Larry Lieber’s career as a versatile writer and artist marks him as one of the unheralded talents of the Marvel Age of Comics. Like his older brother Stan Lee, Lieber started his career in comics at an early age working in production on the magazine side of Martin Goodman’s publishing business. By 1951, at age 19, Lieber’s first comics artwork saw print in
All True Crime #44. A stint in the Air Force put his comic book work on hold, but by late 1956 he returned on a number of romance stories. In the late ’50s and early ’60s Lieber became a member of the handful of writers and artists contributing to the fantasy and big monster titles of the nascent Marvel line. Pitching in wherever needed, both scripting stories or penciling them—and sometimes both— he would also contribute to several of the Marvel Age’s first forays into super-hero stories. In addition to scripts for Thor in
Journey Into Mystery, the Human Torch in
Strange Tales and Ant-Man in
Tales to Astonish, Lieber also scripted the very first Iron Man story in
Tales of Suspense #39. From the mid- to late-’60s, Lieber’s duties were mostly centered around Westerns including
Kid Colt Outlaw and
Rawhide Kid, but he also did high-profile work on
Amazing Spider-Man Annuals #4-5. In 1975, Lieber became editor of the short-lived Atlas/ Seaboard comics line. Since 1986, Lieber has been a mainstay on the Spider-Man syndicated newspaper strip both writing and drawing it at times. In 2008, he was the recipient of the Bill Finger Award.
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