Samuel Joseph Glanzman
(December 5, 1924 – July 12, 2017) 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 and g ...
and memoirist. Glanzman is best known for his
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T.W.O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton ...
series ''
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the ...
'', about the
mythological Greek demigod
A demigod or demigoddess is a part-human and part-divine offspring of a deity and a human, or a human or non-human creature that is accorded divine status after death, or someone who has attained the "divine spark" ( spiritual enlightenment). A ...
; his
autobiographical
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
war stories about his service aboard the
U.S.S. ''Stevens'' 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 the ...
and
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
; and the Charlton Comics ''
Fightin' Army
''Fightin' Army'' was a bimonthly war comic published by Charlton Comics from 1956–1984 (though it was primarily a reprint title from 1978 to the end of its run). Telling fictional stories of the United States Army, it was a sister title of the ...
'' feature "
The Lonely War of Willy Schultz", a
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
-era serial about a German-American
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
captain during World War II.
Biography
Early life and career
Glanzman was born on December 5, 1924, in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Florence and Gustave Glanzman.
His father was Jewish and his mother Catholic. His brothers were comic-book artists
D.C. (Davis Charles) Glanzman,
and
Louis "Lew" Glanzman, the latter of whom went on to become a
fine art
In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...
painter.
Glanzman ended his formal education after grade school.
[Glanzman, ''Comic Book Artist'', p. 93] He entered the comics industry in late 1939, during the period historians and fans call the
Golden Age of comic books
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 ...
, at
Funnies, Inc.,
one of the early "packagers" that supplied comics to publishers then entering the fledgling medium. There, for
Centaur Publications
Centaur Publications (also known as Centaur Comics) was one of the earliest American comic book publishers. During their short existence, they created several colorful characters, including Bill Everett's Amazing-Man.
History Comics Magazine Co ...
, he wrote two-page text stories with incidental art for ''
Amazing-Man Comics.'' Later, for
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 ...
, he created
Fly-Man in the
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
anthology ''Spitfire Comics'' #1 (August 1941), writing and drawing the feature for at least two issues. He also contributed to Harvey's ''All-New Short Story Comics'' (where he published his first recorded war story); ''Champ Comics'' (stories about the superhero Human Meteor); and the radio program tie-in series ''
Green Hornet Comics'' through 1943.
He served in the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
, during World War II, stationed on the destroyer
U.S.S. ''Stevens'', and was discharged in 1946.
[Glanzman, ''Comic Book Artist'', p. 90] Eschewing work in comics ("I was getting $7.50 a page for
ly-Man pencils
A pencil () is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage, and keeps it from marking the user's hand.
Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a tra ...
,
inks
Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicke ...
, story, and
coloring ... I figured, 'Hell, that's not much money.'"
), he began a peripatetic career doing manual labor in cabinet shops, lumber mills, and boat yards. After marrying in the 1950s, he worked at
Republic Aviation
The Republic Aviation Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Farmingdale, New York, on Long Island. Originally known as the Seversky Aircraft Company, the company was responsible for the design and production of many importan ...
in
Farmingdale, New York
Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York. The population was 8,189 as of the 2010 Census.
The Lenox Hills neighborhood is adjacent to Bethpage State Park and the rest of the ...
, installing machine guns on military jets.
During this time, he lived in
Rockaway, Queens
The Rockaway Peninsula, commonly referred to as The Rockaways or Rockaway, is a peninsula at the southern edge of the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, New York. Relatively isolated from Manhattan and other more urban parts of the ...
, and in the Long Island towns of
Valley Stream
Valley Stream is a village in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population in the Village of Valley Stream was 37,511 at the 2010 census.
The incorporated Village of Valley Stream is within the Town of Hempstead, ...
and
Massapequa Park
Massapequa Park is a village and hamlet located within the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 17,008 at the 2010 census.
Areas south and east of the village bo ...
.
Seeking to return to art, Glanzman did some work for the
Eastern Color series ''Heroic Comics'' and ''New Heroic Comics'' in 1950, and found better-paying assignments doing
children's book
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
illustration. He may have done uncredited work for his brother Lew on a hardcover book series for children about aircraft.
Work was not steady, however, and Glanzman returned to Republic Aviation.
Charlton Comics
In 1958, Glanzman began working with
Pat Masulli, the executive editor of Charlton Comics, a low-paying publishing company. He specialized in stories for the war titles ''Attack,'' ''Battlefield Action,'' ''
Fightin' Air Force,'' ''
Fightin' Marines
''Fightin' Marines'' was a bimonthly war comic magazine published by St. John Publications from 1951–1953, and Charlton Comics from 1955–1984, although it was primarily a reprint title from 1978 to the end of its run. Telling fictional storie ...
,'' ''Submarine Attack,'' ''U.S. Air Force Comics,'' and ''War at Sea,'' producing a large amount of authentically detailed work. In mid-1961
he switched to
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" ...
. where he worked on the anthology ''Combat,'' drew the movie adaptation ''
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, M ...
'' (and the similar, though unrelated, four-issue ''Voyage to the Deep''), and a range of titles from lost-world adventure (''
Kona, Monarch of Monster Isle
Kona, Monarch of Monster Isle is a fictional American comic book character who was featured in his own self-titled series, published by Dell Comics in the 1960s.
Publication history
Kona debuted in Four Color Comics #1256 (dated February 1962) bef ...
'') to heartwarming animal drama (''Lad: A Dog'').
He occasionally still moonlighted for Charlton, using the initials "SJG" for his work on the 1962 ''
Marco Polo
Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in '' The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...
'' movie adaptation and elsewhere.
Beginning mid-1964, Glanzman moved regularly between Charlton and Dell assignments, almost exclusively on war stories, but also on a Charlton ''
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'' series.
Although some sources credit him for co-creating the Charlton
hardboiled
Hardboiled (or hard-boiled) fiction is a literary genre that shares some of its characters and settings with crime fiction (especially detective fiction and noir fiction). The genre's typical protagonist is a detective who battles the violence o ...
detective
A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...
character
Sarge Steel
Sarge Steel is a detective/spy character published by Charlton Comics during the 1960s. As he was published during the time of Charlton's ''Action Heroes'' line of superheroes, and had loose ties to some, he is sometimes included with that group. H ...
, he stated in a 2009 interview that "The only thing I created was the "U.S.S. ''Stevens''", "Attu" and ''A Sailor's Story''."
During the 1960s Glanzman and writer Gill created the Charlton mythological-adventure series ''Hercules: Adventures of the Man-God,'' which would run 13 issues (Oct. 1967 - Sept. 1969),
and showcased Glanzman's experimental side, where he might float
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
-bordered panels within action tableaux filled with
Hieronymous Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/ Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on oa ...
ian nightmares.
Also during this time he co-created, with writer
Will Franz, "
The Lonely War of Willy Schultz",
[Glanzman, ''Comic Book Artist'', pp. 91–92] a departure from most other World War II features of this time, with a conflicted American soldier of German heritage caught between loyalties. During combat in the
European Theater
The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...
, U.S. Army captain Schultz is falsely accused and convicted of murder; he escapes and blends into the
German Army
The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
while seeking a way to clear his name and retain his
Allied allegiance. The feature, reprinted as late as 1999, was serialized in Charlton's ''
Fightin' Army
''Fightin' Army'' was a bimonthly war comic published by Charlton Comics from 1956–1984 (though it was primarily a reprint title from 1978 to the end of its run). Telling fictional stories of the United States Army, it was a sister title of the ...
'' #76–80, 82–92 (Oct. 1967 – July 1968 and Nov. 1968 – July 1970).
Glanzman freelanced for ''
Outdoor Life
''Outdoor Life'' is an outdoors magazine about camping, fishing, hunting, and survival. It is a sister magazine of '' Field & Stream''. Together with ''Sports Afield'', they are considered the Big Three of American outdoor publishing by Mon ...
'' magazine in the 1960s as well.
DC Comics
War comics
War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II.
History American war comics
Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began incl ...
editor-artist
Joe Kubert
Joseph Kubert (; September 18, 1926 – August 12, 2012) was a Polish-born American comic book artist, art teacher, and founder of The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. He is also kno ...
of industry giant
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 the ...
brought Glanzman to work on ''
Our Army at War'', ''
Star Spangled War Stories
''Star Spangled War Stories'' was the title of a comics anthology published by DC Comics that featured war-themed characters and stories. Among the features published in this series were writer-editor Robert Kanigher and artist Jerry Grandenetti ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', and other combat titles including ''
G.I. Combat'', where for years he illustrated the feature "
Haunted Tank
The Haunted Tank is a comic book feature that appeared in the DC Comics anthology war title ''G.I. Combat'' from 1961 through 1987.
Publication history
The Haunted Tank was created by writer and editor Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath i ...
". At DC, Glanzman began his series of
autobiographical
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
war stories about his service aboard the U.S.S. ''Stevens'' in ''Our Army at War'' #218 (April 1970).
Glanzman would also occasionally draw stories for DC's
supernatural-mystery anthologies. He was one of the contributors to the debut issues of ''
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 re ...
'' and ''
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air ...
''. By late 1979, with most of DC's war titles either canceled or converted to character series with established teams, Glanzman remained solely on ''G.I. Combat'' and began freelancing again for Charlton. Following his last "Haunted Tank" story, in ''G.I. Combat'' #288 (March 1987), Glanzman drew two more stories for DC a year later, in ''
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 ...
'' #420–421 (Feb.–April 1988). He would return to ink penciler
Tim Truman on the
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...
''
Jonah Hex
Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...
: Two Gun Mojo'' (Sept.–Dec. 1993), ''Jonah Hex: Riders of the Worm and Such'' (March–July 1995), and ''Jonah Hex: Shadows West'' (Feb.–April 1999) all written by
Joe R. Lansdale.
Later career
Glanzman also contributed a handful of war stories to
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
from 1986–1989, in the black-and-white adventure magazine ''
Savage Tales
''Savage Tales'' is the title of three American comics series. Two were black-and-white comics-magazine anthologies published by Marvel Comics, and the other a color comic book anthology published by Dynamite Entertainment.
Publication history Ma ...
,'' the
Marine Corps
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...
series ''Semper Fi,'' an issue of ''
The 'Nam
''The 'Nam'' was a war comic book series detailing the U.S. war in Vietnam from the perspective of active-duty soldiers involved in the conflict. It was written by Doug Murray, initially illustrated by Michael Golden, edited by Larry Hama an ...
'', and most notably ''A Sailor's Story'' / ''
Marvel Graphic Novel'' #30 (March 1987), a 60-page true account, which he both wrote and drew, of his time on the U.S.S. ''Stevens'' during World War II.
Unusually for Marvel's graphic novel line, it was released in hardcover rather than as a trade paperback. A trade paperback edition followed, together with a sequel, ''A Sailor's Story, Book Two: Winds, Dreams, and Dragons'', which continued the story up to the end of the war.
Other work in the 1990s included inking some issues of ''
Turok Dinosaur Hunter'' for
Acclaim Comics
Valiant Comics is an American comic book publisher. The company was founded in 1989 by former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter along with lawyer and businessman Steven Massarsky. In 1994, the company was sold to Acclaim Entertainment ...
and ''
Zorro
Zorro ( Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashing masked vigilante w ...
'' for
Topps Comics
Topps Comics was a division of Topps, Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993 to 1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies. It was based in New York City, at ...
, and writing and drawing a serialized feature in Flashback Comics' ''Fantastic Worlds'' #1. His later work includes stories in two anthologies: writing and drawing the 10-page, true-life story "On the Job: Cooks Tour," in the graphic-story trade paperback ''Streetwise'' (
TwoMorrows Publishing
TwoMorrows Publishing is a publisher of magazines about comic books, founded in 1994 by John and Pam Morrow out of their small advertising agency in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Its products also include books and DVDs.
List of magaz ...
, 2000, ), and the donated, four-page "There Were Tears in Her Eyes," in the squarebound benefit comic ''
9-11: The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember, Volume Two'' (2002).
From 1999–2001, the Avalon Communications imprint America's Comic Group / ACG (not to be confused with
American Comics Group
American Comics Group (ACG) was an American comic book publisher started in 1939 and existing under the ACG name from 1943 to 1967. It published the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title, ''Adventures into the Unknown''. ACG's best-known cha ...
/ AGC) reprinted large amounts of Glanzman's Charlton Comics work in a number of mostly one-shot titles, including ''Hercules,'' ''Flyboys,'' ''Nam Tales'', ''Star Combat Tales,'' ''Total War,'' and ''ACG Comics Presents Fire and Steel''.
In 2003, Glanzman began working on
webcomics
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books.
Webcomics can be co ...
, writing and drawing the 19th-century
nautical
Seamanship is the art, knowledge and competence of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea."
It involves topics ...
adventure ''Apple Jack,'' and reteaming with his "Willy Schultz" writer,
Will Franz, on the Roman
centurion series ''The Eagle.'' In 2012 and 2013, new "U.S.S. ''Stevens''" stories by Glanzman appeared in the ''Joe Kubert Presents'' six-issue anthology limited series.
In 2015, Glanzman's "U.S.S. ''Stevens''" stories and the ''A Sailor's Story'' graphic novels were collected by
Dover Publications
Dover Publications, also known as Dover Books, is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward and Blanche Cirker. It primarily reissues books that are out of print from their original publishers. These are often, but not always, book ...
.
Glanzman died on July 12, 2017, in
Maryland, New York,
under hospice care after falling and undergoing surgery.
Bibliography
Glanzman's U.S.S. ''Stevens'' stories 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 the ...
appear in:
[ ]
* ''
Our Army at War'' #220, 223, 225, 227, 230–232, 235 238, 240–242, 244–245, 247–248, 256–259, 261–262, 265–267, 275, 281–282, 284, 293, 298 (1970–1976)
*''
Our Fighting Forces
''Our Fighting Forces'' is a war comics anthology series published by DC Comics for 181 issues from 1954–1978.
Publication history
''Our Fighting Forces'' began with an October–November 1954 cover date. Writer-editor Robert Kanigher's w ...
'' 128, 132, 134, 136, 138–139, 140–141, 143 (1970–1972)
*''
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 ...
'' #4 (1972)
*''
G.I. Combat'' #152 (1972)
*''
Star Spangled War Stories
''Star Spangled War Stories'' was the title of a comics anthology published by DC Comics that featured war-themed characters and stories. Among the features published in this series were writer-editor Robert Kanigher and artist Jerry Grandenetti ...
'' #167, 171, 174 (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 ...
'' #304, 308 (1977)
*''Sgt. Rock Special'' #1 (1992)
*''Joe Kubert Presents'' #1–6 (2012–2013)
References
External links
Sam Glanzman BioWebCitation archive
*
Sam Glanzmanat Mike's Amazing World of Comics
at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glanzman, Sam
1924 births
2017 deaths
20th-century American artists
21st-century American artists
American children's book illustrators
American comics artists
American comics writers
American graphic novelists
American magazine illustrators
United States Navy personnel of World War II
Inkpot Award winners
Jewish American artists
Jewish American writers
Jewish American military personnel
American memoirists
Artists from New York (state)
Charlton Comics
DC Comics people
Golden Age comics creators
Marvel Comics people
People from Massapequa Park, New York
People from Rockaway, Queens
People from Valley Stream, New York
Silver Age comics creators