Sheldon Moldoff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sheldon Moldoff |
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Moldoff at a convention in his later years.
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| Born | Sheldon Douglas Moldoff April 14, 1920 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 29, 2012 (aged 91) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Penciller |
| Pseudonym(s) | Shelly |
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Notable works
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Batman, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze |
| Awards | Inkpot Award |
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Sheldon "Shelly" Moldoff (born April 14, 1920 – died February 29, 2012) was an American comics artist. He was famous for his early work on DC Comics characters like Hawkman and Hawkgirl. He also worked as a "ghost artist" for Bob Kane on the superhero Batman. This meant he drew Batman stories without getting credit. Shelly Moldoff helped create many well-known Batman characters. These include villains like Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, and the second Clayface. He also helped create heroes like Bat-Girl, Batwoman, and Ace the Bat-Hound. Moldoff was the only creator of the Black Pirate character.
Contents
Sheldon Moldoff's Life and Art Career
Early Life and First Comic Work
Sheldon Moldoff was born in Manhattan, New York City. He grew up mostly in The Bronx. A future comic artist named Bernard Baily lived in the same building. Bernard taught Shelly how to draw cartoons. Shelly was drawing popular characters like Popeye on the sidewalk. Bernard saw his drawings and offered to teach him more.
Shelly sold his first cartoon when he was 17 years old. His first work in comic books was for Vincent Sullivan. Sullivan was an editor at National Periodicals. This company later became part of DC Comics. Moldoff's first published work was a sports drawing. It appeared in Action Comics #1 in June 1938. This was the same comic book that introduced Superman to the world.
The Golden Age of Comics
During the late 1930s and 1940s, comics became very popular. This time is known as the Golden Age of comic books. Moldoff drew many covers for the company that would become DC Comics. He drew the first cover for the Golden Age Green Lantern. This was on All-American Comics #16 in July 1940. This issue also introduced the Green Lantern character.
Moldoff created the character Black Pirate (Jon Valor) in Action Comics #23 (April 1940). He also became one of the first artists to draw Hawkman. Hawkman was created by Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville. Moldoff drew the first image of Shiera Sanders as Hawkgirl. This was in All Star Comics #5.
Starting with Flash Comics #4 (April 1940), Moldoff regularly drew Hawkman. He also drew Hawkman's parts in the Justice Society of America stories. These stories appeared in All Star Comics. Moldoff said that the publisher, Max Gaines, liked his drawing style. He wanted Moldoff to make Hawkman look more realistic. Moldoff studied anatomy and shadows to improve his art. He worked very hard to make his drawings look like famous newspaper comic strips.
Moldoff joined the military in 1944 for World War II. He returned to drawing comics in 1946. He worked for several companies like Standard, Fawcett, and Marvel. He also drew for EC Comics. For EC, he drew the character Moon Girl.
When superhero comics became less popular, Moldoff started drawing horror comics. In 1948, he created two horror comic book ideas. He showed them to Fawcett Comics first. Fawcett decided not to publish horror comics at that time. So, Moldoff showed his ideas to EC Comics. He signed a contract to get paid a percentage if the books did well. However, when EC's Tales From the Crypt came out, Moldoff said EC did not keep their promise. He was told he would be blacklisted if he took legal action.
Later, Fawcett Comics decided to publish his horror titles. They bought This Magazine Is Haunted and Worlds of Fear from him. They also published Strange Suspense Stories. Moldoff was paid for the titles and given a lot of work. He also drew the covers for these comics. He created the host character for This Magazine Is Haunted, called Doctor Death.
Working on Batman in the 1950s and 1960s
In 1953, Moldoff became a main "ghost artist" for Batman. He, along with Win Mortimer and Dick Sprang, drew stories that were credited to Bob Kane. Moldoff drew in Kane's style and under his guidance. Moldoff had a secret agreement with Bob Kane. He would do the work, and not tell anyone. In return, he had steady work. He drew about 350 to 360 pages a year. He also did other work for DC Comics editors. They did not know he was drawing Batman for Bob Kane.
Moldoff and different writers created many new characters for Batman. These included the Batmen of All Nations and Ace the Bat-Hound. He also helped create the first Batwoman, the Calendar Man, and Mr. Freeze. Other creations were Bat-Mite and the first Bat-Girl. He also helped create the second Clayface. Many of these characters were changed or stopped being used in 1964. Gardner Fox and Moldoff brought back the Riddler in Batman #171 (May 1965). Moldoff also introduced other Batman villains like Poison Ivy and the Spellbinder.
DC Comics let Moldoff go in 1967. Many other writers and artists were also let go around this time. His last Batman stories were in Batman #199 and Detective Comics #372. After leaving DC, he started working in animation. He drew storyboards for cartoons like Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse. He also wrote and drew comic books for restaurants. These were given away to children at places like Burger King and Red Lobster. He also drew for the Atlanta Braves baseball team. In 2000, Moldoff drew a chapter for a project called Superman and Batman: World's Funnest. This was his first work for DC Comics in over 30 years.
Later Years
Sheldon Moldoff retired to Florida with his wife, Shirley. They had three children: Richard, Kenneth, and Ellen. He passed away on February 29, 2012, at age 91. He died after his kidneys failed. Moldoff was the last person alive who had contributed to Action Comics #1.
Awards and Recognition
Sheldon Moldoff received an Inkpot Award in 1991. This award honors people who have made great contributions to comics and science fiction.
