Sy Barry
Encyclopedia
Seymour "Sy" Barry is an American comic strip
artist
, best known for his work on The Phantom
comic strip, which he drew for three decades.
After completing his studies, he was an inking assistant for his older brother, Dan Barry, who drew the Flash Gordon
comic strip. Later, he penciled the strips from time to time, and he often did uncredited stand-in jobs for his brother.
Having worked on both Tarzan and Flash Gordon, he went on to draw the world's most successful adventure comic strip, The Phantom
for 33 years from 1962 to 1994, succeeding Ray Moore
and Wilson McCoy
.
Barry is credited for giving the Phantom his modern look, which has not changed since he took over the strip. Creator Lee Falk
liked his drawing style so much that he quickly decided to modernize the entire comic strip, giving Bengalla a black President and the Jungle Patrol a black colonel.
Barry frequently used pencil artists on the strip, working primarily as an inker (although he often drew entire stories when time permitted). Pencilers included George Olesen
, Joe Giella
, Bob Forgione, André LeBlanc
and Carmine Infantino
.
At the height of their popularity, Lee Falk and Sy Barry's Phantom stories were read by over 100 million people every day in newspapers and comic books. His stories are still irregularly published in countries such as Norway, Sweden, Finland and Australia, in comic books or hardcover collections.
He currently resides in Long Island with his wife Simmy. The couple have three children together.
Among his recent appearances and meeting with fans, was his trip to Scandinavia
in 2001, where he met Norwegian and Swedish fans at several comic book conventions, and an appearance at the 2005 San Diego Comic Con.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
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 his work 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...
comic strip, which he drew for three decades.
Career
A junior high school teacher encouraged him to try out for admission to the School of Industrial Art in New York City. Among thousands of candidates, Barry was one of 100 who was accepted to the school in 1943.After completing his studies, he was an inking assistant for his older brother, Dan Barry, who drew the Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
comic strip. Later, he penciled the strips from time to time, and he often did uncredited stand-in jobs for his brother.
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...
for 33 years from 1962 to 1994, succeeding Ray Moore
Ray Moore
Ray Moore may refer to:*Ray Moore , comic strip artist and co-creator of The Phantom*Ray Moore , British broadcaster*Raymond Moore , former South African tennis player...
and Wilson McCoy
Wilson McCoy
Wilson McCoy was an American illustrator and painter best known as the second artist on the The Phantom comic strip.Wilson McCoy is well known for his unique, naive style of drawing...
.
Barry is credited for giving the Phantom his modern look, which has not changed since he took over the strip. Creator Lee Falk
Lee Falk
Lee 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...
liked his drawing style so much that he quickly decided to modernize the entire comic strip, giving Bengalla a black President and the Jungle Patrol a black colonel.
Barry frequently used pencil artists on the strip, working primarily as an inker (although he often drew entire stories when time permitted). Pencilers included George Olesen
George Olesen
George Olesen is best known for his work as a penciller on popular comic strip The Phantom. He worked with the character for around 40 years, although he did not get any official credit for it until penciler Sy Barry retired and Keith Williams took over as the new inker...
, Joe Giella
Joe Giella
Joe Giella is an American comic book artist best known as a DC Comics inker during the late 1950s and 1960s period historians and fans call the Silver Age of comic books.-Early life and career:...
, Bob Forgione, André LeBlanc
André LeBlanc (artist)
André LeBlanc was an American artist who worked on comic strips and comic books of the 1940s and 1950s. He was an instructor at New York's School of Visual Arts....
and Carmine Infantino
Carmine Infantino
Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (born May 24, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York is an American comic book artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age of Comic Books...
.
At the height of their popularity, Lee Falk and Sy Barry's Phantom stories were read by over 100 million people every day in newspapers and comic books. His stories are still irregularly published in countries such as Norway, Sweden, Finland and Australia, in comic books or hardcover collections.
Personal life
Tired with the stressing deadlines he constantly had to face, Barry retired from the newspaper strip in 1994. He now uses most of his time to develop his painting skills, and likes to do landscape painting. He has also painted the Phantom several times, and some of his sketches have been used as covers for Phantom comics around the world.He currently resides in Long Island with his wife Simmy. The couple have three children together.
Among his recent appearances and meeting with fans, was his trip to Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
in 2001, where he met Norwegian and Swedish fans at several comic book conventions, and an appearance at the 2005 San Diego Comic Con.
Sources
- Strickler, DaveDave StricklerDave Strickler is a reference librarian noted for his compilation of Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924–1995: The Complete Index, regarded as a major reference work by researchers and historians of newspaper comic strips....
. Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index. Cambria, California: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0-9700077-0-1