As time goes on, fewer and fewer comics industry insiders from the Silver and Golden Ages of comics are left. August 30th, 2018 brought with it the sad news of the death of yet another legend, Marie Severin, who passed away at age 89 following a recent stroke. The iconic cover artist, penciler, and colorist worked for EC in the ’50s, but was with Marvel for most of her career. Kids who grew up in the ’70s may have her to thank for becoming comic fans since it was many of her eye-catching covers that drew kids to pick up a Marvel comic from a spinner rack.
Here are some quick facts about Marie Severin:
- Started as a colorist for her brother John Severin’s work at EC before joining the company herself
- Worked for Atlas comics before working at the federal reserve before the company would evolve to be Marvel
- With her work on The Hulk, she was the first female to work on a major comics title
- In 1976 she co-created Spider-Woman
- In the ’80s she drew many licensed properties for Marvel including Muppet Babies and Fraggle Rock
- Was inducted into the Will Eisner Comics Hall of Fame in 2001
Marie Severin worked on too many comics to list here, but you can check out more about her life and the books she worked on her Wikipedia page. Many comics creators shared their memories of Marie on Twitter, including a great thread by cartoonist and graphic novelist Derf Backderf. Rest in peace, Marie!
