THE ART AND HISTORY OF LETTERING COMICS
When you’ve got even a passing curiosity in lettering, Todd Klein’s writing on the topic and the individuals who he knew and the folks he solely knew by way of their work is gripping. If you wish to letter, when you make comics, this can be a masterclass in what comics lettering is and could be. — Neil Gaiman, from his introduction.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This e-book wouldn’t have occurred with out the encouragement of Charles Kochman, and it might not have been practically as well-researched with out the assistance of Alex Jay. I additionally owe a debt to the households of letterers now handed who gave me info and assist, and to many residing letterers I used to be in a position to contact who did the identical. Comics professionals comparable to Mark Evanier and Paul Levitz offered info, as did everybody who answered my questions and threw mild on murky topics. On a private degree, I’m grateful for the help of my spouse, Ellen.
All characters, their distinctive likenesses, and associated components are ™ and © 2024, all rights reserved.
Quite than checklist possession of pictures up entrance, I’ve elected to credit score every one, or teams of them, as I used them. All pictures have copyright notices the place possession is understood, the place it’s not, they need to be thought of © the authorized homeowners, if any. All textual content, besides as famous, or the place instantly quoted, is © Todd Klein 2024, all rights reserved. Quoted materials is the property of the supply, and used with permission. Because of Neil for his introduction, which is © Neil Gaiman 2024.
One benefit of an internet e-book is that corrections or new info could be integrated as shortly as I can affirm it and add it in, so not like printed books, this one will stay as updated as I could make it, and is topic to alter at any time.
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION BY NEIL GAIMAN
ONE: LETTERING TERMS AND PIONEERS
TWO: WHEN LETTERING BECAME A PROFESSION
THREE: EARLY COMIC BOOK LETTERERS
FOUR: TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES OF LETTERING
FIVE: IRA SCHNAPP, SETTING THE STYLE FOR DC COMICS
SIX: MORE LETTERERS OF THE Thirties AND Forties
SEVEN: LOGO DESIGN FOR COMICS
EIGHT: MORE COMIC STRIP LETTERERS
NINE: GASPAR SALADINO, MASTER LETTERER
TEN: ARTIE SIMEK AND OTHER MARVEL LETTERERS
ELEVEN: LETTERERS OF THE Nineteen Fifties AND Sixties
TWELVE: ALTERNATIVE AND UNDERGROUND COMICS
THIRTEEN: LETTERERS OF THE Nineteen Seventies AND Eighties
FOURTEEN: THE RISE OF DIGITAL LETTERING
FIFTEEN: LETTERING TODAY AND TOMORROW
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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INTRODUCTION by Neil Gaiman
They are saying that Laozi, the semi-legendary Outdated Grasp, wrote down what he knew in regards to the Approach within the Tao Te Ching on the request of a metropolis gatekeeper, earlier than leaving the town, and strolling out of historical past into the western wilderness.
I wrote my first comics for Karen Berger at DC Comics in 1987. It was known as Black Orchid, and was painted by Dave McKean. “I’m assigning Todd Klein as letterer,” stated Karen. “Todd’s the perfect we have now.”
Todd lettered Black Orchid, starting maybe my longest skilled relationship, and I didn’t know the way fortunate I used to be then. However I knew I needed Todd for Sandman, and I by no means had trigger ever to remorse that call. Regardless of how unusual or troublesome or time-consuming my lettering request, Todd would all the time come by way of for me. He made magic. (And he was not paid extra for lettering, say, a personality like Delirium, regardless of how for much longer it took.)
Generally I might get different letterers on different initiatives, and I might uncover how fortunate I used to be to have Todd on Sandman, and on the rest I may get him to do.
And he did greater than letter. All by way of Sandman, Todd was our backstop, catching errors that proof-editors missed. Todd appeared to grasp what I used to be attempting to make in Sandman earlier than anybody else. We talked books – Todd knew extra about books than I did, extra about design than I did, extra about lettering than another individual I’ve ever met.
Social media occurred, and I started following Todd’s weblog posts, and his social media posts. I watched him analyse comics logos, noticed him clarify and describe what was taking place in comics lettering, in design, in ways in which opened doorways in my head and let new concepts in.
Todd was the perfect virtually 40 years in the past, and, a shedload of awards later, he stays the perfect letterer and the perfect thinker and explainer about lettering that we have now.
When you’ve got even a passing curiosity in lettering, Todd Klein’s writing on the topic and the individuals who he knew and the folks he solely knew by way of their work is gripping. If you wish to letter, when you make comics, this can be a masterclass in what comics lettering is and could be.
On the best way you’ll get a view into the world of comics constructed on information and expertise.
We’ve got been fortunate to have Todd. We’re even luckier that he has written his information down and handed it on. I’m additionally personally grateful that it will likely be a very long time earlier than he heads into the western wilderness.
Neil Gaiman
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ONE: LETTERING TERMS AND PIONEERS
Comics are the mix of phrases and photos that make you giggle, within the newspaper and on-line, or the comedian e-book adventures of your favourite superhero, and a lot extra. Most comics followers and readers focus first on the artwork, however the phrases are equally necessary, and the visible presence of these phrases is an integral a part of the distinctive medium of comics. Whereas some comics are solo creations of a single particular person, and whereas some artists make the phrases a part of their artwork (and are letterers themselves), the vast majority of comics are a staff effort, and the look, form and magnificence of these phrases in comics reveal the craft and artistry of a letterer.
Half 1: Widespread lettering phrases, the evolution of lettering from historic occasions, the event of comedian strips, and the primary creator-owned comics. Read more.
Half 2: The evolution of specialised captions, phrase balloons, burst balloons, thought balloons, and different balloon types. Read more.
Half 3: The event of sound results, open lettering sounds, swearing symbols, and breaking the conventions of comics. Read more.
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TWO: WHEN LETTERING BECAME A PROFESSION
As the 20 th century progressed, comedian strips turned a bigger and extra worthwhile enterprise. The uncommon creator who owned his work, like Bud Fisher, may do higher, however many artists made good cash. This allowed them to rent assistants to assist with the workload. Read more.
Charles F. Armstrong, Hal Foster’s letterer on Tarzan and Prince Valiant, the earliest skilled letterer I’ve found. Read more.
Frank Engli, Milton Caniff’s letterer on Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon, the second skilled letterer I’ve discovered about. Read more.
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THREE: EARLY COMIC BOOK LETTERERS
Early Superman Lettering by Joe Shuster, Paul Lauretta, Betty Bentley and others. Read more.
Frank Shuster, brother of Joe, Superman’s finest early letterer, an in depth examine. Learn extra: Part 1 Part 2
Early Batman lettering by Bob Kane, Sheldon Moldoff, Jerry Robinson, George Roussos, Dick and Laura Sprang, and others. Read more.
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FOUR: TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES OF LETTERING
Every little thing it’s essential to know when you’d prefer to attempt pen lettering, from pens and ink to drawing pointers, pattern alphabets, balloon shapes, and balloon placement. Read more.
Extra details about pen lettering and easy methods to create it. Read more.
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FIVE: IRA SCHNAPP, SETTING THE STYLE FOR DC COMICS
Thousands and thousands of comics followers knew and cherished his work. For nearly three many years he toiled anonymously for his employer, designing a whole bunch of canopy logos, lettering hundreds of covers, newspaper strips and home adverts, and tens of hundreds of story pages, but readers didn’t know his identify or something about him. Read more.
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SIX: MORE LETTERERS OF THE Thirties AND Forties
Whereas hardly ever receiving credit score, some letterers made their mark within the early years of comedian books by way of superior work and popularity contained in the enterprise. Listed below are those I’ve discovered about.
Howard Ferguson, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby letterer, and maybe the primary lettering star in comics, a biography and profession abstract. Read more.
From the Forties to the Sixties, a small comics writer, American Comics Group, had a presence on newsstands alongside larger publishers like DC, Marvel, Dell, and Archie. One factor that was completely different about ACG was their lettering. Practically each cowl and a lot of the tales had been lettered by Ed Hamilton, who additionally designed all their logos and home adverts. Learn extra: Part 1 Part 2
Carl Barks was an artist from the Walt Disney Studios who had an extended and widespread run at Western/Dell comics with tales that includes Donald Duck and different Disney characters, together with some he created like Uncle Scrooge. Although by no means credited within the comics, followers quickly got here to know and love his work, calling him “The Good Duck Artist.” For a few years he wrote, drew and lettered his tales. Later his third spouse Garé turned his common letterer. Read more.
Charles Biro was way more than a letterer, he was a comics author, artist, brand designer, cowl designer, and co-editor of a profitable line of books from writer Lev Gleason from 1941 to 1955, however my article approaches his work with an emphasis on lettering and brand design. Read more.
In case you had been a reader of comics and newspaper strips from the Nineteen Fifties by way of the Eighties, you noticed numerous Ben Oda’s lettering, although most of it was not credited. Ben labored for everybody. He was the lettering star of many comics publishers and newspaper strips, the person they trusted to get issues lettered professionally and on time. Read more.
In 1947, Will Eisner employed Abe Kanegson to letter his tales about The Spirit. Eisner stated Kanegson was “the perfect letterer I ever had.” Read more.
There have been a number of creators in comics whose work was so singular that it was finest produced solo, however these creators tended to work on the fringes, not on mainstream books and characters. Basil Wolverton and Harvey Kurtzman are wonderful examples. Read more.
Early readers of WONDER WOMAN, EC Comics, and others puzzled, is it lettering or sort? Right here’s the way it was executed by Jim and Margaret Wroten, wizards of Leroy lettering, and Jimmy Thompson, grasp of Wrico lettering. Read more.
Shorter profiles for Mario Acquaviva, R.A. Burnley, Helen Chu, Ellen Cole, Martin DeMuth, Al Grenet and Melvin Millar. Read more.
Shorter profiles for Gary Keller, Tarpé Mills, Herman Stackel, Daisy Swayze, Zoltan and Terry Szenics, Leo Wurtzel and Irv Watanabe. Read more.
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SEVEN: LOGO DESIGN FOR COMICS
Emblem design is a vital ingredient of comics, each creatively and from a gross sales standpoint. A robust, memorable brand helps promote the product, and encourages patrons to establish extra comics like ones they already loved. Read more.
Otto Pirkola, Harvey Comics brand designer within the Nineteen Fifties and Sixties. Read more.
Al Feldstein, EC Comics brand designer within the early Nineteen Fifties. Read more.
Within the Eighties, for the primary time, comics publishers like Marvel and DC had been keen to pay sufficient for a contract designer to make a residing doing primarily logos as their contribution to comics. Alex Jay is an ideal instance. Read more.
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EIGHT: MORE REMARKABLE COMIC STRIP LETTERERS
Newspaper strips enchantment to a large viewers, each kids and adults, and the perfect of them function high quality writing, wonderful artwork, and artistic lettering.
Walt Kelly, George Ward, Henry Shikuma and Pogo, my alternative for the best strip lettering of all time. Read more.
Gus Arriola’s Gordo, bringing humor, Mexican fashion, and superb lettering to the comics web page for many years. Read more.
Charles Schulz’s Peanuts: written, drawn, and lettered by the creator for 50 years. Read more.
Extra comedian strips with high quality lettering: King Aroo, Wizard of Id, Broom-Hilda, Hagar the Horrible, Shoe, Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County, Pickles, Liberty Meadows, Mom Goose and Grimm, Mutts, Cul de Sac, Pearls Earlier than Swine, and Zits. Read more.
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NINE: GASPAR SALADINO, MASTER LETTERER
My favourite letterer started his profession at DC Comics in 1949, and was a prolific letterer and brand designer there for over 50 years, in addition to a star at Marvel Comics and different firms. Read more.
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TEN: ARTIE SIMEK AND OTHER MARVEL LETTERERS
These articles examine the brand and canopy work of letterer Artie Simek and manufacturing man Sol Brodsky at Marvel Comics. Half 1 is a biography and profession abstract of the 2 males, Elements 2 to 4 are a have a look at the numerous logos I believe Artie Simek designed from the late Forties to the early Sixties, and Half 5 focuses on the logos Brodsky and Simek labored on collectively that helped usher in Marvel’s rise within the early Sixties, and likewise Simek’s necessary position in getting printed credit for letterers. Learn extra: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Brothers Sam and Joe Rosen labored for Marvel at completely different occasions, and every had a profitable lettering profession earlier than that. Elements 1 and a pair of of this text give attention to Sam, Half 3 is about Joe. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
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ELEVEN: LETTERERS OF THE Nineteen Fifties AND Sixties
On this period, comics had been typically underneath assault, and discovering work at mainstream publishers was troublesome, however some letterers bucked the percentages and made a profession for themselves anyway.
Ray Perry started engaged on workers at DC Comics round 1940, I’m together with him right here for the numerous textual content web page illustrations and titles he created, largely within the Nineteen Fifties, after an extended profession as high quality artist and e-book illustrator. Read more.
John Costanza was skilled by Joe Kubert and introduced into comics in 1968, turning into probably the most prolific letterers in addition to an artist for cartoon-based comics. Read more.
Jim Aparo was introduced into comics at Charlton by Dick Giordano, and whereas working for DC Comics for a few years, was one of many few artists to letter most of his personal work. Read more.
Shorter profiles of John D’Agostino, Herb Cooper, Marty Epp, Ray Holloway, Charlotte Jetter and Grace Kremer, who started within the Nineteen Fifties. Read more.
Others from the Nineteen Fifties: Morrie Kuramoto, Joe Letterese, Pete Morisi, Rome Siemon, Milt Snapinn, Stan Starkman, and Morris Waldinger. Read more.
Letterers who started within the Sixties: Pat Boyette, Vivian Berg, Al Kurzrok, and Shelly Leferman. Read more.
Others from the Sixties: Jean Simek Izzo, Invoice Spicer, Tom Sutton, John Verpoorten, Invoice Yoshida, and Mike Royer. Read more.
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TWELVE: ALTERNATIVE AND UNDERGROUND COMICS
Improvements in printing and new forms of distribution opened doorways for comics creators and work that might by no means have seen print within the mainstream markets.
Robert Crumb, one of many earliest, most prolific, and finest recognized underground comix creators, whose high quality logos and pen lettering helped entice readers for many years. Read more.
Different underground creators with memorable lettering: Rick Griffin, Gilbert Shelton, Jay Lynch, Vaughan Bode, Greg Irons, Trina Robbins, Victor Moscoso, Invoice Griffith, Richard Corben, and Spain Rodriguez. Read more.
Various comics had origins in underground comix, but in addition attracted mainstream comics creators like Wally Wooden, Steve Ditko, Will Eisner, and Alex Toth. Read more.
Extra different comics, that includes methods aspiring comics creators may enter the sphere and current creators may increase their choices comparable to science fiction and comics fanzines, newsstand humor magazines like Nationwide Lampoon, unbiased publishers like Star•Attain, and self-published anthologies like Uncooked. Read more.
Creator-owned comics from Dave Sim, Richard and Wendy Pini, Nick Cuti and Joe Staton, Fred Hembeck, Los Bros Hernandez, Mike Grell, Dave Stevens, Katherine Collins, William Messner-Loebs, Marshall Rogers, Doug Wildey, Mark Wheatley and Marc Hempel, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, Stan Sakai, Eric Shanower, Daniel Clowes, Peter Bagge, Jeff Smith, Chris Ware, and Craig Thompson. Read more.
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THIRTEEN: LETTERERS OF THE Nineteen Seventies AND Eighties
A brand new era of letterers — my era — started getting into comics within the Nineteen Seventies. Main the cost was Tom Orzechowski, whose work I first noticed at Marvel within the early 70s. Read more.
Janice Chiang has had an extended and busy profession as a comics letterer, starting in 1975 and persevering with to the current, with work at Marvel, DC, Darkish Horse, Archie, and different publishers. Read more.
A novel letterer in comics from the Nineteen Seventies to the current is John Workman, whose distinctive letter shapes and magnificence make his work stand out from the group. He’s maybe finest recognized for collaborating with author/artist Walt Simonson, however John can be an artist in his personal proper. Read more.
When the primary challenge of Howard Chaykin’s AMERICAN FLAGG! was revealed in 1983, readers had been startled and impressed by the quantity and number of lettering from newcomer Ken Bruzenak. Lettering professionals like myself had been much more impressed! Read more.
Readers of Marvel Comics within the Nineteen Seventies in all probability thought they knew the names of all of the Marvel letterers as a result of they had been listed within the story credit. There was one busy letterer who remained nameless as a result of his work was primarily on the covers, and subsequently not credited: Danny Crespi. Read more.
I’ve lengthy admired the lettering and brand design work of Jim Novak. After I began working at DC Comics in 1977, he was doing a few of the finest lettering at Marvel, and he continued to take action for a few years. Read more.
British artist Dave Gibbons is uncommon in that he virtually all the time lettered his personal comics work, one thing as uncommon in mainstream British comics as it’s right here in America. Dave is probably finest referred to as the artist of WATCHMEN, however his lengthy profession is stuffed with high quality writing, artwork, and lettering. Read more.
Temporary profiles of different British letterers: Tom Body, John Aldrich, Invoice Nuttall, Tony Jacob, Jack Potter, and Steve Potter. Read more.
One other group of British letterers: Steve Parkhouse, Annie Parkhouse, Elitta Fell, Steve Craddock, Ellie DeVille, and Richard Starkings. Read more.
Extra Nineteen Seventies letterers: Frank Thorne, Denise Vladimer, June Braverman, Esphid Mahilum, Dave Hunt, Alan Kupperberg, Annette Kawecki, and Karen Mantlo. Read more.
Additionally starting within the Nineteen Seventies: Rick Parker, Carol Lay, D. Bruce Berry, Invoice Pearson, Diana Albers, Adam Kubert, Michael Higgins, Albert DeGuzman, and Clem Robins. Read more.
Letterers who started within the Eighties: Pat Brosseau, Pierre Bernard Jr., John Clark, Susan Dorne, Phil Felix, Tracy Hampton Munsey, Tim Harkins, and Andy Kubert. Read more.
One other group from the Eighties: Michael Heisler, Steve Haynie, Kurt Hathaway, Bob Lappan, Ken Lopez, Jack Morelli, Bob Pinaha, and Ron Zalme. Read more.
A 3rd group of Eighties letterers: Kevin Nowlan, Eric Shanower, Don Simpson, Carrie Spiegle, Invoice Oakley, Willie Schubert, David Cody Weiss, and Ty Templeton. Read more.
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FOURTEEN: THE RISE OF DIGITAL LETTERING
Half 1: Because the invention of written language, folks have tried to seek out methods to breed it extra shortly than the age-old technique of copying with pen in hand. This six half sequence explores that quest. Read more.
Half 2: Within the Nineteen Fifties, Charlton Comics tried lettering comics with a big typewriter made by Royal utilizing a font created from hand-lettering. Read more.
Half 3: Like many elements of publishing within the Eighties, font creation was additionally present process radical modifications on the time. It was the discharge of this system Fontastic by Altsys for the Mac in 1985 that first allowed desktop customers to design their very own fonts. Read more.
Half 4: In 1990, fan-favorite author/artist John Byrne added pc lettering to his instrument set. Quite than use his personal hand lettering to create fonts, Byrne labored with lettering by others. Read more.
Half 5: As digital lettering started to have an effect on comics within the early Nineties in an ever rising variety of titles and publishers, extra letterers started attempting it out. Read more.
Half 6: The steadily growing presence of digital fonts on comics from many publishers was catching the eye of those that made their residing hand lettering for the medium, and a few responded by making fonts of their very own. Read more.
Digital Lettering for Comics, a primary tutorial on the best way I do that. Read more.
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FIFTEEN: LETTERING TODAY AND TOMORROW
Like most issues, comics lettering has developed from its earliest iterations, a course of which some bemoan and others embrace. Not solely has the bodily course of modified, the vocabulary and types have developed too. As an illustration, thought balloons had been widespread in comedian books for many years, permitting the reader to know precisely what the characters had been pondering. Beginning with Frank Miller’s influential mini-series Batman: The Darkish Knight (1986), narrative captions started changing thought balloons, which have practically vanished. Like voiceovers in movie and first individual narration in fiction, narrative captions are extra versatile, permitting room in comics for brand new storytelling instruments like unreliable narrators.
Digital lettering remains to be disparaged by some, however it launched new types and results that make the most of colour and transparency in ways in which had been not possible earlier than. The identical is true for digital coloring. Quite than constricting types and instruments, digital has expanded the probabilities for letterers and colorists, although these new strategies can be utilized poorly. There’ll all the time be some components of comics lettering finest executed with pen and ink. It’s a trade-off. There are nonetheless some, there’ll all the time be some creators utilizing the outdated strategies, notably these doing all of it and self-publishing, which is less complicated right this moment than ever. As we glance towards the long run, it’s sure that issues will proceed to alter in comics and lettering. No less than we have now greater than 100 years of custom and wonderful work to encourage us as we transfer ahead. I hope this e-book has helped familiarize you with a few of the letterers who did that work, and can encourage you to have a look at comics lettering with a brand new appreciation for the expertise and talent of those that create it.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Todd George Klein was born in Plainfield, New Jersey on January 28, 1951. He feels foolish writing about himself within the third individual, and can cease right here. Read more.