Pete Tumlinson
Encyclopedia
Howard Peter "Pete" Tumlinson (June 7, 1920-June 5, 2008) was an American
book illustrator and a comic book
artist
whose worked appeared from the late 1940s through the 1950s in titles published by the Marvel Comics
predecessors Timely Comics
and Atlas Comics
. His work there includes most of the early stories of the Western
hero Kid Colt
.
, where he originated a cartoon character, "Old Sarge", who remained an unofficial student mascot adorning the likes of stickers and coffee mugs decades later.
His earliest confirmed comic-book work is penciling "I Hate My Husband!", an eight-page story (either co-penciled with or inked
by George Klein
) in the Timely Comics
romance
title My Own Romance #7 (July 1949). Other early credits include stories in such Western
-romance comics
as Cowboy Romances #3 (March 1950) and, tentatively credited, Rangeland Love #2 (March 1950). Some sources credit Tumlinson with a small amount of work on the masked-crimefighter series Blonde Phantom
in 1948, and in the mythological
-superhero
ine series Venus #6 (Aug. 1949). Another source cites early, uncredited work in D.S. Publishing's 1948-1949 crime
comic Gangsters Can't Win and the Western feature "Nuggets Nugent" in Orbit Publications
' 1948-1951 The Westerner Comics.
Shortly after this, publisher Martin Goodman
's comics division had gone from being known as Timely Comics
to Atlas Comics
. There Tumlinson was the primary artist on Kid Colt, Outlaw from issues #14-24 (May 1951 - Jan. 1953) before turning over the reins, figuratively speaking, to the character's longtime signature artist, Jack Keller
. Tumlinson had previously drawn an anthological Western story, "The Magic of Manitou", for Kid Colt, Outlaw #13 (March 1951). Later, Tumlinson drew Western stories for Atlas' Outlaw Fighters, Two-Gun Western and Wild Western.
With the popularity of horror
comics in the early to mid-1950s, Tumlinson produced a number of such stories for Atlas titles including Astonishing, Journey into Mystery
, Journey Into Unknown Worlds, Marvel Tales
, Mystery Tales, Mystic, Strange Tales
, and Uncanny Tales
. One story, "In the Dead of Night" by writer Hank Chapman
and artist Tumlinson, appeared in issue #11 (Nov. 1951) of Suspense, an anthology based on the CBS radio program
.
His work in other genres spanned from stories in war comics
, such as Battle, to the Biblical story "Cain and Abel" in Bible Tales for Young Folk #5 (March 1954). Tumlinson's last recorded comics credit is the four-page story "The Last Chance", in Marvel Tales #141 (Dec. 1955).
, 1967).
Tumlinson's art found a latter-day audience in the 1970s, when Marvel Comics
reprinted some of his Atlas
horror stories. Chronological by earliest original appearance:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
book illustrator and a 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...
whose worked appeared from the late 1940s through the 1950s in titles published by 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...
predecessors 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....
and Atlas Comics
Atlas Comics (1950s)
Atlas Comics is the term used to describe the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used Atlas as the umbrella name for his comic...
. His work there includes most of the early stories of the Western
Western comics
Western comics is a comics genre usually depicting the American Old West frontier and typically set during the late nineteenth century...
hero Kid Colt
Kid Colt
Kid Colt is the name of two fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first is a cowboy whose adventures have taken place in numerous western themed comic book series published by Marvel...
.
Early life and career
Pete Tumlinson attended Texas A&M UniversityTexas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
, where he originated a cartoon character, "Old Sarge", who remained an unofficial student mascot adorning the likes of stickers and coffee mugs decades later.
His earliest confirmed comic-book work is penciling "I Hate My Husband!", an eight-page story (either co-penciled with or inked
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...
by George Klein
George Klein (comics)
George D. Klein was an American comic book artist and cartoonist whose career stretched from the 1930s and 1940s' Golden Age of comic books...
) in the 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....
romance
Romance comics
Romance comics is a comics genre depicting romantic love and its attendant complications such as jealousy, marriage, divorce, betrayal, and heartache. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published through the first three decades of the Cold War...
title My Own Romance #7 (July 1949). Other early credits include stories in such Western
Western comics
Western comics is a comics genre usually depicting the American Old West frontier and typically set during the late nineteenth century...
-romance comics
Romance comics
Romance comics is a comics genre depicting romantic love and its attendant complications such as jealousy, marriage, divorce, betrayal, and heartache. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published through the first three decades of the Cold War...
as Cowboy Romances #3 (March 1950) and, tentatively credited, Rangeland Love #2 (March 1950). Some sources credit Tumlinson with a small amount of work on the masked-crimefighter series 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...
in 1948, and in the mythological
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
-superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
ine series Venus #6 (Aug. 1949). Another source cites early, uncredited work in D.S. Publishing's 1948-1949 crime
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
comic Gangsters Can't Win and the Western feature "Nuggets Nugent" in Orbit Publications
Orbit Publications
Orbit Publications was a publishing house operated by Rae Herman known for its comic books of the 1940s and 1950s "Golden Age of Comic Books"...
' 1948-1951 The Westerner Comics.
Atlas Comics
Martin Goodman (publisher)
Martin Goodman born on was an American publisher of pulp magazines, paperback books, men's adventure magazines, and comic books, launching the company that would become Marvel Comics....
's comics division had gone from being known as 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....
to Atlas Comics
Atlas Comics (1950s)
Atlas Comics is the term used to describe the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used Atlas as the umbrella name for his comic...
. There Tumlinson was the primary artist on Kid Colt, Outlaw from issues #14-24 (May 1951 - Jan. 1953) before turning over the reins, figuratively speaking, to the character's longtime signature artist, Jack Keller
Jack Keller (comics)
Jack R. Keller was an American comic book artist best known for his 1950s and '60s work on the Marvel Comics Western character Kid Colt, and for his later hot rod and racecar series at Charlton Comics.-Early life and career:...
. Tumlinson had previously drawn an anthological Western story, "The Magic of Manitou", for Kid Colt, Outlaw #13 (March 1951). Later, Tumlinson drew Western stories for Atlas' Outlaw Fighters, Two-Gun Western and Wild Western.
With the popularity of 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...
comics in the early to mid-1950s, Tumlinson produced a number of such stories for Atlas titles including Astonishing, Journey into Mystery
Journey into Mystery
Journey into Mystery was an American comic book series published by Atlas Comics, and later its successor Marvel Comics. It featured horror, monster, and science fiction stories...
, Journey Into Unknown Worlds, Marvel Tales
Marvel Tales
Marvel Tales is the title of three American comic-book series published by Marvel Comics, the first of them from the company's 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics...
, Mystery Tales, Mystic, Strange Tales
Strange Tales
Strange Tales is the name of several comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics. It introduced the features "Doctor Strange" and "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.", and was a showcase for the science fiction/suspense stories of artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and for the...
, and Uncanny Tales
Uncanny Tales
Uncanny Tales may refer to one of the following publications:* Uncanny Tales , an American pulp magazine* Uncanny Tales , a Canadian pulp magazine...
. One story, "In the Dead of Night" by writer Hank Chapman
Hank Chapman
Henry P. "Hank" Chapman is an American comic book writer for Marvel Comics' two predecessors, Timely Comics and Atlas Comics, and later for DC Comics, where he specialized in war fiction. Though much of his Timely/Atlas work went unsigned, comics historians estimate that Chapman, a staff writer,...
and artist Tumlinson, appeared in issue #11 (Nov. 1951) of Suspense, an anthology based on the CBS radio program
Suspense (radio program)
-Production background:One of the premier drama programs of the Golden Age of Radio, was subtitled "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" and focused on suspense thriller-type scripts, usually featuring leading Hollywood actors of the era...
.
His work in other genres spanned from stories in war comics
War comics
War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II.-American war comics:Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began including stories of wartime adventures in the multi-genre...
, such as Battle, to the Biblical story "Cain and Abel" in Bible Tales for Young Folk #5 (March 1954). Tumlinson's last recorded comics credit is the four-page story "The Last Chance", in Marvel Tales #141 (Dec. 1955).
Later career
Tumlinson left comics after the mid-1950s to work in the book illustration. His work there includes the dust-jacket art for Little League Old-Timers, by Don Creighton (Steck-Vaughn Company, Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, 1967).
Reprints
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...
reprinted some of his Atlas
Atlas Comics (1950s)
Atlas Comics is the term used to describe the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used Atlas as the umbrella name for his comic...
horror stories. Chronological by earliest original appearance:
- "The Man Who Went Back": Journey into MysteryJourney into MysteryJourney into Mystery was an American comic book series published by Atlas Comics, and later its successor Marvel Comics. It featured horror, monster, and science fiction stories...
#18 (Oct. 1954)
-
- Giant-Size WerewolfJack RussellJack Russell is the name of:* Jack Russell , a fictional Marvel Comics character* Jack Russell Terrier, a type of dog- People :* Jack "Russer" Russell , traveler* Jack Russell , American baseball player...
#3 (Jan. 1975)
- Giant-Size Werewolf
- "Emily": Marvel TalesMarvel TalesMarvel Tales is the title of three American comic-book series published by Marvel Comics, the first of them from the company's 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics...
#128 (Nov. 1954)
-
- Chamber of Chills #14 (Jan. 1975)
- "Greed": Astonishing #36 (Dec. 1954)
-
- Weird Wonder Tales #5 (Aug. 1974)
- "One Man's Leprechaun" (tentatively identified as Tumlinson): Marvel Tales #146 (May 1956)
-
- Weird Wonder Tales #20 (Jan. 1977)