| Ric Estrada | |
|---|---|
 Ric Estrada self-portrait (2001) | |
| Born | (1928-02-26)February 26, 1928 Havana, Cuba |
| Died | May 1, 2009(2009-05-01) (aged 81) |
| Nationality | Cuban-American |
| Area(s) | Writer,Penciller,Inker |
| Awards | Inkpot Award 2000 |
Ric Estrada (February 26, 1928 – May 1, 2009) was aCuban-Americancomics artist who worked for companies including the major American publisherDC Comics. He also worked incomic strips,political cartoons,advertising,storyboarding, and commercialillustration.
Ric Estrada was born inHavana, Cuba.[1] He made his first professional sale, an illustration used on the cover of the Cuban magazineBohemia, at the age of 13.[2] Estrada attended theUniversity of Havana. Through his uncle,Sergio Carbó, Estrada met writerErnest Hemingway; the two men facilitated Estrada's move to New York City in 1947 to further his artistic studies and start a career.[2] Estrada there attended theNew York Art Students League,New York University, and theSchool of Visual Arts.[1] Estrada's first New York home was inGreenwich Village where he met fellow artists such asLee J. Ames,Dan Barry,Sy Barry,Frank Frazetta,Andre LeBlanc,Mort Meskin,Pete Morisi,Don Perlin, andGeorge Roussos.[3]
In the 1950s, Estrada penciled and inked "Bunker", the first comic-book story to feature an African-American hero,[4] and "Rough Riders". Both stories were for theEC Comics seriesTwo-Fisted Tales. He drew forDell Comics,Hillman Periodicals,St. John Publications, andZiff-Davis.[5] In the late fifties he drew almost half the satirical articles of the first two issues of theMad magazine imitatorFrantic.[6] After that he moved to Germany, where he stayed for three years. He did political cartoons for theSpandauer Volksblatt in the morning and did storyboards for the advertising company Deutschen Documentar in the afternoons.[7]
In 1967 and 1968, he drew stories forWarren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazineEerie.[1][8] Much of Estrada's comic book career after returning from Germany was spent working forDC Comics. Thoughsuperheroes were not his preference[9] Estrada worked onSuperman,Batman,Wonder Woman,Wonder Girl, andRichard Dragon, and he co-createdLady Shiva[10] andPower Girl.[11][12] Estrada drewdetective comics,romance comics,war comics and a fewhorror stories for DC. In 1976, Estrada's work was in such high demand from DC that he illustrated the premiere issues ofsix separate titles that year:All Star Comics,Blitzkrieg,Freedom Fighters,Isis,Karate Kid,[13] andSuper Friends.[14]
Estrada's preference was for the war stories.[9] Among the war titles he worked on for DC Comics wasG.I. Combat, for which he illustrated a number of stories in the ongoing features "Blitzkrieg" and "Robert Kanigher's Gallery of War", both written byRobert Kanigher.[15]
While working onG.I. Combat #169 (Feb. 1974), Estrada filled a page shortage with an account from theBook of Ether, a short book of scripture contained in theBook of Mormon. That story came to the attention ofHugh W. Pinnock, who was in charge of creating a comic-style adaptation of theNew Testament forthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in 1980 Estrada drew all the pictures for that book.[16][17]
Estrada drew theFlash Gordonsyndicated newspapercomic strip in sporadic stints from the 1950s to the 1970s.[1] In the 1980s, he collaborated on theanimated television seriesHe-Man and the Masters of the Universe,Galtar,The New Adventures of Jonny Quest, andBionic Six.[1]
Estrada died May 1, 2009, at 81, after a lengthy battle withprostate cancer.[5][18]
Ric Estrada received anInkpot Award in 2000.[19]
Writer Denny O'Neil and artist Ric Estrada matched up martial arts hero Richard Dragon with dangerous beauty Lady Shiva in January [1976].
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Roy Thomas: Joe Orlando is often credited with designing Power Girl, maybe from Gerry Conway's suggestion. But the only design sketch I've ever seen was one you did that DC ran in its fan-magazineAmazing World of DC Comics. Do you remember how that character was designed?Estrada: Not the exact details, but I do know they liked the way I drew women, because I had done a lot of romance stories. In fact, the first year I worked for DC, I did mostly the romance line. I drew girls sexy but not too muscular like they became later.
| Preceded by | Wonder Woman artist 1973–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter artist 1975–1977 | Succeeded by n/a |
| Preceded by | Blackhawk artist 1976–1977 | Succeeded by Dan Spiegle (in 1982) |
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