John Buscema
John Buscema was a prominent American comic book artist born on December 11, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up in poverty, he became passionate about comic art at a young age, influenced by notable works like Hal Foster's "Prince Valiant" and Alex Raymond's "Flash Gordon." After studying at the High School of Music and Arts and Pratt Institute, Buscema entered the comic industry in 1948 with Timely Comics, where he illustrated a variety of genres before transitioning to advertising during a downturn in the comic market in the late 1950s. He returned to Marvel Comics in 1966, becoming one of the most recognized figures in the industry, known for his contributions to iconic series such as "The Avengers," "Conan the Barbarian," and "Thor." Throughout his career, he produced thousands of panels and covers, earning the nickname "Michelangelo of Comics." In addition to his artwork, Buscema co-authored the influential book "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" and founded an art school. He received several accolades, including the Shazam Award and induction into the Eisner Hall of Fame. Buscema passed away on January 10, 2002, leaving a lasting legacy in the world of comic art.
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John Buscema
Writer
- Born: December 11, 1927
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: January 10, 2002
Biography
John Buscema was born on December 11, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York. The son of a barber, he grew up in poverty along with his brother Silvio (better known as Sal) in the rough section of Red Hook. He became a fan of comic books at the age of twelve, particularly enjoying the artistic style of Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant, Burne Hogarth’s Tarzan, and Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon. With aspirations of becoming a painter, Buscema attended the High School of Music and Arts in Manhattan, while at the same time studying life drawing and design at Pratt Institute. In his spare time, he often visited art museums to examine the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Peter Paul Rubens, Raphael, and other old masters.
Buscema broke into the cartoon industry at Timely Comics (later to become Marvel Comics) in 1948, after answering a classified advertisement for employees. Working in the Empire State Building, he began drawing crime, Western, and romance comics, penciling inside stories and covers for such titles as Cisco Kid, Blaze Carson, Crime Fighters, All True Crime, Cowboy Romances, Lawbreakers Always Lose, Roy Rogers, Tex Morgan, and Suspense. After about eighteen months, Buscema and the entire Timely staff were placed on freelance status, and he worked for a variety of comic publishers, including Dell, Ziff- Davis, Our Publishing, Ace, and Charlton. When the market for comic books shrank in the late 1950’s, Buscema left comics and turned to illustrating for advertising.
In 1966, in response to an offer from Stan Lee, his former boss, Buscema returned to Marvel, remaining with the company for thirty years until his semiretirement in 1996. During his tenure with Marvel, when he became known as the Michelangelo of Comics, Buscema worked on most of the company’s popular series, turning out thousands of panels and hundreds of covers. He began with work on Nick Fury and The Incredible Hulk and drew whole runs of early Silver Surfer, Daredevil, Amazing Spider-Man, and Submariner books. Over the years, Buscema became closely associated with a number of particularly successful series, including The Avengers, Conan the Barbarian, King Conan, Savage Sword of Conan, Thor, The Fantastic Four, and Wolverine. His brother Sal, who entered the comics industry in the 1960’s and during thirty years in the business became a respected artist in his own right, inked many of the panels.
In the 1970’s, Buscema began an art school, and with Stan Lee wrote the best-selling book How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, which has served as an inspiration for many cartoonists. His work has been collected and reprinted in numerous books, including Silver Surfer: Judgment Day, Conan of the Isles, The Punisher: A Man Named Frank, The Avengers: Under Siege, The Essential Conan, and Wolverine: Classic. Buscema also illustrated Just Imagine Stan Lee’s Superman and a collection of his work, The John Buscema Sketchbook, was published in 2001. Late in life, Buscema worked for DC Comics, drawing Batman in the anthology Batman: Black and White.
A superb illustrator and a brilliant visual storyteller, known for his bold, rugged, and exciting artwork, Buscema often was honored for his talent. He received the Shazam Award in 1974 for Best Penciler and was inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame in 2002. He died of stomach cancer on January 10, 2002, and was survived by his wife Dolores, son John, Jr., and daughter Dianne.