Artie Simek | |
---|---|
Artie Simek c.1964
|
|
Born | Arthur Simek January 6, 1916 |
Died | February 20, 1975 | (aged 59)
Nationality | American |
Area(s) | Letterer |
Arthur "Artie" Simek, sometimes credited as Art Simek (January 6, 1916 - February 20, 1975), was an American calligrapher best known as a letterer for Marvel Comics during the period fans and historians call the Silver Age of Comic Books. Along with letterer Sam Rosen, Simek lettered and helped design logos for virtually all Marvel Comics published during the 1960s. Simek's work included such landmarks as The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961) and Spider-Man's debut in Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962).
Artie Simek began his comics career in the 1940s, although credits are hard to determine, as comic-book letterers did not begin to routinely receive published credit until the early 1960s. Inker Joe Giella — who for two years beginning circa 1946 worked on staff at Marvel Comics 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics — recalled "Artie Simek was on staff on Timely. He lives in Queens and he also used to work out of his bedroom; he had a little drawing table in there. I used to drive to his home and pick up the jobs he'd lettered, then take them home and work on them. Fred Eng lettered there, too".
Simek's first confirmed credits are the 12-page lead story "The Three Super-Sleepers", a Batman-Superman team-up in DC Comics' in World's Finest Comics #91 (Dec. 1957), and, for the same company, the eight-page backup story "Batman's Roman Holiday", in Batman #112 (Dec. 1957). He went on to letter issues of such other DC titles as Showcase and House of Secrets.