Creator Profile: Curt Swan

Douglas Curtis Swan, the artist most associated with Superman during the Silver Age of comics, produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 1950s through the 1980s. Following World War II and a stint on Boy Commandos, he began to pencil pages, leaving the inking to others, including famed inker Murphy Anderson (the pair’s collaborative artwork came to be called “Swanderson” by fans).

His first job penciling the iconic character was for Superman #51. Swan felt, however, that his breakthrough came when he was assigned the art duties on Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen, in 1954.

Over the years, Swan was a remarkably consistent and prolific artist, often illustrating two or more titles per month. The artist illustrated the first chapter of the 1986 “last Silver Age” Superman story, “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” written by Alan Moore. Swan’s last published story was five pages published posthumously in the 1996 special Superman: The Wedding Album.