| Matt Baker | |
|---|---|
 Baker (left) and publisherArcher St. John atGrauman's Chinese Theatre (undated) | |
| Born | Clarence Matthew Baker (1921-12-10)December 10, 1921 Forsyth County,North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | August 11, 1959(1959-08-11) (aged 37) New York City, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Area | Penciller |
| Pseudonym | Matt Bakerino |
Notable works | Phantom Lady |
Clarence Matthew Baker[1] (December 10, 1921 – August 11, 1959[2]) was an Americancomic book artist andillustrator, best known for drawing early comics heroines such as the costumed crimefighterPhantom Lady, andromance comics. Active in the 1940s and 1950sGolden Age of comic books, he is one of the first knownAfrican-American artists to find success in the comic-book industry.[3] He alsopenciledSt. John Publications'digest-sized "picture novel"It Rhymes with Lust (1950), the firstgraphic novel despite that term not having been coined at the time.
Baker was inducted into theWill Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2009.[4] His influence can be seen in artists such asDave Stevens andAdam Hughes.[5]
Baker was born December 10, 1921, inForsyth County,North Carolina.[1] At a young age he relocated with his family toPittsburgh,Pennsylvania,[1] and after graduating high school in 1940, moved toWashington, D.C.[1] Prevented by a heart condition from being drafted into the U.S. military duringWorld War II, he began studying art atCooper Union, inNew York City.[1] He entered comics through theJerry Iger Studio, one of the 1930s to 1940s "packagers" that provided outsourced comics to publishers entering the new medium.[6] Iger recalled that Baker came into his studio with a single sample of a color sketch in his portfolio; he thought the woman was so naturally beautiful that he hired Baker on the spot, as abackground artist before he was given his first scripts.[7] Baker's first confirmed comics work is penciling and inking the women in the 12-page "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle" story inFiction House'sJumbo Comics #69 (cover-dated Nov. 1944), otherwise penciled by Robert Webb and Alex Blum.[8][9]
Much of Baker's work was originally penciled backgrounds as well as female figures for other artists, and most of his work has been inked over, with theinker credited for his work. He quickly developed a reputation as one of the best"Good Girl" artists in the business for his attention to detail when drawing women.[7]
During this period, known as theGolden Age of Comic Books, Baker did work for publishers including Fiction House,Fox Comics,Quality Comics, andSt. John Publications.[9] In later years, he independently teamed withinkerJon D'Agostino under thepseudonym"Matt Bakerino"[citation needed] atCharlton Comics.
Baker's friend Frank Giusto[10] and artistLee J. Ames have said that Baker was gay.[11] Baker's brother Fred Robinson added of Baker andSt. John Publications publisherArcher St. John, "They had a very close relationship. I don't know exactly what it was."[12]
The character Phantom Lady, created byArthur Peddy, had originated in 1941 as a Quality Comics feature supplied by the Iger Studio. CartoonistFrank Borth later took over the art. After Quality dropped the feature, which had appeared inPolice Comics #1-23 (Aug. 1941 – Oct. 1943), Iger supplied it toFox Comics. Baker redesigned the character into her best-known incarnation. This version (generally but unconfirmably credited to writerRuth Roche) debuted in Fox'sPhantom Lady #13 (August 1947), the premiere issue after taking over the numbering of the canceled comicWotalife; the title ran through issue #23 (April 1949). Baker's Phantom Lady also appeared as a backup feature inAll Top Comics #9-16 (Jan. 1948 – March 1949).[13]
When psychiatristFrederick Wertham claimed comics had ill effects on a child's psychological development, he used Baker'sPhantom Lady #17 as a key sample. These criticisms led to the 1954 foundation for theComics Code Authority and decades of industry-controlled censorship.[14]
His other artwork for comic books includes the light-humormilitary titleCanteen Kate, for which Baker drew all 22 installments,[15] as well as stories in the suspenseanthologyTales of The Mysterious Traveler; the comedic-adventure feature "Sky Girl" inFiction House'sJumbo Comics, with originals and later reprints running from #69-139 (November 1944 – December 1952); thejungle adventure "Tiger Girl"; "Flamingo", "South Sea Girl", "Glory Forbes", "Kayo Kirby"; and "Risks Unlimited". Baker illustratedLorna Doone forClassic Comics in December 1946, his one and only contribution to the well-known series.[16] He is the generally credited but unconfirmed artist for Fox'sRulah, Jungle Goddess #17–27 (Aug. 1948 – June 1949, the title's complete run after having taken over the numbering of the defunctZoot Comics). He also producedFlamingo as a syndicated comic strip from 1952 through 1954.[citation needed] Hispen names includeCurt Davis.[17] Baker shaped women into classy, realistic beauties, full of character in their own stories as opposed to the ways women were portrayed in other comics of the time.[18]
In addition to severalromance comics and other titles forSt. John Publications, Bakerpenciled an early form ofgraphic novel, St. John'sdigest-sized "picture novel"It Rhymes with Lust (1950), with writersArnold Drake andLeslie Waller, writing under the pseudonym "Drake Waller."
Baker also created or co-created what writerJohn Arcudi calls "the first known black hero in American comics."[19] TheTarzan-like jungle hero Voodah, drawn by Baker and scripted by an unknown writer, debuted in the publisher McCombs'Crown Comics #3 (cover-date Fall 1945, on-sale date Sept. 19, 1945).[20] As theGrand Comics Database states, based on art credits from "The Matt Baker Checklist" by Alberto Becattini and Jim Vadeboncoeur Jr. inMatt Baker: The Art of Glamour (cited under References), "Voodah is colored like a native African in this comic, but after this issue he is colored like a Caucasian." He additionally is Caucasian on the cover.[20]
Later in the decade, Baker freelanced forAtlas Comics, the 1950s forerunner ofMarvel Comics, beginning with a five-page anthological story generally, if unconfirmably, credited to writer-editorStan Lee, in the omnibus titleGunsmoke Western #32 (Dec. 1955). At some point during this period, working through artistVince Colletta's studio, Baker went on to draw stories for Atlas'Western Outlaws,Quick Trigger Action,Frontier Western, andWild Western; more prolifically for the company'sromance comicsLove Romances,My Own Romance, andTeen-Age Romance; and one story each for thesupernatural/science fiction anthologiesStrange Tales,World of Fantasy, andTales to Astonish ("I Fell to the Center of the Earth!" in issue #2, March 1959). Baker also supplied artwork for theDell Movie Classic edition ofKing Richard and the Crusaders.[21]
In the late fifties, he branched out into illustration work, for instance for the 16-page illustrated condensation he did of Howard J. Lewis' The Complete Guide to Better Bowling (1956, Maco Magazine Corporation) for the General Motors' Information Rack Service number 1R-58-46[22] and the early issues of the St. John detective pulp digest Manhunt[23]
His last known confirmed work is the six-page "I Gave Up the Man I Love!" in Atlas Comics'My Own Romance #73 (Jan. 1960).[9] His last known work as generally credited but unconfirmed is the first page of the six-page story "Happily Ever After" in Marvel'sLove Romances #90 (Nov. 1960).
He died of a heart attack on August 11, 1959 in New York City.[2][24][25]
Baker was inducted into theWill Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2009.[4]
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Note: Artist credits were not routinely given in comic books in the 1940s, so comprehensive credits are difficult if not impossible to ascertain.