Pat Masulli
Encyclopedia
Patrick J. Masulli was an American
comic book
creator, most notably as the executive editor of Charlton Comics
from 1955–1966, during much of the Silver Age of Comic Books
. Besides editing over thirty titles in ten years, Masulli co-created the Charlton characters Sarge Steel
and the Son of Vulcan
.
, Fox Comics, Hillman Periodicals
, Holyoke Publications, Marvel Comics
, St. John Publishing, Star Publications
, Story Comics, Trojan Comics, Youthful Magazines, and Ziff-Davis Comics.
In 1950, he hooked up with the Derby, Connecticut
-based Charlton, initially as a colorist
. Although he soon became Charlton editor Al Fago's assistant, during this period Masulli occasionally contributed artwork to the publisher's titles, including covers and even penciling an entire issue of Atomic Rabbit.
Masulli became Charlton's executive editor when Fago left in 1955. Although the company was based in Connecticut, Masulli worked out of an office in Manhattan
. In 1958, he hired Sam Glanzman
as an artist; Glanzman was a mainstay at Charlton throughout the 1960s. From 1959–1960, Masulli's assistant editor was Dick Giordano
.
When Giordano left in 1960 to pursue freelancing, Masulli hired artist Frank McLaughlin as his new assistant. "There were no art directors or assistant editors or any other job titles," McLaughlin said in a 2000 interview. "[I did e]verything from proofreading
to art corrections, lettering titles for [editor] Ernie Hart
's books, traffic managing, liaison with the Comics Code, and anything else, including cleaning the storeroom."
Some of the more notable titles Masulli edited included Atomic Mouse
, Billy the Kid
, Out of This World
, Strange Suspense Stories
, This Magazine Is Haunted
, and Thunderbolt
. He edited the Charlton war titles Fightin' Air Force
, Fightin' Army
, and Fightin' Navy
from 1957–1966. He edited Ghostly Tales
from 1966–1967, and was the original editor of Timmy the Timid Ghost
vol. 2 (1967). Masulli co-created the character Sarge Steel
in 1964, and with Bill Fraccio
, created the Son of Vulcan
in 1965. During this time he also frequenly contributed artwork to Charlton's war
and Western
titles.
By the mid-1960s, Masulli was overburdened. Not only was he in charge of all of Charlton's magazines, including its profitable music division, but he was acting as both art director and managing editor for the comics line. He had very little interaction with Charlton's creators, other than in a disciplinary role. In 1966, the Charlton higher-ups decided Masulli needed to take more control of the music division, so they created a separate editorial position for the small comic book division. Giordano's prior experience as Masulli's assistant got him the job.
Masulli was executive editor of Charlton Publications from 1966–1969, and has no comic book credits after 1967.
He passed away on June 10, 1998, in Bethany, Connecticut
, at the age of 67.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic book
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...
creator, most notably as the executive editor of Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1946 to 1985, having begun under a different name in 1944. It was based in Derby, Connecticut...
from 1955–1966, during much of the Silver Age of Comic Books
Silver Age of Comic Books
The 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 an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
. Besides editing over thirty titles in ten years, Masulli co-created the Charlton characters Sarge Steel
Sarge Steel
Sarge Steel is a detective/spy character published by Charlton Comics during the 1960s. As he was published during the time of Charlton's Action Heroes line of superheroes, and had loose ties to some, he is sometimes included with that group...
and the Son of Vulcan
Son of Vulcan
Son of Vulcan is the name of two comic book characters, one created by Charlton Comics in 1965, the other by DC Comics in August 2005. Son of Vulcan was one of the characters DC Comics purchased from defunct Charlton Comics in 1983.-Charlton Comics:...
.
Biography
Masulli attended the Cartoonists and Illustrators School as well as the Phonex School of Art. He entered the comics field in the mid-1940s, freelancing as a writer and artist for such companies as Fawcett ComicsFawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
, Fox Comics, Hillman Periodicals
Hillman Periodicals
Hillman Periodicals, Inc. was an American magazine and comic book publishing company founded in 1938 by Alex L. Hillman, a former New York City book publisher...
, Holyoke Publications, 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...
, St. John Publishing, Star Publications
Star Publications
Star Publications, Inc. was a Golden Age American comic book publisher, operating during the years 1949–1954. Founded by artist/editor L.B. Cole and lawyer Gerhard Kramer, Star specialized in horror comics, crime, and romance comics — but also published funny animal stories...
, Story Comics, Trojan Comics, Youthful Magazines, and Ziff-Davis Comics.
In 1950, he hooked up with the Derby, Connecticut
Derby, Connecticut
Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,391 at the 2000 census. With of land area, Derby is Connecticut's smallest municipality.The city has a Metro-North railroad station called Derby – Shelton.-History:...
-based Charlton, initially as a colorist
Colorist
In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates...
. Although he soon became Charlton editor Al Fago's assistant, during this period Masulli occasionally contributed artwork to the publisher's titles, including covers and even penciling an entire issue of Atomic Rabbit.
Masulli became Charlton's executive editor when Fago left in 1955. Although the company was based in Connecticut, Masulli worked out of an office in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. In 1958, he hired Sam Glanzman
Sam Glanzman
Sam J. Glanzman is an American comic-book artist, best known for his Charlton Comics series Hercules, about the mythological Greek demigod; his biographical war stories about his service aboard the U.S.S...
as an artist; Glanzman was a mainstay at Charlton throughout the 1960s. From 1959–1960, Masulli's assistant editor was Dick Giordano
Dick Giordano
Richard Joseph "Dick" Giordano was an American comic book artist and editor best known for introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes, and serving as executive editor of then–industry leader DC Comics...
.
When Giordano left in 1960 to pursue freelancing, Masulli hired artist Frank McLaughlin as his new assistant. "There were no art directors or assistant editors or any other job titles," McLaughlin said in a 2000 interview. "[I did e]verything from proofreading
Proofreading
Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or computer monitor to detect and correct production-errors of text or art. Proofreaders are expected to be consistently accurate by default because they occupy the last stage of typographic production before publication.-Traditional method:A proof is...
to art corrections, lettering titles for [editor] Ernie Hart
Ernie Hart
-Early life and career:Ernie Hart was part of the Timely Comics "animator" bullpen, separate from the superhero group producing comics featuring the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner and Captain America...
's books, traffic managing, liaison with the Comics Code, and anything else, including cleaning the storeroom."
Some of the more notable titles Masulli edited included Atomic Mouse
Atomic Mouse
Atomic Mouse is a funny animal superhero created in 1953 by Al Fago for Charlton Comics, depicted as an ordinary mouse who is shrunk by an evil magician and given U-235 pills that grant him super powers, which he uses in his fight for justice against the evil Count Gatto...
, Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid (Charlton Comics)
Billy the Kid is a Western comic book series published by Charlton Comics, with stories of a fictional character based on the historical Billy the Kid. Taking over the numbering of a previous Western comic, Masked Raider, Billy the Kid was published from issues #9-153...
, Out of This World
Out of This World
- Film and television :*Out of This World , a U.S. television series, 1987–1991*Out of This World , a 1962 British science fiction television series*Out of This World , starring Veronica Lake...
, Strange Suspense Stories
Strange Suspense Stories
Strange Suspense Stories was a comic book published in two volumes by Fawcett Comics and Charlton Comics in the 1950s and 1960s. Starting out as a horror/suspense title, the first volume gradually moved toward eerie fantasy and weird science fiction, before ending as a vehicle for the superhero...
, This Magazine Is Haunted
This Magazine Is Haunted
This Magazine is Haunted was a horror comic originally published by Fawcett between 1951 and 1953. Running 14 issues, it was the first of Fawcett's supernatural line; a string of titles which included Beware! Terror Tales, Worlds of Fear, Strange Suspense Stories, and Unknown Worlds.After Fawcett...
, and Thunderbolt
Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt
Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt is a fictional superhero character originally owned by Charlton Comics, notable for containing some of the earliest respectful invocations of Eastern mysticism in American pop culture. The character has been owned by the estate of its creator, writer-artist Pete Morisi,...
. He edited the Charlton war titles Fightin' Air Force
Fightin' Air Force
Fightin' Air Force was a bimonthly war comic published by Charlton Comics from 1956–1966. Telling fictional stories of American military pilots, it was a sister title of the other Charlton war comics Fightin' Army, Fightin' Marines, and Fightin' Navy.Regular contributors to Fightin' Air Force...
, Fightin' Army
Fightin' Army
Fightin' Army was a bimonthly war comic published by Charlton Comics from 1956–1984...
, and Fightin' Navy
Fightin' Navy
Fightin' Navy was a bimonthly war comic published by Charlton Comics from 1956–1966, and then again from 1983–1984...
from 1957–1966. He edited Ghostly Tales
Ghostly Tales
Ghostly Tales was a horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by Charlton Comics from 1966 to 1984 . The book was "hosted" by Mr. L. Dedd , a middle-aged gentleman with purplish skin and horns who dressed like a vampire. Mr...
from 1966–1967, and was the original editor of Timmy the Timid Ghost
Timmy the Timid Ghost
Timmy the Timid Ghost is a fictional comic book ghost, whose adventures were published by Charlton Comics.-Publication history:Created in response to the popularity of Casper the Friendly Ghost, Timmy's adventures first saw print in February 1956, in Timmy the Timid Ghost #3...
vol. 2 (1967). Masulli co-created the character Sarge Steel
Sarge Steel
Sarge Steel is a detective/spy character published by Charlton Comics during the 1960s. As he was published during the time of Charlton's Action Heroes line of superheroes, and had loose ties to some, he is sometimes included with that group...
in 1964, and with Bill Fraccio
Bill Fraccio
William Fraccio was an American comic book artist whose career stretched from the 1940s Golden Age of comic books through 1979, when he turned to producing advertising art and teaching...
, created the Son of Vulcan
Son of Vulcan
Son of Vulcan is the name of two comic book characters, one created by Charlton Comics in 1965, the other by DC Comics in August 2005. Son of Vulcan was one of the characters DC Comics purchased from defunct Charlton Comics in 1983.-Charlton Comics:...
in 1965. During this time he also frequenly contributed artwork to Charlton's war
War comics
War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II.-American war comics:Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began including stories of wartime adventures in the multi-genre...
and Western
Western comics
Western comics is a comics genre usually depicting the American Old West frontier and typically set during the late nineteenth century...
titles.
By the mid-1960s, Masulli was overburdened. Not only was he in charge of all of Charlton's magazines, including its profitable music division, but he was acting as both art director and managing editor for the comics line. He had very little interaction with Charlton's creators, other than in a disciplinary role. In 1966, the Charlton higher-ups decided Masulli needed to take more control of the music division, so they created a separate editorial position for the small comic book division. Giordano's prior experience as Masulli's assistant got him the job.
Masulli was executive editor of Charlton Publications from 1966–1969, and has no comic book credits after 1967.
He passed away on June 10, 1998, in Bethany, Connecticut
Bethany, Connecticut
Bethany is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,040 at the 2000 census. Bethany was first settled in 1717 but it was not until May 1832 that Bethany separated from Woodbridge to become incorporated as a town. This slightly remote, sparsely populated,...
, at the age of 67.