Michael J. Parobeck (7 July 1965 – 2 July 1996),
Social Security Death Index
The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) was a database of death records created from the United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File until 2014. Since 2014, public access to the updated Death Master File has been via the Limit ...
, SS# 278-64-1442. 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 ...
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 ...
best known for his work on the ''
Batman Adventures
''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman. It is different from other ''Batman'' titles because it is set in the continuity (and style) of '' Batman: The Animated Series'', as opposed to the regular DC Universe.
...
'' comic book. His artwork featured a fluid animation-inspired drawing style coupled with clear, clean layouts well-suited to the book.
Early life
Mike Parobeck, one of six siblings, grew up in
Lancaster, Ohio
Lancaster ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, in the south-central part of the state. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 40,552. The city is near the Hocking River, about southeast of Columbus and southwest of Zanesville. It is ...
. He studied at the Central Academy of Commercial Art in Cincinnati.
['' Wizard'' #41 (January 1995). pp 121-122.]
Career
Parobeck got to know
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 ...
editor
Brian Augustyn
Brian Augustyn (November 2, 1954 – February 1, 2022) was an American comic book editor and writer. He often worked as editor or co-writer with writer Mark Waid, such as on ''The Flash'' in the 1990s. He wrote ''Gotham by Gaslight –'' which i ...
, to whom he repeatedly sent photocopies of his sample artwork. Augustyn eventually contacted Parobeck to give him a job penciling a few pages of a
Doctor Light story in ''
Secret Origins'' #37. This led to his first regular series work on ''
El Diablo'', with writer
Gerard Jones
Gerard Jones (born July 10, 1957) is an American writer, known primarily for his non-fiction work about American entertainment media, and his comic book scripting, which includes co-creating the superhero Prime for Malibu Comics, and writing for ...
, which lasted sixteen issues. Other important series on which he worked were ''
The Fly'' for DC's short-lived
Impact Comics
Impact Comics was an imprint of DC Comics that was aimed at younger audiences. It began in 1991 and ended in 1993. The initial "I" in the logo was stylized as an exclamation point, but the official name of the imprint was not ''!mpact''.
Impac ...
imprint, as well as the 1992 ''
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...
'' series,
[ on both of which he worked together with writer ]Len Strazewski
Len Strazewski (born February 16, 1955) is a comic book author who wrote '' Starman'' after Roger Stern. He has also worked on ''The Flash'', ''Justice Society of America'', '' Phantom Lady'', '' The Fly'', and many other titles for DC comics. He ...
, and the '' Elongated Man'' mini-series, also from 1992.
His big breakthrough toward both critical and commercial success came with his work on ''Batman Adventures'', a comic book tie-in to the animated TV series '' Batman: The Animated Series'', on which he took over from Ty Templeton
Tyrone Templeton is a Canadian comic book artist and writer who has drawn a number of mainstream titles, TV-associated titles, and his own series.
Career
Templeton first received attention for ''Stig's Inferno'' ( Vortex Comics), now a cult fav ...
with issue 7. Parobeck and was the regular artist until his death. Parobeck named issue 14 as his favorite issue to have drawn, as that issue focused on Robin, who was Parobeck's favorite character to draw.[
]
Personal life
By 1995, Parobeck was living in Chicago.[ Halfway through his run on ''Batman Adventures'', Parobeck was diagnosed with Type one diabetes, which can be controlled by taking insulin. According to his friends, however, he was somewhat lackadaisical in this regimen, which ultimately led to his death.]Spurgeon, Tom
Thomas Martin Spurgeon (December 16, 1968 – November 13, 2019) was an American writer, historian, critic, and editor in the field of comics, notable for his five-year run as editor of ''The Comics Journal'' and his blog ''The Comics Reporter''. ...
and David Miller. "Artist Mike Parobeck Dead at 30", ''The Comics Journal
''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...
'' #189 (August 1996), pp. 36-37.
Notes
References
*
Mike Parobeck
at Lambiek's Comiclopedia
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parobeck, Mike
Deaths from diabetes
1965 births
1996 deaths
American comics artists