| Paul Norris | |
|---|---|
| Born | Paul Leroy Norris (1914-04-26)April 26, 1914 Greenville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | November 5, 2007(2007-11-05) (aged 93) Oceanside, California, U.S. |
| Area | Cartoonist,Penciller,Inker |
Notable works | Aquaman Brick Bradford |
| Awards | Inkpot Award (1993)[1] |
| Children | Michael Norris |
Paul Leroy Norris (April 26, 1914 – November 5, 2007)[2] was an Americancomic book artist best known as co-creator of theDC ComicssuperheroAquaman,[3] and for a 35-year run as artist and writer of thenewspapercomic stripBrick Bradford.
Paul Norris was born inGreenville, Ohio, the son of Lesta (Arnett) and Leroy Norris.[4][5] Beginning 1934, during theGreat Depression, he spent two years atMidland Lutheran College inFremont, Nebraska at the behest of his cousin, Dr. Emerson Reck, ajournalism professor and director of the school's news bureau.[4] Self-described as having been "drawing pictures from the first time I could hold a pencil," Norris becameart director ofThe Warrior, the collegeyearbook, and also performed in plays, served as president of the campusYMCA, and painted signs for businesses.[4]
After two years, Norris left college in an aborted attempt to pursue a career ascomic strip cartoonist. He recalled in 2006,
I left Midland ... to pursue the publication of a comic strip (Hobo Cupboard). Emerson’s brother Myron was inradio inChicago. He had written a script for a comic strip and I was to draw it, which I did. Myron sold it to asyndicate inOhio. As was the custom the syndicate wanted six weeks of the strip in advance. I couldn't get that much work done and keep up the chores and studies I had [at] Midland. So I returned to Ohio to get the strip ready for publication. Well, before I finished the six weeks of artwork the syndicate folded. I was out of college and out of work...."[4]
Norris worked on his grandmother's farm before obtaining a job at an electric-motor assembly plant inDayton, Ohio.[6] He also enrolled at theDayton Art Institute School, where he met his wife of 61 years, Ann, whom he married in 1939.[6] He went on to become an illustrator andcartoonist for theDayton Daily News.[4]
In 1940, Norris and his wife moved toNew York City,New York,[4] where he created the features "Power Nelson, Futureman", and "Yank & Doodle" for thecomic-book publisherPrize Publications.[7] Historians tentatively identify Norris' comic-book debut aspenciling andinking the cover of Prize Publications'Prize Comics #6 (Aug. 1940), with his first confirmed credit the Power Nelson story "Introducing Gene West" two issues later.[8] Norris' first confirmed credit forDC Comics (then National Comics) is the story "The Sandman at Sea", starring DC's originalSandman, Wesley Dodds, inAdventure Comics #65 (Aug. 1941). Norris and writerMort Weisinger revamped that character insuperhero attire and introducedsidekickSandy the Golden Boy in issue #69 (Dec. 1941).[9]
Norris and Weisinger introduced the underseasuperheroAquaman in the eight-page story "The Submarine Strikes" inMore Fun Comics # 73 (Nov. 1941). That same year, Norris began drawing the adventurecomic stripVic Jordan forPM, one of the New York's daily afternoon papers. Norris said in 2007 that he had inadvertently signed an exclusive contract withPM and not realized this for a year, after which he had to give up the "Aquaman" feature.[7] In 1943,King Features Syndicate assigned Norris to write and draw the existing stripSecret Agent X-9, on which he worked for three months before beingdrafted into theU.S. Army.[6]
Norris said that during hisWorld War II military service as a techsergeant, "I did a little [comic] strip for the ship newspaper" that came to the attention ofLieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. "He saw it and made the order that I be transferred from the82nd Signal Battalion toJICPOA10th Army", where Norris illustratedpropaganda leaflets to be dropped from aircraft overOkinawa, urgingJapanese soldiers to surrender. "I worked with aprisoner of war. We wanted the translations to be authentic".[4] Norris in 2006 recalled the POW as George Totari, formerly a reporter for anEnglish language newspaper inJapan.[6]
While Norris told one interviewer that, "The Japanese came in with these things in their hands and wanted to surrender",[4] he told another that the leaflet, designed to look like a comic-book page, had not yet gone into print when theatomic bomb was dropped on Japan, scuttling the project.[6]
Following the war, Norris did some covers featuringBuck Rogers forFour Color,[10] including issues 190, 204, and 247. Norris was rehired byKing Features Syndicate, and in 1948 began drawing the Sunday edition ofAustin Briggs'comic stripJungle Jim. He continued to freelance forDC Comics through 1953, drawing the detective feature "Captain Compass" in most issues ofStar Spangled Comics #106–130 (July 1950 – July 1952), and the super-speedster feature "Johnny Quick" inAdventure Comics #171–186 (Dec. 1951 – March 1953).[11]
In 1952, Norris succeeded artistClarence Gray on thescience-fiction comic stripBrick Bradford, continuing to draw it for 35 years until his and the strip's retirement in 1987. The final daily appeared April 25, 1987.[4]
As well in the 1950s, Norris drew issues ofDell Comics'Tom Corbett, Space Cadet andJungle Jim, the latter of which he had previously drawn as anewspapercomic strip. The following decade, he drew stories ofjungle adventurerTarzan and science-fiction heroMagnus, Robot Fighter in comic books forGold Key Comics.[11]
With writerGaylord DuBois, Norris co-created the Gold Key jungle characters Kono and Tono in the namesake seriesThe Jungle Twins,[12] which ran 17 original issues (April 1972 – Nov. 1975), followed by reprints.[8]
Norris' last known comics story is co-penciling (withRoman Arambula andScott Shaw) the cover and the 17-pagetalking animal feature "Now You See Them...", starringYogi Bear,Scooby-Doo, and a plethora of otherHanna-Barberaanimated TV series characters, inMarvel Comics' Laff-A-Lympics #10 (Dec. 1978). His last comics work was a drawing ofAquaman inDC Comics' multi-artist, multi-character "History of the DC Universe" poster in 1987.[13]
Norris was living inOceanside, California at the time of his death. Norris and his wife Ann, who died in 2000, had two sons, Michael and Paul Jr. (called Reed).[6] Norris is buried in Glen Haven Memorial Gardens inNew Carlisle, Ohio.[14]
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