Silver Surfer Omnibus Vol. 1 John Buscema First Issue Cover [New Printing 2]

Stan Lee (1922-2018)

Writer and editor Stan Lee, alongside Jack Kirby, made comic-book history in 1961 with Fantastic Four #1. The monumental popularity of this new style inspired Lee to develop similarly themed characters, including the Hulk and X-Men with Kirby, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange with Steve Ditko, and Daredevil with Bill Everett. After shepherding his creations through dozens of issues, Lee allowed other writers to take over, but maintained editorial control. He eventually helped expand Marvel into a multimedia empire. In his later years, his frequent cameo appearances in Marvel films established Lee as one of the world’s most famous faces.

Roy Thomas

Roy Thomas joined the Marvel Bullpen as a writer and editor under Stan Lee, scripting key runs of nearly every title of the time, including Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner, Thor, and X-Men. He wrote the first 10 years of Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan, and launched series such as Defenders, Iron Fist, Invaders, and Warlock. At DC, he developed All-Star Squadron, Infinity Inc., and related titles, proving instrumental in reviving the Golden Age Justice Society of America. Thomas later became editor of Alter Ego, a magazine devoted to comic-book history, and co-scripted the sword-and-sorcery films Fire and Ice and Conan the Destroyer.

John Buscema (1927-2002)

John Buscema literally wrote the book on being a Marvel artist—namely, How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way—and few were better qualified. His career dated back to the Timely/Atlas era of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Soon after the beginning of the Marvel Age of Comics, Stan Lee recruited Buscema from the advertising field to the Marvel Bullpen. Buscema followed a long run on Avengers with the first Silver Surfer series. He subsequently succeeded Jack Kirby on Fantastic Four, Thor, and other titles. By the time of his retirement in 1996, Buscema had penciled nearly every Marvel title, including his personal favorite, Conan the Barbarian.

Jack Kirby (1917-1994)

Born Jacob Kurtzberg to Jewish-Austrian parents on New York’s Lower East Side, Jack Kirby came of age at the birth of the American comic book industry. Beginning his career during the rising tide of Nazism, Kirby and fellow artist Joe Simon created the patriotic hero Captain America. Cap’s exploits on the comic book page entertained millions of American readers and inspired U.S. troops fighting abroad. When World War II ended, Kirby turned his artistic talents to other genres, such as monsters, Westerns, and crime, as well as the first-of-its-kind Young Romance Comics. In 1961, Kirby returned to superheroes to illustrate what would become the defining issue in Marvel Comics history: Fantastic Four #1. Written by Stan Lee, the team’s debut revolutionized the industry overnight. Kirby’s illustrations seemed to leap off the page with eye-popping action and drama. For the next decade, Kirby and Lee introduced a mind-boggling array of new characters, including the Avengers, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the Silver Surfer, and the X-Men. Kirby’s groundbreaking work with Lee formed the foundation of the Marvel Universe. In the early 1970s, Kirby moved to DC Comics, where his creativity continued. He returned to Marvel in 1975, writing and illustrating Captain America and introducing his final major concept, the Eternals. With the explosion of TV animation during the 1980s, Kirby’s talents turned to the small screen, with recognizable work on series such as Thundarr the Barbarian and Turbo Teen. Kirby died in 1994, but his influence on the comic book industry remains strong, inspiring generations of professional artists and modern writers who continue to explore his vast universe of concepts and characters.

Marie Severin

During the 1960s, when males dominated the industry, Marie Severin earned the respect of her peers with her seemingly limitless talents in every facet of comic-book production—from penciling to inking to lettering to coloring. Her earliest recorded work was for EC Comics in 1949, and she went on to contribute coloring across the publisher’s line before moving to Marvel’s predecessor, Atlas Comics. In the Silver Age of comics, Severin made her mark in the Bullpen, drawing the adventures of Doctor Strange and becoming the company’s head colorist before concentrating on penciling. Her extensive contribution to Marvel across a wide array of titles includes providing the original design for Spider-Woman. Severin was inducted into the Will Eisner Comics Hall of Fame in 2001.

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