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| (Typo in issue number - should be #18) |
I contributed the following to the memorials web page of Mulhearn Funeral Home a few days ago:
I only learned a couple years ago that the man who produced many of the 1940s comic book stories that were being reprinted in the 1970s when I was enjoying them so immensely lived in the same town I grew up in. Although I never met Mr Swayze, I felt I grew to know him through his art from back then and later interviews and articles he contributed to, until very recently, celebrating the Golden Age of American comics in which he was a vital participant. My condolences to his family and all those touched by him. - Kent Hare
In case it vanishes from the Monroe News-Star web site, I also preserve the obituary posted there on 14 October:
Monroe's 'Captain Marvel' Artist Marcus Swayze Dies
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| Marc Swayze died Sunday at the age of 99. He was an artist and writer for Captain Marvel Comics in the 1940s. / The News-Star/File |
Legendary artist Marcus Swayze of Monroe died Sunday.
He was 99.
Swayze, who was also called "Marc," drew the
Captain Marvel character for Fawcett Publications from 1941 to 1942.
He talked about his career during an October 2000 interview
with The News-Star.
Swayze said Fawcett, based in New York City, was looking for
an artist to contribute to its newly created comic book "WHIZ
Comics."
Swayze sent sketches of his work to Fawcett and "they
said, 'come for an interview and be prepared to stay,'" Swayze recalled in
the interview.
He said his style of drawing is simple and stands in sharp
contrast to the flashy, intricate comic book art of today.
"My personal philosophy was to use the art in
storytelling so that even a child who couldn't yet read could get a story out
of it," he said.
Swayze's career in comics spanned more than a decade during
the Golden Age of Comics, when the books were at the height of their
popularity.
In addition to drawing Captain Marvel, Swayze was the first
to draw Mary Marvel. Mary, Billy's long lost sister, could also gain super
powers by saying "SHAZAM!"
"I loved that life," Swayze said, referring to his
years in New York. "I made some of the best friends I ever had."
Swayze created 50 characters of his own in an attempt to
secure a contract for a syndicated comic strip.
The characters were drawn by Swayze and from his
experiences. The Great Pierre was a Cajun from Louisiana, complete with
woodsman's clothes and a broken Louisiana accent.
Swayze was working for Fawcett Comics on Dec. 7, 1941, when
America entered World War II. He was soon drafted and found himself at Fort
Oglethorpe, Ga.
In a January 2011 interview, Swayze said it was during his
Army stint that another talent came to the fore. One day on the firing range,
he was called in to see the base colonel and was told to "bring your
guitar."
There, he was introduced to Bing Crosby, and the two of them
performed together in two concerts before the troops. Later, word came down
that when Crosby broadcast one of his next radio shows, he mentioned having
visited Fort Oglethorpe and said that he had met "a great guitar
player."
After his Army years, Swayze decided he wanted to settle
down and start a family. He recalled telling his editors at Fawcett that he
loved New York but it was just time to go home.
His editors at Fawcett allowed him to work from home. He
returned to Monroe, where he met his wife June, and raised five children.
While in Monroe, Swayze drew The Phantom Eagle for Fawcett
and Flyin' Jenny for newspapers. Regular trips to the post office to mail his
work to New York and an occasional telephone call kept him in contact with his
editors.
It was revealed in a 2011 interview that Swayze regularly
wrote a column for Alter Ego, a magazine for comic-book enthusiasts. His column
was titled, "We Didn't Know It Was the Golden Age!"
Requiescat in Pace.
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