Don Heck remains one of the legendary names in comics, considered an “artist's artist,” respected by peers, and beloved by fans as the co-creator of Marvel Comics characters Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Black Widow, and for his long stint on Marvel Comics' team book The Avengers. He joined Atlas/Marvel Comics in 1954, and along with industry giants Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Joe Maneely, and Dick Ayers, Don became an integral player in “The Marvel Age of Comics”, drawing The X-Men, Spider-Man, Nick Fury—Agent of SHIELD, Daredevil, The Defenders, Ghost Rider, and most of Marvel's other characters. In the late 1970s he became regular artist on top-tier DC Comics titles such as Teen Titans, The Flash, Justice League of America, and Wonder Woman. In Don Heck: A Work Of Art, author John Coates has meticulously researched and chronicled information on Don’s storied 40-year career, including his time at DC, Dell, Gold Key, and as “ghost” artist on Lee Falk’s The Phantom newspaper strip. From personal recollections from Don’s surviving family, long-time friends, and industry legends, to rare interviews with Heck himself (where he discusses his career, artistic technique, triumphs, frustrations, and love of drawing), this book is full of insight into—and first-hand anecdotes from—the early days of Marvel Comics. It also features an unbiased analysis of sales on Don’s DC Comics titles, an extensive art gallery (including published, unpublished, and pencil artwork), a Foreword by Stan Lee, and an Afterword by Beau Smith.
