Frank Springer

Frank Springer (December 6, 1929^[2] — April 2, 2009^[1]) was an American comic book and comic strip artist best known for Marvel Comics' Dazzler and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.; and, with writer Michael O'Donoghue, for one of the first adult-oriented comics features in the U.S., "The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist", in the magazine Evergreen Review. A multiple winner of the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award, Springer was past president of the National Cartoonists Society, and a founding member of the Berndt Toast Gang, the society's Long Island chapter.^[1]

Biography

Early life and career

Secret Six #1 (May 1968), art by Springer. Unusually, the story begins on the cover.

Frank Springer was born in the Jamaica neighborhood ot the New York City borough of Queens,^[1] and graduated from Malverne High School in Malverne, Long Island, New York, in 1948. He had one sibling, a sister, who predeceased him.^[1] Springer went on to earn an art degree from Syracuse University in 1952, and then served with the U.S. Army through 1954, including during the Korean War,^[3] when he drew maps at Fort Dix, New Jersey.^[1] In 1953, he became assistant to cartoonist George Wunder on the comic strip Terry and the Pirates, on which Wunder had succeeded famed creator Milt Caniff. Leaving in 1960 to freelance, Springer broke into comic books two years later with Dell Comics' Brain Boy, starring a telepathic government agent created by Herb Castle and Gil Kane in Four Color Comics #1330 (June 1962). Springer drew the spin-off series' five-issue run of #2-6 (Sept. 1962 - Nov. 1963).^[4]

Silver Age comics

During the remainder of the 1960s and early and '70s period fans and historians call the Silver Age of comic books, Springer became a prolific penciler-inker across much of Dell's line, drawing issues of Ghost Stories, Movie Classic, Tales from the Tomb, Toka: Jungle King, and the movie/TV tie-in series The Big Valley, Charlie Chan, Iron Horse and The New People, among other comics.

He debuted at DC Comics with two comics the same month: penciling Batman #197, and both penciling and inking the lead feature, "Dial H for Hero", in House of Mystery #171 (both Dec. 1967). Springer went on to draw an issue each of Detective Comics and Our Army at War; an anthological story in another House of Mystery; and the first two issues of Secret Six — the initial one perhaps uniquely beginning its story on the cover rather than on the inside page one. After that smattering, however, he found more regular work at rival Marvel Comics.

There he made an auspicious if unenviable debut on a fill-in issue of the acclaimed and influential writer-artist Jim Steranko's signature series, Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #4 (Sept. 1968) — penciling and inking an origin-story retelling (scripted by Roy Thomas) sandwiched between Steranko's final two issues. Springer nonetheless soldiered on, succeeding the departed Steranko and drawing issues #6-11 (Nov 1968 - April 1969), with Steranko providing the famous covers of #6-7.

Springer additionally drew Captain Marvel #13-14 (May-June 1969) and a Hercules back-up story in Ka-Zar #1 (Aug. 1970) before concentrating on his ongoing Dell work until 1973, when that company ceased publication.

Later comic books

Art from Dazzler #31 (March 1984) featuring the title character, by Springer and inker Vince Colletta.

Springer returned to draw a handful of stories for Marvel's black-and-white horror-comics magazines in 1974 and '75, and then sprang from title to title, penciling sporadic issues of The Avengers, Captain America, The Spectacular Spider-Man, and Spider-Woman, among others, and also inked many Marvel and DC Comics.

He then became regular inker of Marvel's The Savage She-Hulk over Mike Vosburg during issues #10-22 (Nov. 1980 - Nov. 1981). He penciled a longer run of the superheroine series Dazzler from #4-31 & 35 (June 1981 - March 1984 & Jan. 1985), plus the Dazzler stories in What If? Vol. 1, #34 (Aug. 1982) and Marvel Graphic Novel #12 (1984). Springer, additionally, wrote Dazzler #27-28 and co-wrote (with Jim Shooter) #29 (July-Nov. 1983)

Springer's other 1980s comics include issues of Marvel's Conan the Barbarian and its toy-license titles based on the properties G.I. Joe and Transformers; and, for DC, a return to the Secret Six in Action Comics Weekly, and issues of Manhunter and Green Arrow, issue #68 (Nov. 1992) of which was Springer's last known comics work.

Miscellanea includes the Atlas/Seaboard series Cougar in the 1970s, and Continuity Comics' Armor in the 1990s.

Adult satire

Panels from "The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist" by Springer and writer Michael O'Donoghue.

With the dark-humor writer-provocateur Michael O'Donoghue — who a decade later would be the first head writer of NBC's groundbreaking TV comedy series Saturday Night Live — Springer from 1965-66 worked on "The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist", one of the first mature-audience comics in the U.S. Appearing in the magazine Evergreen Review, it joined such features as Playboy's "Little Annie Fanny" and Magazine Enterprises' "The Adventures of Pussycat" as sexually oriented comics features in mainstream media — variously ahead of the nascent or not-yet-existing underground comix. "Zeit-Geist", unlike its innocently bawdy contemporaries, had a darker, sometimes brutal edge, with scenes of bondage depicted as torture rather than Bettie Page-like playfulness. Evergreen Review publisher Grove Press collected the series as a 1968 book.

Springer also drew the series "Frank Fleet" for Evergreen Review from 1969-70, and from 1971-88 was a regular contributor to the satiric magazine National Lampoon, occasionally using the pseudonyms Francis Hollidge and Bob Monhegan.

Comic strips and cartoons

After having assisted Wunder on Terry and the Pirates from 1955-60 and then moving to comic books, Springer returned to comic strips as penciler of the syndicated newspaper strip Rex Morgan, M.D. from 1979-81. He also drew the Incredible Hulk newspaper strip, starring the Marvel Comics' antihero; the romance strip The Virtue of Vera Valiant, with writer Stan Lee; and The Adventures of Hedley Kase in the 1990s. Springer's cartoon art has appeared in Games Magazine, Muppets Magazine, the New York Daily News,^[3] Playboy, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and elsewhere.

In the 1960s, he did unspecified work on the animated TV series Space Ghost.^{[citation needed]}

Later years and death

In 1982, just shy of his 53rd birthday, Springer ran the New York City Marathon.^{[citation needed]} In 1995, after spending the majority of his life on Long Island (mostly in the towns of Lynbrook, Massapequa Park, and Greenlawn),^[1] Springer and wife Barbara (née Bunting), whom he married in 1956, moved to Maine,^[1] where the artist turned to the medium of oil painting.

Springer died on April 2, 2009, at his home in Damariscotta, Maine, of prostate cancer.^[1] He was survived by his wife and five grown children: Barbara Edwards, Bill Springer, Jennifer Dills, Jon Springer, and Christopher Springer.^[1]

Awards

• National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award — Comic Books (Story): 1973, 1977, 1981
• Inkpot Award: 2004

Quotes

Springer at 2004 Comic-Con International: "There were some raggedy times, but I always had work, raised five kids, bought some houses, bought some cars. . . . I've been lucky".^[5]

Archie comics artist Stan Goldberg: "Very few people could surpass him as an artist, as a gentleman, and as a true gentleman in my field. . . . When you see a Frank Springer job, you know it's going to be the best job in the world".^[1]

Footnotes

References