Alex Schomburg
Encyclopedia
Alex Schomburg was a prolific American
commercial
and comic book
artist
and painter
whose career lasted over 70 years.
, and moved to New York City
in the early 1920s, where he began work as a commercial artist with three of his brothers. In 1928, the brothers' partnership ended and Schomburg found work with the National Screen Service
, creating lantern slides and working on movie trailers there through 1944.
During the 1930s, in addition to working for the NSS, Schomburg freelanced Better Publications, producing interior line art for Thrilling Wonder Stories and other of the company's pulp magazines. His skill at drawing anything mechanical soon had him illustrating aviation
covers for Flying Aces
and electronic equipment for the Hugo Gernsback
pulp Radio Craft. Schomburg's first science fiction
-themed cover was for the September 1939 issue of Startling Stories.
The following decade, Schomburg freelanced primarily for Timely Comics
, the 1940s forerunner of Marvel
), displaying his talent for slam-bang action tableau. In dynamic covers featuring Captain America
, the Sub-Mariner, the Human Torch
, other Timely superhero
es or any combination thereof, Schomburg filled every square inch with flamboyant characters, flames, knives, guns
, explosions, Nazis, Japanese
, and pretty girls in need of rescue. He mastered the use of the airbrush
, signing many of his airbrushed covers "Xela". Schomburg drew between five and six hundred covers during this Golden Age of Comic Books
.
In the early 1950s, Schomburg left comics and spent the remainder of his career on covers for science fiction magazines and book covers, including the Winston juvenile series.
In 1986, Jon Gustafson's book about Schomburg and his work, entitled Chroma: The Art of Alex Schomburg, was published by Father Tree Press.
:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
commercial
Commercial art
Commercial art is historically a subsector of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. The term has become increasingly anachronistic in favor of more contemporary terms such as graphic design and advertising art.Commercial art traditionally...
and 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...
and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
whose career lasted over 70 years.
Biography
Alex Schomburg was born on May 10, 1905 in Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and moved to New York City
New 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...
in the early 1920s, where he began work as a commercial artist with three of his brothers. In 1928, the brothers' partnership ended and Schomburg found work with the National Screen Service
National Screen Service
National Screen Service was a company which controlled the distribution of theatrical advertising materials in the United States from approximately 1940 through the 1980s....
, creating lantern slides and working on movie trailers there through 1944.
During the 1930s, in addition to working for the NSS, Schomburg freelanced Better Publications, producing interior line art for Thrilling Wonder Stories and other of the company's pulp magazines. His skill at drawing anything mechanical soon had him illustrating aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
covers for Flying Aces
Flying Aces (magazine)
Flying Aces was one of a number of so-called "flying pulp" magazines, popular during the 1920s and 1930s. Like other pulp magazines, it was originally printed on coarse, pulpy paper, but later moved to a "slick" format. The magazine was launched in October 1928 by Periodical House, Inc...
and electronic equipment for the Hugo Gernsback
Hugo Gernsback
Hugo Gernsback , born Hugo Gernsbacher, was a Luxembourgian American inventor, writer, editor, and magazine publisher, best remembered for publications that included the first science fiction magazine. His contributions to the genre as publisher were so significant that, along with H. G...
pulp Radio Craft. Schomburg's first science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
-themed cover was for the September 1939 issue of Startling Stories.
The following decade, Schomburg freelanced primarily for Timely Comics
Timely Comics
Timely Comics, an imprint of Timely Publications, was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics....
, the 1940s forerunner of Marvel
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
), displaying his talent for slam-bang action tableau. In dynamic covers featuring 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...
, the Sub-Mariner, the Human Torch
Human Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
, other Timely superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es or any combination thereof, Schomburg filled every square inch with flamboyant characters, flames, knives, guns
Güns
Güns or Guens may refer to:* Kőszeg, Hungary * Kőszeg Mountains, Hungary * Akiva Güns , birth name of Akiva Eger, a Hungarian-Polish rabbi- See also :* Guns * Gün, a surname...
, explosions, Nazis, Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
, and pretty girls in need of rescue. He mastered the use of the airbrush
Airbrush
An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that sprays various media including ink and dye, but most often paint by a process of nebulization. Spray guns developed from the airbrush and are still considered a type of airbrush.-History:...
, signing many of his airbrushed covers "Xela". Schomburg drew between five and six hundred covers during this Golden Age of Comic Books
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
.
In the early 1950s, Schomburg left comics and spent the remainder of his career on covers for science fiction magazines and book covers, including the Winston juvenile series.
In 1986, Jon Gustafson's book about Schomburg and his work, entitled Chroma: The Art of Alex Schomburg, was published by Father Tree Press.
Quotes
Stan LeeStan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
:
External links
- Archive of Duin, Steve. "Golden Age Great: Alex Schomburg", Overstreet's Golden Age Quarterly #2, December 1993. WebCitation archive.
- Alex Schomburg (sample covers), SamuelDesign.com