Curt Swan
Curt Swan is the preeminent Superman artist of the Silver and Bronze Ages.
From 1948–1996, Swan penciled approximately 1,140 stories in the Superman
family of titles. Curt Swan co-created popular supporting characters such as Lucy Lane,
Krypto the Superdog, Faora, and
Superboy-Prime.
In total, Swan is credited for approximately 1,419 comic book stories and
1,027 covers. "It was never something I set out to do. It just kind of
happened, the way a lot of good things do."
.png "Curt Swan (February 17, 1920 – June 17, 1996)")
Douglas Curtis Swan was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on February 17, 1920.
He began drawing at an early age, inspired by adventure illustrations in
Collier's and the Saturday Evening Post. In the sixth grade,
Swan created his first comic book for a school charity project. Modeled after
the Big Little Book series, the story followed two boys that ran away
from home. A fellow student purchased the book for an unknown amount. After high school, Swan freelanced as a cartoonist for various Minneapolis newspapers.
On February 10, 1941, Swan enlisted in the 135th Regiment, 34th Infantry
Division of the Army National Guard. He was shipped to Belfast, Ireland, in
January 1942, seven weeks after the United States entered
World War II. While
stationed in Fintona, Swan met Hubert creator Dick Wingert, who was working as
an illustrator for the Armed Services newspaper The Stars and Stripes. That November, Swan and Wingert met first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
In December 1942, Swan was assigned to The Stars and Stripes London
office as a staff artist, regularly contributing Allied maps and various
cartoons. In 1943, Sgt. Swan created a holiday design for a series of official
V-Mail Christmas cards from Great Britain. Swan roomed with Wingert in London
before being reassigned to the Paris office.
,%20December%2010,%201944,%20p.%208C.png "Sgt. Curtis D. Swan, Star Tribune (Minneapolis), December 10, 1944, p. 8C")
Curt Swab married Helene Rose Brickley in Paris. The two had previously met in New
Jersey and later reacquainted in London. Helene worked with the Red Cross providing support to
airborne forces in Belgium and France. After the war, the couple settled in
Camden, New Jersey.
Stars and Stripes editor Eddie "France" Herron recommended that Swan
send a portfolio to Detective Comics. His first comic book assignment was to
imitate Jack Kirby for the cover of Star Spangled Comics
#43 (April 1945). His early covers were inked by Steve Brodie, but signed as
Simon and Kirby. Swan believed that the comic book industry would not
survive the decade.
.png "Curt Swan & Steve Brodie, Star Spangled Comics 43 (April 1945)")
Curt first penciled a story feature for World's Finest #21 (March
1946). The 12-page Boy Commandos story "Brooklyn and Columbus Discover
America!" was written by Jack Kirby and inked by George Klein. Swan was
given regular ghost work on Kirby characters for $18 per page. From
1945–1948, he penciled stories for The Newsboy Legion, Batman and Robin,
Tommy Tomorrow, and Gang Busters.
Under the G.I. Bill, Swan attended night classes for illustration at the
Pratt Institute. "It turned out to be just a review of everything I already
knew," said Swan, and he left after a few months. Steve Brodie helped Curt
develop a workflow that allowed him to pencil faster. Swan began working
14–16 hours a day, seven days a week.
Curt Swan's first Superman assignment was inked by Steve Brodie in
Superman
#51 (March–April 1948). "The Man Who Bossed Superman!" is signed as
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the last issue before their byline was removed. Swan later redrew the
entire story for the one-shot Three-Dimension Adventures Superman
(November 1953). The updated 3D artwork was inked by Stan Kaye.
Swan began penciling
Superboy
stories in Superboy #5 (November–December 1949). Editor Mort
Weisinger would often argue with Swan about adding too many facial details, and
Swan briefly quit in 1951 due to migraines and stress. After working at a
small advertising agency for a month, he decided to return to comics. Swan
followed advice from Wayne Boring and began fighting back against Weisinger.
The migraines eventually stopped.
.png "Curt Swan (1965)")
Curt Swan began regular work on Superman at the dawn of the Silver Age. From
June 18, 1956, to November 12, 1960, the Superman daily newspaper
strips were penciled by Swan and inked by Stan Kaye. Swan replaced artist
Win Mortimer and the early strips were still credited to Wayne Boring. Mort
Weisinger asked Swan to make Superman more natural and soften the jawline
that Boring had popularized.
Swan said that his Superman was influenced by Tarzan actor Johnny
Weissmuller and Rip Kirby, a private detective comic strip by Alex
Raymond. In Fifty Who Made DC Great, Swan said, "I soon learned that it was better to exaggerate the human form for dramatic effect. For instance, I enlarged Superman's muscles to impossible proportions – and then he looked right." His renditions of Clark Kent contain softer, less angular
features. Swan said, "I wanted him to appear more meek. Just sort of a good
Joe."
Swan became the regular cover artist for Superman beginning with
Action Comics #232 (September 1957) and Superman #117
(November 1957). From 1958–1961, he penciled the first 24 covers of
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane. Swan is credited for 127 of 163 covers on
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, plus 507 of the comic features.
%20by%20Curt%20Swan%20and%20Al%20Plastino.png "Curt Swan & Al Plastino, Action Comics 252 (May 1959)")
.png "Curt Swan & Stan Kaye, Superman Annual 1 (Summer 1960)")
.png "Curt Swan, Superman Annual 7 (Summer 1963)")
Krypto the Superdog was created by Swan and writer Otto Binder. Krypto first
appeared with
Superboy in
Adventure Comics #210 (March 1955). Comet the Super-Horse was created
by Jerry Siegel and Swan, first appearing in Adventure Comics #293
(October 1962). Comet and
Supergirl
first meet in Action Comics #293 (September 1962).
Curt Swan rarely inked his own work: "I've worked with some inkers over the
years who did not delineate the figure of Superman the way I'd done it in
the pencils. They would lose something in the face, the eyes; the features
would be just a little off or the muscular structure. It used to get to me."
According to Al Plastino, "Anybody can ink Curt's stuff." "Everything was
there – the blacks, the lines – all you hadda do was take a brush and follow
his lines, put a little schmaltz on it." Much as his Silver Age work was
finished by Stan Kaye, Ray Burnley, or George Klein. In 1986, Swan wrote
that his favorite inker was Al Williamson.
.png "Curt Swan & George Klein, Action Comics 340 (August 1966)")
.png "Curt Swan & George Klein, Superman 196 (May 1967)")
.png "Curt Swan & George Klein, Superman 201 (November 1967)")
From 1969–1974, Swan regularly worked with Murphy Anderson, beginning with
the cover of Action Comics #380 (September 1969). The duo became
known as "Swanderson" by fans, and later pages are signed with the nickname.
Anderson said, "I was the first, or one of the first, to call Curt 'The
Norman Rockwell of the Comics.'" Swan wrote that "Murphy's inking was among
the best."
.png "Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson, Superman 233 (January 1971)")
The New Adventures of Superman animated series from Filmation aired
on CBS from 1966–1970. For season three, The Batman/Superman Hour,
the character designs were modeled after Curt Swan's artwork.
In 1968,
Neal Adams became
the main cover artist for DC and the Superman titles. In 1970, Mort
Weisinger retired, marking the end of the Silver Age. Weisinger's longtime friend
Julius Schwartz became Superman editor. Swan was now free to use more
expressive facial details and experiment with more dynamic layouts.
When he was not drawing Superman, Curt Swan painted scenic landscapes in
Westport, Connecticut. Swan enjoyed sketching at Allen's Clam & Lobster
House, formerly located on Sherwood Mill Pond. A scene from the pond appears
in the logo for Westport East Real Estate, owned by his wife Helene.
Although Swan was not originally a science fiction fan, his favorite stories
to draw were set in the Bottle City of Kandor and his favorite villain was
Brainiac. In 1986, he wrote, "It was always like vacation time for me to get
a script with Mxyzptlk." Swan was most proud of his work on "The Origin of
Superman!" in The Amazing World of Superman (1973).
.png "The Origin of Superman, The Amazing World of Superman (1973)")
.png "Curt Swan, The Amazing World of DC Comics 7 (July-August 1975)")
In 1980, Swan appeared in The Making of Superman: The Movie, a
television documentary hosted by Christopher Reeve. Curt is seen sketching
images of Clark Kent and Superman in the DC Comics office.
Swan penciled and inked himself for "I Flew With Superman!" in
Superman Annual #9 (1983). The story was written by Cary Bates. In
1984, Curt Swan was presented with a Comic-Con International Inkpot Award.
Released in the summer of 1986, "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?"
was written by Alan Moore and penciled by Curt Swan. Editor Julius Schwartz
had originally asked
Jerry Siegel to
write the script, but he was unable due to legal issues with Warner Bros.
According to Schwartz, "Curt Swan was chosen to be the artist because many
considered him to be the signature artist on the series for the past thirty
years."
The "imaginary story" tells the final Superman tale of the Silver and Bronze
Ages. The two-part arc begins in Superman #423, inked by George
Pérez, and concludes in Action Comics #583, inked by Kurt
Schaffenberger. Both covers were inked by Murphy Anderson.
.png "Curt Swan & Murphy Anderson, Superman 423 (September 1986)")
.png "Curt Swan & Murphy Anderson, Action Comics 583 (September 1986)")
DC Comics hired John Byrne to revamp Superman following the "Crisis on
Infinite Earths" crossover event of 1985–1986. Curt Swan was dismissed
from full-time duties at DC in 1986, but he would continue to contribute
work over the next ten years.
On June 17, 1988, Curt Swan appeared on "The Morning Exchange," a popular
Cleveland show on WEWS-TV. The segment was recorded during the International
Superman Exposition at the Cleveland Convention Center. Swan and Jerry
Ordway were interviewed by Lee Jordan and Joel Rose. The program also
featured
Lois Lane
actress Noel Neill and Jimmy Olsen actor Jack Larson from Adventures of Superman.
Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson illustrated the Silver Age versions of
Superman and Lex Luthor for the 1991
DC Cosmic Cards
series from
Impel Marketing. In 1992, Swan and Anderson were featured on individual trading cards in
the
Famous Comic Book Creators
series from Eclipse Enterprises.
![1992 Impel DC Comics Cosmic #17 - Silver Age Superman [PSA 9]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwUw1s69hfu7xwidPxSr07CZdOSoMRlPTFkQ03QRGEgXdfrrY492SaccifolD-AxrIed8IGkzF6HM14yBNJaxqL7FLSB1kcTj3s1RPCU0LN-nAKU7shzUWe8eaDBOjZSRepdLePu0S2IqEOTOyDyf7rzk_CcWvFolva7Jo_O8ujp11zURcUHqVQpy/s2000/1992%20Impel%20DC%20Comics%20Cosmic%20-%20%2317%20-%20Silver%20Age%20Superman%20%5BPSA%209%5D.png "1992 Impel DC Comics Cosmic #17 - Silver Age Superman [PSA 9]")
Curt Swan openly disapproved of the 1992
"Death of Superman"
storyline. In a 1993 Wizard article, Swan wrote, "For example, I
think the 'death' story came out of the blue. There was no build-up, no
suspense developed. Superman had no foreboding of some force out there that
would conquer him. It all occurred too quickly."
In a 1993 interview for The News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware,
Swan said, "This new concept, I don't know, I have my doubts about it. But I
probably shouldn't speak my true feelings... Maybe it's a good thing and I
just don't understand because I'm from a different generation."
On February 25, 1993, Swan appeared on the QVC Network during a comic book
collectibles special. The show featured autographed memorabilia from the
Superman creative team. The two hour program was hosted by Steve Bryant.
October 2, 1993, was proclaimed "Curt Swan Day" by the Minnesota Cartoonist
League in Minneapolis. During the ceremony, historian Dave Mruz presented
Swan with a Minnesota Cartoonist Award.
Swan was commissioned to provide illustrations for "Man of Steel, Woman of
Kleenex" in Penthouse Comix #5 (January–February 1995). The 1969
essay by sci-fi author Larry Niven discusses the complications of Superman
trying to reproduce with a human woman. The feature contains sexually
graphic images of characters that resemble Lana Lang and
Lois Lane.
On June 17, 1996, Curt Swan passed away in Wilton, Connecticut, at the
age of 76. A memorial honoring Swan is located along the Westport
Library Riverwalk. Two Superman illustrations by Swan are kept in the
Westport Schools Permanent Art Collection.
-
In 1962, pop artist Mel Ramos produced a series of oil paintings that
feature Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Ramos copied the image of
Superman from the cover of Superman #147 (August 1961). The cover
was originally penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Stan Kaye. The painting
is currently on display at the de Young Fine Arts Museums in San Francisco
with no credit to Swan and Kaye.
.png "Curt Swan & Stan Kaye, Superman 147 (August 1961)")
In 1981, Andy Warhol produced Superman prints copied from Swan and
Anderson in Action Comics #430 (December 1973). The complete
Myths portfolio contains ten fictional characters from American
pop culture printed with diamond dust. Superman (F. & S.
II.260) is limited to 200 regular edition copies and 60 variations of
proofs. In 2017, a regular edition sold at auction for $218,750. Swan
and Anderson are rarely acknowledged for the work. Warhol had previously
swiped Superman artwork by Kurt Schaffenberger in 1961.
.png "Curt Swan & Murphy Anderson, Action Comics 430 (December 1973)")
In 2015, Mel Ramos copied another image by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.
Lois Lane as
"Supergirl"
originally appeared on the cover of Action Comics #274 (March
1961). The telescoping Supergirl logo was created by Ira Schnapp
based on a design by
Joe Shuster.
The oil painting is currently held by the Louis K. Meisel Gallery in New
York City with no credit to the original artists.
.png "Curt Swan & Stan Kaye, Action Comics #274 (March 1961)")
.png "Mel Ramos, Supergirl (2015)")
-
On September 18, 1996, a eulogy for Curt Swan was presented by
historian and illustrator Arlen Schumer at the Connecticut Chapter of
the National Cartoonists Society in Weston.
Six previously unpublished pages by Swan appear as a flashback sequence
in Superman: The Wedding Album
(December 1996). Pages 40–45 were inked by Jackson "Butch" Guice.
In Legion of Super-Heroes #92 (May 1997), Swan appears as a 1958 art
teacher in "Swan's Way." The issue is dedicated "In Memory of -- and
gratitude to -- Curt Swan: Honorary Legionnaire."
In June 1997, Curt Swan was posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Comic
Industry Awards Hall of Fame.
Curt Swan: A Life in Comics was published in 2002 by Vanguard
Productions. The 192-page illustrated biography was written by comic book
historian Eddy Zeno. The book features interviews with family and industry
friends, as well as previously unpublished artwork.
On July 20, 2006, the United States Postal Service issued a series of
DC Comics Super Heroes
postage stamps and postcards. The collection contains three images drawn by
Curt Swan. The Superman stamp was penciled by Swan and inked by Sheldon
Moldoff. The Silver Age
Supergirl
stamp was penciled by Swan and inked by Stan Kaye. The cover of
Aquaman vol. 3, #5 (October 1989) was penciled by Swan and inked by
Al Vey. The stamps are collected in the Smithsonian Institution National
Postal Museum.
In 2008, a popular internet meme emerged based on a panel by Curt Swan and
George Klein in World’s Finest Comics #153 (November 1965). In an
alternate timeline, Batman believes that
Superboy and
Superman are responsible for the death of Thomas Wayne. During a heated
disagreement, Batman slaps Robin in the face.
.png "Curt Swan & George Klein, World's Finest Comics 153 (November 1965)")
Five previously unpublished pages by Curt Swan appear in
Action Comics #1000 (June 2018). The original script was rewritten by
Marv Wolfman. The pencils were inked by Jackson "Butch" Guice and Kurt
Schaffenberger. Dynamic Forces released a variant cover that features a 1991 sketch by Swan. The sketch
cover is limited to 4,000 copies.
.png "Action Comics 1000, Dynamic Forces Curt Swan Sketch Cover (June 2018)")
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Cadigan, Glen. The Legion Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003. pp.
11–19.
"Cartoonist Likes Scenic Painting."
The Bridgeport Post, 31 October 1976, p. C-1.
"Curt Swan Interview." Fandom Feature. February 1982, pp. 16–25.
"CURT SWAN-SUPERMAN '96 Eulogy by Arlen Schumer." YouTube, uploaded
by Arlen Schumer, 29 August 2015.
Harris, Jack C. "Remembering with Curt Swan."
Amazing World of DC Comics, vol. 2, no. 7, July 1975, pp. 26–28.
Jones, Dick. "Minneapolis Men Play Outstanding Part in Publication of the Stars and Stripes." Star Tribune [Minneapolis], 10 December 1944, p. 8C.
Marx, Barry, et al. "Curt Swan: The Definitive Superman Realized."
Fifty Who Made DC Great. DC Comics Inc., 1985, p. 27.
Mruz, Dave. "Curt Swan Day." The Minnesota Cartoonist, vol. 2, no. 2,
November 1993, pp. 4–5.
Niven, Larry (w), Swan, Curt (i). "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex."
Penthouse Comix, no. 5, January–February 1995, pp. 30–33.
"QVC is Shopping..."
The Record [Hackensack], 21 February 1993, p. 243.
Schwartz, Julius.
Man of Two Worlds: My Life in Science Fiction and Comics. Harper
Paperbacks, 2000.
"State Yanks are Visited by Mrs. F. R." The Minneapolis Star, 11
November 1942. p. 18.
Swan, Curt. "Drawing Superman."
Superman at Fifty!: The Persistence of a Legend. Octavia Press, 1987,
pp. 37–45. (Note: The essay is dated 1986. The referenced Smithsonian exhibit opened on June 24, 1987.)
Swan, Curt, and Patrick Daniel O'Neill. "My Life with Superman."
Wizard: Superman Tribute Edition, April 1993, pp. 8–9.
The Making of Superman: The Movie. Directed by Iain Johnstone, Warner
Bros. Pictures, 1980.
Varma, Kavita.
"Superman's artist visits comics store."
The News Journal [Wilmington], 22 April 1993, p. 6.
"V-Xmas." Newsweek, vol. 22, no. 21, 22 November 1943, p. 38.
Zeno, Eddy. Al Plastino: Last Superman Standing. TwoMorrows
Publishing, 2016.
