Syd Shores
Syd Shores | |
---|---|
Born | Sydney Shores 1916 |
Died | June 3, 1973 New York City, U.S. | (aged 56–57)
Nationality | American |
Area(s) | Penciller, Inker |
Notable works | Captain America |
Awards | Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame (2023) |
Sydney Shores (1916 – June 3, 1973)
Biography
Early life and career
Syd Shores began drawing in childhood, fascinated by the
"The Terror" still held enough promise that it saw print in Mystic Comics #5 (March 1941) from Timely Comics, the 1940s precursor of Marvel Comics, and went on to make other appearances.[4] Timely editor Joe Simon hired Shores as the fledgling company's third employee.[3]
Golden Age of comics
Shores initially worked as an
Shores also inked two of Kirby's Golden Age Vision stories, in Marvel Mystery Comics #21-22 (July-Aug. 1941); and the cover and splash page of Young Allies #1 (July 1941). Shores said, "Jack Kirby influenced my sense of dramatics. Jack Kirby influences everybody in comics, though: Before I got really started in the field it was Alex Raymond and Hal Foster, they were my gods back then, but Kirby was the most immediate influence."[3] Shores penciled stories of the Vision and the Patriot in Marvel Mystery Comics, Major Liberty in U.S.A. Comics, and the Captain America portions of the All-Winners Squad stories in the (unhyphenated) All Winners Comics #19 and 21 (Fall and Winter 1946; there was no issue #20).[6]
Shores was inducted into the
Comic-book artist Gene Colan recalled in 1999,
My first real professional start in the comic-book business began in the summer of 1946, and that is when I met Syd Shores. He was the head man in the Art Department of Marvel Comics. ... I was flying by the seat of my pants ... hoping that everything would turn out. I didn't want the seams to show but that was all part of the learning process and Syd helped me wade through. ... His realistic style, for some time, became an obsession with me. His characters looked like the real thing. Whatever he had them doing was as real to life as you could get.[7]
Post-war career
After his military discharge in January 1946, Shores returned to Timely as art director. Future Comic Book Hall of Famer Gene Colan, a Marvel mainstay from 1946 on, described Shores during this time as "a very quiet man. He would come in with a kind of very slow walk, with a cup of morning coffee in one of these spiral cups and a cigarette in the other. Big smoker. He would say hello to everybody very quietly, and sit down. He'd been in the war in Germany, and sometimes I'd try to feel him out about it. He never wanted to talk about it. Very quiet fellow, but a sweet, sweet guy, and very helpful; very unassuming".[8]
At postwar Timely and at the company's 1950s successor,
Silver Age of Comics
In the 1960s, Shores found a new audience at Marvel Comics, where he again inked Jack Kirby on Captain America when the character once more received a full-length title. Shores inked the premiere issue, Captain America #100 (April 1968), continuing the numbering from Tales of Suspense), inking Kirby on seven of the first 10. He also inked a run of Gene Colan's Daredevil, among other Colan work, and inked both Dick Ayers and Don Heck on the World War II war comics title Captain Savage and His Leatherneck Raiders (later titled Capt. Savage and His Battlefield Raiders), among other work.[4]
In a rare return to penciling at Marvel, Shores drew and self-inked five anthological horror stories from 1969 to 1971 in Chamber of Darkness, Tower of Shadows, Creatures on the Loose and Monsters on the Prowl, as well as Gerry Conway's adaptation of Harlan Ellison's "Delusions for a Dragon Slayer" in Chamber of Chills #1 (Nov. 1972). Additionally, Shores penciled and occasionally self-inked several Western stories, including the premiere of the feature "Tales of Fort Rango" in Western Gunfighters #1 (Aug. 1970); The Gunhawks #1-2 & 4-5 (Oct.-Dec.1972, April–June 1973); and the Native American hero Red Wolf in Marvel Spotlight #1 (Nov. 1971) and Red Wolf #1-8 (May 1972 - July 1973). Shores also penciled the Skywald Publications Western The Bravados #1 (Aug. 1971).[4]
He likewise penciled a handful of black-and-white horror-comics magazine stories, such as "Blood Thirst!" in Major Publications' Web of Horror #1 (Dec. 1969) and "Strangers!" in #3 (April 1970); and for Warren Publishing, "Army of the Walking Dead" in Creepy #35 (Sept. 1970) and "King Keller" in #37 (Jan. 1971).[4]
Later life and death
Some of Shores' last comics work was inking
Legacy
The survey "The 20 Greatest Inkers of American Comic Books" placed Shores at #11, saying he "evidenced a unique and singular inking style, one perhaps only vaguely approximated by the great Bill Everett. Both had bold but rough-hewn lines and illustrative, photorealistic brushwork which gave the pages a beautiful, organic look. . . ."[11]
Awards
In 2023, Shores was inducted into the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame.[12][13]
References
- ^ Lambiek Comiclopedia
- ^ a b c d Battmer, Craig (1970). "A Brief Interview with...Syd Shores". Fantastic Fanzine. No. 12. Archived from the original on November 22, 2003. Additional .
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hewetson, Alan (October 1973). "Syd Shores". (interview) Now and Then Times. Archived from the original on November 20, 2003. Additional created September 26, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Syd Shores at the Grand Comics Database
- ISBN 1-887591-35-4, page #?, gives himself as inker, with Simon and Al Liedermanvariously inking the interior stories.
- ^ All-Winners Comics (Marvel, 1941 series) at the Grand Comics Database. Despite the cover logo, this database spells the title with hyphen.
- ^ Gene, Colan (August 3, 1999). "A Tribute to Syd Shores". LiveForEverett.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2002. Additional, September 26, 2010
- ^ ""They Depended On [The Super-Heroes] To Keep Us Afloat"". Alter Ego. Vol. 3, no. 52. March 2006. p. 67.
- ^ Deis, Robert, ed. (June 5, 2011). "Legendary Comics Artist Syd Shores Also Did Some Wild Men's 'Sweat Magazine' Covers". MensPulpMags.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ "Marvel [News]". The Comic Reader. No. 98. June 1973. p. 4. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
- ^ "The 20 Greatest Inkers of American Comic Books". Atlas Comics [retailer]. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009.
- ^ "Major Spoilers - Frazetta and Shores announced as Inkwell Awards’ 2023 Lifetime Achievement
- ^ "First Comics News - Inkwell Awards’ 2023 Lifetime Achievement Winners Announced"
External links
- The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
- "The Syd Shores Checklist". Archived from the original on March 11, 2005.
- Nevins, Jess. "The Timely Comics Story". WebCitation archive.
- Stiles, Steve. "The Star-Spangled Avenger: Timely Declares War Against The Axis", SteveStiles.com, n.d. WebCitation archive.
- Vassallo, Michael J. (2005). "A Timely Talk with Allen Bellman". Comicartville.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010..