Marc Swayze

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Marc Swayze
BornMarcus Desha Swayze
(1913-07-17)July 17, 1913
Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedOctober 14, 2012(2012-10-14) (aged 99)
Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Writer, Penciller, Artist, Inker, Colourist
Notable works
 Captain Marvel
Mary Marvel
Spouse(s)June Bloomer Swayze
Children5

Marcus Desha Swayze, known as Marc Swayze (July 17, 1913 – October 14, 2012), was an American comic book artist from 1941 to 1953 for Fawcett Comics of New York City. [1]

Contents

He is best known for his work on Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family during the Golden Age of comic books for Fawcett Comics. He was the co-creator of Mary Marvel, along with writer Otto Binder. The first Mary Marvel character sketches came from Swayze's drawing table, and he illustrated her earliest adventures, including the classic origin story, "Captain Marvel Introduces Mary Marvel" ( Captain Marvel Adventures #18, Dec. 1942).

Biography

Swayze was born to Louis Herbert and Mildred (née Turner) Swayze. He graduated from Neville High School in his native Monroe, Louisiana. He attended the Northeast Center of LSU (now University of Louisiana at Monroe) before receiving his degree from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. He subsequently procured a Master of Fine Arts degree from Northeast Louisiana University (now ULM) where he also taught art. [2]

Swayze was hired primarily by Fawcett to illustrate Captain Marvel stories and covers for Whiz Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures . He wrote many Captain Marvel scripts and continued to do so while he served in the United States Army, which he entered at Fort Oglethorpe in north Georgia during World War II. He played guitar and performed twice with Bing Crosby entertaining troops. [1]

After leaving the military in 1944, he made an arrangement with Fawcett to produce art and stories on a freelance basis from his home in Monroe, where he created both art and storylines for The Phantom Eagle (Wow Comics), as well as drawing the "Flyin' Jenny" newspaper strip for Bell Syndicate (created by Russell Keaton). After Wow Comics ceased publication, Swayze produced artwork for Fawcett's top-selling line of romance comics, including Sweethearts and Life Story . After the company ceased publishing comics, Swayze switched to Charlton Publications, from which he ended his comics career in the middle 1950s. He was then hired by Olin Mathieson to establish the art department for the company's packaging division. [2]

In an interview in 2000 with the Monroe News Star , Swayze describes his philosophy of developing comics as the utilization of "art in storytelling so that even a child who couldn't yet read could get a story out of it." [1] An oil painter and former semi-professional league baseball player, Swayze wrote a column containing his memoirs, carried in Alter Ego magazine, from 1996 until his death, under the title, We Didn't Know It Was the Golden Age! [1] [3]

Family and death

Swayze and his wife, the former June Bloomer, reared five children in Monroe. He was elected to the Ouachita Parish School Board, and was vice commander of the American Legion. [4]

He died October 14, 2012, in Monroe at age 99. In addition to his wife of 66 years, he was survived by his three daughters, a son, and four grandchildren. The fifth child is not mentioned by name in the obituary, presumably having predeceased his or her parents. Services were held on October 17, 2012, at the First United Methodist Church of Monroe. Interment was at Riverview Cemetery in Monroe. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. C. Beck</span> American comic book artist

Charles Clarence Beck was an American cartoonist and comic book artist, best known for his work on Captain Marvel at Fawcett Comics and DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Marvel (DC Comics)</span> Comic book superhero

Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam, is a superhero in American comic books originally published by Fawcett Comics and currently published by DC Comics. Artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker created the character in 1939. Captain Marvel first appeared in Whiz Comics #2, published by Fawcett Comics. He is the alter ego of Billy Batson, a boy who, by speaking the magic word "SHAZAM!", is transformed into a costumed adult with the powers of superhuman strength, speed, flight, and other abilities. The character battles an extensive rogues' gallery, most of them working in tandem as the Monster Society of Evil, including primary archenemies Black Adam, Doctor Sivana and Mister Mind. Billy often shares his powers with other children, primarily his sister Mary Batson and their best friend/foster brother Freddy Freeman, who also transform into superheroes and fight crime with Billy as members of the Marvel Family, also known as the Shazam Family or Shazamily.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Thomas</span> American comic book writer (born 1940)

Roy William Thomas Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes – particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America – and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and The Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Marvel</span> Fictional superheroine

Mary Marvel is a fictional character and superheroine originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18. The character is a member of the Marvel / Shazam Family of heroes associated with the superhero Shazam / Captain Marvel and is one of the first female spin-offs of a major male superhero, and predates the introduction of Supergirl by more than a decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fawcett Comics</span> Defunct comic books publisher

Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel, the alter ego of radio reporter Billy Batson, who transformed into the hero whenever he said the magic word "Shazam!".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marvel Family</span> Fictional superhero family appearing in DC Comics

The Marvel Family, also known as the Shazam Family, are a group of superheroes who originally appeared in books published by Fawcett Comics and were later acquired by DC Comics. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and artist Marc Swayze, the team was created as an extension of Fawcett's Captain Marvel franchise, and included Marvel's sister Mary Marvel, their friend Captain Marvel Jr., and, at various times, a number of other characters as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uncle Marvel</span> Comics character

Uncle Marvel is a fictional character appearing in American comic books formerly published by Fawcett Comics and today by DC Comics, who appears in stories about the Marvel Family team of superheroes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otto Binder</span> American writer (1911–1974)

Otto Oscar Binder was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books. He is best known as the co-creator of Supergirl and for his many scripts for Captain Marvel Adventures and other stories involving the entire superhero Marvel Family. He was prolific in the comic book field and is credited with writing over 4,400 stories across a variety of publishers under his own name, as well as more than 160 stories under the pen-name Eando Binder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Schaffenberger</span> American cartoonist

Kurt Schaffenberger was an American comics artist. He was best known for his work on Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family during both the Golden Age and Bronze Age of comics, as well as his work on the title Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane during the 1950s and 1960s. Schaffenberger used the alias "Lou Wahl" on certain comics, when he was moonlighting from his main job of drawing Lois Lane at DC Comics.

Pete Costanza was an American comic book artist and illustrator. He is best known for his work on Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family during the World War II era fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books, and served as one of Captain Marvel's longest-tenured artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Sekowsky</span> American comics artist

Michael Sekowsky was an American comics artist known as the penciler for DC Comics' Justice League of America during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on Wonder Woman during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

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.

<i>National Comics Publications, Inc. v. Fawcett Publications, Inc.</i> American legal case

National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications, 191 F.2d 594. was a decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in a twelve-year legal battle between National Comics and the Fawcett Comics division of Fawcett Publications, concerning Fawcett's Captain Marvel character being an infringement on the copyright of National's Superman comic book character. The litigation is notable as one of the longest-running legal battles in comic book publication history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Tuska</span> American comics artist (1916-2009)

George Tuska, who early in his career used a variety of pen names including Carl Larson, was an American comic book and newspaper comic strip artist best known for his 1940s work on various Captain Marvel titles and the crime fiction series Crime Does Not Pay and for his 1960s work illustrating Iron Man and other Marvel Comics characters. He also drew the DC Comics newspaper comic strip The World's Greatest Superheroes from 1978–1982.

The Alley Award was an American annual series of comic book fan awards, first presented in 1962 for comics published in 1961. Officially organized under the aegis of the Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences, the award shared close ties with the fanzine Alter Ego magazine. The Alley is the first known comic book fan award.

William Fraccio was an American comic book artist whose career stretched from the 1940s Golden Age of comic books through 1979, when he turned to producing advertising art and teaching. He is best known for his 23-year run at Charlton Comics, where he illustrated, among many other things, the first two professional stories of future Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Roy Thomas.

<i>Alter Ego</i> (magazine) American magazine devoted to Golden Age and Silver Age Comic Books

Alter Ego is an American magazine devoted to comic books and comic-book creators of the 1930s to late-1960s periods comprising what fans and historians call the Golden Age and Silver Age of Comic Books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Marvel Jr.</span> Fictional character

Captain Marvel Jr., also known as Shazam Jr., is a superhero appearing in American comic books formerly published by Fawcett Comics and currently published by DC Comics. A member of the Marvel/Shazam Family team of superheroes associated with Captain Marvel/Shazam, he was created by Ed Herron, C.C. Beck, and Mac Raboy, and first appeared in Whiz Comics #25 in December 1941.

Christopher Rule was an American comic book artist active from the 1940s through at least 1960, and best known as the first regular Marvel Comics inker for comics artist Jack Kirby during the period fans and historians call the Silver Age of Comic Books.

Steamboat Bill, most commonly as Steamboat, was a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Fawcett Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Captain Marvel. The character played the role of valet to both Captain Marvel and his teenaged alter-ego, Billy Batson, and was intended by Captain Marvel co-creator C. C. Beck to appeal to African-American readers. However, protests from African-Americans and other readers concerning Steamboat's racial stereotyping led to the character's disuse after 1945.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 ""Captain Marvel" artist Marcus Swayze dies". Monroe News Star . Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Marcus Desha Swayze". Monroe News Star. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  3. ↑ Swayze, Marc (January 2008). "We Didn't Know... It Was the Golden Age!". Alter Ego (75). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 67–68.
  4. ↑ Hamerlinck, P.C. (August 2016). "Hometown Hero". Alter Ego (141). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 72–73.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.