Steranko worked as a freelance cover artist for Lancer Paperbacks in the late '60s and early '70s. Currently, he has come full circle back to comics and is working with Radical Publishing, designing characters for their toy and comics lines. And we've had plenty of adventures since. His drawing talent manifested early and he bought himself art supplies by collecting cans and bottles for the deposit money. This edit will also create new pages on Comic Vine for: Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other In 1969 Steranko created his own publishing house, Supergraphics, and when he later left comics work he continued editorial duties on his pop culture magazine Comixscene. Steranko did however get a chance to meet with Roy Thomas, Sol Brodsky and eventually Stan Lee, who gave him his first ongoing assignment for Marvel, inking over Jack Kirby's pencils on the SHIELD segment of Strange Tales. #5 - OCTOBER 1968, NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. 1969 Best Cover - Captain America #113, by Jim Steranko; 1969 Best Feature Story - "At the Stroke of Midnight," by Jim Steranko, Tower of Shadows #1; Shazam Award © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Steranko eventually withdrew from comics after several clashes over editorial strictures placed on his work by The Comics Code Authority and Marvel Editorial. Which of Steranko's striking covers would you pick as your Top 5? 1993 Dinosaur Movies (executive producer), 2003 Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked (interview), 1968 Best Cover - Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Enter the URL for the tweet you want to embed. Top 10 Jim Steranko comics - … His most famous comic book work was with the 1960s superspy feature "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." At the ripe young age of 81, this native Pennsylvanian still has very strong opinions and has continued to voice them online and across the full spectrum of media. Needless to say it was not a good fit and the project was scrapped after just a handful of issues. He created covers for several series over the years, including: G8 And His Battle Aces, The Wildcat O'Shea Westerns, and the Eric John Stark Novels. #7 - DECEMBER 1968, By submitting your information, you agree to our. But if I have to shake out a quintet, they might be SHIELD 6, X-MEN 50, SHIELD 5, CAPTAIN AMERICA 111, and SHIELD 7. and Captain America to the X-Men and Strange Tales, Steranko left a permanent mark that sliced deep. Steranko conceived the piece hoping his old friend Woody would accept his invitation to ink it—making it a collaboration with one of his mentors. Jim Steranko was born in Reading Pennsylvania in 1938. send you an email once approved. on Facebook, Share Marvel legend Jim Steranko picks his Top 5 covers to celebrate his birthday! He eventually went to work for a local printing company in Reading which he used as a springboard to get a job at an advertising firm. Jim Steranko has had a dozen successful careers in his lifetime including comics scribe, musician, filmmaker, novelist, illusionist, illustrator, escape artist, and even a historian. 1st appearance of Clay Quartermain, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. You can search for on Twitter, Share Marvel legend Jim Steranko picks his Top 5 covers to celebrate his birthday! Except every week in your inbox. Best Jim Steranko comics selected by Pencil Ink, a blog on comics and comic book artists of the past. Editor Joe Simon was attempting to launch a line of superhero comics for the publisher of Richie Rich, Little Lotta, and Casper The Friendly Ghost. 1st appearance of Yellow Claw in the Silver Age. Comic Vine users. Another Steranko Pop-Art statement that put the innovator at the top of Marvel's creative list! Submitted for the approval: Everything you didn't know about Are You Afraid of the Dark? Marvel legend Jim Steranko picks his Top 5 covers to celebrate his birthday! Update your browser for more security and the best experience on this site. And let's not forget, issue 50 was the first to showcase the dynamic, Steranko X-MEN logo—which is still being used today! Steranko's first comics work was for Harvey Comics. Steranko premieres his co-creation, Polaris. any Comic Vine content. During his early years he held down a succession of jobs, teaching himself escapology, and learning enough sleight of hand technique to find work as a nightclub stage magician in New York. Steranko was also a musician, playing guitar under an assumed name with several different rock bands. Steranko took over the writing and art chores on the SHIELD stories, becoming one of the first auteur creators to work for the "big two". When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission.