Danny L. Adkins (March 15, 1937 – May 3, 2013)Danny L. Adkins at the Social Security Death Index via FamilySearch.org. Retrieved December 30, 2013. Adkins' death date is sometimes given erroneously as March 8, which was instead the date on which his death the week earlier had been announced. was an American illustrator who worked mainly for comic books and science-fiction magazines.
Biography Early life and career Dan Adkins was born in West Virginia, in the basement of an unfinished house. He left the state "when I was about 7" as his family moved to Pennsylvania; Reno, Nevada; Phoenix, Arizona; New York; Ohio; and New Jersey.Adkins in Reprinted in When he was "about 11" years old, Adkins said, he had a bout with rheumatic fever that left him paralyzed from the waist down for six months. Serving in the Air Force in the mid-1950s, stationed at Luke Field outside Phoenix, Adkins was a draftsman. As he described the job,
Launched in 1956, that publication was Sata, filled with fantasy illustrations and reproduced on a spirit duplicator. In Phoenix, Arizona, Adkins met artist-writer Bill Pearson who signed on as Sata'''s co-editor. In 1959, Pearson became the sole editor of Sata, ending the 13-issue run with several offset-printed issues . Adkins contributed to numerous other fan publications, including Amra, Vega and Xero.
At 19, Adkins began doing freelance illustration for science-fiction magazines. He moved to New York City and when he was "about 24" years old was an art director for the Hearst Corporation's American Druggist and New Medical Material magazines. As he recalled:
Silver Age of comic books
In 1964, during the period comic-book fans and historians call the Silver Age of Comics, Adkins joined the Wally Wood Studio as Wood's assistant. Wood and Adkins collaborated on a series of stories for Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror-comics magazines Creepy and Eerie. Adkins was among the original artists of Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, for Tower Comics, drawing many Dynamo stories during his 16 months in the Wood Studio.
He joined Marvel Comics in 1967.A announced in the "Bullpen Bulletins" of Fantastic Four #63 and other Marvel comics released that month working primarily as an inker but also penciling several stories for Doctor Strange and other titles. Adkins additionally worked for a variety of comics publishers, including Charlton Comics, DC Comics (Aquaman, Batman), Dell Comics/Western Publishing, Eclipse Comics, Harvey Comics, Marvel, and Pacific Comics.Dan Adkins at the Grand Comics Database.
In addition to penciling and inking, Adkins also did cover paintings, including for Amazing Stories, Eerie (issue 12) and Famous Monsters of Filmland (issues 44, 46). His magazine illustrations were published in Argosy (with Wood), Amazing Stories, Fantastic, Galaxy Science Fiction, Infinity, Monster Parade, Science-Fiction Adventures, Spectrum, Worlds of If and other magazines.
In the 2000s, he illustrated Parker Brothers products, and his artwork for Xero was reprinted in the hardback The Best of Xero'' (Tachyon, 2004).Lupoff. Dick. The Best of Xero. Tachyon, 2004.
Awards In 2019, Adkins was inducted into the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievement and outstanding accomplishments.
Personal life Adkins was married to Jeanette Strouse.Photo caption, ALter Ego interview above: "Dan with Jeanette Strouse in 1956, at age nineteen. Photos courtesy of Dan & Jeanette Adkins."
Adkins died May 3, 2013, at age 76.
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