}
Werner Roth (January 27, 1921 – June 1973) was an American
comic book artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...
, perhaps best known for immediately succeeding
Jack Kirby on
Marvel Comics' ''
The X-Men''.
Roth's work began appearing in Marvel Comics, then known as
Atlas Comics Atlas Comics may refer to
* Atlas Comics (1950s)
Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book, comic-book publishing label that evolved into Marvel Comics. Magazine and mass market paperback, paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman (publisher), Martin ...
, in 1953. Atlas editor
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
has described being impressed with Roth's portfolio, particularly his drawings of women, "So I took his samples to show
hen-publisher Martin Goodman. I suggested we should use Werner, even create a comic for him. Which we did, and that was how
Lorna, the Jungle Girl was born." Roth drew the first dozen issues of Lorna. He drew a number of other features for Atlas, including most of the stories of the
Apache Kid
Haskay-bay-nay-ntayl ( 1860 – in or after 1894), better known as the Apache Kid, was born in Aravaipa Canyon (25 miles (40 kilometers) south of San Carlos Agency) into one of the three local groups of the Aravaipa/Arivaipa Apache Band (in Ap ...
. He later drew romance stories for
DC Comics.
Roth returned to Marvel to work on the ''X-Men'' in 1966, initially using the pseudonym Jay Gavin, taken from the names of his two sons, to conceal his Marvel work from his editors at DC. His true name was revealed in the "
Bullpen Bulletins" page of ''
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
'' #54. ''X-Men'' series writer
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...
later commented that Roth, though a talented artist, was a poor fit for the ''X-Men'', being more oriented towards character interactions and relationships than action.
Roth later drew more
Western comics for Marvel, and penciled issues of ''
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' for DC Comics.
References
External links
*
Werner Roth on marvel.com
1921 births
1973 deaths
American comics artists
Marvel Comics people
{{US-comics-artist-stub