Tom Gill (artist)

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This article is about the comic-book artist. For others with this name, see Thomas Gill.
Tom Gill
The Lone Ranger

Thomas P. Gill

The Lone Ranger
.

Biography

Early life and career

Tom Gill was born in

Wonderworld Comics #13 (May 1940).[6] Other early comics work includes Novelty Press' Blue Bolt Comics, from 1944 to 1946, and Target Comics in the mid-1940s. He is also tentatively identified on three stories for Fiction House's Jungle Comics in 1941, and drew occasionally for that publisher's Wings Comics in the mid-1940s.[6]

With an unknown writer, he co-created the Native American Western character Red Warrior, who starred in a namesake comic-book series for Atlas Comics, the 1950s iteration of Marvel Comics. He drew the majority of the stories for the six-issue series (Jan.-Dec. 1951), and all covers except the last.[6]

The Lone Ranger and other Westerns

Beginning with

old-time radio and later television Western hero. Gill drew every issue through though #145 (July 1962),[6][7]
a 107-issue run that marks one of the longest of any artist on a comic-book series.

The series had been produced by Western Publishing and published by its business partner, Dell. After severing ties, Western established its own comic-book imprint, Gold Key Comics, which launched its own Lone Ranger title. This reprinted Newman-Gill material from the Dell run for its first 21 issues (Sept. 1964 - June 1975), after which it published new material by other creators through the final issue, #28 (March 1977).[8]

Gill's other comic-book work includes the spin-off The Lone Ranger's Famous Horse Hi-Yo Silver ; the

equine-series tie-in Fury ; the six-issue Native American-hero Western Red Warrior (Jan.-Dec. 1951) for Atlas Comics, the 1950s precursor of Marvel Comics; and, with writer Jerry Siegel, the sole two issues (April 1967 & April 1968) of Gold Key's self-consciously camp revival of creator Frank Thomas' 1940 character The Owl.[6][9]

Working from his studio on Long Island and never venturing West, Gill gained his facility for drawing horses, he said, from "a $1 book called How to Draw Horses: It's Fun and It's Easy. In that same interview, he explained his philosophy of drawing the Lone Ranger's famed white steed: "You had to make Silver a glamour horse. His head was always high, his mane was always flying.""[10]

Cartooning and children's books

Gill also drew a 1948 comic strip, Ricky Stevens, and comic books for

children's books and such projects as The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
TV tie-in books and activity books.

For roughly 50 years, Gill taught

cartooning and children's-book illustration in New York-area colleges and institutions, including the School of Visual Arts, where he served as a department chair in 1948, alumni director in 1969, and consultant well into the 21st century. He served several terms as vice-president of the National Cartoonists Society
, winning its Silver T-Square award in 1964 and its Best Story Comic Book Artist award in 1970.

With Tim Lasiuta, he wrote the autobiography Misadventures of A Roving Cartoonist: The Lone Ranger's Secret Sidekick (Five Star Publications, 2008)[11]

Later life

Gill lost his eyesight later in life but continued to teach art at community colleges.

Croton-on-Hudson, New York.[12] He was survived by family including wife Patricia, daughter Nancy Zaglaluer, and son Tom Gill.[12]

Awards

References

  1. ^
    Lambiek Comiclopedia
    . (See below)
  2. ^ a b Thomas P. Gill at the Social Security Death Index via FamilySearch.org. Retrieved February 26, 2013. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Evanier, Mark (October 18, 2005). "Tom Gill, R.I.P." News from Me. WebCitation archive.
  4. ^
    Lambiek Comiclopedia. Archived
    November 4, 2010.
  5. ^ "Tom Gill". lambiek.net. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  6. ^ a b c d e Tom Gill at the Grand Comics Database
  7. ^ Per the Grand Comics Database, the art credit for issue #99 (Sept. 1956) is uncertain.
  8. ^ The Lone Ranger (Gold Key, 1964 series) at the Grand Comics Database
  9. ^ The Owl at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived October 25, 2011.
  10. ^ Reed, Ollie Jr. (May 20, 2005). "'Ranger' Artist Unmasked". The Albuquerque Tribune. New Mexico.
  11. ^ Crews, Barbara (n.d.). "The Misadventures of a Roving Cartoonist". About.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Additional .
  12. ^ a b "Lone Ranger comic artist dies". Australian Broadcasting Company. Reuters. October 19, 2005. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  13. Comic-Con International. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013. Additional WebCitation archive
    .

External links

  • Tom Gill interview: Alter Ego #43 (Dec. 2004)
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