The Shadows Artist

[All The Best Names Were Taken]

A friend of mine just found out his grandfather may have been an artist on The Shadow, can anyone provide detials of any of the artists who may have worked on this comic?

[Captain Jim]

Different comics were put out by different publishers in different eras. Any idea when we're looking? 40's? 60's? 70's? 80's? 90's?

[All The Best Names Were Taken]

probably around 60's

[benday-dot]

What is the name of his grandfather? If we know that more details on the pertinent Shadow series may be dug up.

[MWGallaher]

There were not many American Shadow comics published in the 1960's (nor were there any produced specifically for overseas publication, so far as I know). Archie Comics published 8 issues.

The first issue was reasonably faithful to the pulp and radio versions of the Shadow; this issue was drawn by John Rosenberger. Rosenberger also drew the 2nd issue, in which the character was made over into a more conventional "super-hero" in mask and skin-tight outfit.

The remaining 6 issues were drawn by Paul Reinman.

If your friend's grandfather was either of these two artists, both have far more impressive credits in the field than these issues of Shadow. Rosenberger drew Supergirl, Lois Lane, lots of romance comics for DC, and lots of mystery/fantasy stories for ACG, and Reinman drew the Golden Age Green Lantern and provided art for many of the early 1960's Marvel comics, including work on Fantastic Four and X-Men.

Not many artists had the chance to draw the character in the 1970s, either. Artists of that era include Mike Kaluta (living and still working in the comic book business), Frank Robbins (who is deceased, and who also had more prominent credits than the Shadow), Filipino artist E. R. Cruz, and legendary artist Joe Kubert (alive and better than ever, his only Shadow work was a cover; I doubt your friend would be ignorant of his grandpa's work if he were a descendent of Kubert).

So, I'd reckon the potential candidates are Rosenberger, Reinman, Robbins, and Cruz (if your pal happens to be of Filipino descent). If grandpa's none of these guys, he probably didn't do the Shadow. But if you can get his name, the regulars here can probably track down what comics work the guy did do, if he really was in the comic book business.

[Captain Jim]

You covered everything well from the sixties on, but didn't say anything about the 40's. There was a long-running Shadow book in the 40's.