Editing Leonard Starr

{{short description|American cartoonist (1925–2015)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox comics creator
| image         = Leonard Starr.jpg
| caption       = Starr in 1982
| birth_name    = 
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1925|10|28}}
| birth_place   = New York City, U.S.
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2015|6|30|1925|10|28}}
| death_place   = 
| area          = Writer, editor, publisher, producer
| alias         = 
| signature     = 
| notable works =''[[Mary Perkins, On Stage|On Stage]]''<br />''[[Little Orphan Annie]]''
| awards        = 
}}
'''Leonard Starr''' (October 28, 1925 – June 30, 2015) was an American [[cartoonist]], [[comic book artist]], and advertising artist, best known for creating the newspaper [[comic strip]] ''[[Mary Perkins, On Stage|On Stage]]'' and reviving ''[[Little Orphan Annie]]''.

== Early life ==
Born in 1925<ref name="CBG">{{cite web|last=Miller |first=John Jackson |url=http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays |title=Comics Industry Birthdays |work=[[Comics Buyer's Guide]] |date=June 10, 2005 |access-date=December 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218031356/http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays |archive-date=February 18, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in New York City<ref name=lam>{{cite web |url = https://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/starr_leonard.htm | title=Leonard Starr| publisher=[[Lambiek Comiclopedia]] | access-date=July 4, 2015| archive-date= December 11, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211121824/http://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/starr_leonard.htm | url-status=live}}</ref> Starr graduated from Manhattan's [[The High School of Music and Art|High School of Music and Art]] and then studied at [[Pratt Institute]].<ref name="Bails">{{cite web|author-link=Jerry Bails |last=Bails |first=Jerry |author2=Hames Ware |url=http://www.bailsprojects.com/(S(bvo2xq24z2afwj3x5uwubai5))/bio.aspx?Name=STARR%2c+LEONARD |title=Starr, Leonard |work=Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999 |access-date=July 9, 2008 |archive-date=September 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928130907/http://www.bailsprojects.com/%28S%28bvo2xq24z2afwj3x5uwubai5%29%29/bio.aspx?Name=STARR%2C%2BLEONARD |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Career ==
While attending Pratt during between 1942 and 1943, Starr worked for the [[Harry "A" Chesler]] and the [[Funnies, Inc.]] studios, contributing to the early comic-book features produced at these studios.<ref name="Bails" /> For Funnies, he began as a background artist, eventually inking [[Bob Oksner]]'s pencils. He graduated to drawing for early [[Timely Comics|Timely]]/[[Marvel Comics]] titles, including the [[Human Torch]] and the [[Namor|Sub-Mariner]].<ref name="Bails" />

Throughout the 1940s, Starr worked for a plethora of publishers of both comic books and [[pulp magazines|pulps]], including [[Thrilling Publications|Better Publications]], Consolidated Book, Croyden Publications, E. R. Ross Publishing, [[Fawcett Comics]] (doing ''Don Winslow of the Navy'', 1944–46), [[Hillman Periodicals]] and M. C. Combs.<ref name="Bails" /> He worked with [[Joe Simon]] and [[Jack Kirby]] on their earlier [[Romance comics in the United States (1946–1975)|romance comics]] titles, in particular the [[Crestwood Publications|Crestwood/Prize]] title ''[[Young Romance]]''.<ref name="Real Love">[[Richard Howell (comics)|Howell, Richard]], "Introduction" to ''Real Love – The Best of the Simon and Kirby Romance Comics" 1940s-1950s'' ([[Eclipse Comics|Eclipse Books]], [[1988 in comics|1988]])</ref>

In the late 1940s, he drew for [[EC Comics]], including ''[[List of Entertaining Comics publications|War Against Crime]]'', before working both as an advertising artist and producing a large amount of work for both the [[American Comics Group]] (ACG) and [[DC Comics]] titles during the early to mid-1950s. His DC work spanned a large number of covers, and work on titles as diverse as ''[[Doctor 13]]'', ''[[House of Mystery]]'', ''[[Gang Busters]]'', ''[[Pow Wow Smith|Pow-Wow Smith, Indian Lawman]]'' and ''[[Star-Spangled War Stories]]'', mainly prior to 1957.<ref name="Bails" /> For ACG, he worked on ''Adventures into the Unknown'', ''Operation Peril'' and ''Soldiers of Fortune'' among other titles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leonardstarr.com/comics/index.htm |title=Leonard Starr's Comics Work 1945–50; 1951–55 |access-date=May 14, 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060809212646/http://www.leonardstarr.com/comics/index.htm |archive-date=August 9, 2006 }}. Accessed July 9, 2008</ref> Between 1955 and 1956, he moved from comic books to comic strips with uncredited work on [[King Features Syndicate|King Features]]' ''[[Flash Gordon]]''.<ref name="Bails" />
[[File:Onstagestarr11774.jpg|center|thumb|650px|Leonard Starr's ''Mary Perkins, On Stage'' (November 7, 1974)]]

== ''Mary Perkins, On Stage'' ==
In 1957, Starr created the comic strip ''[[Mary Perkins, On Stage|On Stage]]'', later titled ''Mary Perkins, On Stage'', for the [[Tribune Media Services|Chicago-Tribune-New York News Syndicate]].<ref name="Bails" /> Characterized by a mix of [[soap opera]], adventure and humor, the strip featured tight, realistic graphics and, from the beginning, strong layouts, design and storytelling. He received the [[National Cartoonists Society]]'s Story Comic Strip Award for ''On Stage'' in 1960 and 1963, and their [[Reuben Award]] in 1965. He continued producing ''Mary Perkins, On Stage'' until 1979.<ref name="Bails" /> Starr later cited the work of [[Alex Raymond]] and [[Milton Caniff]] as influences on the strip's artwork.<ref>[[Ron Goulart]],''The Funnies: 100 Years of American Comic Strips'', Holbrook, Massachusetts. Adams Publishing, 1995. {{ISBN|094473524X}} (p. 191)</ref>

== Other work ==
Starr returned to comic books briefly during the 1970s and 1980s, working on "[[Morbius|Morbius, the Living Vampire]]" for Marvel in 1975<ref>{{cite comic| writer= [[Doug Moench|Moench, Doug]]
| penciller= [[Frank Robbins|Robbins, Frank]]| inker= Starr, Leonard| story= Night of the Vampire-Stalker| title= [[Adventure into Fear]]| issue= 27| date= April 1975| publisher= Marvel Comics}}</ref> and providing art for DC's ''[[Who's Who in the DC Universe]]'' (1986) and for a [[Superman]] and [[Lois Lane]] story in ''[[Action Comics]]''.<ref name="Bails" /><ref>{{cite comic| writer= [[John Byrne (comics)|Byrne, John]]| penciller= Byrne, John| inker= Starr, Leonard; Williams, Keith| story= Visitor| title= Action Comics| issue= 597| date= February 1988| publisher= DC Comics}}</ref> For [[Dargaud]] in Paris, he created ''Kelly Green'' with [[Stan Drake]] in 1980. This series of [[graphic novels]] about the sexy and capable female [[action hero]]ine Kelly Green, were illustrated by Drake. In 1985, he wrote and illustrated an action/adventure graphic novel published only in France ''Operation Psy'' featuring Cannonball Carmody. That same year, he was enlisted by artist [[Frank Bolle]] to take over writing the strip ''[[Winnie Winkle]]'' (without credit) which he did until its end in 1996.<ref>[http://www.markcarlson-ghost.com/index.php/2017/02/26/winnie-winkle/ Carlson, Mark. Winnie Winkle–The Saga of America's Working Girl]</ref> He also ghost wrote ''[[Rip Kirby]]'' as a favor to his friend, artist [[John Prentice (cartoonist)|John Prentice]], in the strip's final years.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

Starr expanded into animation in the 1980s, as he noted, "Started writing television scripts in the early 1970s, and in 1984 I was asked to develop and write the bible for the [[Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment|Rankin Bass]] animated television show ''[[ThunderCats]]'', and also act as the story editor and head writer. Moved to [[Westport, Connecticut]], in 1970 where I still live today." Starr wrote 23 episodes for ''ThunderCats''.<ref>Crichton 2011, p. 81.</ref> He also worked on the Rankin Bass series ''Ghost Warrior'' (1985).<ref name="Bails" />

In the 1980s, Starr attended as a guest several comic conventions held in New York. Also, he was a guest at the 1982 [[San Diego Comic-Con]], at which he received an [[Inkpot Award]].

== ''Little Orphan Annie'' ==
[[File:Lstarrannie.jpg|right|thumb|470px|Leonard Starr's ''[[Little Orphan Annie]]'']]
In 1979 he revived the comic strip ''[[Little Orphan Annie]]''. The strip had been in reprints since 1974 after a string of unsuccessful artists had succeeded the famous creator [[Harold Gray]], who had died in 1968. Retitled ''Annie'', Starr's incarnation of the strip received the National Cartoonists Society's Story Comic Strip Award in 1983 and 1984. Starr continued it successfully until his retirement in 2000.<ref name="Bails" />

== Later life ==
Beginning in 2006, Starr produced new artwork for the covers to the  ongoing series of ''On Stage'' reprint volumes published by Classic Comics Press.<ref>[https://www.classiccomicspress.com/collections/leonard-starrs-mary-perkins-on-stage?page=1 Mary Perkins On Stage reprint volumes listing]</ref> To publicize the reprints he was a guest at the 2008 [[New York Comic Con]] and 2009 [[San Diego Comic-Con]]. He died in 2015, aged 89.<ref name=evanier-obit>{{cite web|last1=Evanier|first1=Mark| author-link=Mark Evanier | title=Leonard Starr, R.I.P.|url=http://www.newsfromme.com/2015/06/30/leonard-starr-r-i-p/|website=News From Me|date=June 30, 2015|access-date=June 30, 2015| archive-date= July 4, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704012315/http://www.newsfromme.com/2015/06/30/leonard-starr-r-i-p/ | url-status=live}}</ref>

Classic Comics Press announced plans to publish Cannonball Carmody in English for the first time plus excerpts of sketchbooks from early in Starr's career.<ref>[https://www.classiccomicspress.com/pages/cannonball-adderly Cannonball Carmody]</ref>

== Screenwriting ==
===Television===
* ''[[Festival of Family Classics]]'' (1972)
* ''[[ThunderCats (1985 TV series)|ThunderCats]]'' (1985–1987): seasons 1–2 head writer
* ''[[SilverHawks]]'' (1986)
* ''[[The Comic Strip (TV series)|The Comic Strip]]'' (1987)

===Film===
* ''[[The Red Baron (1972 film)|The Red Baron]]'' (1972)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*Amash, Jim (2012). ''Alter Ego'' Nos.110-113. In-depth four part interview with Starr on his career.
*Cobb, David. "When it got to be moose-hunting time in the bar, Starr turned up On Stage". ''[[Toronto Telegram]]''. December 9, 1967. p.&nbsp;28
*Crichton, David (2011). ''Hear the Roar!''. Telos Publishing.

== External links ==
*[http://www.leonardstarr.com/ Leonard Starr official site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060106021759/http://www.reuben.org/ncs/awards.asp NCS Awards]
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060809212646/http://www.leonardstarr.com/comics/index.htm |date=August 9, 2006 |title=Leonard Starr's Comics Work }}
* {{IMDb name|id=1894712}}
* [https://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/s/starr_l.htm Leonard Starr cartoons: An inventory of his cartoons at Syracuse University]
*[http://www.lastkisscomics.com/2009/08/02/hanging-out-with-leonard-starr/ Hanging Out with Leonard Starr] by [[John Lustig]]
{{Inkpot Award 1980s}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Starr, Leonard}}
[[Category:1925 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:American comic strip cartoonists]]
[[Category:American comics artists]]
[[Category:Chicago Tribune people]]
[[Category:Reuben Award winners]]
[[Category:The High School of Music & Art alumni]]
[[Category:Pratt Institute alumni]]