Joe Edwards (comics)
Encyclopedia
Joe Edwards was an American
comic book
artist
best known for creating Archie Comics
' mischievous little-girl character
Li'l Jinx
while working in the industry for over 65 years.
borough
of Manhattan
, Edwards studied at art Rome Academy and the Hastings Animation School. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II
, where his duties including illustrating training manuals and, while based in Italy
, cartoon warning signs of minefields around Naples
.
Edwards began his comics career with Demby Studios, one of the early "packages" who would provide outsourced comics on demand for publishers testing out the new medium
of comic books in the late 1930s and 1940s. He later worked for Dell Comics
and Timely Comics
, the 1940s forerunner of Marvel Comics
. In 1942, he joined MLJ Comics, the forerunner of Archie Comics, working first on funny animal
stories featuring Squoimy the Woim, Cubby the Bear and Bumble the Bee-tective.
With the publication of the teen-humor title Archie Comics
#1 that same year, Edwards would go on to illustrate many adventures of the popular Riverdale
high-schoolers Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica,as well, working on them as recently as the 1980s.
Edwards also worked on Super Duck
, Captain Sprocket and his own creation Li'l Jinx
, whose name was based on her birthdate being Halloween
, the same as one of Edwards' sons, Ken. Li'l Jinx appeared in Pep Comics
from 1947 to 1982, as well as the Little Archie
and Archie Giant Series titles over many years.
Edwards died in Central Islip, New York
followings years of treatment for heart problems
. He was survived by his wife, Eda Lisa Selnick Edwards; sons Todd and Ken; daughter Naomi; 2 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
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...
best known for creating Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
' mischievous little-girl character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
Li'l Jinx
Li'l Jinx
Li'l Jinx is a fictional comic book character published by Archie Comics since the late 1940s. A high-spirited little girl who has humorous misadventures with her neighborhood friends, she was created by cartoonist Joe Edwards, first appearing in Pep Comics # 62 .She appeared in backup featurettes...
while working in the industry for over 65 years.
Biography
Born in the New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, Edwards studied at art Rome Academy and the Hastings Animation School. He served in the U.S. Army during 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...
, where his duties including illustrating training manuals and, while based in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, cartoon warning signs of minefields around Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.
Edwards began his comics career with Demby Studios, one of the early "packages" who would provide outsourced comics on demand for publishers testing out the new medium
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
of comic books in the late 1930s and 1940s. He later worked for Dell Comics
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
and 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....
, the 1940s forerunner of 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...
. In 1942, he joined MLJ Comics, the forerunner of Archie Comics, working first on funny animal
Funny animal
Funny animal is a cartooning term for the genre of comics and animated cartoons in which the main characters are humanoid or talking animals, with anthropomorphic personality traits. The characters themselves may also be called funny animals...
stories featuring Squoimy the Woim, Cubby the Bear and Bumble the Bee-tective.
With the publication of the teen-humor title Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
#1 that same year, Edwards would go on to illustrate many adventures of the popular Riverdale
Riverdale (Archie Comics)
Riverdale is a fictional town somewhere in the United States that is the setting for most of the various characters that appear in Archie Comics...
high-schoolers Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica,as well, working on them as recently as the 1980s.
Edwards also worked on Super Duck
Super Duck
Super Duck was a comic book character created in 1943 for what was then MLJ Comics by staff artist Al Fagaly .His first appearance came in Jolly Jingles #10 . As his name implied, Super Duck was a parody of Superman, even down to a red and blue costume...
, Captain Sprocket and his own creation Li'l Jinx
Li'l Jinx
Li'l Jinx is a fictional comic book character published by Archie Comics since the late 1940s. A high-spirited little girl who has humorous misadventures with her neighborhood friends, she was created by cartoonist Joe Edwards, first appearing in Pep Comics # 62 .She appeared in backup featurettes...
, whose name was based on her birthdate being Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
, the same as one of Edwards' sons, Ken. Li'l Jinx appeared in Pep Comics
Pep Comics
Pep Comics is the name of an American comic book anthology series published by the Archie Comics predecessor MLJ Magazines Inc. during the 1930s and 1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books...
from 1947 to 1982, as well as the Little Archie
Little Archie
Little Archie was a comic book published by Archie comics from 1956 until the mid 1990s, lasting 140 issues. Little Archie #1 is considered to be "scarce" by the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide .-Overview:...
and Archie Giant Series titles over many years.
Edwards died in Central Islip, New York
Central Islip, New York
Central Islip is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, U.S.. The population was 31,950 at the 2000 census.-History and overview:...
followings years of treatment for heart problems
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
. He was survived by his wife, Eda Lisa Selnick Edwards; sons Todd and Ken; daughter Naomi; 2 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.