Paul Norris

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the visual effects artist, see Paul Norris (visual effects).
Paul Norris
BornPaul Leroy Norris
(1914-04-26)April 26, 1914
Greenville, Ohio, U.S.
DiedNovember 5, 2007(2007-11-05) (aged 93)
Oceanside, California, U.S.
Area(s)Cartoonist, Penciller, Inker
Notable works
Aquaman
Brick Bradford
AwardsInkpot Award (1993)[1]

Paul Leroy Norris (April 26, 1914 – November 5, 2007)

comic book artist best known as co-creator of the DC Comics superhero Aquaman,[3] and for a 35-year run as artist of the newspaper comic strip Brick Bradford
.

Biography

Early life and career

Paul Norris was born in

Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Nebraska at the behest of his cousin, Dr. Emerson Reck, a journalism professor and director of the school's news bureau.[4] Self-described as having been "drawing pictures from the first time I could hold a pencil," Norris became art director of The Warrior, the college yearbook, and also performed in plays, served as president of the campus YMCA, and painted signs for businesses.[4]

After two years, Norris left college in an aborted attempt to pursue a career as comic strip cartoonist. He recalled in 2006,

I left Midland ... to pursue the publication of a comic strip (Hobo Cupboard). Emerson’s brother Myron was in

Chicago. He had written a script for a comic strip and I was to draw it, which I did. Myron sold it to a syndicate in Ohio. As was the custom the syndicate wanted six weeks of the strip in advance. I couldn't get that much work done and keep up the chores and studies I had [at] Midland. So I returned to Ohio to get the strip ready for publication. Well, before I finished the six weeks of artwork the syndicate folded. I was out of college and out of work...."[4]

Norris worked on his grandmother's farm before obtaining a job at an electric-motor assembly plant in Dayton, Ohio.[6] He also enrolled at the Dayton Art Institute School, where he met his wife of 61 years, Ann, whom he married in 1939.[6] He went on to become an illustrator and cartoonist for the Dayton Daily News.[4]

Aquaman and Sandman

In 1940, Norris and his wife moved to

Sandy the Golden Boy in issue #69 (Dec. 1941).[9]

Norris and Weisinger introduced the undersea

U.S. Army.[6]

World War II

Norris said that during his

Okinawa, urging Japanese soldiers to surrender. "I worked with a prisoner of war. We wanted the translations to be authentic".[4] Norris in 2006 recalled the POW as George Totari, formerly a reporter for an English language newspaper in Japan.[6]

While Norris told one interviewer that, "The Japanese came in with these things in their hands and wanted to surrender",

atomic bomb was dropped on Japan, scuttling the project.[6]

Brick Bradford and Gold Key

Following the war, Norris did some covers featuring Buck Rogers for Four Color,[10] including issues 190, 204, and 247. Norris was rehired by King Features Syndicate, and in 1948 began drawing the Sunday edition of Austin Briggs' comic strip Jungle Jim. He continued to freelance for DC Comics through 1953, drawing the detective feature "Captain Compass" in most issues of Star Spangled Comics #106–130 (July 1950 – July 1952), and the super-speedster feature "Johnny Quick" in Adventure Comics #171–186 (Dec. 1951 – March 1953).[11]

In 1952, Norris succeeded artist

science-fiction comic strip Brick Bradford, continuing to draw it for 35 years until his and the strip's retirement in 1987. The final daily appeared April 25, 1987.[4]

As well in the 1950s, Norris drew issues of Dell Comics' Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and Jungle Jim, the latter of which he had previously drawn as a newspaper comic strip. The following decade, he drew stories of jungle adventurer Tarzan and science-fiction hero Magnus, Robot Fighter in comic books for Gold Key Comics.[11]

With writer

The Jungle Twins,[12] which ran 17 original issues (April 1972 – Nov. 1975), followed by reprints.[8]

Norris' last known comics story is co-penciling (with

animated TV series characters, in Marvel Comics'  Laff-A-Lympics #10 (Dec. 1978). His last comics work was a drawing of Aquaman in DC Comics' multi-artist, multi-character "History of the DC Universe" poster in 1987.[13]

Later life

Norris was living in Oceanside, California at the time of his death. Norris and his wife Ann, who died in 2000, had two sons, Michael and Paul Jr. (called Reed).[6] Norris is buried in Glen Haven Memorial Gardens in New Carlisle, Ohio.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Inkpot Awards". Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  2. ^ "POV Online (Nov. 6, 2007): "News from Me" (column) - "Paul Norris, R.I.P.", by Mark Evanier". Newsfromme.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  3. ^ Co-creator with Mort Weisinger per sources including Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Aquaman, Grand Comics Database: More Fun Comics #73, The Comics Journal (Oct. 6, 1999): "Ripples on the Golden Age Pond: Repercussions in Comic-Book Copyrights", by Darren Hick, and Comic Book Resources (Oct. 28, 2007): "Comics Should Be Good" (section): "365 Reasons to Love Comics #301", by Bill Reed Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine. Beginning with Aquaman vol. 6, #7 (Aug. 2003), DC Comics began including the credit line "Aquaman created by Paul Norris". Writer Julian Darian in an undated article at SeqArt: Aquaman published March 5, 2004 or later, suggests the discrepancy arose from uncertainty over the then-uncredited writer: "Paul Norris is now officially credited by DC as the character's creator, and Norris certainly drew Aquaman's first stories. Some suspect a writer's hand, however, and have pointed to Mort Weisinger, thought to be the writer of Aquaman's first tale, though we will probably never know for certain due to the scarcity of records from the period".
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Midland Lutheran College: "Paul Norris: Minister of Morality" Archived November 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine – biography in conjunction with art exhibition, Feb. 10–24, 2006
  5. ^ "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Fremont Tribune (Nebraska) (Feb. 11, 2006): "Norris gives new meaning to 'comic book hero'", by Tammy Real-McKeighan.
  7. ^ a b McIntosh, Linda (April 13, 2007). "The San Diego Union-Tribune "Classic comics continue to draw a following of fans"". Signonsandiego.com. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  8. ^ a b Paul Norris at Grand Comics Database
  9. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0
    .
  10. ^ Fischer, Stuart (March 2018). "Those Unforgettable Super-Heroes Of Dell & Gold Key". Alter Ego (151). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 41.
  11. ^ a b Scott (November 2, 2010). "Scott's Classic Comics Corner: Underappreciated Artist Spotlight – Paul Norris". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  12. ISBN 978-1605490564
    .
  13. ^ ""History of the DC Universe" poster". Vu.morrissey-solo.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2009. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  14. ^ "Paul Norris Obituary". The San Diego Union-Tribune. November 9, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2010.

Further reading

  • Career Retrospective, Gold & Silver: Overstreet's Comic Book Quarterly #6 (December 1994). p. 114. Overstreet Publications.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Norris&oldid=1213973817"