George Tuska, 1916-2009

Legendary comic artist George Tuska passed away on October 15 at the age of 93. His career began in 1939 and lasted full-time until 1993, but he was still accepting commissions from fans as recently as last weekend. In that time he worked for all the major companies, but is best known for his 9+ years pencilling Iron Man for Marvel. He also did notable stints on such Marvel titles as X-Men, Ghost Rider, The Avengers, and Sub-Mariner. My first exposure to his work was on DC's horror titles like House of Mystery, House of Secrets, The Unexpected and The Witching Hour in the late 60s / early 70s, and such stories as "The Two Brains of 'Beast' Bracken" and "Stop Beating, Heart! You're Killing Me!" He was known for one of the finest work ethics in the business, earning a reputation as one of comicdom's most dependable fill-in artists. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Dorothy, as well as three children, five grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren.