Russ Manning facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Russ Manning |
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Self-portrait
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| Born | Russell George Manning January 5, 1929 Van Nuys, California |
| Died | December 1, 1981 (aged 52) California |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Penciller |
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Notable works
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Magnus, Robot Fighter Tarzan comic strip Star Wars comic strip |
| Awards | Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame, 2006 |
Russell George Manning (born January 5, 1929 – died December 1, 1981) was a talented American comic book artist. He is famous for creating the series Magnus, Robot Fighter. He also drew popular newspaper comic strips like Tarzan and Star Wars. In 2006, he was honored by being added to the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame. This is a special award for great comic artists.
Contents
Russell Manning's Early Life and Art
Russell Manning was born in Van Nuys, California. He loved art from a young age. He studied at the Los Angeles County Art Institute. This is a school where people learn to draw and paint.
Drawing Cartoons for the Army
Later, Russell Manning joined the US Army. He served in Japan. While he was there, he drew cartoons for his army base newspaper. This helped him practice his drawing skills.
Starting His Career in Comics
In 1953, Manning began working for Western Publishing. This company made many different comics. He drew stories for comics published by Dell Comics. Later, he worked for Western's own Gold Key Comics line.
First Big Works: Tarzan and Magnus
One of his first important works was Brothers of the Spear. This was a backup story in the Tarzan comic book. He also drew some Tarzan stories himself. In 1963, he created two new series for Gold Key. These were Magnus, Robot Fighter and The Aliens. He drew the first 21 issues of Magnus, which ran until 1968.
Adapting Tarzan Novels
From 1965 to 1969, Manning drew the Tarzan comic series for Gold Key. During this time, he turned ten of the first eleven Tarzan novels into comics. These books were written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Another artist drew one of the books, but Manning did most of them. These comic versions were later reprinted as graphic novels.
Drawing Korak Stories
Manning also drew the Korak stories. Korak is Tarzan's son. These stories appeared in the first 11 issues of Gold Key's Korak comic. These were also later reprinted in special collections.
Tarzan and Star Wars Newspaper Strips
Russell Manning drew the Tarzan daily newspaper comic strip from 1967 to 1972. He continued drawing the Sunday Tarzan page until 1979. He also created four new Tarzan graphic novels. These were made for readers in Europe. Some of them were later reprinted in the United States.
Working with Assistants
During this busy time, Manning had help from other artists. These assistants included William Stout, Rick Hoberg, Mike Royer, and Dave Stevens. They helped him with his many projects.
The World of Magnus, Robot Fighter
Magnus, Robot Fighter was one of his most famous adventure series. It was set in the year 4000. Manning drew this future world as very clean and open. It had shiny robots, handsome men, and beautiful women. His drawings of spaceships were very unique. They looked different from the usual rocket designs of that time. His Magnus artwork has also been collected in special "archive" editions.
Drawing the Star Wars Comic Strip
His last major work was for the Star Wars newspaper strip. He wrote and drew parts of it in 1979 and 1980. These strips were later collected into a book called Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures.
Russell Manning's Legacy
Russell Manning passed away from cancer on December 1, 1981. He was 52 years old. He was still living in California, where he was born.
The Russ Manning Award
An award is named after him to honor his work. It is called the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award. This award is given every year at Comic-Con International. It celebrates new artists who show great promise in the comic book world.
See also
- Russ Manning Award
