Carmine Infantino

Carmine Infantino (born May 24, 1925, Brooklyn, New York City) is an American comic book artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age of Comic Books.

Early life and career

Carmine Infantino attended Public Schools 75 and 85 in Brooklyn before going on the High School of Industrial Arts (now the High School of Art and Design) in Manhattan. During his freshman year of high school, Infantino began working for the quirkily named Harry "A" Chesler, whose studio was one of a handful of comic-book "packagers" who created complete comics for publishers looking to enter the emerging field in the 1930s-'40s Golden Age of Comic Books. As Infantino recalled [1]:

"I used to go around as a youngster into companies, go in and try to meet people -- nothing ever happened. One day I went to this place on 23rd Street, this old broken-down warehouse, and I met Harry Chesler. Now, I was told he was a mean guy and he used people and he took artists. But he was very sweet to me. He said, 'Look, kid. You come up here, I'll give you a dollar a day, just study art, learn, and grow.' That was damn nice of him, I thought. He did that for me for a whole summer."

Infantino, who also attended night classes at the Art Students League, became an art assistant at Quality Comics the following summer. Later, at Timely Comics, the Golden Age precursor of Marvel, Infantino got his first job drawing comics. With friend and high-school classmate Frank Giacoia penciling, Infanto inked the debut of the feature "Jack Frost" in USA Comics #1 (Aug. 1941). Infantino would eventually work for several publishers during the decade, drawing Airboy and the Heap for Hillman Periodicals; working for packager Jack Binder, who supplied Fawcett Comics; briefly at Holyoke; then landing at DC Comics, where he became a regular atist of the Golden Age Flash, Black Canary, Green Lantern and Justice Society of America.

During the 1950s, Infantino freelanced for Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's company, Prize Comics, drawing the series Charlie Chan, which in particular shows the influence both of Kirby's and Milton Caniff's art stules. Back at DC, during a lull in the popularity of superheroes, Infantino drew Westerns, mysteries, science fiction comics. As his style evolved, he began to shed both the Kirbyisms and the gritty shading of Caniff, and develop a clean, linear style.

Silver age artist

In 1956, DC editor Julius Schwartz assigned writer Robert Kanigher and artist Infantino to the company's first attempt at reviving superheroes: an updated version of the Flash that would appear in issue #4 (Oct. 1956) of the try-out series Showcase. Infantino designed the now-classic red uniform with yellow detail, striving to keep the costume as streamlined as possible, and he drew on his design abilities to create a new visual language to depict the Flash's speed, making the figure a red and yellow blur. The eventual success of the new, science-fictiony Flash heralded the wholesale return of superheroes, and the beginning of what fans and historians call the Silver Age of comics.

Infantino continued to work for Schwartz in his other features and titles, most notably "Adam Strange" in Strange Adventures, replacing Mike Sekowsky. In 1964, Schwartz was made resonsible for reviving the faded Batman titles. Writer John Broome and artist Infantino jettisoned the sillier aspects that had crept into the series (such as (Ace the Bathound, and Bat-Mite) and gave the "New Look" Batman and Robin a more detective-oriented direction and sleeker draftsmanship that proved a hit combination. Other features and characters Infantino drew at DC include "The Space Museum", and Elongated Man

For his work in this period, he tied for the 1958 National Cartoonists Society award for the Comic Book Division.

DC Comics editorial director

In 1967, Infantino was tasked with designing covers for the entire DC line. When DC was sold to Kinny National, Carmine was promoted to editorial director. He started by hiring new talent, and promoting artists to editorial positions. He hired Dick Giordano away from Charlton Comics, and made artists Joe Orlando, Joe Kubert and Mike Sekowsky editors. New talents such as Neal Adams and Denny O'Neil were injected into the company.

Infantino was made publisher in 1971, during a time of declining circulation for DC's comics. Infantino attempted a number of changes, includint the launch of starting several new titles. Older characters including Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Superman, Wonder Woman and, again, Batman were revamped to mixed results.

The same year he was made publisher, Infantino scored a major coup in signing on Marvel Comics' star artist, Jack Kirby. Beginning with Jimmy Olsen, Kirby created his Fourth World saga that wove through that existing title and three new series he created. With sales of his comics landing below expectations, however, the titles were eventually canceled and Kirby returned to freelancing for Marvel.

In an effort to raise revenue, Infantino raised the cover price of DC's comics from 15 to 25 cents, simultaneously raising the page count by adding reprints and new backup features. Marvel met the price increase, then dropped back to 20 cents; Infantino stayed at 25 cents, a decision that ultimately proved bad for cicrulation.

After working with writer Mario Puzo on the Superman movie, Infantino collaborated with Marvel on the historic company-crossover publication Superman vs. Spider-Man. Yet before sales on that hit book had been recorded, Infantino was let go by Warner and returned to freelance work.

Later career

Infantino later drew for a number of titles for Warren Publishing and Marvel, including the latter's Star Wars, Spider-Woman, and Nova. In the 1980s, he again drew the Flash for DC. As of 2005, Infantino is retired, although he is often a guest at comic book conventions. His autobiography is The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino (Vanguard Press).

Awards

Among his numerous awards are a 1958 National Cartoonists Society Award for Best Comic Book, a 1961 Alley Award for Best Single Issue for Flash #123 (with Gardner Fox), and a 1961 Alley Award for Best Artist.

References

• The Comics Journal #191: Carmine Infantino interview excerpt
• The Grand Comics Database