Tom Palmer (comics) explained

Tom Palmer
Birth Name:Thomas John Palmer
Birth Date:13 July 1941
Birth Place:Queens, New York, U.S.
Death Place:Oakland, New Jersey, U.S.
Ink:y
Color:y

Thomas John Palmer (July 13, 1941 – August 18, 2022)[1] was an American comic book artist best known as an inker for Marvel Comics.

Biography

Although Tom Palmer created a small amount of penciling work (as well as some cover art and some coloring), the vast majority of his artistic output since the 1960s was as a comic book inker. Reminiscing about how he came to be an inker, Palmer recounted:

Palmer's extensive work for Marvel Comics includes runs paired with pencilers Neal Adams on The Avengers and Uncanny X-Men; Gene Colan, on titles such as Doctor Strange, Daredevil, and Tomb of Dracula; and John Buscema, on The Avengers. He also inked the entire run of John Byrne's .

Palmer is widely considered the definitive inker for Gene Colan, whose use of grey textures made his pencils notoriously difficult to ink in a way that did them justice.[2] Colan has stated publishers never answered his requests to be paired with a specific inker. Palmer reasoned that, "I think the way we both worked in the business, we had a book to get out every month, bills to pay, and somehow we were put together as a team. We could have been forgotten and ignored, and we'd not be sitting here today. But somehow, I think, the fans have brought us to this point of recognition."[3]

Palmer's brushy, detailed, and illustrative inking style hearkens back to vintage newspaper comic strips like Steve Canyon and Tarzan, and has influenced later generations of inkers like Klaus Janson, Josef Rubinstein, and Bob McLeod.[4]

Palmer's son Tom Palmer, Jr. is a comic book professional who had a long-running column, Palmer's Picks, in the now defunct Wizard Magazine: The Price Guide to Comics and he was also an editor for DC Comics.[5]

Palmer died on August 18, 2022, at the age of 81.[6] [7]

Awards

In addition to the awards below, Palmer was also named the #3 Inker of American Comics by Atlas Comics.

Selected bibliography

Marvel Comics

DC Comics

Notes and References

  1. Web site: John Jackson Miller. Miller. John Jackson. Comics Industry Birthdays. Comics Buyer's Guide. June 10, 2005. December 12, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110218031356/http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays. February 18, 2011. live.
  2. Field. pp. 83–84, 87
  3. Field, p. 93
  4. http://www.acomics.com/ink6.htm "The 20 Greatest Inkers of American Comic Books," Atlas Comics.
  5. Brevort, Tom. "Tom Palmer Lunch," Blah Blah Blog (Nov. 8, 2007). Accessed December 16, 2008.
  6. Web site: Tom Palmer Sr, Inker Extraordinaire, Dies At The Age Of 81. Rich. Johnston. Bleeding Cool. August 19, 2022. August 19, 2022.
  7. https://oaklandmemorial.com/tribute/details/2853/Thomas-Palmer/obituary.html#content-start Thomas John Palmer
  8. The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom #123 (March 26, 1976).