Al Plastino
Encyclopedia
Al Plastino is an American
comic book
artist
best known as one of the most prolific Superman
artists of the 1950s, along with his DC Comics
colleague Wayne Boring
. Plastino also worked as a comics writer
, editor
, letterer
, and colorist
.
, where he "helped out" Bill Everett
with Sub-Mariner
. His earliest known credited comic-book work is as penciler-inker
of the cover of Novelty Press
' Blue Bolt Comics
vol. 3, #9 (Feb. 1943). Before the war, Plastino also inked some issues of Captain America
.
In 1941, Plastino designed an airplane that resembled the space shuttle
, and eventually showed a model of it and blueprints to Grumman Aircraft executives. Drafted
shortly afterward, he spent much of World War II
assigned to the graphic arts
office in The Pentagon
, drawing war posters and producing them in silkscreen. He was next assigned to the Adjutant General
's Office, working on illustrations for U.S. Army training manuals. He continued working on these after the war, while with Steinberg Studios. He also began taking on comic book art and commercial graphics.
with two other cartoonist
s in 1948, Plastino showed sample art of Superman to DC Comics, which offered him $35 a page. Plastino, who had heard that Superman artists were receiving $55 a page, negotiated a $50 rate, high for a beginning comics artist at the time.
Now settled in the comic book field, he largely dropped other commercial work for two decades. Early on at DC, Plastino was forced to copy Wayne Boring
's style until the editors became comfortable with his own style. He did 48 Superman covers as well as countless DC stories.
Plastino worked on several titles within the Superman family of comics, including Superboy
and Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane
. With writer Otto Binder
, he co-created Supergirl
in Action Comics
#252 (May 1959). Plastino also drew the Superboy story in Adventure Comics
#247 (April 1958) and also co-created
the Legion of Super-Heroes
, a teen superhero team from the future that eventually became one of DC's most popular features. In the early 1970s, DC assigned Plastino to retouch Jack Kirby
's renditions of Superman and Jimmy Olsen
, fearing that Kirby's versions were too different from the established images of the characters.
Batman
comic strip from 1966–72, and the Superman strip in the late 1960s. Plastino drew the first appearance of the Superman
villain The Parasite
in Action Comics #340 (August 1966). In 1968, when he and other older creators were ousted from DC Comics, Plastino, who continued to work on the DC comic strips. In 1970, he took over the syndicated strip Ferd'nand
, which he drew until his retirement in 1989.
Plastino also worked on Sunday episodes of Nancy
in 1982-83 after Ernie Bushmiller
died. During this period, David Letterman
showed on TV a Nancy panel with a close shot of Plastino's signature and then made a joke about Plastino as a superhero name. (The writers for Letterman were apparently unaware that Plastino was known for his superheroes.) That same year, he was also commissioned by the United Media
newspaper syndicate to ghost Peanuts
when Charles Schulz underwent heart surgery in 1983. These strips were never published, and were subsequently destroyed.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
best known as one of the most prolific Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
artists of the 1950s, along with his DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
colleague Wayne Boring
Wayne Boring
Wayne Boring was an American comic book artist best known for his work on Superman from the late 1940s to 1950s. He occasionally used the pseudonym Jack Harmon....
. Plastino also worked as a comics writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, letterer
Letterer
A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer's use of typefaces, calligraphy, letter size, and layout all contribute to the impact of the comic. The letterer crafts the comic's "display lettering": the story title lettering and...
, and colorist
Colorist
In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates...
.
Career
Interested in art since grade school, Plastino won several prizes hosted by Youth Today magazine, which hired Plastino when he was 17. Plastino later did work for Funnies Inc.Funnies Inc.
Funnies, Inc. is an American comic book packager of the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of comic books. Founded by Lloyd Jacquet, it supplied the contents of early comics, including that of Marvel Comics #1 , the first publication of what would become the multimedia corporation Marvel Comics. The Funnies, Inc...
, where he "helped out" Bill Everett
Bill Everett
William Blake "Bill" Everett, also known as William Blake and Everett Blake was a comic book writer-artist best known for creating Namor the Sub-Mariner and co-creating Daredevil for Marvel Comics...
with Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe, and one of the first superheroes, debuting in Spring 1939. The character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for Funnies Inc., one of the first "packagers" in the early days of comic books that supplied...
. His earliest known credited comic-book work is as penciler-inker
Inker
The inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional comic book or graphic novel. After a pencilled drawing is given to the inker, the inker uses black ink to produce refined outlines over the pencil lines...
of the cover of Novelty Press
Novelty Press
Novelty Press was an American Golden Age comic-book publisher that operated from 1940–1949. It was the comic book imprint of Curtis Publishing Company, publisher of The Saturday Evening Post...
' Blue Bolt Comics
Blue Bolt
Blue Bolt is a fictional American comic book superhero created by writer-artist Joe Simon in 1940, during the period fans and historians refer to as the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Publication history:...
vol. 3, #9 (Feb. 1943). Before the war, Plastino also inked some issues of Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
.
In 1941, Plastino designed an airplane that resembled the space shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
, and eventually showed a model of it and blueprints to Grumman Aircraft executives. Drafted
Conscription in the United States
Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
shortly afterward, he spent much of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
assigned to the graphic arts
Graphic arts
A type of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of art forms. Graphic art is typically two-dimensional and includes calligraphy, photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, lithography, typography, serigraphy , and bindery. Graphic art also consists of drawn plans and layouts for interior...
office in The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, drawing war posters and producing them in silkscreen. He was next assigned to the Adjutant General
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
's Office, working on illustrations for U.S. Army training manuals. He continued working on these after the war, while with Steinberg Studios. He also began taking on comic book art and commercial graphics.
Comics
While working out of a studio in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with two other cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
s in 1948, Plastino showed sample art of Superman to DC Comics, which offered him $35 a page. Plastino, who had heard that Superman artists were receiving $55 a page, negotiated a $50 rate, high for a beginning comics artist at the time.
Now settled in the comic book field, he largely dropped other commercial work for two decades. Early on at DC, Plastino was forced to copy Wayne Boring
Wayne Boring
Wayne Boring was an American comic book artist best known for his work on Superman from the late 1940s to 1950s. He occasionally used the pseudonym Jack Harmon....
's style until the editors became comfortable with his own style. He did 48 Superman covers as well as countless DC stories.
Plastino worked on several titles within the Superman family of comics, including Superboy
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional characters that have been published by DC Comics, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman. These characters have also been the main characters of four ongoing Superboy comic book series published by DC....
and Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane was a comic book series published monthly by DC Comics focusing on the adventures of supporting character Lois Lane. The series began publication March/April 1958 and ended its run September/October 1974 with 137 regular issues and 2 80-page Annuals...
. With writer Otto Binder
Otto Binder
Otto Oscar Binder was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books...
, he co-created Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
in Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#252 (May 1959). Plastino also drew the Superboy story in Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
#247 (April 1958) and also co-created
First appearance
In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a fictional character.-Monetary value of first appearance issues:...
the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
, a teen superhero team from the future that eventually became one of DC's most popular features. In the early 1970s, DC assigned Plastino to retouch Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
's renditions of Superman and Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
, fearing that Kirby's versions were too different from the established images of the characters.
Comic strips
Plastino drew the syndicatedPrint syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
comic strip from 1966–72, and the Superman strip in the late 1960s. Plastino drew the first appearance of the Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
villain The Parasite
Parasite (comics)
The Parasite is the name of several fictional characters that appears in Superman comic book stories published by DC Comics. A supervillain, Parasite has the ability to temporarily absorb the energy, knowledge and super-powers of another being by touch, making him a formidable foe for the Man of...
in Action Comics #340 (August 1966). In 1968, when he and other older creators were ousted from DC Comics, Plastino, who continued to work on the DC comic strips. In 1970, he took over the syndicated strip Ferd'nand
Ferd'nand
Ferd'nand is a pantomime comic strip notable for its lack of word balloons and captions, lack of continuity and its longevity .-Background:Ferd'nand was first published in 1937 by the Presse-Illustrations-Bureau of Copenhagen...
, which he drew until his retirement in 1989.
Plastino also worked on Sunday episodes of Nancy
Nancy (comic strip)
Nancy is an American daily and Sunday comic strip, originally written and drawn by Ernie Bushmiller and distributed by United Feature Syndicate....
in 1982-83 after Ernie Bushmiller
Ernie Bushmiller
Ernest Paul Bushmiller, Jr. was an American cartoonist, best known for creating the long-running daily comic strip Nancy....
died. During this period, David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
showed on TV a Nancy panel with a close shot of Plastino's signature and then made a joke about Plastino as a superhero name. (The writers for Letterman were apparently unaware that Plastino was known for his superheroes.) That same year, he was also commissioned by the United Media
United Media
United Media is a large editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States, owned by The E.W. Scripps Company. It syndicates 150 comics and editorial columns worldwide. Its core business is the United Feature Syndicate and the Newspaper Enterprise Association...
newspaper syndicate to ghost Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
when Charles Schulz underwent heart surgery in 1983. These strips were never published, and were subsequently destroyed.
Later career
Since retiring from comics, Plastino has focused on painting.DC
- Action ComicsAction ComicsAction Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
(SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
) #120, 122-128, 130-131, 133, 135, 139-140, 143, 145, 148-149, 152-157, 169-170, 172, 176-177, 183, 185, 193, 197, 201, 205, 208, 212-214, 217, 220, 222, 228, 242, 247, 249, 251-252, 254-255, 259-260, 271, 273, 281-282, 289, 291-292, 294, 296, 300-302, 306, 308, 314, 317, 320, 322-324, 328-329, 331-335, 337, 340, 341- 345, 354, 361 (1948-68) - Adventure ComicsAdventure ComicsAdventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
(SuperboySuperboy (Kal-El)The original Superboy is a fictional superhero who appears in DC Comics. The name of Superman as a boy, Superboy has adventures that occur in the relative past to those of Superman and take place predominantly in his hometown of Smallville...
) #245, 247, 253, 256, 268, 271, 276, 278, 281, 286, 292, 294, 296, 298, 324, 333, 335, 341, 344 (1958-66) - Superboy #59-60, 62, 65, 67, 79, 81, 83, 86, 88, 90, 93, 96, 98, 102, 105, 107-108, 110, 114, 116, 125, 128-129, 133, 137, 140, 143, 149 (1957-68)
- SupermanSuperman (comic book)Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
#53-56, 58-59, 61, 63-69, 71-73, 75-109, 112, 114-118, 120, 122, 124-125, 129-131, 133, 135-136, 138-139, 144-147, 150-153, 157, 160-161, 163-165, 169-171, 173-174, 178-180, 183-184, 186, 191, 193-194, 196-198, 201-206 (1948-68)
External links
Further reading
- Cadigan, Glen. The Legion Companion (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003)