sets, Buscema drew ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vario ...

'' and Conan the Barbarian comics. He contributed some superhero drawings for ''Pro'', the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...

official magazine (1970), and penciled some chapters of the first issue of ''

Marvel Comics Super Special ''Marvel Comics Super Special'' was a 41-issue series of one-shot comic-magazines published by Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. They were cover-priced $1.50 to $2.50, while regular color comics were priced 30 cents to 60 cents, Beginning with issu ...

'' featuring the rock group

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

(1977). In 1978, small-press publisher Sal Quartuccio released ''The Art of John Buscema'', a retrospective that included an interview, previously unpublished sketches and drawings, and a cover that was also sold as a poster. Buscema capped off the decade penciling writer

Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948) is an American comic book writer notable for his ''Batman'' work and as the creator of Moon Knight, Deathlok, Black Mask, '' Electric Warrior'' and '' Six from Sirius''. He is also known for his critical ...

's three-issue

Weirdworld ''Weirdworld'' was a fantasy series created by Doug Moench and Mike Ploog for American company Marvel Comics, set in a dimension of magic. A comic book series titled ''Weirdworld'' debuted in 2015 as a tie-in to the ''Secret Wars'' storyline, foll ...

epic-fantasy tale "Warriors of the Shadow Realm" in ''Marvel Super Special'' #11–13 (June-Oct. 1979).

Pacific Comics Pacific Comics (PC) was an American comic book publisher that was active from 1981 to 1984. It was also a chain of comics shops and a distributor. It began at a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill and Steve Schanes. Alo ...

released an accompanying portfolio of six signed, colored plates from the story.

Teaching

In the mid-1970s, Buscema ran the John Buscema Art School, which advertised for students in the pages of many Marvel titles. Stan Lee made appearances as a guest lecturer at Buscema's school, and some of the school's graduates (including Bob Hall and Bruce Patterson) went on to become professional cartoonists. Buscema later said that teaching the class was "very gratifying" but that having to make the 60-mile drive after a day's work was too exhausting, and ultimately forced him to give it up. Buscema then collaborated with Lee on the book ''

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way ''How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way'' is a book by Stan Lee and John Buscema. The book teaches the aspiring comic book artist how to draw and create comic books. The examples are from Marvel Comics and Buscema artwork. It was first published in 1 ...

'' (

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 Ma ...

, 1978), a primer on comic book art and storytelling based on the comic art classes Buscema had given a few years prior, and has remained in print for over 25 years, in its 33rd printing as of 2007.

1980s

After drawing the first issue of ''The Savage

She-Hulk She-Hulk (Jennifer "Jen" Walters) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk'' #1 (cover-dated February ...

'' (Feb. 1980), Buscema abandoned regular superhero work in order to spearhead art duties on all three Conan titles. The popularity of the character spurred the release of a Conan movie in 1982; Buscema provided pencils and inks for a 48-page movie adaptation. He continued to tackle other high-profile projects such as a Silver Surfer story for ''

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'', it allowed explicit content to be featured, unlike the traditional Ame ...

'' #1 (Spring 1980), a King Arthur story in ''

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 ...

'' #22 (Summer 1980), the

St. Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

biography ''Francis, Brother of the Universe'' (1980), the second ''

Superman and Spider-Man ''Superman and Spider-Man'' is an intercompany comic book jointly published by DC Comics and Marvel Comics in July 1981. Number 28 (and final) in the ''Marvel Treasury Edition'' series, it is a "sequel" to 1976's '' Superman vs. the Amazing Spider ...

'' team-up (1981), and an adaptation of the 1981 movie ''

Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. It stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, R ...

''. He left ''King Conan'' in 1982 after nine issues, although he remained with Marvel's Robert E. Howard franchise with a revival of the ''

Kull Kull may refer to: Arts * Kull of Atlantis, a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard ** ''Kull the Conqueror'', a 1997 fantasy action film based on Howard's character and starring Kevin Sorbo * King Kull (DC Comics), a Fawcett Comics and D ...

'' series for 10 issues, and left ''The Savage Sword of Conan'' in 1984 with #101 with a series of stories that he plotted himself. After pencilling the ''

Conan the Destroyer ''Conan the Destroyer'' is a 1984 American epic sword and sorcery film directed by Richard Fleischer from a screenplay by Stanley Mann and a story by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. Based on the character Conan the Barbarian created by Robert E. ...

'' movie adaptation in 1984 and the ''Conan of the Isles'' graphic novel in 1987, he left ''Conan the Barbarian'' with #190 in 1987, ending a 14-year association with the character. After nearly five years away from superheroes, except for the first two issues of the X-Men-related, four-issue miniseries ''Magik'' (Dec. 1983 – March 1984), Buscema returned to familiar ground as regular penciller on ''The Avengers'' from #255–300 (May 1985 – Feb. 1989). He was regular penciller on ''Fantastic Four'' for its 300th issue, during a 15-issue stint from #296–309 (Nov. 1986 – Dec. 1987). Additionally, he fit in the three-issue film adaptation ''

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...

'' (Nov. 1986 – Jan. 1987) and the four-issue miniseries ''

Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * '' Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German-Hungarian film based ...

'' (April–July 1987), starring a character he created with Stan Lee in ''The Silver Surfer''. Buscema reteamed with Lee on the Silver Surfer himself with the 1988 graphic novel ''Silver Surfer: Judgment Day'', self-inked and done entirely as full-page panels. That year he and inker

Klaus Janson Klaus Janson (born January 23, 1952) is a German-born American comics artist, working regularly for Marvel Comics and DC Comics and sporadically for independent companies. While he is best known as an inker, Janson has frequently worked as a pe ...

drew a

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a musc ...

solo feature in the biweekly anthology ''Marvel Comics Presents'', followed by self-inked Wolverine series in that title. He pencilled the first 14 issues (Nov. 1988 – mid-Nov. 1989) of the first Wolverine ongoing series, self-inked on #7-8.

Bill Sienkiewicz Boleslav William Felix Robert Sienkiewicz ( ; born May 3, 1958) is an American artist known for his work in comic books—particularly for Marvel Comics' ''New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and ''Elektra: Assassin''. Sienkiewicz's work in the 1980s ...

, who inked the last five issues of that run, recalled Buscema's pencil work as "the sturdiest foundation an inker or an embellisher could possibly hope to build on, and their beauty was not in their attention to fastidiously rendered minutiae, but instead were marvels of deceptive simplicity. Each page an example of grace, elegance and power."

Later career

Buscema began his sixth decade in the field by joining Roy Thomas for a return to ''The Savage Sword of Conan'' with #191 (Nov. 1991) for a 20-issue run. ''Conan the Rogue'', a

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 ...

Buscema plotted, pencilled, inked, and colored over a period of five years in his spare time appeared that same year. He both penciled and inked the graphic novel '' Wolverine: Bloody Choices'' (Nov. 1993). Buscema returned to

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

with ''

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. Publication history The first installment of the series ran for 41 issues and two 64-pag ...

'' #23–30 (Jan.–Aug. 1994, self-inking #26–29), that title's 1993

summer annual An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical lo ...

, and the 1994 graphic novel ''A Man Named Frank'', a parallel-universe Punisher

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

tale. He pencilled the Punisher portions of 1994's ''

Archie Meets the Punisher ''Archie Meets the Punisher'' or ''The Punisher Meets Archie'' is a one-shot comic book and intercompany crossover written by Batton Lash with art by Stan Goldberg, John Buscema, and Tom Palmer. It was published jointly by Archie Comics and ...

'' team-up. No longer attached to a regular series after his ''Punisher'' run, he penciled and inked ''The Avengers Annual'' #23 (1994) and five more black-and-white Conan adventures, serving as that Marvel franchise's final artist on ''The Savage Sword of Conan'' with #235 (July 1995) and on the short-lived spin-off ''Conan the Savage'' with #10 (May 1996). Through 1999, he penciled a variety of superhero comics; both penciled and inked a black-and-white short story for ''Shadows and Light'' (1998); and made a final return to Conan with the ''Death Covered in Gold'' three-issue miniseries (1999). Buscema worked with

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 their f ...

for the first time in 2000, initially doing both pencils and inks on a "

Batman Black and White ''Batman Black and White'' refers to the comic book Limited series (comics), limited series published by DC Comics featuring 8-page black and white Batman stories. Volumes 1, 4 and 5 of the series feature all-new stories (published in 1996, 2013� ...

" short story in '' Batman: Gotham Knights'' #7 (Sept. 2000). He reunited with Stan Lee on the 2001 one-shot '' Just Imagine Stan Lee and John Buscema Creating Superman''. He finished the pencils on 2003's ''Superman: Blood of my Ancestors'', begun by

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...

, who had since died, and had just signed on for a five-issue miniseries with Roy Thomas, ''JLA: Barbarians'', though he died after finishing the first issue. An 11 x 17-inch

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone ( lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German ...

print of the late 1960s/early 1970s Avengers, penciled by Buscema and painted in

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...

by Alex Ross for the publisher

Dynamic Forces Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptation ...

, was Buscema's last professional work. Reprinted in Buscema's passion for drawing was such that he continued to draw and sketch in his spare time, often on the back of comic book art pages, and these images form a considerable body of work in their own right. His brother Sal Buscema recalled,

Personal life

Buscema, who lived in Port Jefferson, New York, on Long Island, at the time of his death, was married to Dolores Buscema, with whom he had a son, John Jr., and a daughter, Dianne. His granddaughter Stephanie Buscema is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist, who started out as an inker for her grandfather.

Cancer and death

Buscema was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and died on January 10, 2002, at the age of 74. He was cremated with an artist's pen in his hand.

Awards

*1968: Alley Award for Best Full-Length Story, for Marvel Comics' ''The Silver Surfer'' #1: "Origin of the Silver Surfer", by Stan Lee and John Buscema (tied with

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 their f ...

' ''The Brave and the Bold'' #79: "Track of the Hook", by Bob Haney and Neal Adams): also Best New Strip for ''The Silver Surfer''. *1969: Alley Award for Best Full-Length Story for ''The Silver Surfer'' #5: "... And Who Shall Mourn for Him?", by Stan Lee, John Buscema, and Sal Buscema. *1974: Shazam Award for Best Penciller (Dramatic Division). *1977: Eagle Award (comics), Eagle Award for Favourite Single Comicbook Story for ''Howard the Duck'' #3: "Four Feathers of Death", with Steve Gerber. *1978: Inkpot Award *1997: "Author that We Loved" award at the Spanish Haxtur Awards. *2002: Inducted into the List of Eisner Award winners#The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame, Eisner Award Hall of Fame. In 2002, Spain’s Haxtur Awards inaugurated the Haxtur Award#Special John Buscema Award, Special John Buscema Award.

Bibliography

DC Comics

*''Batman Gotham Knights'' (

Batman Black and White ''Batman Black and White'' refers to the comic book Limited series (comics), limited series published by DC Comics featuring 8-page black and white Batman stories. Volumes 1, 4 and 5 of the series feature all-new stories (published in 1996, 2013� ...

) #7 (2000) *''Just Imagine..., Just Imagine Stan Lee with John Buscema Creating Superman'', one-shot, (2001) *'' Superman: Blood of My Ancestors'', one-shot, (with

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...

) (2003, posthumous)

Dell Comics

*''

Four Color ''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic b ...

'' #684: Helen of Troy (film), Helen of Troy (1956), #762: The Sharkfighters; #775: The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, Sir Lancelot and Brian, #794: The Count of Monte Cristo (1954 film), The Count of Monte Cristo, #910: The Vikings (film), The Vikings, #927: Luke Short's Top Gun (adapted from novel ''Test Pit'' by Luke Short), #944: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, #1006: Hercules (1958 film), Hercules, #1077, 1130: The Deputy (TV series), The Deputy, #1139: Spartacus (film), Spartacus (1956–1960)

Marvel Comics

*''All-True Crime Cases'' #32 (1949) *''

Amazing Adventures ''Amazing Adventures'' is the name of several anthology comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics. The earliest Marvel series of that name introduced the company's first superhero of the late-1950s to early-1960s period fans and ...

'' #1–2 (

Black Widow Black widow may refer to: Spiders * Black widow spider, a common name for some species of spiders in the genus ''Latrodectus'' American species * ''Latrodectus apicalis'', the Galapagos black widow * ''Latrodectus curacaviensis'', the South Amer ...

) (1970) *''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...

'' #72–73, 76–81 (layouts only); #84–85 (1969–1970) *''Amazing Spider-Man 1999'' #1 (1999) *''

Archie Meets the Punisher ''Archie Meets the Punisher'' or ''The Punisher Meets Archie'' is a one-shot comic book and intercompany crossover written by Batton Lash with art by Stan Goldberg, John Buscema, and Tom Palmer. It was published jointly by Archie Comics and ...

'' #1 (with Stan Goldberg) (1994) *''Astonishing Tales'' #9, 12 (Ka-Zar) (1971–1972) *'' The Avengers'' #41–44, 46–47, 49–62, 74–77, 79–85, 94, 97, 105, 121, 124–125, 152–153, 255–279, 281–300, ''Annual'' #2 (backup story), 23 (1967–1989), #385 (with Mike Deodato) (1995) *''Bizarre Adventures'' #27, 29–30 (1981–1982) *''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1 ( cover dated March 1941) from T ...

'' #115, 217 (1969–1978) *''

Captain Britain Captain Britain is a title used by various superheroes in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Excalibur. The moniker was first used in publication by Brian Braddock in ''Captain Britain Weekly'' #1 by writer ...

'' #24–30 (Marvel UK) (1977) *''Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Captain Marvel'' #18 (with Gil Kane) (1969) *''

Chamber of Darkness ''Chamber of Darkness'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics. Under this and a subsequent name, it ran from 1969 to 1974. It featured work by creators such as writer-editor Stan Lee, writers Gerr ...

'' #1, 3 (1969–1970) *''

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...

'' #25–36, 38–39, 41–56, 58–63, 65–68, 70–78, 84–86, 88–91, 93–126, 136, 140–144, 146–153, 155–159, 161–163, 165–179, 181–185, 187–190; ''Annual'' #2, 4, 5, 7 (1973–1987) *''Conan the Barbarian (1982 film), Conan the Barbarian Movie Special'' #1–2 (1982) *''Conan the Savage'' #10 (1996) *''Conan: Death Covered in Gold'' #1–3 (1999) *''Cosmic Powers Unlimited'' #2–3 (1995) *''Cowboy Romances'' #1–3 (1949–1950) *''Crazy Magazine'' #2 (1974) *''Crimefighters'' #4–5, 7–8, 10 (1948–1949) *''

Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superhe ...

'' #136–137, 219 (1976–1985) *''Deadly Hands of Kung Fu Annual'' #1 (1974) *''Deathlok'' vol. 3 #10 (2000) *''

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 doctor, scientist, adventurer, detective, and polymath who "rights ...

'', vol. 2, #1, 3 (1975–1976) *''Doom 2099'' #39–40 (1996) *''Dracula Lives'' #3, 6 (1973–1974) *''

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'', it allowed explicit content to be featured, unlike the traditional Ame ...

'' #1 (Silver Surfer), #9, 11–13 (1980–1982) *''Faithful'' #1–2 (1949–1950) *''

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...

'' #107–130, 132, 134–141, 160, 173–175, 202, 296–309, 416 ''Annual'' #11, ''Giant-Size'' #2, 4 (1971–1996) *''Fantastic Four 2099'' #2 (1996) *''Francis of Assisi, Francis, Brother of the Universe'' #1 (1980) *''Frankenstein's Monster (Marvel Comics), Frankenstein'' #7–10 (1973–1974) *''Galactus The Devourer'', miniseries, #2–6 (1999–2000) *''Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up'' #1 (1975) *''Girl Comics'' #1 (1949) *''

Howard the Duck Howard the Duck is a fictional 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 Fear'' #19 (cover-d ...

'' #3 (1976) *''Howard the Duck'' vol. 2 (1980) *''The Rampaging Hulk, Hulk!'' #23 (1980) *''Justice'' #13 (1949) *'' Ka-Zar'' #6–10 (1974–1975) *''King Conan'' #1–9, 17 (1980–1983) *''Kull of Atlantis, Kull the Conqueror'', vol. 2, #1–3, 5–7, 9–10 (1982–1985) *''Lawbreakers Always Lose'' #3, 5, 9 (1948–1949) *''Lorna, the Jungle Queen'' #1 (1953) *''Love Trails'' #1 (1949) *''Lovers'' #30 (1950) *''Magik (comics), Magik'' #1–2 (1983–1984) *''Man Comics'' #3–4 (1950) *''Man-Thing'' #12–13, 16 ''Giant-Size'' #2, 5 (1973–1974) *''Marvel Age Annual'' #4 (1988) *''Marvel Comics Presents'' #1–10, 38–47 (

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a musc ...

) (1988–1990) *''

Marvel Comics Super Special ''Marvel Comics Super Special'' was a 41-issue series of one-shot comic-magazines published by Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. They were cover-priced $1.50 to $2.50, while regular color comics were priced 30 cents to 60 cents, Beginning with issu ...

'' #1–2, 9, 11–13, 18, 21, 35, 40 (1977–1986) *''Marvel Fanfare'' #51, 53 (1990) *''Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles'' SC (1989) *''Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan the Rogue SC (1991) *''

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 ...

'' #22–23 (1980) *''Marvel Spotlight'' #30 (1976) *''Marvel Treasury Edition'' #23 (1979) *''Marvel Two-in-One'' #30 (1977) *''Marvel Tales (comics), Marvel Tales'' #39 (1972) *''

Master of Kung Fu Zheng Shang-Chi ( ), also known as the Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in '' ...

'' #27 (1975) *''

Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * '' Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German-Hungarian film based ...

'' #1–4 (1987) *''Monsters Unleashed (comics), Monsters Unleashed'' #1–2, 4–5 (1973–1974) *''

Ms. Marvel Ms. Marvel is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was originally conceived as a female counterpart to Captain Marvel. Like Captain Marvel, most of the bearers of the Ms. ...

'' #1–3 (1977) *''My Love'' #1–7, 10, 18 (1969–1972) *''My Own Romance'' #67 (1959) *''

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

'' #1–2, 21 (1976–1978) *''Our Love Story'' #1–3, 5–7, 9, 16 (1969–1972) *''Punisher: A Man Named Frank'' #1 (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. Publication history The first installment of the series ran for 41 issues and two 64-pag ...

'' #23–30, ''Annual'' #1 (1993–1994) *''The Rampaging Hulk'' #1 (1977) *''Rangeland Love'' #1 (1949) *''

Red Sonja Red Sonja is a fictional sword and sorcery comic-book superheroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino. Marvel Comics pub ...

'' #12–13, 15 (1978–1979) *''Romances of the West'' #1–2 (1949–1950) *''Rune (comics), Rune/Silver Surfer'' #1 (1995) *''She-Hulk, Savage She-Hulk'' #1 (1980) *''

Savage Sword of Conan ''The Savage Sword of Conan'' was 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'' starre ...

'' #1–5, 7, 10–13, 15–24, 26–28, 30–36, 38–43, 45, 47–58, 60–67, 70–74, 76–81, 87–88, 90–93, 95–96, 98–101, 190–200, 202–210, 222, 225, 234–235 (1974–1995) *''

Savage Tales ''Savage Tales'' is the title of three American comics series. Two were black-and-white comics- magazine anthologies published by Marvel Comics, and the other a color comic book anthology published by Dynamite Entertainment. Publication history ...

'' #1, 6–8 (Ka-Zar) (1971–1975) *''Savage Tales'' vol. 2 #6 (1986) *''Shadows & Light'' #3 (1998) *''

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 ...

'' #1–17 (1968–1970) *''Silver Surfer'' vol. 3 #110 (1995) *''Silver Surfer: Judgment Day'' graphic novel (1988) *''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #121 (among other artists) (1986) *''

Squadron Supreme The Squadron Supreme is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, of which there are several notable alternate versions. The original team was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, derived from the previ ...

'' #7 (1986) *''

Strange Tales ''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their debuts in ''Strange Tales''. It was a showcase for the science ...

'' #68, 150, 174 (1959–1974) *''Namor, Sub-Mariner'' #1–8, 20, 24 (1968–1970) *''Suspense'' #4 (1950) *''

Tales of Suspense ''Tales of Suspense'' is the name of an American comic book anthology series and two one-shot comics published by Marvel Comics. The first, which ran from 1959 to 1968, began as a science-fiction anthology that served as a showcase for such art ...

'' #1 (1959) *''Tales of the Zombie'' #1 (1973) *''

Tales to Astonish ''Tales to Astonish'' is the name of two American comic book series and a one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics. The primary title bearing that name was published from January 1959 to March 1968. It began as a science-fiction anthology tha ...

'' #2; #85–87 (Hulk) (1959–1967) *''Tarzan in comics, Tarzan'' #1–18, ''Annual'' #1 (1977–1978) *''Tex Morgan'' #4–7 (1949) *''

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 ...

'' #178, 182–213, 215–226, 231–238, 241–253, 256–259, 272–278, 283–285, ''Annual'' #5, 8, 13 (1970–1985); #490 (1995) *''Thor'' vol. 2 #9 (1999) *''The Tomb of Dracula'' vol. 2 #4–5 (1980) *''Creatures on the Loose, Tower of Shadows'' #1–2 (1969) *''True Adventures'' #3 (1950) *''True Life Tales'' #1 (1949) *''True Secrets'' #3 (1950) *''Two Gun Western'' #5 (1950) *Western Outlaws and Sheriffs'' #60, 62 (1949–1950) *''Western Winners'' #5 (1949) *''What If (comics), What If'' #13 (Conan); 15 (Nova) (1979) *''Wild Western'' #7–8 (1949) *''Wolverine (comic book), Wolverine'' #1–8, 10–16, 25, 27 (1988–1990) *'' Wolverine: Bloody Choices'' SC (1991) *''

Worlds Unknown ''Worlds Unknown'' was a science-fiction comic book published by American company Marvel Comics in the 1970s, which adapted classic short stories of that genre, including works by Frederik Pohl, Harry Bates, and Theodore Sturgeon. Publication h ...

'' #4 (1973) *''Young Men'' #4–5 (1950)

Simon & Schuster

*''

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way ''How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way'' is a book by Stan Lee and John Buscema. The book teaches the aspiring comic book artist how to draw and create comic books. The examples are from Marvel Comics and Buscema artwork. It was first published in 1 ...

'', with

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which w ...

, teaching book,

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 Ma ...

, 1978,

Notes

References

External links

* * , Samcci.comics.org: Silver Age Cover Gallery, Retrieved on 2008-11-26; original site unresponsive 2008-12-02; from the Internet Archive * *
John Buscema
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators

Audio/video

"Drawing Superheroes (1 of 3)"
YouTube. December 9, 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Buscema, John 1927 births 2002 deaths American comics artists American storyboard artists Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from stomach cancer The High School of Music & Art alumni Golden Age comics creators Inkpot Award winners Marvel Comics people People from Brooklyn People from Port Jefferson, New York Silver Age comics creators Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees American people of Italian descent

Biography

Early life and career

1950s

1960s

1970s

Teaching

1980s

Later career

Personal life

Cancer and death

Awards

Bibliography

DC Comics

Dell Comics

Marvel Comics

Simon & Schuster

Notes

References

Further reading

External links

Audio/video