George Tuska, a prolific artist known for his powerful renditions of several iconic Marvel characters, has passed away. He was 93.
For my money, Tuska was THE Iron Man artist of the ’70s. His version of the Golden Avenger never attained “flavor-of-the-week” status but left an indelible impression on readers who enjoyed the artist’s exciting action sequences and efficient story-telling abilities.
However, Tuska’s greatest work appeared long before Marvel’s stable of super-heroes came to dominate the comics industry. A prolific Golden Age artist, Tuska’s gritty crime, western and horror tales far outstripped his more widely seen pencils and inks on super-hero comics.
As an example, here’s the rather awesome tale of a criminal who terrorized the Barbary Coast by smashing people’s faces with his rock-hard head. Tuska knocks the story out of the park, alternating brutal violence with a brief – but sterling – sample of his famous “Good Girl” art.
From Crime Does Not Pay #48 (Lev Gleason, 1946), here’s “Butt Riley: King Of The Hoodlums.”
For more on Tuska’s long career, visit The Comics Reporter.
The Time Bullet 