Don Heck (January 2, 1929 – February 23, 1995) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic bookA comic book is a magazine made up of narrative artwork, often accompanied by dialog and often including brief descriptive prose...
artistThe definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. the worlds best artist is a man named mitchell peter lay who is often loved by the ladies. The common useage in both everyday speech and...
best known for co-creating the
Marvel ComicsMarvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc....
character
Iron ManIron Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39 , and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby.Born Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark, he...
, and for his long run penciling the Marvel superhero-team series
The AvengersThe Avengers are a team of superheroes that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The Avengers #1 The Avengers are a team of superheroes that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The Avengers #1 The Avengers are a team...
during the 1960s
Silver Age of comic booksThe Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and the interregnum the Atomic Age, the Silver Age is considered to cover the period from...
.
Early life and career
Born in the
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km
2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
neighborhood of Queens,
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Don Heck learned art through correspondence courses as well as at
Woodrow WilsonThomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States. A leading intellectual of the Progressive Era, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
Vocational High School in Jamaica and at Brooklyn Community College. He continued with an impromptu education in 1949 when a college friend recommended him for a job at
Harvey ComicsHarvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B. Harvey and Leon Harvey joined soon after. The company soon got into licensed characters, which by the 1950s, became the bulk of...
, repurposing
newspaperA newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns that express the...
comic stripA comic strip is a sequence of cartoons that tells a story, often humorous, though adventures and soap opera-like dramas are also prevalent. They are written and drawn by a comics artist or cartoonist, and many are published on a recurring basis in newspapers and on the Internet.In the UK and the...
Photostats into comic-book form — including the work of Heck's idol, famed cartoonist
Milton CaniffMilton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.-Early life:Caniff was born in Hillsboro, Ohio. He was an Eagle Scout...
, whose art Heck's would later resemble. One co-worker in the Harvey production department was future comics-art notable
Pete MorisiPeter A. Morisi , who sometimes went by the pseudonym PAM, is an American comic book writer and artist who also spent much of his professional life as a New York City Police Department officer. He is best-known as creator of the 1960s Charlton Comics series Peter Cannon .....
.
Heck left Harvey after a year, and after taking his art samples to comic book companies chosen at random, he landed freelance assignments for
Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books. Most of their titles were published under the "Comic Magazines" imprint.-History:Quality Comics was...
, Hillman Comics, and Toby Press. Heck's first known credited work is on the
horrorHorror fiction is a genre of fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle and horrify the audience. Historically, the cause of the "horror" experience has often been the intrusion of a disturbing supernatural element into everyday human experience...
comics
Weird Terror,
Horrific,
Terrific, and
Danger, and the violent
WesternWestern fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set during the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 1900s and Louis L'Amour from the mid 20th century...
series
Death Valley, for publisher
Comic MediaComic Media was a short-lived comic book company owned by Allen Hardy that existed in the 1950s. Its titles were mainly action/adventure, western, and horror. Their only memorabile character was Johnny Dynamite, created by Pete Morisi. When Comic Media went under, they sold their titles and...
beginning in 1952. Publisher Allen Hardy was a former co-worker at Harvey Comics. For publisher U.S. Pictorial, circa 1955, he drew the one-shot
Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion, a TV tie-in comic, possibly a
HeinzH. J. Heinz Company , commonly known as Heinz and famous for its "57 Varieties" slogan and its ketchup, is an American food company with world headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Perhaps best known for its ketchup, the H.J...
giveaway, based on the 1955-57
syndicatedIn broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows to multiple individual stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in countries where television is scheduled by networks with local affiliates, particularly in the United States...
, live-action kids' show of that name.
Atlas Comics
Through his colleague Pete Morisi, Heck met
Stan LeeStan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
, editor-in-chief and art director of
Timely ComicsTimely Comics is the 1940s comic book publishing company that would evolve into first Atlas Comics, and then Marvel Comics. During this era, called the Golden Age of comic books, "Timely" was the umbrella name for the comics division of pulp magazine publisher Martin Goodman, whose business...
, and subsequently
Atlas ComicsAtlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback-novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used Atlas as the umbrella name for his comic-book division during this time...
, the two forerunners of
Marvel ComicsMarvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc....
. Heck became an Atlas staff artist on September 1, 1954; his first known work for the company was the six-page
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
story "The Commies Attack!" in
Battlefront #29 (March 1955). He as well drew Westerns,
crime fictionCrime fiction is the genre of fiction that deals with crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
, horror, and
jungleA jungle is usually a dense forest in a hot climate, such as a tropical rainforest. The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which refers to uncultivated land, among other meanings. The term is prevalent in many languages of the Indian subcontinent and particularly Urdu and Hindi...
stories. During a 1957 business retrenchment, when Atlas let go of most of its staff and freelancers, Heck worked for 18 months designing model airplanes.
Atlas began revamping in late 1958 with the arrival of artist
Jack KirbyJacob Kurtzberg , better known by the pen name Jack Kirby, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor. Growing up poor in New York City, Kurtzberg entered the nascent comics industry in the 1930s. He drew various comic strips under different pseudonyms, ultimately settling on Jack Kirby...
, a comics legend whose career was also in need of revamping, and who threw himself into the anthological
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
,
supernaturalThe term supernatural or supranatural pertains to an order of existence beyond the scientifically visible universe. Religious miracles are typically supernatural claims, as are spells and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others...
mysteryMystery fiction is a loosely-defined term that is often used as a synonym for detective fiction — in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime...
, and giant-monster stories of what would become known as "pre-superhero Marvel." Heck returned alongside other soon-to-be-famous names of Marvel Comics' 1960s emergence as a pop culture phenomenon, making his first splash with the cover of
Tales of Suspense #1 (Jan. 1959). one of the very few of that time not drawn by Kirby.
In the years immediately preceding the arrival of the
Fantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new naturalism in the medium...
,
Spider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer and editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, and the other popular heroes of Marvel's ascendancy, Heck gave atmospheric rendering to numerous sci-fi jungle/prison-escape stories and other genres,
Strange TalesStrange Tales was the name of several comic book anthology series that have been published by Marvel Comics. It introduced the features "Doctor Strange" and "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.", and was a showcase for the science fiction/suspense stories of artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and for...
and
Tales to AstonishTales 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 1959-1968...
, to name two of the many pre-superhero comics for which he drew; others included
Strange WorldsStrange Worlds was the name of two American, science-fiction anthology comic book series of the 1950s, the first published by Avon Comics, the second by a Marvel Comics predecessor, Atlas Comics...
,
World of FantasyWorld of Fantasy was a science fiction/fantasy comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor company, Atlas Comics. Lasting from 1956 to 1959, it included the work of several notable comics artists, including industry legends Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Bill Everett.The...
, and
Journey into MysteryJourney into Mystery was an American comic book series published by Atlas Comics, and later its successor Marvel Comics. It featured horror, monster, and science fiction stories...
. Many of these stories were reprinted during the 1960s and 1970s. Heck, who was known for drawing beautiful women, also contributed to such Atlas/Marvel romance comics as
Love Romances and
My Own Romance.
The Silver Age
Iron ManIron Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39 , and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby.Born Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark, he...
premiered in
Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963) as a collaboration among editor and story-plotter Lee, scripter
Larry LieberLarry D. Lieber is an American comic book artist and writer, and the younger brother of Marvel Comics' writer, editor and publisher Stan Lee....
, story-artist Heck, and Kirby, who provided the cover pencils and designed the first Iron Man armor. Kirby "designed the costume," Heck recalled, "because he was doing the cover. The covers were always done first. But I created the look of the characters, like Tony Stark and his secretary Pepper Potts." Comics historian and former Kirby assistant
Mark EvanierMark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work.-Biography:Evanier is of ethnic Jewish heritage...
, investigating claims of Kirby's involvement in the creation of both Iron Man and
DaredevilDaredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, Matt Murdock is...
, interviewed Kirby and Heck on the subject, years before their deaths, and concluded
Heck presided over the first appearance of
HawkeyeHawkeye , also known as Ronin and Goliath, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 Hawkeye (Clint Barton), also known as Ronin and Goliath, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books...
, Marvel's archer supreme, in
Tales of Suspense #57 (Sept. 1964), and
femme fatale Communist spy and future superheroine and
S.H.I.E.L.D.S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
agent the
Black WidowBlack Widow is a fictional character, a secret agent in the Marvel Comics Universe...
in #52 (April 1964).
Heck drew the feature through issue #46 (Oct. 1963), after which Spider-Man artist
Steve DitkoStephen J. Ditko is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the co-creator of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange....
introduced the familiar red-and-gold Iron Man armor and drew the feature for three issues. Heck returned with #50 — which introduced Iron Man's arch-foe, the
MandarinThe Mandarin is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and the archenemy of Iron Man. He first appeared in Tales of Suspense #50 .In 2009, Mandarin was ranked as IGN's 81st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.-Origins:...
— and continued through #72 (Dec. 1965).
Concurrent with drawing Iron Man, Heck succeeded Jack Kirby as penciler on
The Avengers with issue #9 (Oct. 1964), the introduction of
Wonder ManWonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Avengers #9 ....
.
Later career
Heck inked his own pencils for many years. However, when struggling to adjust to the "Marvel method" of doing comics, and Marvel's explosion of super-hero titles, he was assigned the help of an inker for the first time. He successfully made this adjustment, and went on to be one of the most remembered artists of Marvel's
The AvengersThe Avengers are a team of superheroes that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The Avengers #1 The Avengers are a team of superheroes that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The Avengers #1 The Avengers are a team...
in the mid-1960s. Eventually, he returned to inking his own work in Avengers #32-37.
Heck continued to be active in comics in later years, drawing Justice League of America, The Flash,
Wonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superhero created by William Moulton Marston. First appearing in All Star Comics #8 , she is one of three characters to have been continuously published by DC Comics since the company's 1944 inception .Wonder Woman is a member of an all-female tribe of Amazons...
, and other series for DC. He also penciled three issues of
H. P. Lovecraft's CthulhuH.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness was a three-part comic book mini-series published by Millennium Publications that followed a group of investigators, the Miskatonic Project, as they confronted the Mi-go, the cunning Fungi from Yuggoth....
for
Millennium PublicationsMillennium Productions was an American independent comic book publishing company founded by Mark Ellis, Melissa Martin and Paul Davis. Initially known as a publisher of licensed properties, Millennium adapted works by Arthur Conan Doyle, Lester Dent, Frank Frazetta, Robert E. Howard, Harlan...
.
Heck died of
lung cancerLung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. This growth may lead to metastasis, which is the invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs. The vast majority of primary lung cancers are carcinomas of the lung, derived from epithelial cells...
.
Quotes
Roy ThomasRoy Thomas is a comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
: "Don was unlucky enough, I think, to be a non-superhero artist who, starting in the sixties, had to find his niche in a world dominated by superheroes. Fortunately, as he proved first with Iron Man and then with the Avengers, Don could rise to the occasion because he had real talent and a good grounding in the fundamentals. He amalgamated into his own style certain aspects of Jack Kirby's style, and carved out a place for himself as one of a handful of artists who were of real importance during the very early days of Marvel".
Jerry OrdwayJeremiah "Jerry" Ordway is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.He is best known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining classic Crisis on Infinite Earths , his long run working on the Superman titles from 1986-1993,...
: "Don Heck was a truly under-appreciated artist. His Atlas work (pre-Marvel) was terrific, with a clean sharp style, and an ink line that wouldn't quit".
Stan LeeStan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
upon hearing of Heck's death: Don Heck was more than a splendid artist. He was a gentleman and a friend — and a joy to work with. Is Don remembered? Only the other day, a fan stopped me at a Comic Con and asked, "Hey, aren't you the guy who used to write Don Heck's Iron Man?
Jack C. Harris on the same occasion: "Back when I was a fan, Don Heck — with Wally Wood's inking — was the reason I began buying
The Avengers from Marvel. No matter how many characters crowded a scene, Don's masterful layouts depicted power and excitement every time".
Tony IsabellaTony Isabella is an American comic book writer and commentator, best known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath, as well as Black Lightning, DC Comics' first major African American superhero.-Marvel Comics:...
: "If there were a Marvel Universe version of Mount Rushmore, he would be up there with Stan [Lee], Jack [Kirby], Steve [Ditko], and Dick [Ayers]. Yeah, I know, that's five heads, but comics have always been larger than life".
External links
Posthumously
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1411347/