Joe Kubert
Joe Kubert (1926-2012) was a prominent comic book artist and creator, known for his influential work in the industry. Originally from Poland, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, as an infant, where he began honing his drawing skills at a young age. Kubert's professional career started in the early 1940s, contributing to various comic titles and showcasing his distinctive style characterized by dynamic compositions and bold brushwork. He gained particular recognition for his work on war comics, especially with characters like Sgt. Rock, while also having notable contributions to other genres, including superhero and adventure comics.
In addition to his artistic endeavors, Kubert served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and later worked as an editor and educator, founding the School of Cartoon and Graphic Arts in New Jersey. Throughout his career, he produced celebrated graphic novels, such as "Fax from Sarajevo" and "Yossel: April 19, 1943," which reflect his Jewish heritage. Kubert received numerous accolades, including induction into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame, cementing his legacy in the world of comics. His impact is felt not only through his creations but also through the many artists he mentored throughout his career.
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Subject Terms
Joe Kubert
Illustrator
- Born: October 12, 1926
- Birthplace: Yzerin, Poland
- Died: August 12, 2012
Biography
Joe Kubert was born on October 12, 1926, in Yzerin, Poland, and as an infant moved with his family to the United States, settling in Brooklyn, New York. Encouraged by his parents, he began drawing at an early age. When he was only twelve years old, Kubert visited MLJ Publications (later Archie Comics), where he received on-the-job training from such professionals as Charles Biro (Daredevil Comics), Mort Meskin (Sheena, Bob Phantom, Johnny Quick, and other comics), Bob Montana (creator of the Archie comic strip), and Irv Novick (The Shield, The Scarlet Avenger, Batman, and The Flash) and was allowed to ink some comic book pages.
Kubert attended the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan and in his spare time worked at Chesler Studio a comic book packager. His first professional work appeared in 1942, when he penciled and inked a six-page story, “Black-Out,” featuring his own creation, Volton, for Holyoke Publishing’s Catman Comics. Kubert soon began doing similar work for Blue Beetle, published by Fox Comics, and he colored reprints of Will Eisner’s The Spirit for Quality Comics as a Sunday supplement feature. In 1943, he penciled and inked the fifty-page “Seven Soldiers of Victory,” a story about a team of superheroes published by All-American Comics. Before graduating from high school, Kubert inked the Daredevil and Crimebuster series. Throughout the 1940’s, he also contributed to comic titles from such publishers as Fiction House and Harvey Comics, drawing numerous series, including Flagman, Boy Buddies, Phantom Lady, Espionage, Hawkman, Sargon the Sorcerer, Dr. Fate, The Flash, and The Vigilante. Kubert became known for his distinctive, dynamic compositions, use of bold blacks, and fluid brushwork.
Inducted into the army in 1950, Kubert was stationed in Europe, where he painted helmet emblems and continued to freelance through the mail. After his 1952 discharge, he worked as managing editor at St. John Publishing, where he collaborated with high school classmate and writer Norm Maurer on the caveman strip, Tor, one of the first three-dimensional comics, and also drew the three-dimensional Mighty Mouse. When the three-dimensional comic craze slumped, Kubert worked for EC Comics, and then went to DC Comics, where he became known as a war comic book artist. He worked on Star-Spangled War Stories, Our Army at War, G.I. Combat, Enemy Ace, and other military-related titles and was especially identified with Sgt. Rock. In 1969, after a two-year stint on the comic strip The Green Berets, Kubert returned to DC as an editor, illustrating Tarzan of the Apes, Korak, Son of Tarzan, Batman, Spider-Man, and other titles, many of which have been collected and published in graphic novel form. Kubert frequently has been honored for his work, receiving several Alley and National Cartoonists Society Awards, and he was inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1997.
Kubert left DC in 1976 to found the New Jersey-based School of Cartoon and Graphic Arts, which has graduated such successful professional cartoonists as Tom Veitch, Steve Bissette, Tom Yeates, and two of Kubert’s sons, Adam and Andy. In addition, Kubert created the graphic novelsFax from Sarajevo: A Story of Survival, for which he received a Harvey Award, and Yossel: April 19, 1943, which explores his Jewish roots. He also is an illustrator for PS, an American military preventive maintenance magazine.