Leonard Starr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leonard Starr |
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Starr in 1982
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| Born | October 28, 1925 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | June 30, 2015 (aged 89) |
| Area(s) | Writer, editor, publisher, producer |
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Notable works
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On Stage Little Orphan Annie |
Leonard Starr (born October 28, 1925 – died June 30, 2015) was a talented American cartoonist. He was famous for creating the newspaper comic strip On Stage. He also brought back the popular comic strip Little Orphan Annie.
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Early Life and Education
Leonard Starr was born in New York City on October 28, 1925. He went to the The High School of Music and Art in Manhattan. After high school, he continued his art studies at the Pratt Institute.
Starting His Cartoon Career
While studying at Pratt Institute in the early 1940s, Starr began working. He drew for comic book studios like Harry "A" Chesler and Funnies, Inc. He started by drawing backgrounds and later inked other artists' work. Soon, he was drawing for early Timely Comics (now Marvel Comics) titles. This included characters like the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner.
Throughout the 1940s, Starr worked for many publishers. He drew for both comic books and pulp magazines. He even worked with famous artists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. They created early romance comics together.
In the late 1940s, he drew for EC Comics. He also worked as an advertising artist. Later, he drew many comics for American Comics Group and DC Comics. His work for DC included covers and stories for titles like House of Mystery. In the mid-1950s, he started working on newspaper comic strips. He helped with King Features' Flash Gordon.
Creating Mary Perkins, On Stage
In 1957, Starr created his own comic strip called On Stage. It was later renamed Mary Perkins, On Stage. This strip was known for mixing soap opera drama with adventure and humor. It featured realistic drawings and strong storytelling.
Starr won awards for On Stage, including the National Cartoonists Society's Story Comic Strip Award. He received this award in 1960 and 1963. He also won the prestigious Reuben Award in 1965. He continued to draw Mary Perkins, On Stage until 1979.
Other Creative Projects
Starr briefly returned to comic books in the 1970s and 1980s. He worked on "Morbius, the Living Vampire" for Marvel. He also contributed art for DC's Who's Who in the DC Universe. In Paris, he created Kelly Green with Stan Drake in 1980.
In 1985, he wrote and drew an action-adventure graphic novel. It was called Operation Psy and was only published in France. He also secretly wrote for the comic strip Winnie Winkle until 1996. He even helped his friend John Prentice by ghostwriting Rip Kirby in its final years.
Working in Animation
In the 1980s, Leonard Starr also started working in animation. He helped create the animated TV show ThunderCats. He developed the show's story guide and was the head writer. Starr wrote 23 episodes for ThunderCats. He also worked on the Rankin Bass series Ghost Warrior in 1985.
Starr was a special guest at several comic conventions. He attended the San Diego Comic-Con International in 1982. There, he received an Inkpot Award for his work.
Reviving Little Orphan Annie
In 1979, Leonard Starr brought back the famous comic strip Little Orphan Annie. The strip had been running old stories since 1974. This was after its original creator, Harold Gray, passed away. Starr's version was simply called Annie.
His work on Annie was very successful. He won the National Cartoonists Society's Story Comic Strip Award again in 1983 and 1984. Starr continued to draw Annie until he retired in 2000.
Later Years
After 2006, Starr created new artwork for the covers of On Stage reprint books. To promote these books, he attended the New York Comic Con in 2008. He also went to the San Diego Comic-Con International in 2009. Leonard Starr passed away on June 30, 2015.
