Bill Draut (August 14, 1921–March 3, 1993) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

comic book artist best known for his work at

Harvey Comics Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by A ...

and

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 ...

from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Biography

Bill Draut began his career as an artist in the 1940s by drawing the "Sergeant Stony Craig" comic strip for the

Bell Syndicate The Bell Syndicate, launched in 1916 by editor-publisher John Neville Wheeler, was an American syndicate that distributed columns, fiction, feature articles and comic strips to newspapers for decades. It was located in New York City at 247 West 4 ...

. After service in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

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 ...

, he then moved into the comic book industry with his earliest confirmed credit appearing in

' ''Stuntman Comics'' #1 (April–May 1946). He worked with Joe Simon and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...

Crestwood Publications Crestwood Publications, also known as Feature Publications, was a magazine publisher that also published comic books from the 1940s through the 1960s. Its title ''Prize Comics'' contained what is considered the first ongoing horror comic-book fea ...

. In 1956, Draut began drawing romance stories for

. He later did extensive work on that publisher's mystery titles including ''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strang ...

'', '' House of Secrets'', '' The Unexpected'', and ''

Weird War Tales ''Weird War Tales'' was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics. It was published from September–October 1971 to June 1983. Publication history The original title ran for 12 years and 124 issues. It was ...

''. In 1966, Draut co-created Bee-Man with writer

Otto Binder Otto Oscar Binder (; August 26, 1911 – October 13, 1974) was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books. He is best known as the co-creator of Supergirl and for his many scripts for '' Captain Ma ...

for Harvey Comics' ''Double-Dare Adventures''. Draut drew ''

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 ...

'' #18 (Nov.–Dec. 1968) which was writer

Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's '' The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics's ''The New Te ...

's first Teen Titans story and introduced the character originally called Starfire and later renamed Red Star. Draut inked the revival of the

Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo imprint. The character first appeared in an ...

in ''

Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

'' #80 (Feb. 1969) and then drew the first four issues of the ''Phantom Stranger'' ongoing series. He and Mark Hanerfeld created

Abel Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd ...

in ''

DC Special ''DC Special'' was a comic book anthology series published by DC Comics originally from 1968 to 1971; it resumed publication from 1975 to 1977. For the most part, ''DC Special'' was a theme-based reprint title, mostly focusing on stories from DC ...

'' #4 (July–Sept. 1969) and the character soon became the "host" of the '' House of Secrets'' series. Draut was to have drawn the first appearance of Marvel Comics'

Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley B ...

character but did not complete the assignment. He was a character designer on the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' animated series for

Sunbow Entertainment Sunbow Entertainment (known as Sunbow Productions until 1995) was an American animation studio and distributor, founded on June 23, 1980, and owned until May 4, 1998, by Griffin-Bacal Advertising in New York City and in the United States. Griffin ...

. Draut's final published work in comics was inking

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular act ...

's pencilled artwork in the story "Who Is The Monster?" in '' The Fly'' #3 (Oct. 1983).

Bibliography

Archie Comics

* '' Adventures of the Fly'' #1 (1959) * ''The Fly'' #3 (1983)

Charlton Comics

* ''Cody of the Pony Express'' #8 (1955) * ''Crazy, Man, Crazy'' #v2#2 (1956) * ''Fox Hole'' #5–6 (1955) * ''From Here to Insanity'' #11 (1955) * ''In Love'' #6 (1955) * ''Police Trap'' #5 (1955)

Crestwood Publications/Prize Comics

* ''All for Love'' #1 (1957) * ''

Black Magic Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 145 ...

'' #1–4, 6–7, 9, 12–15, 17, 20–24, 32 (1950–1954) * '' Headline Comics'' #27–31, 74–77 (1947–1956) * ''Strange World of Your Dreams'' #1, 3 (1952) * ''Young Brides'' #1 (1952) * '' Young Love'' #1 (1949) * ''

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, Stan L ...

'' #1 (1947)

DC Comics

* ''

'' #4 (''13 Shock-Ending Stories'') (1969) * ''

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 ...

'' #12 (''Secrets of Haunted House Special'') (1978) * ''Falling in Love'' #8, 10–11, 17, 25–26, 29, 31, 33, 37–38, 48–50, 52–54, 65, 67, 82–83 (1956–1966) * ''

The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...

'' #237 (

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

backup story) (1975) * ''

Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion ''Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion'' was a horror-suspense-romance anthology comic book series published by DC Comics from 1971 to 1974, a companion to ''Secrets of Sinister House''. Both series were originally inspired by the successful ABC soap o ...

'' #7, 12 (1972–1973) * ''

Ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

'' #62, 71, 75–76, 78, 83 (1978–1979) * ''

G.I. Combat ''G.I. Combat'' was an American comics anthology featuring war stories. It was published from 1952 until 1956 by Quality Comics, followed by DC Comics until its final issue in 1987. In 2012 it was briefly revived. Publication history The focu ...

'' #213 (1979) * '' Girls' Love Stories'' #49, 51, 59, 64, 66, 69, 73, 79, 83, 86, 89, 91, 98, 100, 122, 142, 147, 149–150, 154, 156–157, 162 (1957–1971) * ''

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 ...

'' #44, 48, 53, 60, 64–67, 69, 71, 74, 81, 85–87, 90, 95 (1957–1963) * ''

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 ...

'' #47 (1957) * ''

'' #177, 191, 193, 251–255, 257, 265, 273 (1968–1979) * '' House of Secrets'' #81, 83, 86, 88, 92, 96, 127–128, 133, 139, 141–143, 146–147, 149 (1969–1978) * ''

Kong the Untamed ''Kong the Untamed'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics that ran for five issues. It was created in 1975 in comics, 1975 by writer Jack Oleck and artist Alfredo Alcala. The title character, Kong, is an intelligent caveman who is a direc ...

'' #5 (1976) * ''

Leave It to Binky ''Leave It to Binky'' is a teen-humor comic book series published by DC Comics that ran for 82 issues, first appearing in 1948 and wrapping up in 1977. Publication history The adventures of teenager Binky Biggs started in DC Comics' ''Leave It to ...

'' #71 (1970) * ''

'' vol. 2 #1–4, 32 (1969–1974) * ''

Plop! ''Plop!'', "The New Magazine of Weird Humor!", was a comic book Comics anthology, anthology series published by DC Comics in the mid-1970s. It falls into the Horror fiction, horror / humor genre. It lasted 24 issues and the series ran from Sept./Oc ...

'' #3, 6, 15, 19 (1974–1976) * ''Secret Hearts'' #38, 40, 45–46, 56, 58, 104, 145 (1957–1970) * ''

Secrets of Haunted House ''Secrets of Haunted House'' was a horror-suspense comics anthology series published by American company DC Comics from 1975 to 1978 and 1979 to 1982. Publication history The series began in April–May 1975. Like its predecessor ''Secrets of S ...

'' #2, 5 (1975–1976) * ''

Secrets of Sinister House ''Secrets of Sinister House'' was a horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by DC Comics from 1972–1974, a companion to '' Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion''. Both series were originally inspired by the successful ABC soap oper ...

'' #6, 14 (1972–1973) * ''

Sgt. Rock Sgt. Franklin John Rock is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Sgt. Rock first appeared in ''Our Army at War'' #83 (June 1959), and was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. The character is a W ...

'' #305 (1977) * ''

'' #80 (Phantom Stranger); #104 ( O.S.S. Spies at War) (1969–1978) * '' Star Spangled War Stories'' #195 (1976) * ''

Superboy Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...

starring the

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st c ...

'' #213–215 (1975–1976) * ''

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 ...

'' #184 (1977) * ''

Super-Team Family ''Super-Team Family'' is a comic book anthology series published by DC Comics from 1975 to 1978 that lasted for 15 issues. It included a mix of original and reprinted stories. Publication history ''Super-Team Family'' began publication with an O ...

'' #2, 12 (1975–1977) * ''

Tales of Ghost Castle ''Tales of Ghost Castle'' was a horror comics, horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by DC Comics in 1975. ''Tales of Ghost Castle'' was "hosted" by List of characters in The Sandman#Lucien, Lucien, who later became an important sup ...

'' #3 (1975) * '' Tales of the Unexpected'' #2 (1956) * ''

'' #18 (1968) * '' The Unexpected'' #109–111, 140, 146, 162, 189, 190 (1968–1979) * '' Unknown Soldier'' #217 (1978) * ''

Weird Mystery Tales ''Weird Mystery Tales'' was a mystery horror comics anthology published by DC Comics from July–August 1972 to November 1975. Publication history 100 Page Super Spectacular The title ''Weird Mystery Tales'' was first used for ''DC 100 Page Sup ...

'' #4, 22 (1973–1975) * ''

'' #30–32, 36, 39–40, 43, 48–49, 51, 55–58, 69 (1974–1978) * ''

Weird Western Tales ''Weird Western Tales'' is a Western genre comics anthology published by DC Comics from June–July 1972 to August 1980. It is best known for featuring the adventures of Jonah Hex until #38 (Jan.–Feb. 1977) when the character was promoted to hi ...

'' #15, 36 (1972–1976) * ''

Welcome Back, Kotter ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' is an American sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan as a high-school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse remedial education class called the "Sweathogs." Recorded in front of a live studio audience, the series ...

'' #6–7 (1977) * '' The Witching Hour'' #7, 83 (1970–1978) * '' Young Love'' #125–126 (1977) * ''

'' #125, 156 (1963–1968)

Marvel Comics

* ''

Journey into Mystery ''Journey into Mystery'' is an American comic book series initially published by Atlas Comics (1950s), Atlas Comics, then by its successor, Marvel Comics. Initially a horror comics anthology, it changed to giant-monster and science fiction stori ...

'' #40 (1956) * ''Spellbound'' #29 (1956) * ''Strange Stories of Suspense'' #11 (1956) * ''Western Outlaws'' #16 (1956)

References

External links

*
Bill Draut
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics {{DEFAULTSORT:Draut, Bill 1921 births 1993 deaths 20th-century American artists American animators American comics artists United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Comics inkers DC Comics people Golden Age comics creators Silver Age comics creators United States Marines Marvel Comics people