Herb Trimpe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Herb Trimpe |
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Trimpe at the 2015 East Coast Comiccon,
his last convention appearance |
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| Born | Herbert William Trimpe May 26, 1939 Peekskill, New York, United States |
| Died | April 13, 2015 (aged 75) |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer, Penciller, Inker |
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Notable works
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The Incredible Hulk Wolverine The Defenders Son of Satan |
| Awards | Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, 2002 Inkpot Award, 2002 |
Herbert "Herb" William Trimpe (born May 26, 1939 – died April 13, 2015) was an American comics artist. He also sometimes wrote comic stories. Herb Trimpe is most famous for his work on The Incredible Hulk in the 1970s. He was also the very first artist to draw the popular character Wolverine for a comic book. Wolverine later became a huge star in the X-Men comics.
Contents
Early Life and Art Beginnings
Herb Trimpe was born in Peekskill, New York, on May 26, 1939. He loved art and comics from a young age. He especially enjoyed Disney characters like Donald Duck. He also liked "funny-animal" comics and the superhero Plastic Man.
Herb was a big fan of EC Comics and the artist Jack Davis. He dreamed of creating his own comic strip for newspapers.
Starting a Career in Comics
After high school, Trimpe studied art in New York City at the School of Visual Arts. His teacher, Tom Gill, was a comic artist who needed help. Herb started working for Gill, inking backgrounds for comics at Dell Comics. He mostly worked on Westerns and comics based on movies, like Journey to the Center of the Earth.
In 1962, Herb joined the United States Air Force. He served for four years until 1966. He was a weatherman and helped the Army in Viet Nam by providing weather information for helicopters.
After his military service, Trimpe joined Marvel Comics in 1967. He started by inking for Marvel. Soon, he began drawing his own stories. His first professional drawings were for two Kid Colt stories in the Kid Colt, Outlaw Western series. In 1968, he and writer Gary Friedrich created a World War I aviator hero called the Phantom Eagle.
Drawing the Hulk and Wolverine
The Incredible Hulk Comics
In the 1960s, a time known as the Silver Age of Comics, Herb Trimpe began drawing his most famous character: the Hulk. He started working on The Incredible Hulk comic in 1968. He drew the Hulk almost continuously for over seven years.
During this time, Trimpe helped create new characters for the Hulk's world. These included Jim Wilson and Doc Samson. He also drew the covers for many Hulk annual comics. Trimpe enjoyed working with Marvel's "Marvel Method." This meant artists like him helped create the story plots, even if they weren't officially credited as writers.
Introducing Wolverine to the World
One of Herb Trimpe's biggest contributions was being the first artist to draw Wolverine. Wolverine was created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by John Romita Sr.. He first appeared at the end of The Incredible Hulk #180 in 1974. His first full appearance was in the next issue.
Trimpe remembered drawing Wolverine from Romita's design. He felt like he "shocked it to life!" At the time, Wolverine was just a small character meant to fight the Hulk. No one knew he would become one of Marvel's most popular heroes.
Other Hulk-Related Work
Trimpe also worked on The Defenders comic for about a year. This superhero team comic also featured the Hulk. He even drew the Hulk on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1971.
Other Marvel Adventures
As a key artist at Marvel, Trimpe drew almost every major character. He drew Captain America, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Ka-Zar, Nick Fury, and Thor. He also worked on Marvel Team-Up, where different heroes would join forces.
Trimpe helped create the character Shroud for the comic Super-Villain Team-Up. He also drew Captain Britain for Marvel UK. In 1976, he inked parts of Captain America's Bicentennial Battles, drawn by the legendary Jack Kirby. Trimpe also drew a special Spider-Man vs. the Hulk comic set at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, Trimpe drew many comics based on movies and TV shows. He drew most of the 24 issues of Godzilla. He also worked on Shogun Warriors, The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones, and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. He even drew for The Transformers comics.
Trimpe had a special arrangement with Marvel. He was a "quota artist," meaning he received a regular salary. He worked from home and got extra pay for anything he drew beyond his set amount. He also received company benefits, like a regular job.
Later Career and Life
In the mid-1990s, Marvel Comics faced financial difficulties and downsized its staff. Trimpe lost his full-time position but continued to work as a freelance artist for Marvel. He went back to school and earned a bachelor's degree in Arts in 1997. He then pursued a master's degree.
From 1999, he taught art for two years at Eldred Central School in Sullivan County, New York. In 2000, he wrote an article for The New York Times about older artists in the comics industry.
Trimpe continued to draw comics in the 2000s. He drew for Dark Horse Comics and returned to the Hulk for a story in Marvel's King-Size Hulk #1 in 2008. He also published his own comic books called Firehawks, which featured a special airplane.
Herb Trimpe's last public appearance at a comic convention was in April 2015. He passed away on April 13, 2015, at the age of 75.
Personal Life and Legacy
Herb Trimpe was married to Linda Fite, a writer and editorial assistant at Marvel Comics. They had three children together. Later, he was married to Patricia. His son, Alexander Trimpe, also drew comics with his father. His children, Alexander, Amelia, and Sarah, were part of a band called The Chief Smiles.
Trimpe was also ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of New York in 1992.
Awards and Recognition
- Nominated for the Shazam Award for Best Inker (Humor Division) in 1973.
- Won the 2002 "The Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award" for his work as a chaplain at the World Trade Center site after the September 11 attacks.
- Received the Inkpot Award in 2002.
See also
In Spanish: Herb Trimpe para niños
