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Mike Esposito (comics)

October 20, 2023

Mike Esposito (July 14, 1927 – October 24, 2010),[2] who sometimes used the pseudonyms Mickey Demeo, Mickey Dee, Michael Dee, and Joe Gaudioso, was an American comic book artist whose work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics and others spanned the 1950s to the 2000s. As a comic book inker teamed with his childhood friend Ross Andru, he drew for such major titles as The Amazing Spider-Man and Wonder Woman. An Andru-Esposito drawing of Wonder Woman appears on a 2006 U.S. stamp.

Mike Esposito
Esposito in 1977, from
Amazing World of DC Comics #15
BornMichael Esposito
July 14, 1927[1]
New York City, New York
DiedOctober 24, 2010(2010-10-24) (aged 83)
Suffolk County, New York
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Writer, Penciller, Inker, Editor, Publisher
Pseudonym(s)Mickey Demeo, Mickey Dee, Michael Dee, Joe Gaudioso
Notable works
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Flash
Metal Men
Wonder Woman

Esposito was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2007.

Biography Edit

Early life and career Edit

Mike Esposito was born in New York City, New York,[2] with a musician father who in 1928 fronted the band Ralph Perry and His Orchestra,[3] and later was a grocer.[4] Esposito graduated from The High School of Music & Art, then in Harlem, where one of his classmates and friends was future comics artist Ross Andru,[5] with whom he would collaborate on flip-book animation.[6] One early artistic influence was Milt Caniff's Terry and the Pirates,[5] while another was Lev Gleason Publications crime comics artist George Tuska, of whom he said,

For some reason, I was attracted to that stuff more than the superheroes, as a kid ... and I love the way he drew those characters. They were like a caricature of the real gangsters. ... I loved the faces of his — their teeth and the kind of garb they would wear, their clothing. As a young fella, 14 years old, I tried to draw like him. ... I used to always want to emulate his look. Part of it had to do with the fact that he didn't overwork [his drawings]. It was simplistic, the backgrounds and so on. The character was the whole thing. The facial expressions. ...[7]

Originally Esposito dreamed of becoming an animator at Disney. This ended when his father did not want him to leave New York for the West Coast.[5] Drafted into the U.S. Army on September 15, 1945,[4] before finishing high school,[8] he served at Camp Dix and Camp Crowder until it was discovered he could draw; Esposito was then dispatched to Germany, where he did venereal disease prevention posters, including the well-known "If you're drippin', you ain't shippin'" and "VD or not VD, that is the question."[4] He was discharged from the Army "in about '47."[4] That year he and Andru both enrolled in Burne Hogarth's Cartoonists and Illustrators School,[9] later renamed the School of Visual Arts. Esposito's first published work in the comic-book field was for Victor Fox's Fox Feature Syndicate, where he worked as penciler, inker, and sometimes letterer.[6]

Andru assisted Hogarth on the Tarzan newspaper comic strip from 1948 until, Esposito recalled, "the strip died in about 1950-51. Then Ross came to me when I started publishing and we more or less teamed up." Another source says penciler Andru first teamed with inker Esposito in 1949[10] for the publisher Fiction House, but this is unconfirmed at the Grand Comics Database. The team's first confirmed collaboration was on the six-page "Wylie's Wild Horses" in Hillman Periodicals' Western Fighters vol. 2, #12 (Nov. 1950), signaling the start of a four-decade collaboration.[11]

In 1949,[12] Esposito was working on staff at Lev Gleason. "I was there for a while and then I shopped around. Went to school first, naturally, and then went up to Timely Comics [the future Marvel Comics, as it was transitioning into its 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics]. ... Stan Lee interviewed me and said, 'Okay, you can start here as a penciler.' So my job was to pencil so many pages a week for my salary."[12] His first confirmed work there is as penciler and inker of the war comics story "Heat of Battle" in Men's Adventures #6 (Feb. 1951),[13] though he had done much uncredited work in the interim, including his first professional inking. He recalled,

I didn't do any inking until I was with Timely Comics and I met a girl up there who was in charge of the inking department. I was at a bar in the Empire State Building with Mike Sekowsky, and I said to her, "Gee, I'd like to get some inking done".... I didn't know then, but she was in charge of all the inking, so she gave me some pages of a story by Ed Winiarski. He did all teenage stuff like Millie the Model. I took one home, and I did it. I was getting $15 or $17 a page and that was pretty good on the inking. Pencillers were only getting $2 to $3 a page more and at that time there was a lot more work than pencil. Stan Lee found [out] about it. He called me and said, "Who gave you this stuff? You're a penciller, you do a page per day and if you want to do freelance pencilling at home on the weekends then you can take a pencil story home." I said, "Well, no. I just wanted to try it"; the whole idea of inking was something new. He said, "Well, it's a damn good job".... Maybe it wasn't that good at all but he made me feel comfortable with what I did. The end result was that I wanted to do more of the inking but I never got an opportunity. I stayed there for quite a while and I worked on Lev Gleason's Crime and Punishment magazine.[14]

Let go from Atlas Comics after a short time, he and Andru became longtime collaborators, working together on various projects over a span of four decades.

 
Wonder Woman #98 (May 1958). Cover art by Ross Andru and Esposito, marking the start of their decade-long run on the character, defining her look in the Silver Age of Comic Books.

They quickly founded their own comics-book company, the name of which is variously rendered as MR Publications,[15] after the initial of their first names; Mr. Publications,[2] after the company's sole series, the whimsical adventure comic Mister Universe, which ran five issues (July 1951 - April 1952);[16] or the hybrid MR. Publications.[16] The two also co-founded Mikeross Publications in 1953, which through 1954 produced one issue each of the 3D romance comics 3-D Love and 3-D Romance, two issues of the romance comic Heart and Soul, and three issues of the satiric humor comic Get Lost.[17]

By this time, after having teamed for early work on Key Publications' Mister Mystery in 1951 and Standard Comics' The Unseen and Joe Yank (the latter credited as "Mikeross"), the two began a long career as one of DC Comics' primary war story artists, alongside the likes of Joe Kubert, Russ Heath, and Jerry Grandenetti, beginning with a story each in All-American Men of War #6, Our Army at War #14, and Star Spangled War Stories #13 (all Sept. 1953).[13] For those titles as well as G.I. Combat and Our Fighting Forces, Andru and Esposito drew hundreds of tales of combat under editor and frequent writer Robert Kanigher.

From 1957 to 1959, Andru and Esposito shared a studio with fellow comics artists Jack Abel, Art Peddy and Bernie Sachslate,[18] generally credited as Bernie Sachs. With Kanigher, the Andru-Esposito team introduced the non-superpowered adventurers the Suicide Squad in The Brave and the Bold #25 (Sept. 1959). The duo also drew early issues of Rip Hunter, Time Master in 1961.[13]

Silver Age Edit

After DC Comics in 1956 ushered in the period fans and historians call the Silver Age of Comic Books, by reimagining such Golden Age superheroes as the Flash and Green Lantern for modern audiences, Andru and Esposito began a long run on DC's Wonder Woman. They drew the long-running superheroine's title from issues #98–171 (May 1958 – August 1967), "defining her look during [this] boom period".[2] As well, with writer-editor Robert Kanigher, they co-created the robot superheroes the Metal Men in Showcase #37 (April 1962), going on to draw the first 29 issues of the lighthearted series Metal Men, from 1963 to 1968. Esposito considered the series "the best idea [Kanigher] had done," specifying that, "Bob left the character design up to Ross and myself, under his supervision, of course."[19]

 
Original art, The Amazing Spider-Man #51 (Aug. 1967), page 16. An early example of the John Romita Sr.-Mike Esposito penciling and inking team that defined the post-Ditko look of Marvel's flagship character.

Esposito gradually began freelancing for Marvel Comics, starting with his uncredited inking of industry giant Jack Kirby's cover of Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965).[20] For his inking of Bob Powell in the "Human Torch and the Thing" feature in Strange Tales #132, and his inking of Don Heck's "Iron Man" in Tales of Suspense #65 (both May 1965), he took the pen name Mickey Demeo (occasionally given as Mickey Dee or Michael Dee) to conceal his Marvel work from his primary employer, DC.[21][22] He also occasionally worked under the pseudonym Joe Gaudioso for the same reason.[22][23] The pseudonym Mickey Demeo, he explained, "was a name I had in the 1950s when I was doing horror [comics] stories" — considered disreputable at the time — "and I didn't want certain guys in the business to know who I was us. Mickey Demo was a relative's name up in Boston."[12]

When John Romita, Sr. succeeded artist co-creator Steve Ditko on The Amazing Spider-Man, beginning with issue #39 (Aug. 1966), Esposito, initially as Demeo, was the first inker on what would become Marvel's flagship series. After three issues, Romita inked himself for the next half-dozen before Esposito returned — uncredited for issue #49 (June 1967),[24] then as Mickey Demeo until finally taking credit under his own name with issue #56 (Jan. 1968). Except for one issue (#65) inked by his successor, Jim Mooney, the Romita-Esposito team continued through issue #66 (Nov. 1968),[13] establishing the new look of Spider-Man. Esposito continued to use the "Demeo" credit sporadically, including on the debut story "Guardians of the Galaxy" in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (Jan. 1969), and on The Amazing Spider-Man #83 (April 1970), his last recorded use of the pen name.

During this period as well, for DC, the Andru-Esposito team segued from Wonder Woman to The Flash, drawing the super-speedster superhero's adventures from issue #175–194 (Dec. 1967 – Feb. 1970). All the while, Esposito regularly inked such artists as Irv Novick and Curt Swan on the Superman family of comics, including Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane, Superboy, and Superman, and numerous Superman-Batman team-ups penciled by Andru in World's Finest Comics. The Kanigher-Andru-Esposito trio introduced the Silver Age version of the split-personality superheroine feature "Rose and Thorn" in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #105 (Oct. 1970).[13] For the black-and-white comics-magazine publisher Skywald in 1971, Andru and Esposito contributed many stories across the line, including to the horror titles Nightmare and Psycho and the Western titles Wild Western Action, The Bravados and Butch Cassidy. With writer Gary Friedrich, they created Skywald's motorcycle-riding superhero Hell-Rider.[25]

Andru and Esposito formed the publishing company Klevart Enterprises in 1970,[26] which two years later published two issues of a humor magazine cover-titled Up Your Nose (and Out Your Ear).[27] The name, Esposito said, came from an expression used by late-night talk-show host Johnny Carson, "May the bird of paradise fly up your nose, and out your ear."[5] A third issue was written but never printed because of financial problems.[28] After the magazine's demise, Esposito, who often came into the Marvel office to do freelance work for the company, took a staff job there for "about a year and a half", explaining,

I had gone bankrupt with Ross [Andru], publishing Up Your Nose (and Our Your Ear), and so [Marvel associate editor] Roy Thomas said, 'Do you want a staff job?' It paid $75 a week, but you got all the freelance with it. At one time I was $1,200 a week because of all the freelance. That's when I quit the staff job. I had more freelance that I could handle going into the office every day. So I went back to complete freelance. I was like a machine at that point, turning them out."[29]

Spider-Man Edit

The Andru-Esposito team first drew the flagship Marvel Comics character Spider-Man in the premiere (March 1972) of that superhero's first spin-off comic book, Marvel Team-Up, nearly every issue of which featured Spider-Man paired with another hero. While Andru did not remain on the series, Esposito would go on to ink several issues, often those penciled by Gil Kane.[30] Andru and Esposito eventually took over the flagship title The Amazing Spider-Man. Esposito inked the vast majority of a nearly four-year run on the title, encompassing issues #147-150, 152-171, 177, 179-182, 185-186, 188, and 191 (Aug. 1975 - April 1979), all penciled by Andru except for three issues penciled by Sal Buscema and two by Keith Pollard.[31] Esposito inked the feature stories in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #4-5 (1967–1968), over Larry Lieber's pencils, with the latter issue introducing Peter Parker's parents; Annual #10 (Nov. 1976), over Gil Kane; and Annual #22, over Mark Bagley. Esposito additionally inked several issues apiece of The Spectacular Spider-Man; the children's comic Spidey Super Stories; and a host of Spider-Man miscellanea, such as Spider-Man Giveaway: AIM Toothpaste Exclusive Collectors' Edition (1980), and Spider-Man Giveaway: National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse #1 (1984).[13][32]

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Esposito inked virtually every major Marvel penciler on virtually every major Marvel title, from The Avengers to X-Men.[13] By the mid-1980s, however, his Marvel work had tapered to a trickle. Among his final Spider-Man work, he was co-inker on the story "Moving Up", penciled by Alex Saviuk, in Web of Spider-Man #38 (May 1988); inker of the following issue's cover; and inker of the 11-page partial origin retelling "My Science Project", penciled by Bagley, in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23 (1989). His final Spider-Man story was also his last with Andru, who died in 1993: the graphic novel Spider-Man: Fear Itself (Feb. 1992). Esposito's final Marvel tale was the 11-page Darkhold story "Skin", penciled by Dan Lawlis, in the horror comics title Midnight Sons Unlimited #2 (July 1993).[13]

Later life and career Edit

By this time, however, Esposito was well-ensconced at Archie Comics, inking hundreds of teenage-humor stories starring Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper and the other high-schoolers of Riverdale, U.S.A., generally over the pencils of fellow former longtime Marvel artist Stan Goldberg. In 1992, he reunited with writer Gerry Conway and artist Ross Andru for a story in Web of Spider-Man Annual #6. Also in 1992, the graphic novel Spider-Man: Fear Itself, pencilled by Andru, inked by Esposito, plotted by Conway and scripted by Stan Lee was published. Andru & Esposito's last published work together was for Archie Comics' Zen, Intergalactic Ninja in 1992. Prior to Andru's death in 1993, Esposito was working with Andru on a new project to be called The Strobe Warrior for another independent company founded by Esposito and his assistant N Blake Seals. The project fell apart after Andru's passing but was revived years later in song by a band called Fling Lois.[33] and once again in a graphic novel released in 2020 entitled "The Saga of Evil Monkey Man" by N Blake Seals.[34] Esposito's final Archie work was inking four Goldberg stories in Betty #56 (Dec. 1997).[13] Esposito, discussing this late period, said, "I started working over Stan's pencils, and did so for quite a few years. But as you get older, the pace with which you work becomes a strain. With Ross passing away in 1993, I decided to stop working for publishers and change my directions," turning to commissioned recreations of his old comics work.[35]

Personal life Edit

Esposito's first wife, Mary, died when he was in his 40s. He later married his second wife, Irene,[2] who died on January 12, 2020.[36] Esposito had two children: Mark, who predeceased him, and Michele.[2] Esposito's grandson, Tyler Esposito,[37] created the online documentary My Retro Life: A Gamer's Documentary, which includes home-video footage of Mike Esposito.[38] Esposito lived in Lake Grove, New York, on Long Island, in his later years, and died October 24, 2010, at age 83.[2]

Awards Edit

Esposito was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2021 he was awarded the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.[39][40]

Legacy Edit

An Andru-Esposito drawing of Wonder Woman appears on one of the 10 character stamps issued in the U.S. Postal Service's 2006 commemorative stamp series "DC Comics Super Heroes".[41]

References Edit

  1. ^ "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JPMV-ZPG : accessed 25 Feb 2013), Michael Esposito, 24 October 2010; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Lovece, Frank (October 25, 2010). "Long Island Comic Book Artist Mike Esposito Dead at 83". Newsday. from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2010. (Requires subscription) Print version: "Mike Esposito, Comic Book Artist", p. A30
  3. ^ Esposito, Mike; Best, Dan (2006). "One: Who We Are > Part 1: Mike Esposito Starts Out". Andru & Esposito: Partners For Life. Hermes Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-1932563849.
  4. ^ a b c d Esposito, Best, p. 14
  5. ^ a b c d Esposito, Mike, in Stroud, Bryan D. (2008). "Mike Esposito interview (part 1)". The Silver Age Sage. from the original on September 1, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2009. I went to the High School of Music & Art ... in Harlem Additional, June 16, 2012.
  6. ^ a b . Mighty Mike Esposito (official site). Archived from the original on March 22, 2008.
  7. ^ Esposito, Mike, in Cassell, Dewey, with Aaron Sultan and Mike Gartland (2005). The Art of George Tuska. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-893905-40-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Esposito, Best, p. 16
  9. ^ Esposito, Best, p. 22.
  10. ^ Sedlmeier, Cory (ed.). Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Volume 2. Marvel Entertainment. p. 245.
  11. ^ Ross Andru at the Grand Comics Database
  12. ^ a b c Esposito in Cassell, et al., p. 65
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mike Esposito. Grand Comics Database. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  14. ^ Esposito in Best, Daniel. "Mike Esposito". Adelaide Comics. from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  15. ^ Esposito, Best, "Three: Some Hard Business Lessons > Part 1: MR Publications: We Get 'Taken'", p. 39.
  16. ^ a b Mister Universe; Publisher's Brands: MR. Publications; Indicia Publishers: Media Publications, Inc. at the Grand Comics Database
  17. ^ Mikeross Publications at the Grand Comics Database. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  18. ^ Bails, Jerry; Ware, Hames. "Esposito, Mike". from the original on May 11, 2007. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  19. ^ Esposito official site, . Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved 2012-06-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).
  20. ^ Fantastic Four Annual #3 at the Grand Comics Database
  21. ^ Ro, Ronin. Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and the American Comic Book Revolution, p. 92 (Bloomsbury, 2004)
  22. ^ a b Evanier, Mark (April 14, 2008). . P.O.V. Online (column). Archived from the original on November 26, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  23. ^ Some examples of his infrequent "Joe Gaudioso" credits, per the Grand Comics Database, are Sub-Mariner #14, 16–18, 23–31 (June, Aug.–Oct. 1969, March–Nov. 1970), and Iron Man #20–21 and #23 (Dec. 1969 – Jan. 1970, March 1970) — that last even though he went by Esposito on Iron Man #22
  24. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #49 (June 1967) at the Grand Comics Database
  25. ^ Arndt, Richard J. (December 2, 2010). "The Complete Skywald Checklist". EnjolrasWorld.com. from the original on May 10, 2010. Additional, June 15, 2010.
  26. ^ Mike Esposito at the Lambiek Comiclopedia
  27. ^ Up Your Nose And Out Your Ear at the Grand Comics Database
  28. ^ Esposito official site, . Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved 2012-06-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).
  29. ^ Cassell, et al., p. 66
  30. ^ Marvel Team-Up (I) (1972–1985) at The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
  31. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man (I) (1963-1998) at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
  32. ^ Esposito, Michael at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
  33. ^ "The Strobe Warrior". iTunes. January 21, 2014. from the original on September 18, 2016.
  34. ^ "Home". evilmonkeyman.com.
  35. ^ Esposito official site, . Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved 2012-06-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).
  36. ^ "Irene A Esposito". United States Obituary Notice. 15 January 2020. from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  37. ^ Esposito, Tyler [@myretrolifeshow] (December 7, 2019). "Wow! Yes, looks like my grandfather Mike Esposito was one of the artists on these" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020 – via Twitter.
  38. ^ "My Retro Life: A Gamer's Documentary". Apple TV. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  39. ^ First Comic News - 2021 INKWELL AWARDS VOTING RESULTS
  40. ^ 2021 Winners - Inkwell Awards Official Site
  41. ^ . U.S. Postal Service press release "Stamp News Release Number 05-054". November 30, 2005. Archived from the original on October 18, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.

External links Edit

  • at the Wayback Machine (archived June 12, 2007) (official site)
  • at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
  • Mickey Demeo at the Grand Comics Database
  • Evanier, Makr (October 24, 2010). "Mike Esposito, R.I.P." News from Me. from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  • Best, Daniel. "Partners For Life: Ross Andru & Mike Esposito". (unpublished interviews and scans made for book below) Adelaide Comics and Books. from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2013.

Further reading Edit

October 20, 2023
mike, esposito, comics, this, article, uses, bare, urls, which, uninformative, vulnerable, link, please, consider, converting, them, full, citations, ensure, article, remains, verifiable, maintains, consistent, citation, style, several, templates, tools, avail. This article uses bare URLs which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting such as reFill documentation and Citation bot documentation August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Mike Esposito July 14 1927 October 24 2010 2 who sometimes used the pseudonyms Mickey Demeo Mickey Dee Michael Dee and Joe Gaudioso was an American comic book artist whose work for DC Comics Marvel Comics and others spanned the 1950s to the 2000s As a comic book inker teamed with his childhood friend Ross Andru he drew for such major titles as The Amazing Spider Man and Wonder Woman An Andru Esposito drawing of Wonder Woman appears on a 2006 U S stamp Mike EspositoEsposito in 1977 from Amazing World of DC Comics 15BornMichael EspositoJuly 14 1927 1 New York City New YorkDiedOctober 24 2010 2010 10 24 aged 83 Suffolk County New YorkNationalityAmericanArea s Writer Penciller Inker Editor PublisherPseudonym s Mickey Demeo Mickey Dee Michael Dee Joe GaudiosoNotable worksThe Amazing Spider ManThe FlashMetal MenWonder WomanEsposito was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2007 Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early life and career 1 2 Silver Age 1 3 Spider Man 1 4 Later life and career 1 5 Personal life 2 Awards 3 Legacy 4 References 5 External links 6 Further readingBiography EditEarly life and career Edit Mike Esposito was born in New York City New York 2 with a musician father who in 1928 fronted the band Ralph Perry and His Orchestra 3 and later was a grocer 4 Esposito graduated from The High School of Music amp Art then in Harlem where one of his classmates and friends was future comics artist Ross Andru 5 with whom he would collaborate on flip book animation 6 One early artistic influence was Milt Caniff s Terry and the Pirates 5 while another was Lev Gleason Publications crime comics artist George Tuska of whom he said For some reason I was attracted to that stuff more than the superheroes as a kid and I love the way he drew those characters They were like a caricature of the real gangsters I loved the faces of his their teeth and the kind of garb they would wear their clothing As a young fella 14 years old I tried to draw like him I used to always want to emulate his look Part of it had to do with the fact that he didn t overwork his drawings It was simplistic the backgrounds and so on The character was the whole thing The facial expressions 7 Originally Esposito dreamed of becoming an animator at Disney This ended when his father did not want him to leave New York for the West Coast 5 Drafted into the U S Army on September 15 1945 4 before finishing high school 8 he served at Camp Dix and Camp Crowder until it was discovered he could draw Esposito was then dispatched to Germany where he did venereal disease prevention posters including the well known If you re drippin you ain t shippin and VD or not VD that is the question 4 He was discharged from the Army in about 47 4 That year he and Andru both enrolled in Burne Hogarth s Cartoonists and Illustrators School 9 later renamed the School of Visual Arts Esposito s first published work in the comic book field was for Victor Fox s Fox Feature Syndicate where he worked as penciler inker and sometimes letterer 6 Andru assisted Hogarth on the Tarzan newspaper comic strip from 1948 until Esposito recalled the strip died in about 1950 51 Then Ross came to me when I started publishing and we more or less teamed up Another source says penciler Andru first teamed with inker Esposito in 1949 10 for the publisher Fiction House but this is unconfirmed at the Grand Comics Database The team s first confirmed collaboration was on the six page Wylie s Wild Horses in Hillman Periodicals Western Fighters vol 2 12 Nov 1950 signaling the start of a four decade collaboration 11 In 1949 12 Esposito was working on staff at Lev Gleason I was there for a while and then I shopped around Went to school first naturally and then went up to Timely Comics the future Marvel Comics as it was transitioning into its 1950s iteration Atlas Comics Stan Lee interviewed me and said Okay you can start here as a penciler So my job was to pencil so many pages a week for my salary 12 His first confirmed work there is as penciler and inker of the war comics story Heat of Battle in Men s Adventures 6 Feb 1951 13 though he had done much uncredited work in the interim including his first professional inking He recalled I didn t do any inking until I was with Timely Comics and I met a girl up there who was in charge of the inking department I was at a bar in the Empire State Building with Mike Sekowsky and I said to her Gee I d like to get some inking done I didn t know then but she was in charge of all the inking so she gave me some pages of a story by Ed Winiarski He did all teenage stuff like Millie the Model I took one home and I did it I was getting 15 or 17 a page and that was pretty good on the inking Pencillers were only getting 2 to 3 a page more and at that time there was a lot more work than pencil Stan Lee found out about it He called me and said Who gave you this stuff You re a penciller you do a page per day and if you want to do freelance pencilling at home on the weekends then you can take a pencil story home I said Well no I just wanted to try it the whole idea of inking was something new He said Well it s a damn good job Maybe it wasn t that good at all but he made me feel comfortable with what I did The end result was that I wanted to do more of the inking but I never got an opportunity I stayed there for quite a while and I worked on Lev Gleason s Crime and Punishment magazine 14 Let go from Atlas Comics after a short time he and Andru became longtime collaborators working together on various projects over a span of four decades nbsp Wonder Woman 98 May 1958 Cover art by Ross Andru and Esposito marking the start of their decade long run on the character defining her look in the Silver Age of Comic Books They quickly founded their own comics book company the name of which is variously rendered as MR Publications 15 after the initial of their first names Mr Publications 2 after the company s sole series the whimsical adventure comic Mister Universe which ran five issues July 1951 April 1952 16 or the hybrid MR Publications 16 The two also co founded Mikeross Publications in 1953 which through 1954 produced one issue each of the 3D romance comics 3 D Love and 3 D Romance two issues of the romance comic Heart and Soul and three issues of the satiric humor comic Get Lost 17 By this time after having teamed for early work on Key Publications Mister Mystery in 1951 and Standard Comics The Unseen and Joe Yank the latter credited as Mikeross the two began a long career as one of DC Comics primary war story artists alongside the likes of Joe Kubert Russ Heath and Jerry Grandenetti beginning with a story each in All American Men of War 6 Our Army at War 14 and Star Spangled War Stories 13 all Sept 1953 13 For those titles as well as G I Combat and Our Fighting Forces Andru and Esposito drew hundreds of tales of combat under editor and frequent writer Robert Kanigher From 1957 to 1959 Andru and Esposito shared a studio with fellow comics artists Jack Abel Art Peddy and Bernie Sachslate 18 generally credited as Bernie Sachs With Kanigher the Andru Esposito team introduced the non superpowered adventurers the Suicide Squad in The Brave and the Bold 25 Sept 1959 The duo also drew early issues of Rip Hunter Time Master in 1961 13 Silver Age Edit After DC Comics in 1956 ushered in the period fans and historians call the Silver Age of Comic Books by reimagining such Golden Age superheroes as the Flash and Green Lantern for modern audiences Andru and Esposito began a long run on DC s Wonder Woman They drew the long running superheroine s title from issues 98 171 May 1958 August 1967 defining her look during this boom period 2 As well with writer editor Robert Kanigher they co created the robot superheroes the Metal Men in Showcase 37 April 1962 going on to draw the first 29 issues of the lighthearted series Metal Men from 1963 to 1968 Esposito considered the series the best idea Kanigher had done specifying that Bob left the character design up to Ross and myself under his supervision of course 19 nbsp Original art The Amazing Spider Man 51 Aug 1967 page 16 An early example of the John Romita Sr Mike Esposito penciling and inking team that defined the post Ditko look of Marvel s flagship character Esposito gradually began freelancing for Marvel Comics starting with his uncredited inking of industry giant Jack Kirby s cover of Fantastic Four Annual 3 1965 20 For his inking of Bob Powell in the Human Torch and the Thing feature in Strange Tales 132 and his inking of Don Heck s Iron Man in Tales of Suspense 65 both May 1965 he took the pen name Mickey Demeo occasionally given as Mickey Dee or Michael Dee to conceal his Marvel work from his primary employer DC 21 22 He also occasionally worked under the pseudonym Joe Gaudioso for the same reason 22 23 The pseudonym Mickey Demeo he explained was a name I had in the 1950s when I was doing horror comics stories considered disreputable at the time and I didn t want certain guys in the business to know who I was us Mickey Demo was a relative s name up in Boston 12 When John Romita Sr succeeded artist co creator Steve Ditko on The Amazing Spider Man beginning with issue 39 Aug 1966 Esposito initially as Demeo was the first inker on what would become Marvel s flagship series After three issues Romita inked himself for the next half dozen before Esposito returned uncredited for issue 49 June 1967 24 then as Mickey Demeo until finally taking credit under his own name with issue 56 Jan 1968 Except for one issue 65 inked by his successor Jim Mooney the Romita Esposito team continued through issue 66 Nov 1968 13 establishing the new look of Spider Man Esposito continued to use the Demeo credit sporadically including on the debut story Guardians of the Galaxy in Marvel Super Heroes 18 Jan 1969 and on The Amazing Spider Man 83 April 1970 his last recorded use of the pen name During this period as well for DC the Andru Esposito team segued from Wonder Woman to The Flash drawing the super speedster superhero s adventures from issue 175 194 Dec 1967 Feb 1970 All the while Esposito regularly inked such artists as Irv Novick and Curt Swan on the Superman family of comics including Superman s Girl Friend Lois Lane Superboy and Superman and numerous Superman Batman team ups penciled by Andru in World s Finest Comics The Kanigher Andru Esposito trio introduced the Silver Age version of the split personality superheroine feature Rose and Thorn in Superman s Girl Friend Lois Lane 105 Oct 1970 13 For the black and white comics magazine publisher Skywald in 1971 Andru and Esposito contributed many stories across the line including to the horror titles Nightmare and Psycho and the Western titles Wild Western Action The Bravados and Butch Cassidy With writer Gary Friedrich they created Skywald s motorcycle riding superhero Hell Rider 25 Andru and Esposito formed the publishing company Klevart Enterprises in 1970 26 which two years later published two issues of a humor magazine cover titled Up Your Nose and Out Your Ear 27 The name Esposito said came from an expression used by late night talk show host Johnny Carson May the bird of paradise fly up your nose and out your ear 5 A third issue was written but never printed because of financial problems 28 After the magazine s demise Esposito who often came into the Marvel office to do freelance work for the company took a staff job there for about a year and a half explaining I had gone bankrupt with Ross Andru publishing Up Your Nose and Our Your Ear and so Marvel associate editor Roy Thomas said Do you want a staff job It paid 75 a week but you got all the freelance with it At one time I was 1 200 a week because of all the freelance That s when I quit the staff job I had more freelance that I could handle going into the office every day So I went back to complete freelance I was like a machine at that point turning them out 29 Spider Man Edit The Andru Esposito team first drew the flagship Marvel Comics character Spider Man in the premiere March 1972 of that superhero s first spin off comic book Marvel Team Up nearly every issue of which featured Spider Man paired with another hero While Andru did not remain on the series Esposito would go on to ink several issues often those penciled by Gil Kane 30 Andru and Esposito eventually took over the flagship title The Amazing Spider Man Esposito inked the vast majority of a nearly four year run on the title encompassing issues 147 150 152 171 177 179 182 185 186 188 and 191 Aug 1975 April 1979 all penciled by Andru except for three issues penciled by Sal Buscema and two by Keith Pollard 31 Esposito inked the feature stories in The Amazing Spider Man Annual 4 5 1967 1968 over Larry Lieber s pencils with the latter issue introducing Peter Parker s parents Annual 10 Nov 1976 over Gil Kane and Annual 22 over Mark Bagley Esposito additionally inked several issues apiece of The Spectacular Spider Man the children s comic Spidey Super Stories and a host of Spider Man miscellanea such as Spider Man Giveaway AIM Toothpaste Exclusive Collectors Edition 1980 and Spider Man Giveaway National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse 1 1984 13 32 Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Esposito inked virtually every major Marvel penciler on virtually every major Marvel title from The Avengers to X Men 13 By the mid 1980s however his Marvel work had tapered to a trickle Among his final Spider Man work he was co inker on the story Moving Up penciled by Alex Saviuk in Web of Spider Man 38 May 1988 inker of the following issue s cover and inker of the 11 page partial origin retelling My Science Project penciled by Bagley in The Amazing Spider Man Annual 23 1989 His final Spider Man story was also his last with Andru who died in 1993 the graphic novel Spider Man Fear Itself Feb 1992 Esposito s final Marvel tale was the 11 page Darkhold story Skin penciled by Dan Lawlis in the horror comics title Midnight Sons Unlimited 2 July 1993 13 Later life and career Edit By this time however Esposito was well ensconced at Archie Comics inking hundreds of teenage humor stories starring Archie Andrews Betty Cooper and the other high schoolers of Riverdale U S A generally over the pencils of fellow former longtime Marvel artist Stan Goldberg In 1992 he reunited with writer Gerry Conway and artist Ross Andru for a story in Web of Spider Man Annual 6 Also in 1992 the graphic novel Spider Man Fear Itself pencilled by Andru inked by Esposito plotted by Conway and scripted by Stan Lee was published Andru amp Esposito s last published work together was for Archie Comics Zen Intergalactic Ninja in 1992 Prior to Andru s death in 1993 Esposito was working with Andru on a new project to be called The Strobe Warrior for another independent company founded by Esposito and his assistant N Blake Seals The project fell apart after Andru s passing but was revived years later in song by a band called Fling Lois 33 and once again in a graphic novel released in 2020 entitled The Saga of Evil Monkey Man by N Blake Seals 34 Esposito s final Archie work was inking four Goldberg stories in Betty 56 Dec 1997 13 Esposito discussing this late period said I started working over Stan s pencils and did so for quite a few years But as you get older the pace with which you work becomes a strain With Ross passing away in 1993 I decided to stop working for publishers and change my directions turning to commissioned recreations of his old comics work 35 Personal life Edit Esposito s first wife Mary died when he was in his 40s He later married his second wife Irene 2 who died on January 12 2020 36 Esposito had two children Mark who predeceased him and Michele 2 Esposito s grandson Tyler Esposito 37 created the online documentary My Retro Life A Gamer s Documentary which includes home video footage of Mike Esposito 38 Esposito lived in Lake Grove New York on Long Island in his later years and died October 24 2010 at age 83 2 Awards EditEsposito was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2007 In 2021 he was awarded the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award 39 40 Legacy EditAn Andru Esposito drawing of Wonder Woman appears on one of the 10 character stamps issued in the U S Postal Service s 2006 commemorative stamp series DC Comics Super Heroes 41 References Edit United States Social Security Death Index index FamilySearch https familysearch org pal MM9 1 1 JPMV ZPG accessed 25 Feb 2013 Michael Esposito 24 October 2010 citing U S Social Security Administration Death Master File database Alexandria Virginia National Technical Information Service ongoing a b c d e f g Lovece Frank October 25 2010 Long Island Comic Book Artist Mike Esposito Dead at 83 Newsday Archived from the original on October 11 2012 Retrieved October 25 2010 Requires subscription Print version Mike Esposito Comic Book Artist p A30 Esposito Mike Best Dan 2006 One Who We Are gt Part 1 Mike Esposito Starts Out Andru amp Esposito Partners For Life Hermes Press p 13 ISBN 978 1932563849 a b c d Esposito Best p 14 a b c d Esposito Mike in Stroud Bryan D 2008 Mike Esposito interview part 1 The Silver Age Sage Archived from the original on September 1 2012 Retrieved February 13 2009 I went to the High School of Music amp Art in Harlem Additional June 16 2012 a b Biography Adolescence Mighty Mike Esposito official site Archived from the original on March 22 2008 Esposito Mike in Cassell Dewey with Aaron Sultan and Mike Gartland 2005 The Art of George Tuska Raleigh North Carolina TwoMorrows Publishing p 64 ISBN 978 1 893905 40 5 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Esposito Best p 16 Esposito Best p 22 Sedlmeier Cory ed Marvel Masterworks The Incredible Hulk Volume 2 Marvel Entertainment p 245 Ross Andru at the Grand Comics Database a b c Esposito in Cassell et al p 65 a b c d e f g h i Mike Esposito Grand Comics Database Retrieved February 24 2012 Esposito in Best Daniel Mike Esposito Adelaide Comics Archived from the original on December 4 2013 Retrieved February 24 2015 Esposito Best Three Some Hard Business Lessons gt Part 1 MR Publications We Get Taken p 39 a b Mister Universe Publisher s Brands MR Publications Indicia Publishers Media Publications Inc at the Grand Comics Database Mikeross Publications at the Grand Comics Database Retrieved October 25 2010 Bails Jerry Ware Hames Esposito Mike Archived from the original on May 11 2007 Retrieved June 16 2012 Esposito official site Biography Return to DC Comics Archived from the original on April 11 2008 Retrieved 2012 06 16 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Fantastic Four Annual 3 at the Grand Comics Database Ro Ronin Tales to Astonish Jack Kirby Stan Lee and the American Comic Book Revolution p 92 Bloomsbury 2004 a b Evanier Mark April 14 2008 Why did some artists working for Marvel in the sixties use phony names P O V Online column Archived from the original on November 26 2009 Retrieved July 28 2008 Some examples of his infrequent Joe Gaudioso credits per the Grand Comics Database are Sub Mariner 14 16 18 23 31 June Aug Oct 1969 March Nov 1970 and Iron Man 20 21 and 23 Dec 1969 Jan 1970 March 1970 that last even though he went by Esposito on Iron Man 22 The Amazing Spider Man 49 June 1967 at the Grand Comics Database Arndt Richard J December 2 2010 The Complete Skywald Checklist EnjolrasWorld com Archived from the original on May 10 2010 Additional June 15 2010 Mike Esposito at the Lambiek Comiclopedia Up Your Nose And Out Your Ear at the Grand Comics Database Esposito official site Biography Up Your Nose Archived from the original on April 11 2008 Retrieved 2012 06 16 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Cassell et al p 66 Marvel Team Up I 1972 1985 at The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators The Amazing Spider Man I 1963 1998 at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators Esposito Michael at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators The Strobe Warrior iTunes January 21 2014 Archived from the original on September 18 2016 Home evilmonkeyman com Esposito official site Biography Archie Comics Archived from the original on April 11 2008 Retrieved 2012 06 16 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Irene A Esposito United States Obituary Notice 15 January 2020 Archived from the original on July 15 2020 Retrieved July 15 2020 Esposito Tyler myretrolifeshow December 7 2019 Wow Yes looks like my grandfather Mike Esposito was one of the artists on these Tweet Archived from the original on July 15 2020 Retrieved July 15 2020 via Twitter My Retro Life A Gamer s Documentary Apple TV Archived from the original on July 15 2020 Retrieved July 15 2020 First Comic News 2021 INKWELL AWARDS VOTING RESULTS 2021 Winners Inkwell Awards Official Site The 2006 Commemorative Stamp Program U S Postal Service press release Stamp News Release Number 05 054 November 30 2005 Archived from the original on October 18 2010 Retrieved October 25 2010 External links Edit nbsp Biography portalMighty Mike Esposito at the Wayback Machine archived June 12 2007 official site Mike Esposito at the Comic Book DB archived from the original Mickey Demeo at the Grand Comics Database Evanier Makr October 24 2010 Mike Esposito R I P News from Me Archived from the original on June 16 2012 Retrieved June 16 2012 Best Daniel Partners For Life Ross Andru amp Mike Esposito unpublished interviews and scans made for book below Adelaide Comics and Books Archived from the original on 15 April 2012 Retrieved 16 February 2013 Further reading EditEsposito Mike Best Daniel 2007 Partners For Life Neshannock Pennsylvania Hermes Press ISBN 978 1932563849 For additional online material see co author Daniel Best s website Archived from the original on 16 February 2013 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mike Esposito comics amp oldid 1118735369, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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