QUICK TRIB: Frank Springer

A week ago today, the great artist Frank Springer died on April 2.

My introduction to Springer was at a youth in the pages of '70s Marvel Comics via the two Franks, Robbins and Springer, who tackled with gusto THE INVADERS and THE HUMAN FLY (which I wrote about at length in my first BACK ISSUE magazine article back in BACK ISSUE # 20).

The combination of Robbins and Springer is definitely a love it or hate it proposition, thanks to the crazy stylings of Robbins: I vote for love it. I loved these comics, and in more recent years, my mania for the Robbins/Springer combo only heightened thanks to the encouragement of my cartoonist buddy Rafael Navarro, cartoonist behind the great SONAMBULO and our GUMBY'S GANG STARRING POKEY book from WildCard. Raf egged me on big time with his love for the art of INVADERS and CAPTAIN AMERICA. Years later, we still geek out over all that Robbins stuff, a lot of it inked by Frank Springer. (By the way, next time you're at a convention, ask Mr. N to show you his sketch book or his special Captain America sketchbook, if you don't believe this guy is a Robbins/Springer freak!) LUKE CAGE, GHOST RIDER, LEGION OF MONSTERS: tasty stuff, brudda! Robbins and Springer: one explosive combo.

Later, Springer had a crazy run on DAZZLER, which I believe had the longest run of a female superhero book just short of SPIDER-WOMAN (or at least was up there with SHE-HULK). To be honest, I gave up with DAZZLER after # 1 but still...

I've included some imagery, including, in the spirit of the Passover, a quick glimpse of the Jacob Goldstein Golem from INVADERS # 13 (and by the way, I will have an article on Golem characters in BACK ISSUE # 36, out in September). Go, Golem, go! Gone, Frank Springer, gone.....but his art will stay with us, to be dug by future generations (I hope!). Ditto Robbins, Thanks, Franks!