Robot 6
Artist Frank Springer passes away
- Posted on April 6, 2009 - 03:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Secret Six #1
Prolific artist Frank Springer, who drew a wide range of comics ranging from Secret Six and Dazzler to Rex Morgan, M.D., and The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist, died Thursday of prostate cancer. He was 79.
Born Dec. 6, 1929, in Jamaica, Queens, N.Y., Springer earned a bachelor's degree in fine art from Syracuse University in 1952. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he became an assistant to cartoonist George Wunder on the popular Terry and the Pirates comic strip until 1960.
He broke into comic books in 1962 drawing Brain Boy for Dell. Throughout the 1960s and into the '70s Springer drew numerous titles for Dell and worked on issues of Batman, House of Mystery, Detective Comics and Secret Six for DC Comics, and such series as Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, Captain America, The Avengers and Captain Marvel for Marvel.
In 1965, Springer collaborated with writer Michael O'Donoghue on the adult-satire strip The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist for Evergreen Review. He considered that one of his best works.
Springer returned to newspaper strips in the late 1970s with Rex Morgan and the short-lived Incredible Hulk series.
In the early '80s, Springer was the regular inker on Marvel's The Savage She-Hulk and penciller on Dazzler, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and The Transformers. He later returned to DC for turns on Green Arrow and Manhunter.
Springer is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara, five children and seven grandchildren.
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8 Comments
Martin Gray
April 6, 2009 at 4:27 am
Condolences to his family, I enjoyed Mr Springer’s clean style.
Larry Hama
April 6, 2009 at 8:13 am
Frank Springer was a real gentleman and a very under-appreciated draftsman. He was also one of the few "grown-ups" in an industry rife with arrested development and Peter Pan Syndrome cases. Frank always came to the office wearing a suit and tie, and you might think that would have made staffers in their grubby jeans and t-shirts uptight, but it didn't, because his warmth and sincere smile cut through everything. My deepest condolences to his family. He will be missed.
SeanChristopher
April 6, 2009 at 11:14 am
What a great cover!
Jack Norris
April 6, 2009 at 1:56 pm
He also did a lot of great comics parody work for National Lampoon (the magazine, not the now-meaningless brand name put in front of crappy movies) during its funny years, which is where I first encountered his work.
Joe Tages
April 6, 2009 at 2:47 pm
I grew up on most of Frank Springer's 1980's work at Marvel, with his and Larry's G.I. Joe run being the highlight. It was only later on that I found out how far back his career stretched. Frank's Secret Six series is one project that deserved a longer shelf life. His Dazzler stint also goes by without sufficient praise. I'm sorry I never got to meet Frank and thank him for his contributions to the industry. He shall be missed and never forgotten. My thoughts are with his family and all those who loved him.
James Rubino
April 6, 2009 at 3:59 pm
When Frank Springer took over the art chores on SHIELD in the late 1960's it was quite a shock for those of us accustomed to the more surrealistic style Steranko had employed in prior issues. But over the years I've come to appreciate the more "serious", realistic approach Mr. Springer took on that title and on the early Captain Marvel series. I still enjoy perusing those old books he illustrated. He was a fine artist.
Jaybee
April 6, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Frank Springer also illustrated several issues of the 1970's Marvel WW2 series "The Invaders". Whether it was his penciling, or the inker's choices that altered the artwork, his take on anatomy was, shall we say, interesting, and not to my taste. The same goes for the 1970's DC Comics series of "The Shadow". The published pages are bright, cartoony and scratchy, in contrast to the Shadow's usual dark, mood-drenched tales of the city. However, I am sad that an industry veteran has passed away, and I'm glad that others are able to appreciate his abilities, even if I am not among them.
Julian Darius
April 7, 2009 at 4:10 am
The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist is brilliant and no one knows it. Yet it's probably Frank Springer's masterwork.