As a teenager in Detroit, Buckler was involved in comicsfandom.[3] He attended the initial iterations of theDetroit Triple Fan Fair, eventually running the convention along with originator Robert Brosch in 1969–1970.[4][5]
Buckler's first comics work was as a teenager with the four-page historical story "Freedom Fighters: Washington Attacks Trenton" in theKing Features comic bookFlash Gordon #10 (cover-dated Nov. 1967). In 1971, he did some work forSkywald Publications but made a "wrong move" by attempting to date the daughter of Skywald's co-owner Israel Waldman.[6] At DC Comics, he drew the "Rose and the Thorn" backup stories inSuperman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #117–121 (Dec. 1971–April 1972).[7]
Buckler drew the first three issues of writerDon McGregor'sBlack Panther series inJungle Action vol. 2, #6–8 (Sept. 1973–Jan. 1974), a run thatComics Bulletin in 2010 ranked third on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels".[8] He fulfilled a decade-long dream in 1974 when assigned to draw Marvel's flagship series,Fantastic Four, on which he stayed for two years.[9] During this period, Buckler created the cyborg antiheroDeathlok, who starred in an ongoing feature debuting inAstonishing Tales #25 (Aug. 1974).[10] Also during this period, Buckler hired the youngGeorge Pérez as his studio assistant.[11]
In 1983,The Comics Journal accused Buckler of plagiarism, saying that he had a reputation as a "swipe" artist who copied poses and layouts from previous artists' work.[21][22] Buckler sued the magazine for libel,[23] but later dropped the suit.[24]
He was the author of three books on comic book artistry:How to Become a Comic Book Artist[28] andHow to Draw Superheroes[29] (Solson Publications) in 1986, andHow to Draw Dynamic Comic Books (Vanguard Publications) in 2007.[30]
In 2011, Buckler drew aDjustine short story written by Enrico Teodorani for the Italian market.[31]
^Siegel, Howard P. "Made in America,"BEM #16 (December 1977).
^Cooke, Jon B., ed. (2005). "Rich Buckler Breaks Out! The Artist on Deathlok, T'Challa, and Other Marvel Tales".Comic Book Artist Collection Volume 3.TwoMorrows Publishing.
^Buckler in Cooke, p. 72: "I was told that I'm not Jewish enough - understandable since I'm not Jewish (I'm a mixture of German, Irish, and French - but I look mostly German). Anyway, I'm married to a Jewish girl now."
^Cassell, Dewey (May 2013). "A Rose By Any Other Name...Would Be Thorn".Back Issue! (64). Raleigh, North Carolina:TwoMorrows Publishing:28–32.
^Thomas, Roy. "Bullpen Bulletins," Marvel comics cover-dated January 1974.
^Sanderson, Peter (2008). "1970s". In Gilbert, Laura (ed.).Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 166.ISBN978-0756641238.Created by artist Rich Buckler and writer Doug Moench, the original Deathlok was Colonel Luther Manning, a soldier in an alternate, post-apocalyptic future.
^Cassell, Dewey (February 2014). "Smashing into Syndication: The Incredible Hulk Newspaper Strip".Back Issue! (70). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing:37–40.
^Friedt, Stephan (July 2016). "Marvel at the Movies - The House of Ideas' Hollywood Adaptations of the 1970s and 1980s".Back Issue! (89). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 64.The interior [art] was a group effort with over a dozen people credited with different aspects of the artwork (including layouts by Rich Buckler andJimmy Janes, and finished pencils byMichael Nasser [Netzer],Brent Anderson, Joe Brozowski,Al Milgrom, andBill Sienkiewicz).
^Wells, John (October 24, 1997), "'Lost' DC: The DC Implosion",Comics Buyer's Guide, no. 1249, p. 132
^Wells, John (December 2012). "The Perils of the DC/Marvel Tabloid Era".Back Issue! (61). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 6.
^Catron, Michael (June 1981). "Thomas Revives WWII Superheroes".Amazing Heroes (1). Stamford, Connecticut:Fantagraphics Books:28–30.All-Star Squadron, DC's new World War II-era superhero series debuts in May in a 16-page preview insert inJustice League of America #193.
^Manning, Matthew K. (2010). "1980s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.).DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 195.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.The creative team of writer Roy Thomas and artist Rich Buckler onAll-Star Squadron offered readers a nostalgic glimpse back in time, albeit through the slightly distorted lens of Earth-2's history.
^"Plagiarism: Rich Buckler Signs his Name to Jack Kirby's Work".The Comics Journal. No. 83. August 1983. pp. 33–35.
^"Rich Buckler Answers His Critics".The Comics Journal. No. 86. November 1983. pp. 28–31.
^"Rich Buckler SuesComics Journal and two of its Writers for Libel".The Comics Journal. No. 88. January 1984. p. 13.
^"Buckler DropsComics Journal Libel Suit".The Comics Journal. No. 93. September 1984. pp. 11–12.
^Cobb, Bradley S. (2001)."Cary Burkett Interview". The Mighty Crusaders Network. Archived fromthe original on December 15, 2013. RetrievedJune 23, 2012.
^Manning, Matthew K. (2012). "1980s". In Gilbert, Laura (ed.).Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 150.ISBN978-0756692360.Revered as one of the finest Spider-Man stories ever told, this four-part saga, written by Peter David and penciled by Rich Buckler, was a decidedly dark tale for the usually lighthearted web-slinger.
