Jack Abel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jack Abel |
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Jack Abel by Michael Netzer
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| Born | July 15, 1927 |
| Died | March 6, 1996 (aged 68) |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Penciller, Inker |
| Pseudonym(s) | Gary Michaels |
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Notable works
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Superman |
Jack Abel (born July 15, 1927 – died March 6, 1996) was an American comic book artist. He was famous for being an inker. An inker is an artist who adds ink lines over the pencil drawings made by a penciler. Jack Abel worked for big comic companies like DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He helped create many popular superhero stories. He was the main inker for Superman comics in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He also inked the first appearance of the popular superhero Wolverine in The Incredible Hulk #181 in 1974. Sometimes, he used the name Gary Michaels as a secret artist name.
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Jack Abel's Comic Journey
Starting His Career
Jack Abel started his comic book work in 1951. He drew and inked scary stories for magazines like Mister Mystery. He also worked on Western tales for Prize Comics Western. He inked many different types of comics. These included science fiction, romance, and war comics. He worked for companies like Atlas Comics, which later became Marvel Comics. Later, he drew many war comics for DC, such as Our Fighting Forces and Our Army in War.
Working with Superheroes
Jack Abel inked hundreds of stories for DC Comics. He became the main inker for the "Superman family" of comics. He worked on Adventure Comics, Superman, and Action Comics. He also inked some issues of Superboy. His work helped define the look of these classic superheroes.
Later Years and New Heroes
Around 1970, Jack Abel started working more for Marvel Comics. He had already inked some Iron Man stories there since 1966. For these, he used his secret name, "Gary Michaels." An artist he worked with, Gene Colan, said Jack's lines were "slick." This was good for Iron Man, who is made of metal.
Later, using his real name, Jack Abel inked many other Marvel comics. He worked on Daredevil and Tomb of Dracula. He even inked the first appearance of the hero Blade in Tomb of Dracula #10. He also worked on The Incredible Hulk and Master of Kung Fu.
From the mid-1970s, Jack Abel inked for many different comic companies. Besides Marvel and DC, he worked for smaller publishers. These included Gold Key (Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery), Charlton Comics (Ghost Manor), and Atlas/Seaboard (IronJaw).
Jack Abel loved baseball. In the 1970s, he helped organize a softball team. They played games in Central Park in New York City.
In 1981, Jack Abel had a serious stroke. This caused his right hand to become paralyzed. But he worked hard to get better. He was able to ink and draw again. He continued to work through the 1980s, mostly for Marvel.
Comic Strips
Jack Abel also worked on comic strips for newspapers. From 1967 to 1969, he inked the Tales of the Green Beret comic strip. This strip was written by author Robin Moore.
Awards
In 2016, Jack Abel was recognized for his work. He was nominated for the Inkwell Awards Special Recognition Award. He tied for runner-up, showing how much his inking was valued.
