| Tom Palmer | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Thomas John Palmer (1941-07-13)July 13, 1941 Queens,New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 18, 2022(2022-08-18) (aged 81) Oakland, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Inker,Colourist |
Notable works | |
| Awards |
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| tompalmerillustration | |
Thomas John Palmer (July 13, 1941 – August 18, 2022)[2] was an Americancomic book artist best known as aninker forMarvel Comics.
Although Tom Palmer created a small amount ofpenciling work (as well as some cover art and somecoloring), the vast majority of his artistic output since the 1960s was as a comic bookinker. Reminiscing about how he came to be an inker, Palmer recounted:
I walk in the door and pencil [an] issue ofDoctor Strange - first job I ever penciled. At the time, I thought I did a good job, but really it was a stinker. It wasn't up to par. I went back two weeks later to get the next issue, and they said, "No, we're getting someone else to pencil it; would you like to ink it?" I said "Sure!" I'd never inked anything before! But to this day, if someone asks, "Can you handle this new assignment?" I'll say "Sure!" I may not know how to tackle that specific assignment today, but by tomorrow or next week I will.[3]
Palmer's extensive work forMarvel Comics includes runs paired with pencilersNeal Adams onThe Avengers andUncanny X-Men;Gene Colan, on titles such asDoctor Strange,Daredevil, andTomb of Dracula; andJohn Buscema, onThe Avengers. He also inked the entire run ofJohn Byrne'sX-Men: The Hidden Years.
Palmer is widely considered the definitive inker for Gene Colan, whose use of grey textures made his pencils notoriously difficult to ink in a way that did them justice.[4] Colan has stated publishers never answered his requests to be paired with a specific inker.[3] Palmer reasoned that, "I think the way we both worked in the business, we had a book to get out every month, bills to pay, and somehow we were put together as a team. We could have been forgotten and ignored, and we'd not be sitting here today. But somehow, I think, the fans have brought us to this point of recognition."[5]
Palmer's brushy, detailed, and illustrative inking style hearkens back to vintage newspapercomic strips likeSteve Canyon andTarzan, and has influenced later generations of inkers likeKlaus Janson,Josef Rubinstein, andBob McLeod.[6]
Palmer's sonTom Palmer, Jr. is a comic book professional who had a long-running column, Palmer's Picks, in the now defunctWizard Magazine: The Price Guide to Comics and he was also an editor forDC Comics.[7]
Palmer died on August 18, 2022, at the age of 81.[8][9]
In addition to the awards below, Palmer was also named the #3 Inker of American Comics by Atlas Comics.[6]
| Preceded by | Doctor Strange inker 1968–1969 | Succeeded by N/A |
| Preceded by | Uncanny X-Men inker 1969–1970 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Avengers inker 1970–1971 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Daredevil inker 1971–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Tomb of Dracula inker 1973–1979 | Succeeded by N/A |
| Preceded by | Star Wars inker 1981–1985 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Avengers inker 1985–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | The Incredible Hulk vol. 3 inker 2002 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
