Russ Manning
Encyclopedia
Russell Manning was an American comic book
artist
who created the series Magnus, Robot Fighter
and illustrated such newspaper
comic strips as Tarzan
and Star Wars
. He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2006.
service in Japan
, drew cartoon
s for the newspaper at his military base.
In 1953, he went to work for Western Publishing
and illustrated stories for the wide variety of comics published by Western for Dell Comics
, and later for Western's own Gold Key Comics
line. His first notable work was on Brothers of the Spear
, a backup feature, created by Gaylord Du Bois in the Tarzan comic book. He also drew a few Tarzan stories. He created Gold Key's Magnus Robot Fighter in 1963 and drew the first 21 issues, through 1968.
From 1965 to 1969, Manning drew Gold Key's Tarzan series. During this time, he adapted ten of the first eleven Tarzan novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs
, from scripts written by Gaylord Du Bois. (The adaptation of the sixth, Jungle Tales of Tarzan, also scripted by Du Bois, was drawn by Alberto Giolitti
rather than Manning). In 1999, the first seven of these were reprinted in three graphic novels by Dark Horse Comics
as Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes (Tarzan of the Apes, Return, Beasts, and Son of Tarzan), Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan — The Jewels of Opar, and Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan The Untamed (Tarzan the Untamed and Tarzan the Terrible). Manning's remaining adaptations, not reprinted by Dark Horse, were "Tarzan and the Golden Lion" Tarzan and the Ant Men and Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle. He did not do the finished art for the latter, but provided lay-outs for parts of the story. Manning also drew the Korak stories in the first 11 issues of Gold Key's Korak comic (also written by Du Bois).
From 1969 to 1972 he did the Tarzan daily newspaper strip, and stayed on the Sunday page until 1979. He also created four original Tarzan graphic novels for European publication. Two of them have recently been reprinted by Dark Horse Comics in a single trade paperback collection (Tarzan in The Land That Time Forgot and The Pool of Time) (ISBN 1-56971-151-8). During that period he used assistants, among them William Stout
, Rick Hoberg
, Mike Royer
, and Dave Stevens
.
Magnus, his and Gold Key's best-known heroic-adventure series, was set in the year 4000, which Manning depicted as clean, airy cityscapes populated by shiny robot
s, handsome men and beautiful women. In an era when many science fiction
illustrations showed interstellar spaceships with antique-looking fins reminiscent of V-2 rocket
s of World War II
, Manning offered more exotic craft. His Magnus work is being reprinted in hardcover 'archive' editions by Dark Horse Comics with a different color palette.
His final major work was writing and drawing the Star Wars newspaper strip in 1979-80. This work has been collected by Dark Horse Comics as Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures (ISBN 1-56971-178-X), which omitted the fact that Manning only drew some of the episodes that were written by Steve Gerber
and Archie Goodwin
. He died December 1, 1981.
The Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award
, which is presented annually at Comic-Con International
during the Eisner Awards, is named after him.
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...
who created the series Magnus, Robot Fighter
Magnus, Robot Fighter
Magnus, Robot Fighter is a fictional comic book superhero created by writer/artist Russ Manning in 1963, based primarily on Tarzan. Magnus first appeared in Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #1, published by Gold Key Comics in February 1963...
and illustrated such newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
comic strips as Tarzan
Tarzan (comics)
Tarzan, a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in 23 sequels. The character proved immensely popular and quickly made the jump to other media, including comics.-Comic strips:...
and Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
. He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2006.
Career
Manning studied at the Los Angeles County Art Institute, and later, during his ArmyArmy
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
service in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, drew cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s for the newspaper at his military base.
In 1953, he went to work for Western Publishing
Western Publishing
Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company was a Racine, Wisconsin firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Western Publishing also produced children's books and family-related entertainment products as Golden Books Family Entertainment...
and illustrated stories for the wide variety of comics published by Western 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 later for Western's own Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
line. His first notable work was on Brothers of the Spear
Brothers of the Spear
Brothers of the Spear was a long-running backup feature in the Tarzan comic book series created by Western Publishing and published first through Dell Comics and then through Gold Key Comics...
, a backup feature, created by Gaylord Du Bois in the Tarzan comic book. He also drew a few Tarzan stories. He created Gold Key's Magnus Robot Fighter in 1963 and drew the first 21 issues, through 1968.
From 1965 to 1969, Manning drew Gold Key's Tarzan series. During this time, he adapted ten of the first eleven Tarzan novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
, from scripts written by Gaylord Du Bois. (The adaptation of the sixth, Jungle Tales of Tarzan, also scripted by Du Bois, was drawn by Alberto Giolitti
Alberto Giolitti
Alberto Giolitti was an Italian-American comic book artist.He was born in Rome, where his family held one of the most famous café, Giolitti, where he also worked for a while. He debuted as artist for Il Vittorioso in the late 1940s...
rather than Manning). In 1999, the first seven of these were reprinted in three graphic novels by Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
as Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes (Tarzan of the Apes, Return, Beasts, and Son of Tarzan), Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan — The Jewels of Opar, and Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan The Untamed (Tarzan the Untamed and Tarzan the Terrible). Manning's remaining adaptations, not reprinted by Dark Horse, were "Tarzan and the Golden Lion" Tarzan and the Ant Men and Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle. He did not do the finished art for the latter, but provided lay-outs for parts of the story. Manning also drew the Korak stories in the first 11 issues of Gold Key's Korak comic (also written by Du Bois).
From 1969 to 1972 he did the Tarzan daily newspaper strip, and stayed on the Sunday page until 1979. He also created four original Tarzan graphic novels for European publication. Two of them have recently been reprinted by Dark Horse Comics in a single trade paperback collection (Tarzan in The Land That Time Forgot and The Pool of Time) (ISBN 1-56971-151-8). During that period he used assistants, among them William Stout
William Stout
William Stout is an American fantasy artist and illustrator with a specialization in paleontological art. His paintings have been shown in over seventy exhibitions, including twelve one-man shows. He has worked on over thirty feature films, doing everything from storyboard art to production design...
, Rick Hoberg
Rick Hoberg
Rick Hoberg is an award-winning American comic book artist and animator.-Newspaper Strips:Hoberg began his career in the mid-1970s, working in newspaper strips, assisting Russ Manning on Tarzan and Star Wars , and Fred Kida on the daily Spider-Man strip .-Comic books:Between 1977 and 1979, Hoberg...
, Mike Royer
Mike Royer (comics)
Michael "Mike" W. Royer Michael "Mike" W. Royer Michael "Mike" W. Royer (born 1941, Lebanon, Oregon;The entry at the Lambiek Comiclopedia erroneously lists Canada as his birthplace. Royer specifies "his birth state, Oregon" in his official site's biography. is an comic book artist and inker, best...
, and Dave Stevens
Dave Stevens
Dave Stevens was an American illustrator and comics artist. He is most famous for creating The Rocketeer comic book and film character, and for his pin-up style "glamour art" illustrations, especially of model Bettie Page...
.
Magnus, his and Gold Key's best-known heroic-adventure series, was set in the year 4000, which Manning depicted as clean, airy cityscapes populated by shiny robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s, handsome men and beautiful women. In an era when many science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
illustrations showed interstellar spaceships with antique-looking fins reminiscent of V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
s of 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...
, Manning offered more exotic craft. His Magnus work is being reprinted in hardcover 'archive' editions by Dark Horse Comics with a different color palette.
His final major work was writing and drawing the Star Wars newspaper strip in 1979-80. This work has been collected by Dark Horse Comics as Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures (ISBN 1-56971-178-X), which omitted the fact that Manning only drew some of the episodes that were written by Steve Gerber
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....
and Archie Goodwin
Archie Goodwin (comics)
Archie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work...
. He died December 1, 1981.
The Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award
Russ Manning Award
The Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award is an American award presented to a comic book artist whose first professional work appeared within the previous two years. It was named after comic book artist Russ Manning...
, which is presented annually at Comic-Con International
Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
during the Eisner Awards, is named after him.