Jim Aparo
Encyclopedia
James N. "Jim" Aparo was an American
comic book
artist best known for his 1960s and 1970s DC Comics
work, including on the characters Batman
, Aquaman
and the Spectre
.
Aparo's style was primarily in the tradition of his influential contemporary Neal Adams
, striving for realistic renditions of his subject rather than caricature
or exaggeration. Aparo's muscular figures tended to be leaner than those drawn by most of his peers. He paid particular attention to detail in rendering vehicles, "street clothes", architecture, and landscape. He frequently tilted the viewpoint so that the horizon line in a panel was significantly angled away from level, and used props such as potted plants and furniture to emphasize depth in a setting. He was also known for inserting drawings of celebrities (such as Humphrey Bogart
, Peter Falk
, Ed McMahon
, and Fred Allen
) as background characters in heavily-populated scenes.
, which declined to hire him. He then worked in the advertising industry in Connecticut, often drawing fashion illustrations for newspaper advertisements. He continued to pursue a career in comic books and comic strips while working in advertising.
His first break in the comics field was with a comic strip called "Stern Wheeler," written by Ralph Kanna, which was published in 1963 in a Hartford, Connecticut
newspaper for less than a year. In 1966, editor Dick Giordano
at Charlton Comics
hired him as a comic book artist, where his first assignment was a humorous character called "Miss Bikini Luv" in "Go-Go Comics."
Over the next few years at Charlton, Aparo drew stories in many genres—Westerns, science fiction, romance, horror, mystery, and suspense. Most of his work was for standalone stories in anthology titles, but there were a few notable continuing series that featured Aparo art:
Aparo was notable for being one of the relatively few artists in mainstream comics at that time to serve as penciller
, inker
, and letterer
for all of his work. (These tasks were at the time typically divided between two or more artists, leading most of his contemporaries to specialize in a single area, and allowing editors to pipeline the preparation of comic book art in order to speed production.)
In the late 1960s, Dick Giordano
left Charlton for an editorial position at DC Comics
and offered Aparo a job drawing the Aquaman
comic book. After an initial issue (#40) for which Aparo provided only pencil art, Aparo resumed producing pencils, inks, and letters for most issues of the series until its cancellation. Aparo continued for a time to provide art to Charlton for The Phantom
, alternating between the two series month by month (both series were being released on a bimonthly basis at the time).
Eventually Aparo resigned his assignment on The Phantom
and worked almost exclusively for the remainder of his career for DC Comics. Aparo's next series assignment at DC was Phantom Stranger
. After Aquaman was cancelled, the bimonthly frequency of Phantom Stranger was insufficient to fill his typical production rate of one page per day, so DC assigned him several short jobs such as mystery stories for House of Mystery
and House of Secrets.
In 1971, Aparo was assigned a fill-in job as the artist for The Brave and the Bold
#98. This series routinely featured team-up
s of DC's Batman
with other characters, in this case, the Phantom Stranger. As the regular artist on the Phantom Stranger's own series, Aparo was considered an appropriate choice. Murray Boltinoff, the editor of The Brave and the Bold, soon assigned Aparo the regular artistic responsibilities for the series (beginning with #100), which he continued until its cancellation with issue 200, missing only a few issues. Aparo even "co-starred" as himself in The Brave and the Bold #124 (January 1976).
During the more than 10 years as the artist for The Brave and the Bold, its bimonthly frequency permitted Aparo to do many other significant works for DC. In addition to numerous covers, he served as the regular artist for a notorious series starring a ruthless avenging ghost called the Spectre
, which ran in Adventure Comics
, and which in 2005 was collected in a trade paperback edition (ISBN 978-1-4012-0474-7). He also provided art for a revival of Aquaman in both Adventure Comics and a continuation of the previously-cancelled Aquaman. He was assigned the solo Batman series in Detective Comics
for a rather short time and drew occasional stories for anthology series.
When The Brave and the Bold was cancelled in 1983, it was replaced with a series called Batman and the Outsiders, a superhero team led by Batman. This series, which Aparo co-created with writer Mike W. Barr
, would be described by DC Comics writer and executive Paul Levitz
as being "a team series more fashionable to 1980s audiences." It would run for several years, continuing with an Outsiders series that did not include Batman. For the final few issues, DC began to request that Aparo provide only pencils, and a long and nearly unbroken string of Aparo inking and lettering his own work came mostly to an end.
Aparo's next major work consisted of pencils for Batman and Detective Comics, where his art was almost always inked by Mike DeCarlo
. Perhaps the most notable product of this period remains "A Death in the Family
" (Batman #426-429, 1988-9), depicting the death of Jason Todd
(Robin). Aparo continued to draw Batman stories in Detective and Batman until the early 1990s. For a while in 1992, Aparo was again asked to provide pencils, inks, and lettering for his Batman stories, but was soon returned to contributing only pencil art.
In 1992, Aparo was given his last regular series assignment for DC as pencil artist for Green Arrow
issues 81-100. Following that assignment, Aparo's work appeared infrequently, when Aparo was mostly assigned occasional Batman-related stories and covers in miniseries and specials. His published work in the late 1990s and early 2000s include a Batman Annual (inked by former Marvel Comics
mainstay Sal Buscema
), a G.C.P.D. miniseries, a Speed Force Special (featuring The Flash
), an issue of a Deadman
miniseries that revisited his "Death in the Family" story, and a single page of Legends of the Green Flame written by Neil Gaiman
in which he had a final opportunity to draw the Phantom Stranger
for publication.
In his retirement, Aparo sold many of the original art pages produced over his long career. His most recent work for DC was the cover for the trade paperback Batman in the Eighties, published in 2004. TwoMorrows Publishing
announced plans to publish The Brave and Bold Art of Jim Aparo (ISBN 978-1-893905-49-8), a book that would focus on Aparo's work. Internet comments from Eric Nolen-Weathington, one of the book's authors, indicated that the publishers hoped for a release of the book in 2007, but as of June 1, 2009, the book has not yet been published.
obituary reported only that "Aparo died Tuesday at home after a short illness, said his daughter, Donna Aparo." DC Comics ran an Aparo "In Memoriam" page Batman #644 (Oct. 2005) and Detective Comics #811 (Nov. 2005).
#201 (with John Albano
).
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 best known for his 1960s and 1970s DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
work, including on the characters Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, Aquaman
Aquaman
Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
and the Spectre
Spectre (comics)
The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
.
Aparo's style was primarily in the tradition of his influential contemporary Neal Adams
Neal Adams
Neal Adams is an American comic book and commercial artist known for helping to create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow; as the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates; and as a creators-rights advocate who...
, striving for realistic renditions of his subject rather than caricature
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
or exaggeration. Aparo's muscular figures tended to be leaner than those drawn by most of his peers. He paid particular attention to detail in rendering vehicles, "street clothes", architecture, and landscape. He frequently tilted the viewpoint so that the horizon line in a panel was significantly angled away from level, and used props such as potted plants and furniture to emphasize depth in a setting. He was also known for inserting drawings of celebrities (such as Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
, Peter Falk
Peter Falk
Peter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
, Ed McMahon
Ed McMahon
Edward Peter "Ed" McMahon, Jr. was an American comedian, game show host and announcer. He is most famous for his work on television as Johnny Carson's sidekick and announcer on The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. He also hosted the original version of the talent show Star Search from 1983 to 1995...
, and Fred Allen
Fred Allen
Fred Allen was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it...
) as background characters in heavily-populated scenes.
Career
Aparo was primarily self-trained as an artist. He attempted to enter the comic book profession in his early 20s, approaching EC ComicsEC Comics
Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the Tales from the Crypt series...
, which declined to hire him. He then worked in the advertising industry in Connecticut, often drawing fashion illustrations for newspaper advertisements. He continued to pursue a career in comic books and comic strips while working in advertising.
His first break in the comics field was with a comic strip called "Stern Wheeler," written by Ralph Kanna, which was published in 1963 in a Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
newspaper for less than a year. In 1966, editor Dick Giordano
Dick Giordano
Richard Joseph "Dick" Giordano was an American comic book artist and editor best known for introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes, and serving as executive editor of then–industry leader DC Comics...
at Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1946 to 1985, having begun under a different name in 1944. It was based in Derby, Connecticut...
hired him as a comic book artist, where his first assignment was a humorous character called "Miss Bikini Luv" in "Go-Go Comics."
Over the next few years at Charlton, Aparo drew stories in many genres—Westerns, science fiction, romance, horror, mystery, and suspense. Most of his work was for standalone stories in anthology titles, but there were a few notable continuing series that featured Aparo art:
- Thane of Bagarth was a historical adventure that ran as a backup in "Hercules".
- NightshadeNightshade (comics)Nightshade is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. Created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Captain Atom v2 #82 originally published by Charlton Comics.-Charlton Comics:...
was a superheroine that ran as a backup in "Captain AtomCaptain AtomCaptain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
". - Wander was a science fiction/Western/comedy that ran as a backup in "Cheyenne Kid".
- The PhantomThe PhantomThe Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
was the title character of a comic book based on Lee FalkLee FalkLee Falk, born Leon Harrison Gross , was an American writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the popular comic strip superheroes The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, who at the height of their popularity attracted over a hundred million readers every day...
's newspaper strip.
Aparo was notable for being one of the relatively few artists in mainstream comics at that time to serve as penciller
Penciller
A penciller is an artist who works in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms.The penciller is the first step in rendering the story in visual form and may require several steps of feedback with the writer. These artists are concerned with layout to showcase...
, inker
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...
, and letterer
Letterer
A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer's use of typefaces, calligraphy, letter size, and layout all contribute to the impact of the comic. The letterer crafts the comic's "display lettering": the story title lettering and...
for all of his work. (These tasks were at the time typically divided between two or more artists, leading most of his contemporaries to specialize in a single area, and allowing editors to pipeline the preparation of comic book art in order to speed production.)
In the late 1960s, Dick Giordano
Dick Giordano
Richard Joseph "Dick" Giordano was an American comic book artist and editor best known for introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes, and serving as executive editor of then–industry leader DC Comics...
left Charlton for an editorial position at DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
and offered Aparo a job drawing the Aquaman
Aquaman
Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
comic book. After an initial issue (#40) for which Aparo provided only pencil art, Aparo resumed producing pencils, inks, and letters for most issues of the series until its cancellation. Aparo continued for a time to provide art to Charlton for The Phantom
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
, alternating between the two series month by month (both series were being released on a bimonthly basis at the time).
Eventually Aparo resigned his assignment on The Phantom
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
and worked almost exclusively for the remainder of his career for DC Comics. Aparo's next series assignment at DC was Phantom Stranger
Phantom Stranger
The Phantom Stranger is a fictional character of unspecified paranormal origins who battles mysterious and occult forces in various titles published by DC Comics, sometimes under their Vertigo imprint.-Publication history:...
. After Aquaman was cancelled, the bimonthly frequency of Phantom Stranger was insufficient to fill his typical production rate of one page per day, so DC assigned him several short jobs such as mystery stories for House of Mystery
House of Mystery
The House of Mystery is the name of several horror-mystery-suspense anthology comic book series. It had a companion series, House of Secrets.-Genesis:...
and House of Secrets.
In 1971, Aparo was assigned a fill-in job as the artist for The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
#98. This series routinely featured team-up
Team-up
In American superhero comic books, a team-up is when two superheroes or superhero teams who usually do not appear together fight crime together.-Overview:Team-ups can either happen within one of the character's main series or in their own separate series...
s of DC's Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
with other characters, in this case, the Phantom Stranger. As the regular artist on the Phantom Stranger's own series, Aparo was considered an appropriate choice. Murray Boltinoff, the editor of The Brave and the Bold, soon assigned Aparo the regular artistic responsibilities for the series (beginning with #100), which he continued until its cancellation with issue 200, missing only a few issues. Aparo even "co-starred" as himself in The Brave and the Bold #124 (January 1976).
During the more than 10 years as the artist for The Brave and the Bold, its bimonthly frequency permitted Aparo to do many other significant works for DC. In addition to numerous covers, he served as the regular artist for a notorious series starring a ruthless avenging ghost called the Spectre
Spectre (comics)
The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
, which ran in Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
, and which in 2005 was collected in a trade paperback edition (ISBN 978-1-4012-0474-7). He also provided art for a revival of Aquaman in both Adventure Comics and a continuation of the previously-cancelled Aquaman. He was assigned the solo Batman series in Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
for a rather short time and drew occasional stories for anthology series.
When The Brave and the Bold was cancelled in 1983, it was replaced with a series called Batman and the Outsiders, a superhero team led by Batman. This series, which Aparo co-created with writer Mike W. Barr
Mike W. Barr
Mike W. Barr is an American writer of comic books, and mystery, and science fiction novels.-Biography:Barr's debut as a comics professional came in DC Comics' Detective Comics #444 , for which he wrote an 8-page back-up mystery feature starring the Elongated Man...
, would be described by DC Comics writer and executive Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he has worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles...
as being "a team series more fashionable to 1980s audiences." It would run for several years, continuing with an Outsiders series that did not include Batman. For the final few issues, DC began to request that Aparo provide only pencils, and a long and nearly unbroken string of Aparo inking and lettering his own work came mostly to an end.
Aparo's next major work consisted of pencils for Batman and Detective Comics, where his art was almost always inked by Mike DeCarlo
Mike DeCarlo
Mike DeCarlo is an American comic book artist.He has worked on such diverse titles as Batman, Cartoon Network Block Party, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Fantastic Four, Simpsons Comics, and adaptations of the Warner Brothers stable of cartoons .-External links:...
. Perhaps the most notable product of this period remains "A Death in the Family
Batman: A Death in the Family
"A Death in the Family" is a Batman comic book story arc first published in the late 1980s which gave fans the ability to influence the story through voting with a 900 number. "A Death in the Family" ran in Batman #426-429, published in 1988-1989...
" (Batman #426-429, 1988-9), depicting the death of Jason Todd
Jason Todd
Jason Peter Todd is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Jason first appeared in Batman #357 and became the second Robin, sidekick to the superhero Batman, when the previous Robin went on to star in The New Teen Titans under the moniker of Nightwing.Though...
(Robin). Aparo continued to draw Batman stories in Detective and Batman until the early 1990s. For a while in 1992, Aparo was again asked to provide pencils, inks, and lettering for his Batman stories, but was soon returned to contributing only pencil art.
In 1992, Aparo was given his last regular series assignment for DC as pencil artist for Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
issues 81-100. Following that assignment, Aparo's work appeared infrequently, when Aparo was mostly assigned occasional Batman-related stories and covers in miniseries and specials. His published work in the late 1990s and early 2000s include a Batman Annual (inked by former 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...
mainstay Sal Buscema
Sal Buscema
Silvio "Sal" Buscema is an American comic book artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of The Incredible Hulk...
), a G.C.P.D. miniseries, a Speed Force Special (featuring The Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
), an issue of a Deadman
Deadman
Deadman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Strange Adventures #205 , and was created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino.-Publication history:...
miniseries that revisited his "Death in the Family" story, and a single page of Legends of the Green Flame written by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
in which he had a final opportunity to draw the Phantom Stranger
Phantom Stranger
The Phantom Stranger is a fictional character of unspecified paranormal origins who battles mysterious and occult forces in various titles published by DC Comics, sometimes under their Vertigo imprint.-Publication history:...
for publication.
In his retirement, Aparo sold many of the original art pages produced over his long career. His most recent work for DC was the cover for the trade paperback Batman in the Eighties, published in 2004. TwoMorrows Publishing
TwoMorrows Publishing
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...
announced plans to publish The Brave and Bold Art of Jim Aparo (ISBN 978-1-893905-49-8), a book that would focus on Aparo's work. Internet comments from Eric Nolen-Weathington, one of the book's authors, indicated that the publishers hoped for a release of the book in 2007, but as of June 1, 2009, the book has not yet been published.
Death
Aparo died early on July 19, 2005. Some reports attributed the cause of death to "a long battle with cancer", but his family's formal announcement attributed his death to "complications relating to a recent illness". The Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
obituary reported only that "Aparo died Tuesday at home after a short illness, said his daughter, Donna Aparo." DC Comics ran an Aparo "In Memoriam" page Batman #644 (Oct. 2005) and Detective Comics #811 (Nov. 2005).
Awards
Aparo won a good deal of recognition in the industry for his work, including the Shazam Award for "Best Individual Short Story (Dramatic)" in 1972 for "The Demon Within" in House of MysteryHouse of Mystery
The House of Mystery is the name of several horror-mystery-suspense anthology comic book series. It had a companion series, House of Secrets.-Genesis:...
#201 (with John Albano
John Albano
John Albano was an American writer who worked in the comic book industry. He was recognized for his work with the Shazam Award for Best Writer in 1971, and the Shazam Award for Best Individual Short Story in 1972 for "The Demon Within", in House of Mystery #201 .Albano's most famous co-creation...
).
Charlton
- Captain AtomCaptain AtomCaptain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
#87-89 - Hercules #8-10 (1968–69)
- Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves #4-5, 7-8, 17, 66, 69 (1967–81)
- PhantomThe PhantomThe Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
#31-34, 36-38 (1969–70) - Scary Tales #22 (1980)
- Secret Agent #10 (1967)
- Space Adventures #2, 4 (1968)
- Strange Suspense StoriesStrange Suspense StoriesStrange Suspense Stories was a comic book published in two volumes by Fawcett Comics and Charlton Comics in the 1950s and 1960s. Starting out as a horror/suspense title, the first volume gradually moved toward eerie fantasy and weird science fiction, before ending as a vehicle for the superhero...
vol. 2, #1-2, 4 (1967–68) - Thane of Bagarth #24-25 (1985)
- Thunderbolt #60 (1967)
DC
- Adventure ComicsAdventure ComicsAdventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
#426-427 (Adventurers´ Club); #431-433, 435-436, 440 (SpectreSpectre (comics)The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
); #441-452 (AquamanAquamanAquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
); #459-461, 464 (DeadmanDeadmanDeadman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Strange Adventures #205 , and was created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino.-Publication history:...
) (1973–79) - All-Star WesternAll-Star WesternAll-Star Western was the name of three American comic book series published by DC Comics, each a Western fiction omnibus featuring both continuing characters and anthological stories. The first ran from 1951 to 1961, the second from 1970 to 1972 and the third is part of the DC New 52 released in...
, vol. 2, #5 (1971) - AquamanAquamanAquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
#40-59 (1968–78) - AquamanAquamanAquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
, vol. 3, #52 (flashback sequence) (1999) - AzraelAzrael (comics)Azrael is the name of several fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. They are a group of assassins who were created by The Order of St. Dumas to "enforce god's will"...
Annual #3 (1997) - BatmanBatman (comic book)Batman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27, published in May 1939. Batman proved to be so popular that a self-titled ongoing comic book series began publication in the spring of 1940...
#414-420, 426-435, 440-448, 450-451, 480-483, 486-491, 494-500, 533-534, 558, 560-562; Annual #24 (1987–2000) - Batman ChroniclesBatman ChroniclesThe Batman Chronicles is a series of comics published by DC Comics from 1995 to 2001, which lasted 23 quarterly issues and a series of collections.-Publication history:...
#7, 14 (1997–98) - Batman FamilyBatman FamilyThe Batman Family was a DC Comics comic book series which ran from 1975 to 1978, primarily featuring stories starring supporting characters in the Batman comics...
(Batman, Robin & Huntress) #17 (1978) - Batman: Blackgate Isle of Men (1988)
- Batman: Brotherhood of the Bat (1996)
- Batman: GCPD, miniseries, #1-4 (1996)
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #142-145, Annual #1 (1991–2001)
- Batman: Shadow of the BatBatman: Shadow of the BatBatman: Shadow of the Bat was a comic book series featuring Batman, published by DC Comics. The series ran for 96 issues, from 1992 to 2000. The stories took place in Batman's then-current continuity along with Detective Comics and Batman, in contrast to Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, which...
#61, 68 (1997) - Batman and the Outsiders #1-9, 11-12, 16-20 (1983–85)
- Untold Legend of the Batman, miniseries, #2-3 (1980)
- Brave and the Bold #98, 100-102, 104-136, 138-145, 147, 149-152, 154-155, 157-162, 168-170, 173-178, 180-182, 184, 186-189, 191-193, 195-196, 200 (1971–83)
- Detective ComicsDetective ComicsDetective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
#437-438, 444-446, 500, 625-632, 638-643, 716, 719, 722, 724 (1973–89) - DeadmanDeadmanDeadman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Strange Adventures #205 , and was created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino.-Publication history:...
: Dead Again, miniseries, #2 (2001) - DCU Holiday Bash #1 (1996)
- GhostsGhosts (DC Comics)Ghosts is a comic book series published by DC Comics for 112 issues from September-October 1971 to May 1982. Its tagline was "True Tales of the Weird and Supernatural" , changed to "New Tales of the Weird and Supernatural," as of #75 , and dropped after #104...
#1 (1971) - Green ArrowGreen ArrowGreen Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
#0, 81-88, 91-95, 98-100, 109, 123 (1993–97) - House of MysteryHouse of MysteryThe House of Mystery is the name of several horror-mystery-suspense anthology comic book series. It had a companion series, House of Secrets.-Genesis:...
#192, 201, 209 (1971–72) - House of Secrets #93, 97, 105 (1971–73)
- Justice League of America #200 (among other artists) (1982)
- Mystery in SpaceMystery in SpaceMystery in Space is the name of two science fiction comic book series published in the United States by DC Comics, then known as National Comics. The first series ran for 110 issues from 1951 - 1966, with a further 7 issues continuing the numbering during a 1980s revival of the title...
#111 (1980) - OutsidersOutsiders (comics)The Outsiders are a fictional DC Comics superhero team. As its name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who allegedly do not fit the norms of the mainstream superhero community, namely the Justice League....
#1-7, 9-14, 17-22, 25-26 (1985–88) - Phantom StrangerPhantom StrangerThe Phantom Stranger is a fictional character of unspecified paranormal origins who battles mysterious and occult forces in various titles published by DC Comics, sometimes under their Vertigo imprint.-Publication history:...
, vol. 2, #7-26 (1970–73) - Secret OriginsSecret OriginsSecret Origins is the title of three American comic book series published by DC Comics.The title began in 1961 and for one issue, all reprints. The title Secret Origins of Super Heroes went onto a second series, also reprints, which ran for seven issues from 1973-1974...
(Phantom Stranger) #10 (1987) - SpectreSpectre (comics)The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
, vol. 3, #16 (1994) - Speed ForceSpeed ForceThe Speed Force is a concept presented in various comic books published by DC Comics, primarily in relation to the various speedsters in the DC Universe.-Empowered:...
(Flash/Kid FlashKid FlashKid Flash is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero The Flash. The first incarnation of the character, Wally West, debuted in The Flash #110...
story) #1 (1997) - SteelSteel (John Henry Irons)Steel , also known as the Man of Steel, is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe. First appearing in The Adventures of Superman #500 , he is the third character known as Steel and was created by Louise Simonson and artist Jon Bogdanove...
#33 (1996) - Superboy and the Ravers #8 (1997)
- Teen Titans #36 (1971)
- Time Warp #1 (1979)
- UnexpectedTales of the Unexpected (comics)Tales of the Unexpected was a science fiction comic book published by DC Comics from 1956 to 1968 for 104 issues. It was later renamed The Unexpected although the numbering continued and it ended at issue 222, in 1982...
#127, 132 (1971–72) - Witching HourThe Witching Hour (DC Comics)The Witching Hour was a DC comic book horror anthology that ran from 1969 to 1978. Its tagline was "It's 12 o'clock... The Witching Hour!"...
#25 (1972) - Wrath of the Spectre, miniseries, #4 (two brand new stories featured in this compilation) (1988)
External links
- Collective Memory: Jim Aparo, The Comics Reporter, July 31, 2005
- http://www.twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/09aparo.html
- http://comicbookbin.com/jimaparorip001.html
- Jim Aparo Batman and Spectre Art - Page about Aparo's DC work
- http://edrhoades.com/phantom/tributes.htm (photo by Ed Rhoades)
- Jim Aparo talks about The PhantomAdditional WebCitation archive made June 15, 2010.
- Archive of "Connecticut Talent" at the Connecticut Historical SocietyConnecticut Historical SocietyThe Connecticut Historical Society is the official state historical society of Connecticut. Established in Hartford in 1825, the CHS is one of the oldest historical societies in the nation....
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