Lou Fine (American, 1914-1971)

(American, 1914-1971): Many of his comic book artist peers considered Lou Fine to be the greatest draftsmen ever. Fine studied at the Grand Central Art School and Pratt Institute. He was partially crippled by childhood polio and aspired to be an illustrator in the tradition of his artistic idols, Dean Cornwell, J. C. Leyendecker, and Heinrich Kley. Fine joined the Eisner-Iger comic book shop in 1938 and drew such features as Wilton of the West, The Count of Monte Cristo, and the Flame for the Fiction House and Fox companies. Between 1939 and 1943, Fine drew for Quality Comics, where he illustrated the Black Condor, Stormy Foster, and Uncle Sam. Fine excelled at eye-popping covers, and he turned out dozens of fondly remembered classics. He left the comic book industry in 1944 and moved into drawing commercial advertising strips. Near the end of his career, Fine drew two newspaper strips, Adam Ames and Peter Scratch. Fine’s influence continues to be felt in the superhero genre to this day