Alfred Avison is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

 artist

Artist

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...

 known for his work on the Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

 characters Captain America

Captain America

Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...

 and the Whizzer

Whizzer (Robert Frank)

The Whizzer is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared during the 1930s-1940s period that fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Publication history:...

 during the 1930-1940s period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of comic books

Golden Age of Comic Books

The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...

.

Early life and career

The son of Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 artist and WPA muralist George Avison, Influenced by the work of his father and of commercial illustrator Albert Dorne

Albert Dorne

Albert Dorne was an American Illustrator.He was born in the slums of New York City's East Side, and had a troubled childhood plagued with tuberculosis and heart problems. He would cut classes to study art in the museums, eventually quitting school altogether to support his family...

, Al Avison studied art at Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...

 in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

. His first known comics work is co-inking

Inker

The inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional comic book or graphic novel. After a pencilled drawing is given to the inker, the inker uses black ink to produce refined outlines over the pencil lines...

 Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....

's lead story in Novelty Press

Novelty Press

Novelty Press was an American Golden Age comic-book publisher that operated from 1940–1949. It was the comic book imprint of Curtis Publishing Company, publisher of The Saturday Evening Post...

' Blue Bolt Comics #4 (Sept. 1940).

Timely touchstones

For Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

' predecessor, Timely Comics

Timely Comics

Timely Comics, an imprint of Timely Publications, was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics....

, penciler Avison and an unknown writer, co-created super-speedster the Whizzer

Whizzer (Robert Frank)

The Whizzer is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared during the 1930s-1940s period that fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Publication history:...

 in U.S.A. Comics

U.S.A. Comics

U.S.A. Comics was an American comic-book series published by Marvel Comics' 1930-1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books....

#1 (August 1941). The character would appear in most issues of that comic, and was part of Timely/Marvel's first superhero team, the All-Winners Squad

All-Winners Squad

The All-Winners Squad is a fictional superhero team in the Marvel Comics universe. The company's first such team, it first appeared in All Winners Comics #19 , published by Marvel predecessor Timely Comics during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books.While the comic-book...

.

After Captain America creators Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....

 and Joe Simon

Joe Simon

Joseph Henry "Joe" Simon is an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the first editor of Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics.With his...

 moved on following Captain America Comics #10 (Jan. 1942), Avison and Syd Shores

Syd Shores

Sydney Shores was an American comic book artist known for his work on Captain America both during the 1940s, in what fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books, and during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books....

 became regular pencilers of the celebrated title, with one generally inking over the other. Avison had been the inker over penciler Kirby on Captain America Comics #4-6 (June-Sept. 1941), and had penciled or inked that character's stories in All Winners Comics

All Winners Comics

All Winners Comics was the name of two American comic book series of the 1940s, both published by Marvel Comics' predecessor, Timely Comics, during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. A superhero anthology comic in both cases, they variously featured such star...

as early as issue #3 (Winter 1941-42). Shores would take over as regular penciller, inked by Vince Alascia

Vince Alascia

Vincent Alascia , also known as Nicholas Alascia, was an American comic book artist known for his work on Captain America during the Golden Age of comics, and for his 23-year run as inker on a single creative team, with penciler Charles Nicholas Wojtkowski and writer Joe Gill at Charlton Comics...

, while Avison did his World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 military service

Conscription

Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...

.

Avison also worked as a penciler or, more often, as inker on characters including The Vision (in Marvel Mystery Comics

Marvel Mystery Comics

Marvel Mystery Comics is an American comic book series published during the 1930s-1940s period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books...

); the Blonde Phantom

Blonde Phantom

The Blonde Phantom is a fictional masked crime fighter in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Syd Shores for Marvel predecessor Timely Comics, she first appeared in All Select Comics #11 , during the 1940s period fans and historians call the Golden...

; The Young Allies

Young Allies

Young Allies is the name of three superhero teams in the .-Golden Age:The Golden Age's Young Allies were a gang of kids who fought the Axis...

 (in Amazing Comics, Kid Komics and Mystic Comics

Mystic Comics

Mystic Comics is the name of four comic book series published by the company that would eventually become Marvel Comics. The first two series were superhero anthologies published by Marvel's 1930-1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, during what fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books...

); writer-editor Stan Lee

Stan Lee

Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....

's the Black Marvel

Black Marvel

The Black Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Al Gabriele, he first appeared in Mystic Comics #5 , published by Marvel's 1940s forerunner Timely Comics during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic...

 (in All Winners Comics); and Tommy Tyme (in Mystic Comics). With Joe Simon, he was one of two inkers on the Kirby-drawn debut of Marvel Boy

Marvel Boy

Marvel Boy is the name of several fictional comic book characters in the Marvel Comics universe, including predecessor companies Timely Comics and Atlas Comics.-Martin Burns:...

 in Daring Mystery Comics #6 (Sept. 1940). Avison's Timely work appears as late as Captain America Comics #71 (March 1949).

Other work

Avison additionally worked on the original Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel (DC Comics)

Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...

 for Fawcett Comics

Fawcett Comics

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...

 in 1941-42. He also freelanced for Harvey Comics

Harvey Comics

Harvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out the small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B...

 both during and after his Timely stint, on such features as "The Red Blazer" (introducing him in Pocket Comics #1, Aug. 1941), "Casper the Friendly Ghost

Casper the Friendly Ghost

Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. As his name indicates, he is a ghost, but is quite personable...

", "Captain Freedom" (including inking Jack Kirby's cover art on Speed Comics #16 & #18, Jan. & May 1942), "Joe Palooka

Joe Palooka

Joe Palooka was an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, created by cartoonist Ham Fisher in 1921. The strip debuted in 1930 and was carried at its peak by 900 newspapers....

", "The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet is an American radio and television masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell, in 1936. Since his radio debut in the 1930s, the Green Hornet has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media...

", "Humphrey", "Little Dot

Little Dot

Little Dot was a comic book character published by Harvey Comics between 1949 and 1982, and then sporadically until 1994. A little girl obsessed with dots, spots, and round, colorful objects, she first appeared in 1949 as a supporting feature in Sad Sack and by 1953 was given her own series,...

" and "Shock Gibson

Shock Gibson

Shock Gibson is a fictional comic book superhero who first appeared in Speed Comics #1 , from Brookwood Publications, a company later absorbed by Harvey Comics). He was created by artist Maurice Scott, who drew it through issue #11, and an unknown writer...

" (including the cover of Speed Comics #14, Dec. 1941), through at least the early 1950s.

Avison's last known work is penciling and inking the cover of Harvey's horror

Horror fiction

Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...

 anthology

Anthology

An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...

Chamber of Chills #26 (Dec. 1954).

Golden Age reprints

As inker, unless otherwise specified (p) for penciler, or (p)(i) for penciler & inker

• Marvel Super-Heroes #17 (Nov. 1968)

(p) The All-Winners Squad in "Chapter 1: Menace from the Future World", All Winners Comics #21 (Winter 1946-47)

• Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (Jan. 1969)

(p) The All-Winners Squad in "Chapter 4: Wave of Destruction", All Winners Comics #21 (Winter 1946)

The All-Winners Squad in "Chapter 7: War Between the Worlds", All Winners Comics #21 (Winter 1946)

• Comix: A History of the Comic Book in America, by Les Daniels and John Peck (Bonanza Books, 1971; reprinted Random House Value Publishing, 1988; ISBN 0-517-11037-7)

(p) (i) "The Vampire Strikes", Captain America Comics #24 (March 1943)

• Captain America: The Classic Years (1998) ISBN 0-7851-0660-X

"Bomb Sight Thieves", Captain America Comics #4 (June 1941)

"Captain America and Ivan the Terrible", Captain America Comics #4 (June 1941)

"Captain America in Horror Hospital", Captain America Comics #4 (June 1941)

"The Case of the Fake Money Fiends", Captain America Comics #4 (June 1941)

"The Unholy Legion", Captain America Comics #4 (June 1941)

"Captain America and the Ringmaster of Death", Captain America Comics #5 (Aug. 1941)

"Killers of the Bund", Captain America Comics #5 (Aug. 1941)

"The Gruesome Secret of the Dragon of Death", Captain America Comics #5 (Aug. 1941)

"The Terror that was Devil's Island, Captain America Comics #5 (Aug. 1941)

• The Golden Age of Marvel Comics, Vol. 2 (1999) ISBN 0-7851-0713-4

(p) The Black Marvel in "The Order of the Hood", All Winners Comics #1 (Summer 1941)

(p) "The Whizzer", USA Comics #1 (Aug. 1941)

• Captain America: The Classic Years, Vol. 2 (2000) ISBN 0-7851-0743-6

"Meet The Fang, Arch Fiend of the Orient", Captain America Comics #6 (Sept. 1941)

"The Camera Fiend and His Darts of Doom", Captain America Comics #6 (Sept. 1941)

"The Strange Case of Captain America and the Hangman Who Killed Dr. Vardoff?", Captain America Comics #6 (Sept. 1941)

• Marvel Visionaries: Stan Lee (2005) ISBN 0-7851-1693-1

(p) Captain America in "The Red Skull's Deadly Revenge", Captain America Comics #16 (July 1942):