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George Klein (comics)
Encyclopedia
George D. Klein was an American comic book
artist
and cartoonist
whose career stretched from the 1930s and 1940s' Golden Age of comic books
. He was best known as an inker
for DC Comics
, where he was an integral part of the Superman
family of titles from 1955 to 1968, and for Marvel Comics
, where he was the generally recognized, uncredited inker on industry legend Jack Kirby
's pencil art for the landmark comic book The Fantastic Four #1.
Klein attended the Kansas City Art Institute
and New York's Cartoonists and Illustrators School. At Marvel Comics' 1940s precursor, Timely Comics
, Klein was both a penciler and an inker, initially on superhero
features. He was among the pencilers of the super-speedster the Whizzer
, in All Winners Comics
#8-9, Spring-Summer 1943). He had inked that early Marvel character, over Mike Sekowsky
's pencils, as early as All Winners #3 (Winter 1941/42). Klein also worked on the characters Miss America
(inking the premiere issue in 1944), the Young Allies
, the Black Marvel
, the Golden Age Black Widow, the Defender, and, under the pseudonym Nick Karlton, the Challenger
. Klein found himself more utilized, however, in what was called Timely's "animator" bullpen, which created such movie
tie-in and original funny animal
comics as Mighty Mouse
and Animated Funny Comic-Tunes.
Because he was on staff, Klein frequently did not sign his artwork — a typical though not ironclad industry habit at the time — making it difficult to assess his Golden Age output.
In the post-war era, Klein drew for a variety of publishers. For DC Comics
, nearly ten years before teaming with penciler Curt Swan
on various Superman titles, Klein inked him on a "Boy Commandos
" story in World's Finest Comics
#21 (March–April 1946). For American Comics Group
(ACG), Klein worked on such horror/suspense titles as Adventures into the Unknown, Forbidden Worlds
, and Out of the Night. For Atlas Comics
, Marvel's 1950s iteration, Klein penciled but mostly inked stories for such comics as Marvel Tales
, Sports Action, Wild Western, and Space Squadron, for which he drew the backup feature "Blast Revere". By late in the decade he was also doing stories for Prize Comics' Black Magic.
In 1955, Klein began his long association with penciler Curt Swan on a variety of titles in DC Comics
' "Superman family", edited by Mort Weisinger
. Starting with uncredited but generally recognized inks over Swan in Superboy
#38 (Jan. 1955) — on a backup story featuring the Boy of Steel vs. "Public Chimp Number One!" — Klein soon took on the lead features there and in Adventure Comics starring Superboy; Superman, starting in late 1961; and DC's flagship title, Action Comics
starring Superman, in 1962. Later in the 1960s, Klein became the chief inker on Adventures lead feature, the Legion of Super-Heroes
, by writer
Jim Shooter
and penciler Swan, helping set the visual foundation for what would become one of DC's most popular series.
In 1968, with new art director and soon-to-be editorial director Carmine Infantino
given the mandate to revitalize DC in the wake of rival Marvel's pop-cultural and industry ascendancy, Klein was eased out along with such other Superman-family artists as Wayne Boring
, Jim Mooney
, and George Papp
, and writers Otto Binder
, Edmond Hamilton
, and Jerry Siegel
(Superman's co-creator with Joe Shuster
). Klein's "Swan song" was Adventure Comics #367 (May 1968).
Showcase
#12 (Jan.-Feb. 1958), featuring Jack Kirby
's Challengers of the Unknown
— four unmasked adventurers in jumpsuit
s who each issue faced the fantastic. Three years later, penciler Kirby and writer-editor Stan Lee
together created a superpowered foursome in jumpsuits, the Fantastic Four
. Published without formal creator credits, in the manner of times, the first two issues' inker has never been definitively established. Before the mid-2000s and the maturity of comics scholarship, inking credit for the landmark issues The Fantastic Four #1-2 (Nov. 1961 - Jan. 1962) was generally attributed to Dick Ayers
, a frequent Kirby inker before and after. Since that time, further scholarship has given tentative credit to Klein. The standard Grand Comics Database, for example, lists the inker credit for issue #1 as "George Klein?; Christopher Rule
? ... George Klein, or Chris Rule have been suggested as the inker but there is no consensus". That database credits Klein as inker for issue #2 with the caveat, "Inking often attributed to Dick Ayers and occasionally to Art Simek. The credit given reflects the current consensus." Another standard reference, the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators, gives "George Klein?" as inker for issue #1 and "Sol Brodsky
? George Klein?" for #2, with the additional note, "On the letter page of Fantastic Four (I) #272 and #281, Sol Brodsky is said to be the inker of this issue."
Regardless, Klein was working almost exclusively for DC Comics during this time, until that company's 1968 shakeup (see above). Klein then became one of Marvel's most high-profile inkers in the short time before his death. He embellished John Buscema
on a classic run of the The Avengers
; Gene Colan
on that penciler's signature series, Daredevil
; and, in a tragic but fitting last assignment, his Fantastic Four #1 colleague Jack Kirby
on The Mighty Thor
#168-169 (Sept.-Oct. 1969). Among the significant Silver Age issues he inked were the Avengers stories that introduced the Vision
, Yellowjacket
, and the Clint Barton Goliath
, and another with the marriage of Henry Pym
and the Janet Van Dyne
; "Brother, Take My Hand" in Daredevil #47 (Dec. 1968), cited by Stan Lee
as one of his favorites among the comic-book stories he wrote; and the cover and interior of one of Barry Windsor-Smith
's first U.S. comic books, Daredevil #51 (April 1969). Formal Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas
, who wrote The Avengers at the time, described Klein's inking as "a Joe Sinnott
kind of style. ... [He] could do that Sinnott style that was very popular then."
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
whose career stretched from the 1930s and 1940s' Golden Age of comic books
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
. He was best known as an inker
Inker
The inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional comic book or graphic novel. After a pencilled drawing is given to the inker, the inker uses black ink to produce refined outlines over the pencil lines...
for DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, where he was an integral part of the Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
family of titles from 1955 to 1968, and for Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, where he was the generally recognized, uncredited inker on industry legend Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
's pencil art for the landmark comic book The Fantastic Four #1.
Early career
Kansas City Art Institute
The Kansas City Art Institute is a private, independent, four-year college of fine arts and design founded in 1885 in Kansas City, Missouri....
and New York's Cartoonists and Illustrators School. At Marvel Comics' 1940s precursor, Timely Comics
Timely Comics
Timely Comics, an imprint of Timely Publications, was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics....
, Klein was both a penciler and an inker, initially on superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
features. He was among the pencilers of the super-speedster the Whizzer
Whizzer (Robert Frank)
The Whizzer is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared during the 1930s-1940s period that fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Publication history:...
, in All Winners Comics
All Winners Comics
All Winners Comics was the name of two American comic book series of the 1940s, both published by Marvel Comics' predecessor, Timely Comics, during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. A superhero anthology comic in both cases, they variously featured such star...
#8-9, Spring-Summer 1943). He had inked that early Marvel character, over Mike Sekowsky
Mike Sekowsky
Michael Sekowsky was a Jewish American comic book artist best known as the exclusive penciler for DC Comics' Justice League of America during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on Wonder Woman during the late 1960s and early 1970s.-Early life and career:Mike Sekowsky began...
's pencils, as early as All Winners #3 (Winter 1941/42). Klein also worked on the characters Miss America
Miss America (Marvel Comics)
Miss America is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in Marvel Mystery Comics #49 Miss America (Madeline Joyce Frank) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in Marvel Mystery...
(inking the premiere issue in 1944), the Young Allies
Young Allies
Young Allies is the name of three superhero teams in the .-Golden Age:The Golden Age's Young Allies were a gang of kids who fought the Axis...
, the Black Marvel
Black Marvel
The Black Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Al Gabriele, he first appeared in Mystic Comics #5 , published by Marvel's 1940s forerunner Timely Comics during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic...
, the Golden Age Black Widow, the Defender, and, under the pseudonym Nick Karlton, the Challenger
Challenger (comics)
The Challenger is a fictional superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics, beginning with the company's 1940s iteration as Timely Comics during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Publication history:...
. Klein found himself more utilized, however, in what was called Timely's "animator" bullpen, which created such movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
tie-in and original funny animal
Funny animal
Funny animal is a cartooning term for the genre of comics and animated cartoons in which the main characters are humanoid or talking animals, with anthropomorphic personality traits. The characters themselves may also be called funny animals...
comics as Mighty Mouse
Mighty Mouse
Mighty Mouse is an animated superhero mouse character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox.-History:The character was created by story man Izzy Klein as a super-powered housefly named Superfly. Studio head Paul Terry changed the character into a cartoon mouse instead...
and Animated Funny Comic-Tunes.
Because he was on staff, Klein frequently did not sign his artwork — a typical though not ironclad industry habit at the time — making it difficult to assess his Golden Age output.
In the post-war era, Klein drew for a variety of publishers. For DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, nearly ten years before teaming with penciler Curt Swan
Curt Swan
Douglas Curtis Swan was an American comic book artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans and historians call the Silver Age of comic books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 1950s through the 1980s.-Early life and career:Curt Swan, whose Swedish...
on various Superman titles, Klein inked him on a "Boy Commandos
Boy Commandos
Boy Commandos was a 1940s comic book series created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby for DC Comics. A combination of "kid gang" comics and war comics, the title starred an international cast of little tough guys fighting the Nazis — or in their own parlance, "the Ratzies".-Creation:Simon & Kirby, hired...
" story in World's Finest Comics
World's Finest Comics
World's Finest Comics was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled World's Best Comics for its first issue; issue #2 switched to the more familiar name...
#21 (March–April 1946). For American Comics Group
American Comics Group
American Comics Group was a New York City-based comic book publisher which operated during the Golden and Silver Age of comic books. ACG published one of the first horror comics titles, Adventures into the Unknown. Another of ACG's claims to fame was the character of Herbie Popnecker, who starred...
(ACG), Klein worked on such horror/suspense titles as Adventures into the Unknown, Forbidden Worlds
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/Aug. 1951 to Aug. 1967.- Publication history :...
, and Out of the Night. For Atlas Comics
Atlas Comics (1950s)
Atlas Comics is the term used to describe 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...
, Marvel's 1950s iteration, Klein penciled but mostly inked stories for such comics as Marvel Tales
Marvel Tales
Marvel Tales is the title of three American comic-book series published by Marvel Comics, the first of them from the company's 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics...
, Sports Action, Wild Western, and Space Squadron, for which he drew the backup feature "Blast Revere". By late in the decade he was also doing stories for Prize Comics' Black Magic.
Superman family
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' "Superman family", edited by Mort Weisinger
Mort Weisinger
Mortimer Weisinger was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' Superman during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books...
. Starting with uncredited but generally recognized inks over Swan in Superboy
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional characters that have been published by DC Comics, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman. These characters have also been the main characters of four ongoing Superboy comic book series published by DC....
#38 (Jan. 1955) — on a backup story featuring the Boy of Steel vs. "Public Chimp Number One!" — Klein soon took on the lead features there and in Adventure Comics starring Superboy; Superman, starting in late 1961; and DC's flagship title, Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
starring Superman, in 1962. Later in the 1960s, Klein became the chief inker on Adventures lead feature, the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
, by writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Jim Shooter
Jim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
and penciler Swan, helping set the visual foundation for what would become one of DC's most popular series.
In 1968, with new art director and soon-to-be editorial director Carmine Infantino
Carmine Infantino
Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (born May 24, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York is an American comic book artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age of Comic Books...
given the mandate to revitalize DC in the wake of rival Marvel's pop-cultural and industry ascendancy, Klein was eased out along with such other Superman-family artists as Wayne Boring
Wayne Boring
Wayne Boring was an American comic book artist best known for his work on Superman from the late 1940s to 1950s. He occasionally used the pseudonym Jack Harmon....
, Jim Mooney
Jim Mooney
James Noel "Jim" Mooney was an American comic book artist best known as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, and as the signature artist of DC Comics' Supergirl, both during what comics historians and fans call the Silver Age of comic books...
, and George Papp
George Papp
George Edward Papp was a U.S. comic book artist. Best known as one of the principal artists on the long-running Superboy feature for DC Comics, Papp also co-created the Green Arrow character with Mort Weisinger and co-created Congorilla along with writer Whitney Ellsworth.Papp began his comic...
, and writers Otto Binder
Otto Binder
Otto Oscar Binder was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books...
, Edmond Hamilton
Edmond Hamilton
Edmond Moore Hamilton was an American author of science fiction stories and novels during the mid-twentieth century. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was raised there and in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania...
, and Jerry Siegel
Jerry Siegel
Jerome "Jerry" Siegel , who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S...
(Superman's co-creator with Joe Shuster
Joe Shuster
Joseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-born American comic book artist. He was best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with writer Jerry Siegel, first published in Action Comics #1...
). Klein's "Swan song" was Adventure Comics #367 (May 1968).
Marvel Comics
Ten years earlier, Klein had inked DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
Showcase
Showcase (comics)
Showcase has been the title of several comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing...
#12 (Jan.-Feb. 1958), featuring Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
's Challengers of the Unknown
Challengers of the Unknown
The Challengers of the Unknown is a group of fictional characters in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, or co-created with Dave Wood , this quartet of adventurers explored science fictional and apparent paranormal occurrences and faced fantastic menaces.Scripts for the first...
— four unmasked adventurers in jumpsuit
Jumpsuit
Jumpsuit originally referred to the utilitarian one-piece garments used by parachuters/skydivers, but has come to be used as a common term for any one-piece garment with sleeves and legs.-Use:...
s who each issue faced the fantastic. Three years later, penciler Kirby and writer-editor Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
together created a superpowered foursome in jumpsuits, the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The 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 level of realism in the medium...
. Published without formal creator credits, in the manner of times, the first two issues' inker has never been definitively established. Before the mid-2000s and the maturity of comics scholarship, inking credit for the landmark issues The Fantastic Four #1-2 (Nov. 1961 - Jan. 1962) was generally attributed to Dick Ayers
Dick Ayers
Richard "Dick" Ayers is an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of Jack Kirby's inkers during the late-1950s and 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comics, including on some of the earliest issues of Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four, and as the signature...
, a frequent Kirby inker before and after. Since that time, further scholarship has given tentative credit to Klein. The standard Grand Comics Database, for example, lists the inker credit for issue #1 as "George Klein?; Christopher Rule
Christopher Rule
Christopher Rule was an American comic book artist active from the 1940s through at least 1960, and best known as the first regular Marvel Comics inker for comics artist Jack Kirby during the period fans and historians call the Silver Age of Comic Books.-Early life and career:After driving an...
? ... George Klein, or Chris Rule have been suggested as the inker but there is no consensus". That database credits Klein as inker for issue #2 with the caveat, "Inking often attributed to Dick Ayers and occasionally to Art Simek. The credit given reflects the current consensus." Another standard reference, the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators, gives "George Klein?" as inker for issue #1 and "Sol Brodsky
Sol Brodsky
Sol Brodsky was an American comic book artist who, as Marvel Comics' Silver Age production manager, was one of the key architects of the small company's expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate. He later rose to vice president, operations and vice president, special projects...
? George Klein?" for #2, with the additional note, "On the letter page of Fantastic Four (I) #272 and #281, Sol Brodsky is said to be the inker of this issue."
John Buscema
John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema , was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate...
on a classic run of the The Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
; Gene Colan
Gene Colan
Eugene Jules "Gene" Colan was an American comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics, where his signature titles include the superhero series, Daredevil, the cult-hit satiric series Howard the Duck, and The Tomb of Dracula, considered one of comics' classic horror series...
on that penciler's signature series, Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. 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...
; and, in a tragic but fitting last assignment, his Fantastic Four #1 colleague Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
on The Mighty Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
#168-169 (Sept.-Oct. 1969). Among the significant Silver Age issues he inked were the Avengers stories that introduced the Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
, Yellowjacket
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
, and the Clint Barton Goliath
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
, and another with the marriage of Henry Pym
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
and the Janet Van Dyne
Wasp (comics)
The Wasp is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe and founding member of The Avengers. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 ....
; "Brother, Take My Hand" in Daredevil #47 (Dec. 1968), cited by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
as one of his favorites among the comic-book stories he wrote; and the cover and interior of one of Barry Windsor-Smith
Barry Windsor-Smith
Barry Windsor-Smith, born Barry Smith is a British comic book illustrator and painter whose best known work has been produced in the United States....
's first U.S. comic books, Daredevil #51 (April 1969). Formal Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American 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...
, who wrote The Avengers at the time, described Klein's inking as "a Joe Sinnott
Joe Sinnott
Joe Sinnott is 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 , initially over the pencils of industry legend Jack Kirby...
kind of style. ... [He] could do that Sinnott style that was very popular then."
Inking style
In its list of "The 20 Greatest Inkers of American Comic Books", the retailer Atlas Comics (no relation to the comics publishers) listed George Klein at #17:External links
- The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
- Vassallo, Michael J. "A Timely Talk with Allen Bellman", Comicartville.com, 2005. WebCite archive.
- Nevins, JessJess NevinsJohn J. Nevins, MA/MS, is an American author and librarian, born 30 July 1966 and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the author of the World Fantasy Award-nominated Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana , and other works on Victoriana and pulp fiction...
. The Black Marvel, "A Guide To Marvel's Golden Age Characters". WebCitation archive. - Creators of the Silver-Age Superman Family (fan site; anonymous author). WebCitation archive.