| Irv Novick | |
|---|---|
 Novick at his drawing board | |
| Born | Irving Novick (1916-04-11)April 11, 1916 Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 2004(2004-10-15) (aged 88) Dobbs Ferry, New York, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Penciller |
Notable works | All-American Men of War Batman Detective Comics The Flash G.I. Combat Our Army at War Our Fighting Forces |
| Awards | Inkpot Award 1995 |
Irving Novick (/ˈnoʊvɪk/; April 11, 1916 – October 15, 2004)[1] was anAmericancomics artist who worked almost continuously from 1939 until the 1990s.
A graduate of theNational Academy of Design, Irv Novick got his start in the workshop ofHarry "A" Chesler. From about 1939 to 1946, Novick was working forMLJ Comics, the company that would later be known asArchie Comics.[2] He became the primary artist for their superhero comics, including the characters theShield (the first patriotic superhero), Bob Phantom, theHangman, and Steel Sterling, until MLJ cut back on these titles to focus more on theirArchie comics.
He joined theUnited States Army on April 17, 1943.[3][4]
From 1946 to 1951, Novick worked in advertising and for the largely unsuccessful comic stripsCynthia andThe Scarlet Avenger.[5] His long association withDC Comics began when he was hired by editorRobert Kanigher, who had previously written Novick-illustrated comics for MLJ. Novick and Kanigher would be friends and colleagues for many years. Initially, Novick was primarily an artist onwar comics such asOur Army at War[6] and occasionallyromance comics.[2] Kanigher and Novick introduced theSilent Knight character inThe Brave and the Bold #1 (Aug. 1955).[7]
Novick left DC for theJohnstone and Cushingadvertising agency in the 1960s, but was unhappy in advertising and was lured back to DC by Kanigher with a freelance contract, a guarantee of steady work and certain perks which was at the time unprecedented.[8] After editorial and management changes in 1968, Novick began drawing superhero titles such asBatman,Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane, andThe Flash.[2] Novick and writerFrank Robbins crafted the story which revealed the last name ofBatman's butlerAlfred Pennyworth inBatman #216 (Nov. 1969).[9] The Robbins and Novick team was instrumental in returning Batman to the character's gothic roots, such as in the story "One Bullet Too Many".[10][11] Robbins and Novick created theTen-Eyed Man inBatman #226 (Nov. 1970)[12] and theSpook inDetective Comics #434 (April 1973).[13] He andDennis O'Neil launchedThe Joker series in May 1975.[14] Novick drew the introductions ofDuela Dent inBatman Family #6 (July–Aug. 1976)[15] and theElectrocutioner inBatman #331 (Jan. 1981).[16] Novick continued to work, still under contract, until failing eyesight prompted his retirement in the 1990s.[17][18]
A panel Novick drew inAll-American Men of War #89 (Jan.–Feb. 1962) of aU.S. Air Force plane shooting down an enemy plane with theonomatopoeia "WHAAM!" was later appropriated forRoy Lichtenstein'spainting of that name.[19][20]
Irv Novick received anInkpot Award in 1995.[21]
It was Bob Kanigher who led the company into the new genre [of war comics]...Kanigher originally worked on these books with many artists, including Jerry Grandenetti, Gene Colan, Russ Heath, and Irv Novick.
The first issue introduced a number of new characters, most notably the Silent Knight...by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Irv Novick.
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Writer Frank Robbins and artist Irv Novick revealed Alftred's last name as Pennyworth.
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Of particular interest to Lichtenstein was artist Irv Novick, who had been Lichtenstein's superior officer in an army unit assigned in 1947 to create posters, signs and other artistic ephemera of military life. Fifteen years later, Novick was a journeyman comic book artist on DC titles likeAll-American Men of War, and the panels he drew were providing fodder for Lichtenstein paintings that would eventually sell for millions of dollars apiece.
He modeledWhaam! on a panel from "Star Jockey"..., making several alterations that might at first seem insignificant but are in fact rather substantial. In the comic-strip panel (fig. 92), the central element is the airplane on the left, which has just scored a major victory over the enemy aircraft. Although it conveys the impact of the explosion, it shows the enemy plane smaller, at a distance, dominated by the huge letters of the exclamation "WHAAM!" whereas in Lichtenstein's version, the conquering plane and the exploding plane are given equal prominence. The painting balances the good guys against the bad guys, and is a far more compelling image as a result.
| Preceded by | Batman artist 1968–1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | The Flash artist 1970–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Batman artist 1979–1981 | Succeeded by |
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