Joe Certa was an American graphic artist.
Biographical information[]
Joe Certa received his artistic education at the Art Student League in New York City. Soon after he began to find work in the comics industry, getting his start with Funnies Inc. (publisher of Marvel Comics) in the mid-1940s.[1] He had a studio in the Bronx during the 1940s, from which he drew for comic strips such as Magazine Enterprises' daily newspaper series Straight Arrow. He also served in the Army during that time, but still managed to draw a daily panel, Private Will B. Wright for publication in both the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia and the Philadelphia Inquirer in Pennsylvania. The following six years would bring more jobs working for well known syndicated strips.[2]
After working on many projects for multiple publishers—crime titles for Lev Gleason, romance and mystery titles for Harvey, Magazine Enterprises' Dan'l Boone and The Durango Kid, and Fawcett's Captain Marvel Jr.[3]—he settled into regular work for DC Comics throughout the 1950s and 1960s.[1] While working for DC, Certa, along with writer Joe Samachson, created the popular character J'onn J'onzz, the Justice League of America's Martian Manhunter, for DC Comics.[4] He has been credited with drawing every one of the character's Silver Age appearances, some 131 stories.[5] Other characters designed by Certa include Captain Compass, Gang Busters[1] and the DC villains Human Flame[6] and the criminal organization VULTURE.[7]
In the 1960s and 1970s, Certa would also become involved in penciling for several mystery and horror titles from publishers such as Harvey and Gold Key[1] and with TV series and movie adaptations for the latter.[3]
Legacy[]
The characters Joe Certa created for DC Comics would continue to play central roles in their comic stories. Martian Manhunter has become a staple in the Justice League, appearing in various comic titles, cartoons and action figure sets. The villainous Human Flame made a reappearance in the 2009 events of DC's Infinite Crisis, revived by writer Grant Morrison.[6]
Awards and honors[]
Bibliography[]
Brief comic book bibliography[]
See also: Grand Comics Database: Joe Certa (as penciler)) and Joe Certa (as inker)] for individual issue information.
Notes and references[]
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Joe Certa." Lambiek.net. Version: October 7, 2009. Retrieved: August 5, 2009.
- ↑ Allan Holtz. "News of Yore: Straight Arrow to Debut." Stripper's Guide. May 18, 2007. Retrieved: August 5, 2009.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Donald D. Markstein. "J'onn J'onzz, Manhunter From Mars." Toonopedia. 2004. Retrieved: August 5, 2009.
- ↑ Tom Spurgeon. Are Joe Samachson and Joe Certa As Nearly Well Known As They Should Be?". The Comics Reporter, March 29, 2008. Retrieved: August 5, 2009.
- ↑ Jess Nevins. "Annotations to Kingdom #2." Annotations And Other Pursuits. May 7, 2009. Retrieved: August 5, 2009.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wikipedia contributors. "Human Flame." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Version: July 25, 2009. Retrieved: August 5, 2009.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors. "Vulture (DC Comics)." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Version: February 16, 2009. Retrieved: August 5, 2009.