Chic Stone

Chic Stone was an American comic book artist (born Jan. 4, 1923, New York City; died 2000) best known as one of Jack Kirby's Silver Age inkers, including on a landmark run of The Fantastic Four.

Related Topics:
American - Comic book - Artist - 1923 - New York City - 2000 - Jack Kirby - Silver Age - Inkers - The Fantastic Four

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Raised on East 23rd Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan, Chic Stone studied at the School Of Industrial Arts and the Works Projects Administration School, the latter under cartoonist Chuck Thorndyke. He broke into comics in 1939, at age 16, apprenticing with the comic-book packager Eisner-Iger, the studio of Golden Age greats Will Eisner and Jerry Iger. In the 1940s, he worked on the original Captain Marvel for Fawcett Comics, and Boy Comics for Lev Gleason Publications. For Timely Comics, the '40s predecessor of Marvel Comics, he contributed to Blonde Phantom Comics, "Eustis Hayseed" in Joker Comics; and "Jeep Jones" in All Select Comics and Kid Komics.

Related Topics:
School Of Industrial Arts - Works Projects Administration School - Cartoonist - 1939 - Golden Age - Will Eisner - Jerry Iger - 1940s - Captain Marvel - Fawcett Comics - Lev Gleason Publications - Timely Comics - Marvel Comics

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Stone largely left comics during the 1950s to become an art director for magazines including True Experience and The American Salesman, and published a magazine, Boy Illustrated, which folded after two issues. He did commercial art for the Grey Advertising Agency (now Grey Global) and TV commercial storyboards for Filmack Studios. Stone, by now living in Hollywood, California, then became art director of Modern Teen and Dig Magazine. He returned to the field during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books, first with the small American Comics Group (AGC) on titles including Adventures into the Unknown (for which he'd pencil from 1962-1967).

Related Topics:
1950s - TV commercial - Storyboards - Hollywood - California - Silver Age of comic books - American Comics Group - AGC - 1962 - 1967

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Shortly thereafter, Stone, with his precise, medium-heavy brush line, helped both to ground and to lighten Kirby's explosive, flamboyant pencils on The Fantastic Four (issues #28-38, Annual #2), giving the comic a lighter, slightly more modern look after the bold yet coarse, blocky inks of predecessor George Roussos. Stone also notably inked Kirby on issues of The Uncanny X-Men and The Mighty Thor, and the two artists collaborated on covers across the spectrum of Marvel's comics at the time.

Related Topics:
George Roussos - The Uncanny X-Men - The Mighty Thor

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Later in the decade, Stone also freelanced for DC Comics, penciling an occasional Batman story ? including the lead tale in the anniversary issue Batman #200 (March 1968) ? and also ghosting occasionally for artists Bob Kane, Geroge Papp (inking over his Superboy pencils) and Sal Trapani. Stone also pencilled numerous stories for Tower Comics' T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Dynamo and NoMAN.

Related Topics:
DC Comics - Batman - 1968 - Superboy - Tower Comics - T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents - Dynamo - NoMAN

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Marginalia around this time includes a run of the character Nemesis in AGC's Forbidden Worlds and Unknown Worlds; Dell Comics' Flying Saucers and a TV tie-in comic, Garrison's Gorillas; "Grandpa Munster 'Digs' The Drag-U-La!", an AMT model car kit ad in DC's The Atom #24 (April-May 1966) and likely elsewhere; and early-1970s work for Skywald Publications' black-and-white horror magazines Psycho and Nightmare.

Related Topics:
AGC - Dell Comics - Grandpa Munster - Model car - The Atom - 1966 - 1970s - Skywald Publications - Horror

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In the late 1970s and 1980s, Stone began a long association with Archie Comics, including its "Red Circle" and "Archie Adventure Series" superhero lines. This lesser-known work includes a story written by future Marvel editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco in Archie's Super Hero Special #2 (Aug. 1979), and Stone inking fellow Silver Age veteran Dick Ayers on a Black Hood story in Blue Ribbon Comics #11 (Aug. 1984). Stone also worked on the regular Archie teen-humor line.

Related Topics:
1980s - Archie Comics - Tom DeFalco - Dick Ayers - 1984

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Stone was inking for Marvel as late as The Mighty Thor #321 (July 1982). In the early 1990s, he drew commissioned art in Silver Age Kirby-Stone style for sales through dealers.

Related Topics:
1982 - 1990s

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