Anthony F. Tallarico(September 20, 1933 – January 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist, and children's book illustrator and author. Often paired in a team with his generally uncreditedpenciler,Bill Fraccio,Tallarico drew primarily forCharlton ComicsandDell Comics,including, for the latter, the comic bookLobo,an early comic book starring anAfrican-American.
| Tony Tallarico | |
|---|---|
| Born | Anthony F. Tallarico September 20, 1933 Brooklyn, New York,U.S. |
| Died | January 6, 2022(aged 88) South Setauket, New York,U.S. |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist,Inker |
| Pseudonym(s) | Tony Williamson Tony Williamsune |
Notable works | Lobo |
| Awards | East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention's Pioneer Award, 2006 |
Biography
editEarly life and career
editTony Tallarico was born inBrooklyn, New Yorkon September 20, 1933,[1]and attendedNew York City'sSchool of Industrial Art,theBrooklyn Museum Art School,and theSchool of Visual Arts.[2]He got his start in comics in 1953,pencilingand self-inkingstories for such publishers asCharlton Comics,Trojan, and the David C. Cook Publishing Company, for which he contributed to anewspaperSunday-supplement comic book similar to "The Spirit Section".[3]
The Silver Age
editIn 1961, Tallarico illustrated theGilberton Company'sClassics Illustrated#160, its adaptation ofH. G. Wells'The Food of the Gods;Classics Illustrated Junior#571, "How Fire Came to theIndians";andClassics Illustrated Junior#574, the Europeanfolk tale"Brightboots". He also drew individual chapters in several issues in Gilberton'sWorld Around Usseries. At the end of the decade, Tallarico supplied second painted covers for reprints ofClassics Illustrated#81,Homer'sThe Odyssey,and #96, historianJohn Bakeless'Daniel Boone:Master of the Wilderness.[4]
He drew the sole two issues ofLobo(Dec. 1965 & Sept. 1966) — also listed asDell Comics#12-438-512 and #12-439-610 in publisherDell Comics' quirky numbering system — the first knowncomic bookto star anAfrican-American.ThisWesternseries, scripted byDon Arneson,chronicled the adventures of a wealthy, unnamed African-American gunslinger hero, called "Lobo" by the first issue'santagonists.[5]Tallarico and Arneson dispute who originally conceived the character.[6][7]
A single-issue, small-press comic book in 1947,All-Negro Comicswas an omnibus featuring a black detective, a black adventurer and others in separate features. Likewise, whileMarvel Comics' 1950s predecessorAtlas Comicshad included the feature "Waku, Prince of the Bantu — starring anAfricanchieftain in Africa, with no regularly featuredCaucasiancharacters — as one of four features in the omnibus seriesJungle Tales(Sept. 1954 - Sept. 1955). Aside from Lobo, there would be no black title star of a comic untilLuke Cage, Hero for Hire(June 1972),[3]though black supporting characters such as theBlack Pantherand theFalconwere introduced in the interim.
Tallarico drew the one-shot "Great SocietyComic Book "(1966), which portrayed PresidentLyndon B. Johnsonand otherDemocratsas superheroes, fighting against evilconservatives.He was involved with the follow-up comic, "Bobman and Teddy", starringRobertandTed Kennedyas aBatman-and-Robin-like dynamic duo.[3][8]
Under the jointpseudonymTony Williamsonand, later,Tony Williamsune,Tallarico and his generally uncreditedpenciler,Bill Fraccio,collaborated on many stories forWarren Publishing'shorror-comicsmagazinesCreepy,EerieandVampirella.[9]
Tallarico's work includes issues of the CharltonsuperherocomicBlue Beetleand itsTVtie-in andteen idolcomicsBewitchedandBobby Sherman.He also drew Dell's 1966-1967FrankensteinandDraculasuperhero series andHarvey Comics' short-lived superhero titleJigsaw.His last recorded work in the comic book field is the story "Double Occupancy" in Charlton'sGhost Manor#15 (Oct. 1973).[3]
Later career
editIn the 1970s, Tallarico began writing/illustratingchildren's booksfor such publishers asFitzgerald Publishing,Kidsbooks, Tuffy Books, Modern,Simon & Schuster,Price Stern Sloan, Treasure Books, Concordia Publishing House, Putnam, and Little Simon. Still active as of the mid-2000s, Tallarico by his counts has created more than 1,000 children's books, including theWhere Are They?series.[2]
Personal life and death
editTallarico was married to a writer, Elvira, for over 44 years. They had two children, Nina Reyes and Tony John Tallarico.[2]He died on January 6, 2022, at the age of 88.[10]
Awards
editOn May 19, 2006, Tallarico was bestowed theEast Coast Black Age of Comics Convention's Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement, in recognition of his creating the first comic book to star an African-American. He was an honoree at the reception dinner at theAfrican American Museum in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.[11][12][13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Bails, Jerry;Hames Ware."Tallarico, Tony".Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999.Archived fromthe originalon September 26, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 20,2013.
- ^abc"Tony Tallarico Bio".National Cartoonist Society.Archivedfrom the original on June 22, 2011.
- ^abcdTony Tallaricoat theGrand Comics Database
- ^William B. Jones Jr.,Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, with Illustrations(Jefferson, NC, and London: McFarland, 2002), pp. 158-160.
- ^Lobo#1at theGrand Comics Database
- ^"Tony Tallarico Interview".Coville's Clubhouse.Collector Times.August 2006. Archived fromthe originalon April 28, 2010..
- ^"Interview with D.J. Arneson".Coville's Clubhouse.Collector Times.April 2010. Archived fromthe originalon October 6, 2012.RetrievedAugust 12,2013.
- ^Shaw, Scott(November 5, 2000)."The Great Society Comic Book#10135 (1966) ".OddballComics.com. Archived fromthe originalon August 13, 2007.
- ^Evanier, Mark(December 7, 2005)."Bill Fraccio, R.I.P."NewsFromMe.com. Archived fromthe originalon November 11, 2006.
- ^"Tony Tallarico – RIP".January 8, 2022.
- ^Watson, Rob (May 19, 2006). "For These Comics Creators, Not Just Funny Business".The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^"Archive for the 'Pioneers' Category".East Coast Black Age of Comics Con '10. 2010. Archived fromthe originalon November 13, 2010.
- ^Isabella, Tony."ECBACC".Comics Buyer's Guide.No. 1622.Archivedfrom the original on January 5, 2017 – via "Tony's Online Tips" (column), September 18, 2006.
External links
edit- NCS Long Island Chapter "The Berndt Toast Gang" Newsat theWayback Machine(archived June 22, 2006) (newsletter); scroll down to "Tony Tallarico Award".Original page.