Rudy Lapick
Encyclopedia
Rudolph E. "Rudy" Lapick (17 November 1926 – 27 February 2004) was an American
comic book
artist who worked as an inker
for Archie Comics
for many years. He was nominated for a Shazam Award in 1974 for Best Inker (humor).
, New York City
, New York
, the son of Rudolph and Florence Lapick. He had a brother, John, and a sister, Gioia. After he married Mary Zema on May 30, 1948, the couple moved to nearby Yonkers, New York
. They would have two sons, Rudy Jr. and John.
Lapick became a staff inker
at Timely Comics
, the 1940s forerunner of Marvel Comics
. In the 1950s, his work included issues of G.I. Joe
for Ziff-Davis Comics. He was Dan DeCarlo
's primary inker for the majority of DeCarlo's career both at Timely and for decades at Archie.
Lapick maintained a long friendship with fellow Timely/Atlas artist Gene Colan
, dating to their working together in the Timely art room starting in 1946. Almost five decades later, he inked some of Colan's late-career work at Archie Comics.
He was living in Yonkers at the time of his death.
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 who worked as an 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...
for Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
for many years. He was nominated for a Shazam Award in 1974 for Best Inker (humor).
Biography
Rudy Lapick was born in The BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, 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...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the son of Rudolph and Florence Lapick. He had a brother, John, and a sister, Gioia. After he married Mary Zema on May 30, 1948, the couple moved to nearby Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
. They would have two sons, Rudy Jr. and John.
Lapick became a staff 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...
at 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 Comics
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...
. In the 1950s, his work included issues of G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe (comics)
G.I. Joe has been the title of comic strips and comic books in every decade since 1942. As a licensed property by Hasbro, comics have been released from 1967 to present, with only two interruptions longer than a year . As a team fighting Cobra since 1982, the comic book history of G.I...
for Ziff-Davis Comics. He was Dan DeCarlo
Dan DeCarlo
Daniel S. DeCarlo was an American cartoonist best known as the artist who developed the look of Archie Comics in the late 1950s and early 1960s, modernizing the characters to their contemporary appearance and establishing the publisher's house style...
's primary inker for the majority of DeCarlo's career both at Timely and for decades at Archie.
Lapick maintained a long friendship with fellow Timely/Atlas artist Gene Colan
Gene Colan
Eugene Jules "Gene" Colan was an American comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics, where his signature titles include the superhero series, Daredevil, the cult-hit satiric series Howard the Duck, and The Tomb of Dracula, considered one of comics' classic horror series...
, dating to their working together in the Timely art room starting in 1946. Almost five decades later, he inked some of Colan's late-career work at Archie Comics.
He was living in Yonkers at the time of his death.
Further reading
- Interview (April 2003) Alter Ego (3) 11