| Alex Schomburg | |
|---|---|
 Alex Schomburg,c. 1940s | |
| Born | Alejandro Schomburg y Rosa (1905-05-10)May 10, 1905 Aguadilla, Puerto Rico |
| Died | April 7, 1998(1998-04-07) (aged 92) Beaverton, Oregon, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Penciller,Inker |
| Pseudonym(s) | Xela |
Alexander A. Schomburg,[1] bornAlejandro Schomburg y Rosa (/ˈʃɒmbɜːrɡ/; May 10, 1905[2] – April 7, 1998),[1] was a Puerto Rican commercial artist andcomic-book artist and painter whose career lasted over 70 years.
Alex Schomburg was born on May 10, 1905, inAguadilla,Puerto Rico,[3] as the son of Guillermo Schomburg, a civil engineer and land surveyor ofGerman ancestry andJewish ancestry,[4][5] and Francisca Rosa. Alex Schomburg moved to New York City in 1917, where he joined his older brothers and attended public school. In 1923 he began work as a commercial artist with three of his brothers.[6] In 1928, the brothers' partnership ended and Schomburg found work with theNational Screen Service, creatinglantern slides and working onmovie trailers there through 1944.
During the 1930s, in addition to working for the NSS, Schomburg freelanced withBetter Publications, producing interior line art forThrilling Wonder Stories and other of the company'spulp magazines. His skill at drawing anything mechanical soon had him illustrating aviation covers forFlying Aces and electronic equipment for theHugo Gernsback pulpRadio Craft. Schomburg's firstscience fiction-themed cover was for the September 1939 issue ofStartling Stories. As the artist recalled in 1939, "One day the publisher asked me to do an illustration forThrilling Wonder Stories. I had always been interested in science fiction and they liked the way I handled the art work. I enjoy reading the story as much as doing the illustrations. In my opinion, an illustration is very important. For instance, give the same story to two different persons ... then ask them to picture a certain scene. You can bet they'll be entirely different."[7]
The following decade, Schomburg freelanced primarily forTimely Comics, the 1940s forerunner ofMarvel Comics, displaying his talent for action tableaux in covers featuringCaptain America, theSub-Mariner, theHuman Torch, and othersuperheroes. His first recorded comic book work were two covers released the same month, forDaring Mystery Comics #1 andMarvel Mystery Comics #3 (bothcover-dated Jan. 1940).[8][9] Schomburg would draw most of Timely’s covers, as well as a smattering of single-page interior illustrations, throughMarvel Mystery Comics #76 (Sept. 1946). He also provided covers forPines Publications, for titles includingExciting Comics andAmerica's Best Comics, featuring such superheroes as theBlack Terror and theFighting Yank, as well as forHarvey Comics, including the licensed radio-series crimefighter star ofGreen Hornet Comics.[8][9] On some Pines comics from 1947 to 1949, he signed covers as "Xela."[10] Through the 1930s and 1940s, Schomburg produced over 500 comic book covers.[11]
In the early 1950s, Schomburg left comics and spent the remainder of his career on covers and illustrations for science fiction magazines, astrology publications, and books, including the Winston juvenile series.[citation needed]
In 1962, Schomburg moved to a ranch house inNewberg, Oregon. His home was later purchased by the local university,George Fox University, and converted into student housing under the name "Schomburg House".[11]
In 1977, Schomburg and a few of his fellow Golden Age comic book artists collaborated on theInvaders Annual #1, written byRoy Thomas. Schomburg penciled and inked a six-page chapter featuring theGolden Age Human Torch.[8]
Late in life, Schomburg resided inHillsboro, Oregon, and died inBeaverton, Oregon, on April 7, 1998.[12]
Stan Lee wrote:
I've always felt that Alex Schomburg was to comic books whatNorman Rockwell was toThe Saturday Evening Post. He was totally unique, with an amazing distinctive style. You could never mistake a Schomburg cover for any other artist's. ... I remember hearingTimely Comics publisherMartin Goodman tell me time and again how great a cover illustrator Alex was, and how he wished we had more like him. ... [D]espite the quantity of work we gave him, despite the care and effort that went into every Schomburg cover, I cannot remember Alex ever being late with any illustration.[13]
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