Billy Graham (comics)

For other people named Bill Graham, see Bill Graham (disambiguation).

Billy Graham (deceased) was an African American comic book artist best known for his work on the Marvel Comics series Luke Cage, Hero for Hire and on the feature "The Black Panther" in Jungle Action. He is not related to the televangelist Billy Graham.

Among the artist Graham's earliest comics work was writer Don Glut's "Death Boat!" in the landmark Vampirella #1 (Sept. 1969), one of the earliest of Warren Publishing's influential black-and-white horror-comics magazines. Graham went on to pencil and self-ink a story in nearly each of the first dozen issues of Vampirella, and an additional tale in the brethren title Creepy #32 (April 1970).

File:LukeCage5.jpg

Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #5 (Jan. 1973). Hell up in Harlem by artist Billy Graham.

Publisher James Warren, in 1999, recalled that he promoted Graham to art director shortly after recruiting him as an artist:

"I sensed Billy had the ability to handle it; certain artists and writers are great but they can't shift out of their specialty and do something else. Billy could. So I said, 'Billy, you are now art director! Whether you like it or not.' Now you have to understand that all Billy wanted to do his whole life was just be Jack Kirby. I said, ' You'll be the Black Jack Kirby, but not today! Today you are art director of Warren Publishing.' But he said, 'I can't art direct!' And I said, 'I'll show you how. There's your office; you now have a full-time job. A paycheck every Friday. Do you accept?' And he said, 'Yer goddamn right!' And I taught him how to art direct during our slow period, and it only took a couple of issues — and he did pretty well (though I gave him a nervous breakdown)."[1]

A 2005 newspaper interview with Warren recalled his tweaking a Rolling Stone reporter who asked about his decision to hire an African-American art director, a rarity in comics at the time: " 'What!?' mock-screamed Warren. 'Is Billy Black? I didn't know that. Get him in here! Billy, are you Black? You're fired!' " [2]

Graham eventually left Warren and joined the creative team that launched Marvel's Luke Cage, Hero for Hire, inking the premiere issue (June 1972) over pencilers John Romita Sr. and George Tuska. He either inked or himself penciled every issue of the book's 16-issue run under its original title, and the first as the retitled Luke Cage, Power Man (Feb. 1974). Graham is also credited as co-writer of issues #14-15.

Graham's scratchy yet increasingly lyrical style became honed in collaboration with writer Don McGregor on the critically lauded "Black Panther" series that ran in Jungle Action #6-24 (Sept. 1973 - Nov. 1976). Graham penciled issues #10-22, the bulk of that series' run, and went on to illustrate issues #3-9 of McGregor's 1980s Eclipse Comics series Sabre, a spin-off of one the first [[graphic

Graham also illustrated a story each by McGregor, his primary collaborator, in Marvel's black-and-white horror-comics magazine Monsters Unleashed #11 (April 1975), an issue of the 1980s anthology Eclipse Monthly, and two issues of the black-and-white Eclipse magazine. Graham both wrote and drew the six-page story "The Hitchhiker" in Eclipse magazine #5 (March 1982).

He additionally illustrated the Marvel story "More Than Blood", scripted by science fiction author George Alec Effinger, in Journey into Mystery Vol. 2, #2 (Dec. 1972); and two "Gabriel: Devil-Hunter" stories by Doug Moench in the black-and-white magazine Haunt of Horror #2-3 (July-Aug. 1974), as well as a Moench story in the black-and-white Vampire Tales #2 (Oct. 1974).

Graham's last comics work was co-penciling, with Steven Geiger, Power Man and Iron Fist (the again-retitled Luke Cage series) #114 (Feb. 1985), written by Jim Owsley (also known as Christopher Priest).

A playwright and occasional actor, Graham had small roles in the New York City-filmed movies Scenes from a Mall, directed by Paul Mazursky, and The Super (both 1991). He also played a role as the artist father of one of the lead characters in McGregor's unreleased, low-budget movie adaptation of his Detectives, Inc. graphic novels.

Bob Almond, inker for much of the run of the 1998 The Black Panther series, dedicated its issue #17 (April 2000) to Graham, who died in the late 1990s.

Quotes

Don McGregor, in Comics2Film.com, July 16, 2001 [3]: "Billy sadly died a couple of years ago, and this industry has virtually not made a mention of his passing and his contributions. He was a great friend, who first introduced me to many wild places in New York City, and a true talent, from stand-up comedy to artist to actor to playwright."

Don Hilliard reviewing the reprint collection Essential Luke Cage, Power Man [4]: "The majority of the art is by George Tuska, initially inked by Billy Graham (with several solo pieces by Graham [that] give an intriguing record of his progression as an artist: His initial work has a rough, half-finished look to it, but his later issues are clean and beautifully detailed)...."

Tony Isabella on Essential Luke Cage, Power Man [5]: "I worked on eight of these issues, though my memories don't always match the credits. For example, artist Billy Graham is credited as the co-scripter of my first issue [#14] and, try as I might, I simply do not recall getting anything other than the usual penciled pages to script. I skimmed a little of that issue and, making no judgment as to whether this is a good or bad thing, the writing does strike me as all mine."

Buzz Maverick, Ain't It Cool News, on Jungle Action [6]: "I know the artist, Billy Graham, was Black. His cool Marvel Bullpen name was 'The Irreverent' Billy Graham. For me, even though I later learned that Jack Kirby created the Panther, Graham will always be the definitive Panther artist. His art, even more than McGregor's writing, made T'Challa one of what I call the 'grown men' of the Marvel Universe, the others being Daredevil and Iron Man. Those three seemed like the kind of adult I aspired to be, with cool jobs, cool hobbies (superheroing), and cool chicks."

References

• The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
• The Grand Comic Book Database
• Mile High Comics interview with Don McGregor
• Steve Englehart official website: Luke Cage, Hero for Hire section
• Comic Book Artist #4 (Spring 1999): Interview with James Warren
• Comic Book Artist #4 (Spring 1999): Interview with Bernie Wrightson about his Warren days

External links

• Don Markstein's Toonpedia: Luke Cage, Hero for Hire
• The Marvel Universe: Billy Graham
• Don McGregor official website