Gray Morrow: Difference between revisions
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Gray Morrow was born in [[Fort Wayne, Indiana|Fort Wayne]], [[Indiana]],<ref name=lam>[http://www.lambiek.net/artists/m/morrow_g.htm Gray Morrow] at the [[Lambiek Comiclopedia]]</ref> where he attended North Side High School.<ref name=collector27p40>{{cite magazine|title=An Interview with Gray Morrow|work=The Collector|publisher=Bill G. Wilson|localte= [[Clairton, Pennsylvania|Clairton]], [[Pennsylvania]]|issue=27|date=Winter 1973|page=40}}</ref> He recalled in 1973 that, "Comic art was certainly the first artform I remember being impressed with ... [T]hose gorgeous gory newsstand spreads...."<ref name=collector27p40 /> After working a number of odd jobs including "soda jerk, street repairman, tie designer, exercise boy on the race track circuit, etc.," he enrolled in the [[Chicago Academy of Fine Arts]] in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], in late summer 1954, studying two nights a week for three months under [[Jerry Warshaw]] for "the total of my entire formal art training."<ref name=collector27p40 /> His first formal commission "was something like a bank ad or a tie design when I was still in my teens."<ref name=collector27p41>''The Collector'', p. 41</ref> He joined the city's Feldkamp-Malloy art studio, later being fired. Feeling encouraged by a meeting with [[comic-strip]] artist [[Allen Saunders]], Morrow submitted strip samples to various syndicates with no luck.<ref name=collector27p40 /> |
Gray Morrow was born in [[Fort Wayne, Indiana|Fort Wayne]], [[Indiana]],<ref name=lam>[http://www.lambiek.net/artists/m/morrow_g.htm Gray Morrow] at the [[Lambiek Comiclopedia]]</ref> where he attended North Side High School.<ref name=collector27p40>{{cite magazine|title=An Interview with Gray Morrow|work=The Collector|publisher=Bill G. Wilson|localte= [[Clairton, Pennsylvania|Clairton]], [[Pennsylvania]]|issue=27|date=Winter 1973|page=40}}</ref> He recalled in 1973 that, "Comic art was certainly the first artform I remember being impressed with ... [T]hose gorgeous gory newsstand spreads...."<ref name=collector27p40 /> After working a number of odd jobs including "soda jerk, street repairman, tie designer, exercise boy on the race track circuit, etc.," he enrolled in the [[Chicago Academy of Fine Arts]] in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], in late summer 1954, studying two nights a week for three months under [[Jerry Warshaw]] for "the total of my entire formal art training."<ref name=collector27p40 /> His first formal commission "was something like a bank ad or a tie design when I was still in my teens."<ref name=collector27p41>''The Collector'', p. 41</ref> He joined the city's Feldkamp-Malloy art studio, later being fired. Feeling encouraged by a meeting with [[comic-strip]] artist [[Allen Saunders]], Morrow submitted strip samples to various syndicates with no luck.<ref name=collector27p40 /> |
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Undaunted, he moved to [[New York City]] in winter 1955 and by the following spring had met fellow young comics artists [[Al Williamson]], [[Angelo Torres]], and [[Wally Wood]]. He sold his first [[comic-book]] story, a [[romance comics|romance tale]], to [[Toby Press]], which went out of business before it could be published. Morrow next did two stories for another company — a [[Western comics|Western]] with original characters and an adaptation of [[pulp-fiction]] writer [[Robert E. Howard]]'s "[[The Tower of the Elephant]]", but this company, too, went defunct. He then worked for Williamson and Wood<ref name=collector27p40 /> before joining the [[U.S. military]] later in 1956.<ref name=collector27p41 /> |
Undaunted, he moved to [[New York City]] in winter 1955 and by the following spring had met fellow young comics artists [[Al Williamson]], [[Angelo Torres]], and [[Wally Wood]]. He sold his first [[comic-book]] story, a [[romance comics|romance tale]], to [[Toby Press]], which went out of business before it could be published. Morrow next did two stories for another company — a [[Western comics|Western]] with original characters and an adaptation of [[pulp-fiction]] writer [[Robert E. Howard]]'s "[[The Tower of the Elephant]]", but this company, too, went defunct. He then worked for Williamson and Wood<ref name=collector27p40 /> before joining the [[U.S. military]] later in 1956.<ref name=collector27p41 /> For about a year during this time, he provided several [[supernatural]]-[[fantasy]] stories plus at least four Westerns and one [[war comics|war story]] for [[Atlas Comics (1950s)|Atlas Comics]], the 1950s iteration of [[Marvel Comics]], on titles [[cover-date]]d July 1956 to June 1957.<ref name=gcd>[http://www.comics.org/credit/name/gray%20morrow/sort/chrono/ Gray Morrow]] at the [[Grand Comics Database]]</ref> He contributed to one of the first black-and-white [[horror-comics]] magazines, the [[Joe Simon]]-edited ''Eerie Tales'' #1 (Nov. 1959) from Hastings Associates, [[penciler|penciling]] and [[inker|inking]] two four-page stories by an unknown writer, "The Stalker" and "Burn!"<ref name=gcd> |
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===Later career=== |
===Later career==== |
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In the early 1960s, Morrow anonymously<ref name=lam /> illustrated three titles for the [[Gilberton Company]]'s ''[[Classics Illustrated]]'' comic-book series of literary adaptations: ''The Octopus'' by [[Frank Norris]] (#159, Nov. 1960); ''Master of the World'' by [[Jules Verne]] (#163, July 1961); and ''The Queen's Necklace'' by [[Alexandre Dumas]] (#165, Jan. 1962),<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=William B., Jr.|title=Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, Second Edition|publisher=[[McFarland & Co.]]|year=2011|pages=333, 334}}</ref> which he said he penciled and inked at the rate of "eight pages a day."<ref>Jones, p. 221.</ref> Morrow also supplied drawings for chapters in ''Classics Illustrated Special Issue''#159A, ''Rockets, Jets and Missiles'' (Dec. 1960), and in 13 ''World Around Us'' issues ranging from ''Prehistoric Animals'' (Nov. 1959) to ''Famous Teens'' (May 1961).<ref>Jones, pp. 343, 346-348.</ref> |
In the early 1960s, Morrow anonymously<ref name=lam /> illustrated three titles for the [[Gilberton Company]]'s ''[[Classics Illustrated]]'' comic-book series of literary adaptations: ''The Octopus'' by [[Frank Norris]] (#159, Nov. 1960); ''Master of the World'' by [[Jules Verne]] (#163, July 1961); and ''The Queen's Necklace'' by [[Alexandre Dumas]] (#165, Jan. 1962),<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=William B., Jr.|title=Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, Second Edition|publisher=[[McFarland & Co.]]|year=2011|pages=333, 334}}</ref> which he said he penciled and inked at the rate of "eight pages a day."<ref>Jones, p. 221.</ref> Morrow also supplied drawings for chapters in ''Classics Illustrated Special Issue''#159A, ''Rockets, Jets and Missiles'' (Dec. 1960), and in 13 ''World Around Us'' issues ranging from ''Prehistoric Animals'' (Nov. 1959) to ''Famous Teens'' (May 1961).<ref>Jones, pp. 343, 346-348.</ref> |
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Revision as of 18:52, 24 March 2012
| Gray Morrow | |
|---|---|
 Gray Morrow by Michael Netzer | |
| Born | Dwight Graydon Morrow March 7, 1934 Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Died | November 6, 2001 (aged 67) Kunkletown, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Penciller, Inker |
Notable works | Tarzan, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and Prince Valiant |
| Awards | Nominated for Hugo Award in 1966, 1967, and 1968. |
Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow (March 7, 1934 - November 6, 2001)[1] was an American illustrator of paperback books and comics.
Biography
Early life and career
Gray Morrow was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana,[2] where he attended North Side High School.[3] He recalled in 1973 that, "Comic art was certainly the first artform I remember being impressed with ... [T]hose gorgeous gory newsstand spreads...."[3] After working a number of odd jobs including "soda jerk, street repairman, tie designer, exercise boy on the race track circuit, etc.," he enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago, Illinois, in late summer 1954, studying two nights a week for three months under Jerry Warshaw for "the total of my entire formal art training."[3] His first formal commission "was something like a bank ad or a tie design when I was still in my teens."[4] He joined the city's Feldkamp-Malloy art studio, later being fired. Feeling encouraged by a meeting with comic-strip artist Allen Saunders, Morrow submitted strip samples to various syndicates with no luck.[3]
Undaunted, he moved to New York City in winter 1955 and by the following spring had met fellow young comics artists Al Williamson, Angelo Torres, and Wally Wood. He sold his first comic-book story, a romance tale, to Toby Press, which went out of business before it could be published. Morrow next did two stories for another company — a Western with original characters and an adaptation of pulp-fiction writer Robert E. Howard's "The Tower of the Elephant", but this company, too, went defunct. He then worked for Williamson and Wood[3] before joining the U.S. military later in 1956.[4] For about a year during this time, he provided several supernatural-fantasy stories plus at least four Westerns and one war story for Atlas Comics, the 1950s iteration of Marvel Comics, on titles cover-dated July 1956 to June 1957.[5] He contributed to one of the first black-and-white horror-comics magazines, the Joe Simon-edited Eerie Tales #1 (Nov. 1959) from Hastings Associates, penciling and inking two four-page stories by an unknown writer, "The Stalker" and "Burn!"Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). which he said he penciled and inked at the rate of "eight pages a day."[6] Morrow also supplied drawings for chapters in Classics Illustrated Special Issue#159A, Rockets, Jets and Missiles (Dec. 1960), and in 13 World Around Us issues ranging from Prehistoric Animals (Nov. 1959) to Famous Teens (May 1961).[7]
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Morrow became an illustrator for many science fiction magazines, with examples of his work gracing most of the covers of the American Perry Rhodan series. He also did the illustrations for the original Galaxy magazine publication of the Hugo-winning novella Soldier, Ask Not by Gordon R. Dickson. Morrow worked with Warren Publishing from 1964 to 1967 on the comic magazines Creepy, Eerie and Blazing Combat, doing both stories and covers.
By 1973, Morrow had served as an uncredited ghost artist[4] or art assistant[2] on the syndicated comic strips Rip Kirby by John Prentice, Secret Agent X-9 by Al Williamson and Big Ben Bolt by John Cullen Murphy. He took over the Buck Rogers strip in 1979 and the Tarzan Sunday strip from 1983 to 2001.[2] In 1973 he recalled trying out for Prince Valiant, saying he provided a sample "when [strip creator] Hal Foster decided to go into semi-retirement. It was done in August and published in October or November of '71. It was done as a sample when Foster interviewed [me] and a couple of others (Wally Wood and John Cullen Murphy) to take over.[8]
In the 1990s, he drew comics for Rip Off Press, Dark Horse Comics and Hamilton Comics.[2]
Other work
He worked in television animation, including on a Spider-Man TV series,[4] and was a member of The Animation Guild, I.A.T.S.E. Local 839.[9]
Death
Morrow was living in Kunkletown, Pennsylvania, when he died November 6, 2001.[1]
Awards
Morrow was nominated for the Hugo Award for best professional artist in 1966, 1967, and 1968.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b Gray Morrow at the Social Security Death Index. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Gray Morrow at the Lambiek Comiclopedia
- ^ a b c d e "An Interview with Gray Morrow". The Collector. No. 27. Bill G. Wilson. Winter 1973. p. 40.
{{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter|localte=ignored (help) - ^ a b c d The Collector, p. 41
- ^ Gray Morrow] at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Jones, p. 221.
- ^ Jones, pp. 343, 346-348.
- ^ The Collector, p. 43
- ^ "In Memoriam". The Animation Guild, I.A.T.S.E. Local 839. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
External links
- Evanier, Mark (November 8, 2001). "A FINE comic book/strip artist named Gray Morrow died on 11/6..." P.O.V. Online. (Requires scrolldown.)