Pete Hoffman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pete Hoffman |
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| Born | February 22, 1919 Toledo, Ohio |
| Died | September 7, 2013 (aged 94) Toledo, Ohio |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist |
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Notable works
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Steve Roper and Mike Nomad Jeff Cobb |
Pete Hoffman (born February 22, 1919 – died September 7, 2013) was an American cartoonist. He was famous for his work on adventure comic strips. These included Steve Roper (which later became Steve Roper and Mike Nomad) and Jeff Cobb.
Contents
About Pete Hoffman
Early Life and Art
Pete Hoffman was born in Toledo, Ohio. He was the youngest of four children. From a very young age, Pete showed a talent for art. When he was just in kindergarten, he had a drawing published in the Toledo Times newspaper. This drawing was about the Old West.
He went to the University of Toledo. There, he studied advertising and marketing. While in college, he drew cartoons for the student newspaper. He was also the art editor for the school yearbook.
After college, he worked for a department store as an advertising artist. Then, during World War II, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. He served in England and became a captain. He even received the Bronze Star Medal for his service.
Starting His Cartoon Career
After the war, Pete went back to Toledo. He visited Allen Saunders and Elmer Woggon, who created the Steve Roper comic strip. Pete had met them before and sent them his drawings during the war. They liked his art and hired him.
Pete became a "ghost artist" for Steve Roper. This meant he drew the strip, but his name wasn't usually shown. The comic strip still said "Steve Roper by Saunders and Woggon." Pete's drawing style helped make Steve Roper look more serious. This was important as the story moved to a modern city setting.
Pete said he enjoyed drawing the characters for almost nine years. Even though he was a "ghost artist," his role wasn't a secret. A newspaper article in 1953 talked about Pete's work on Steve Roper. It even showed him working with Saunders and Woggon.
Creating His Own Comics
Jeff Cobb and Why We Say
On June 28, 1954, Pete Hoffman started his very own comic strip. He left Steve Roper to create Jeff Cobb. This new strip was about an investigative reporter who worked for the Daily Guardian newspaper.
Pete and the Steve Roper creators parted ways as friends. They even helped him join the National Cartoonists Society in 1955. Pete hoped he learned a lot from Allen Saunders while working on Steve Roper.
Like Steve Roper, Jeff Cobb was a brave and honest reporter. He fought crime and faced many dangers. Pete's drawing style for Jeff Cobb became even more detailed and realistic. He also focused on developing the characters in his stories. Pete said he always found new ideas for his comics. He often got ideas from newspaper articles and based characters on real people.
During this time, Pete also drew for another comic feature called Why We Say. This was a single-panel comic that explained where words and phrases came from.
Later Years
The Jeff Cobb comic strip ended in 1978. Many newspaper comic strips were ending around that time. After Jeff Cobb, Pete worked as a freelance artist. He also worked on projects for the University of Toledo alumni.
Honors and Personal Life
Recognition for His Work
Pete Hoffman continued to live in his hometown of Toledo. In 2004, fans and other cartoonists honored him. This was for the 50th anniversary of his Jeff Cobb comic strip. Many cartoonists drew funny pictures of themselves wearing a Jeff Cobb eye-patch.
Personal Life
Pete Hoffman never got married. He often said he was "married to the drawing board," meaning he loved his art very much. He passed away from a heart attack when he was 94 years old.
