Arthur Saaf (December 4, 1921 – April 21, 2007) was an American

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary a ...

from the

Golden Age of Comics The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known chara ...

who also worked in television. He commonly went by Art or Artie.

Career

Art Saaf was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York in 1921 and developed his art skills working at Macfadden Publishing in 1938 and built his first art table using schematics from ''

Mechanics Illustrated ''Mechanix Illustrated'' was an American printed magazine that was originally published by Fawcett Publications. Its title was founded in 1928 to compete against the older ''Popular Science'' and ''Popular Mechanics''. Billed as "The How-To-Do Ma ...

''. He then majored in pictorial illustration at Pratt Institute from 1941 to 1942, then attended the School of Arts and Mechanics and the Art Students League of New York. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Saaf worked on titles including '' Commando Rangers'' and '' Phantom Falcons'' as well as covers and features (like "Clipper Kirk") for ''

Wings Comics ''Wings Comics'' was an aviation-themed anthology comic book published by Fiction House from 1940–1954. ''Wings Comics'' was one of Fiction House's "Big 6" comics titles (which also included '' Jumbo Comics'', ''Jungle Comics'', ''Planet Comics' ...

'' and ''

Jumbo Comics ''Jumbo Comics'' was an adventure anthology comic book published by Fiction House from 1938–1953. ''Jumbo Comics'' was Fiction House's first comics title; the publisher had previously specialized in pulp magazines. The lead feature for ''Jumbo C ...

''. He "ghosted" '' Hap Hopper'', providing art credited to Drew Pearson. After the war, Saaf worked for

Timely Comics Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...

and

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark" ...

as well as drawing autobiographical comics including "The Clown of Baseball" for

Real Life Comics ''Real Life'' is an American webcomic drawn and authored by Maelyn Dean. It began on November 15, 1999, and is still updated, after breaks from December 10, 2015, to September 10, 2018, and again from July 16, 2019, to June 15, 2020. The comic is ...

. He drew the first appearance of Princess Pantha in '' Thrilling Comics'' #56 (Oct. 1946) and drew the character's feature until its end in 1949. While still doing comic book work, Saaf ventured into television. In 1954 he worked for the Kudner Agency as an assistant television director and provided

storyboards A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in th ...

for ''

The Jackie Gleason Show ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' is the name of a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms. ''Cavalcade of Stars'' Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMon ...

'', and followed that in 1956 working for Dancer, Fitzgerald and Sample Agency. Around 1959, Saaf began working at a freelancer, stating "the pace was too fast, and I wanted time to think about what I was doing." Into the 1960s he worked for numerous agencies providing many

advertisements Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

for products ranging from

Post Cereal Post Consumer Brands (previously Post Cereals and Postum Cereals; also known as simply "Post") is an American breakfast cereal manufacturer headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota. The company, founded in 1895 by C. W. Post, owns a large portfoli ...

Crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

Zest Zest may refer to: Common usage * Zest (ingredient), the outer peel of a citrus fruit ** Zester, a tool for preparing zest ** Twist (cocktail garnish), a piece of zest * Zest (positive psychology), a component of character Brands * Zest (brand ...

Maxwell House Maxwell House is an American brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Heinz in North America and JDE Peet's in the rest of the world. Introduced in 1892 by wholesale grocer Joel Owsley Cheek, it was named in honor of the ...

Life Savers Life Savers (stylized as LifeSavers) is an American brand of ring-shaped hard and soft candy. Its range of mints and fruit-flavored candies is known for its distinctive packaging, coming in paper-wrapped aluminum foil rolls. Candy manufacturer ...

and many others. In the 1970s, he worked for

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

illustrating romance stories until finally leaving comic books. He drew

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...

stories in the character's original solo series in 1972. He continued drawing in other publishing fields and provided work for ''

Highlights for Children ''Highlights for Children'', often referred to simply as ''Highlights'', is an American children's magazine. It began publication in June 1946, started by Garry Cleveland Myers and his wife Caroline Clark Myers in Honesdale, Pennsylvania (the pr ...

'' magazine as well as various newspapers and other publications. Saaf died April 21, 2007 from the effects of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

at age 85.

Bibliography

DC Comics

* '' Adventure Comics'' #409, 412–413 (

) (1971) * ''

Angel and the Ape ''Angel and the Ape'' was a humor comic book created by E. Nelson Bridwell & Bob Oksner published by DC Comics. The characters first appeared in 1968 in ''Showcase'' #77 then graduated to their own title, with art by comic artist Bob Oksner, ...

'' #5 (1969) * '' Binky'' #72 (1970) * ''

DC Special Series ''DC Special Series'' was an umbrella title for one-shots and special issues published by DC Comics between 1977 and 1981. Each issue featured a different character and was often in a different format than the issue before it. ''DC Special Serie ...

'' #7 (1977) * ''Falling in Love'' #102, 110–111, 115–117, 121–122, 127, 139, 141 (1968–1973) * '' Ghosts'' #5–7, 29, 74 (1972–1979) * '' Girls' Love Stories'' #144, 152, 154, 156–157, 159, 166, 168, 177 (1969–1973) * ''

Girls' Romances ''Girls' Romances'' was a romance comic anthology published by DC Comics in the United States. Debuting with a Feb.,/Mar. 1950 cover-date, it ran for 160 issues, ending with the Oct. 1971 issue (the final issue came out on October 3, 1971, and s ...

'' #154, 157 (1971) * ''

Heart Throbs ''Heart Throbs'' was a romance comic published by Quality Comics and DC Comics from 1949 to 1972. Quality published the book from 1949–1957, when it was acquired by DC. Most issues featured a number of short comics stories, as well advice colum ...

'' #132–133, 146 (1971–1972) * ''Love Stories'' #149–152 (1973) * ''Meet Angel'' #7 (Angel and the Ape) (1969) * '' Our Fighting Forces'' #118–122 (1969) * ''

'' #1–4, 6–10 (1972–1974) * ''

The Superman Family ''The Superman Family'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1974 to 1982 featuring supporting characters in the ''Superman'' comics. The term "Superman Family" is often used to refer to the extended cast of characters o ...

'' #165 (Supergirl) (1974) * ''

Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane ''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics. The series focusing on the adventures of Lois Lane began publication with a March/April 1958 cover date and ended its run in September/October 1 ...

'' #105, 132 (1970–1973) * ''

Swing with Scooter ''Swing with Scooter'' is a DC Comics teen-humor American comic book published from 1966 to 1972. It starred a British teenage musician nicknamed Scooter who lived in the US. Publication history ''Swing with Scooter'' was published by DC Comics for ...

'' #30–31, 33 (1970–1971) * ''

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

'' #40–43 (1972–1973) * '' The Unexpected'' #112, 114, 116, 125, 130, 135–136, 138 (1969–1972) * '' The Witching Hour'' #15, 31–32, 39 (1971–1974) * '' Young Love'' #60, 84–85, 91, 120 (1967–1976) * ''

Young Romance ''Young Romance'' is a romantic comic book series created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby for the Crestwood Publications imprint Prize Comics in 1947. Generally considered the first romance comic,Ro, Ronin. ''Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, St ...

'' #171–172, 175, 191 (1971–1973)

Fiction House

* ''Fight Comics'' #4, 7, 13, 17, 21–22, 28–29 (1940–1943) * ''

'' #17, 21–35, 39, 55–65 (1940–1944) * ''Jungle Comics'' #12, 15, 42, 44, 48, 54–55, 161 (1940–1953) * ''

Planet Comics ''Planet Comics'' was a science fiction comic book title published by Fiction House from January 1940 to Winter 1953. It was the first comic book dedicated wholly to science fiction.Benton, Mike. ''Science Fiction Comics: The Illustrated History'' ...

'' #11, 14, 18–23, 66–67, 69 (1941–1952) * ''Rangers Comics'' #8–20 (1942–1944) * ''Rangers of Freedom Comics'' #4–7 (1942) * ''

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, is a fictional American comic book jungle girl heroine, originally published primarily by Fiction House during the Golden Age of Comic Books. She was the first female comic book character with her own title, with he ...

'' #3 (1943) * ''

'' #7, 15, 19–57, 98 (1941–1948)

Gold Key Comics

* ''

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film '' Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...

Tales of Mystery'' #24–25 (1968–1969) * ''

Mystery Comics Digest ''Mystery Comics Digest'' was one of three digest size comics published by Gold Key Comics in the early 1970s. The other two were '' Golden Comics Digest'' and '' Walt Disney Comics Digest''. ''Mystery Comics Digest'' was published for 26 issues, ...

'' #7, 17–18, 21, 26 (1972–1975) * '' Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' #12, 77, 80 (1969–1978) * ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' #27, 29 (1968–1969)

Harvey Comics

* ''Champ Comics'' #14–17 (1941) * ''First Romance Magazine'' #47, 52 (1957–1958) * ''Speed Comics'' #13 (1941)

Quality Comics

* '' National Comics'' #17–18 (1941–1942)

Standard Comics

* ''Adventures into Darkness'' #5, 7, 10 (1952–1953) * ''America's Best Comics'' #28 (1948) * ''Best Romance'' #5–7 (1952) * ''Broncho Bill'' #8, 12 (1948–1949) * ''Crime Files'' #6 (1952) * ''Date with Danger'' #6 (1953) * ''Dear Beatrice Fairfax'' #8–9 (1951) * ''Exciting Comics'' #66, 68–69 (1949) * ''Fantastic Worlds'' #6 (1952) * ''

Fighting Yank The Fighting Yank is the name of several superheroes, first appearing in ''Startling Comics'' #10 (Sept 1941). Fall 1941 was a boom period for patriotic superheroes as the country prepared to enter World War II; during this period, comic book p ...

'' #27 (1949) * ''Intimate Love'' #12, 14–16, 18, 21, 24–28 (1951–1954) * ''Joe Yank'' #5–6, 9 (1952) * ''Kathy'' #11–17 (1952–1953) * ''Lost Worlds'' #6 (1952) * ''Mel Allen Sports Comics'' #1, 6 (1949–1950) * ''My Real Love'' #5 (1952) * ''New Romances'' #5–6, 8, 10, 13–16, 18, 20–21 (1951–1954) * ''Out of the Shadows'' #5 (1952) * ''Ozark Ike'' #19 (1950) * ''Popular Romance'' #9, 12, 14, 17–18, 23, 27–29 (1950–1954) * ''Real Life Comics'' #50–52, 54 (1949–1950) * ''Startling Comics'' #52–53 (1948) * ''This Is War'' #8 (1953) * '' Thrilling Comics'' #56, 58, 62–66, 68–74, 76–78 (1946–1950) * ''Thrilling Romances'' #5, 12–13, 15–19, 22–26 (1949–1954) * ''Today's Romance'' #8 (1952) * ''The Unseen'' #6–7, 9–10 (1952–1953)

References

External links

*
Art Saaf
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics {{DEFAULTSORT:Saaf, Art 1921 births 2007 deaths 20th-century American artists Advertising artists and illustrators American comics artists American storyboard artists Art Students League of New York alumni Artists from Brooklyn DC Comics people Neurological disease deaths in the United States Deaths from Parkinson's disease Golden Age comics creators Pratt Institute alumni Silver Age comics creators