Fletcher Hanks
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| Fletcher Hanks, Sr. | |
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| Born | December 1, 1887 |
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| Area(s) | Cartoonist |
| Notable works | Stardust the Super Wizard Fantomah |
| Official website | |
Fletcher Hanks, Sr. (1 Dec 1887 New Jersey – Feb 1976 New York[1]) was a cartoonist from the Golden Age of Comic Books, who wrote and drew stories detailing the adventures of all-powerful, supernatural heroes and their elaborate punishments of transgressors. In addition to his birth name, Hanks worked under a number of pen names, including "Henry Fletcher", "Barclay Flagg", "Bob Jordan", and "Hank Christy".
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[edit] Career
Hanks was active in comics from a period of 1939 to 1941 (though as early as 1911 he described himself as a cartoonist[2]), writing and drawing stories for Fiction House and Fox Features Syndicate. His creations include Stardust the Super Wizard, Tabu the Wizard of the Jungle, and Fantomah (one of the first female superheroes, predating Wonder Woman).
A cult following has developed around Hanks' work in recent years. His stories have been reprinted in the comics anthology Raw and the books Art Out Of Time (2006 ISBN 0810958384) and Supermen!: The First Wave Of Comic Book Heroes 1939-1941 (2009 ISBN 1560979712), and is the subject of the book I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets: The Fantastic Comics Of Fletcher Hanks (2007, ISBN 1560978392) from Fantagraphics edited by Paul Karasik.
A second volume You Shall Die by Your Own Evil Creation! (June 2009, ISBN 1606991604) reprinted the rest of his works. [3]
[edit] Personal life
Hanks was the son of William Hanks, a minister, and Alice Fletcher Hanks, the daughter of English immigrants — his parents married c.1885[4]. Fletcher himself married Margaret c.1912[5]. Little is known of Hanks's life outside comics; the main source being an interview by Paul Karasik with Fletcher Hanks Junior c.2006[6]. According to his son, Hanks was an abusive father and spouse, as well as being an alcoholic. Hanks earned some income by drawing murals in the homes of the rich and allegedly abandoned his family around 1930 (the U.S. census return for that year shows him described as an artist, living with his wife, Margaret, widowed father, William, and his children Douglas, Alma, Fletcher Jr, and William[7]). He died in February 1976 when, apparently, his frozen body was found by police on a park bench in New York City.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ [Social Security Death Index entry no. 051-22-1426 New York]
- ^ [Manifest of Passengers for United States Port Authority, S.S. Oceana, sailing from Bermuda 24 April 1911, arriving New York May 1st 1911: Fletcher Hanks age 22, cartoonist, Alice Fletcher Hanks, age 50]
- ^ [1]
- ^ [1900 U.S census return for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]
- ^ [1930 U.S census return for Trappe District, Talbot County, Maryland]
- ^ ['I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets!', Fantagraphics Books 2007, p.107-122]
- ^ [1930 U.S census return for Trappe District, Talbot County, Maryland]
- ^ ['I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets!', Fantagraphics Books 2007, p.119]
[edit] External links
- Website devoted to Fletcher Hanks
- Lambiek.net biography with links to Tabu, Stardust, and Space Smith stories
- Fantomah vs. giant spiders
- Fantomah vs. hopped up gorillas
- World's best supervillain origin
- Profile of his son, Fletcher Hanks Jr, who talks about childhood with his father
- News article about his son, Fletcher Hanks Jr
