Kurt Schaffenberger

Kurt Schaffenberger (born December 15, 1921 in Germany, † January 24, 2002 in Brick, New Jersey) was an American comic artist .

Life and work

Schaffenberger, whose family is originally from Germany, emigrated with his parents to the United States in the 1930s. In 1941 he won an art scholarship from Pratt in New York. After graduating, Schaffenberger began working for Jack Binder's studio in New Jersey, for whom he drew pages for the Fawcett series Captain Marvel .

During the Second World War, Schaffenberger, who spoke German as the son of an emigrant, worked for the Office of Strategic Services , where he designed war posters. After the war, Schaffenberger began working as a freelance artist: until the early 1950s, he drew comic stories for the Fawcett series Whiz Comics , Captain Marvel Jr. and again Captain Marvel . This was followed by engagements with the publishers Marvel Comics, Classics Illustrated and finally DC Comics , for which Schaffenberger began to work in the late 1950s. For DC, Schaffenberger produced his most famous works, namely illustrations for stories about the superhero Superman, which were published in the series Superman , Action Comics , World's Finest and Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane . Schaffenberger's interpretation of the figure of the adventurous reporter Lois Lane - whom he portrayed as a "modern woman" who strides through life as briskly as self-confidently but at the same time has a profile of "classic beauty" - today, according to his biographer Vogler, applies to many critics and readers of the Superman comics as the "definitive version" of the character.

Schaffenberger, who died in 2002 as a result of diabetes and a heart condition, was honored for his work with the National Cartoonists Society Award in the "Comic Book" category (1984).

literature

• Mark Vogler: Hero Gets Girl! The Life and Art of Kurt Schaffenberger , s. l. 2002. ISBN 1-893905-29-2