SCHOMBURG, Alex

(1905-)

   US illustrator and COMIC-book artist; he has also spelled his name Schomberg. His first assignment was for Hugo GERNSBACK in 1925; he did his first cover in that year for SCIENCE AND INVENTION. During his 65-year career, which extended into the 1980s with covers for ISAACASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE, he worked for many magazines, including AMZ, TWS, FSF, Fantastic and Startling Stories. He also painted book covers, primarily for ACE BOOKS and Winston Books (their "juvenile" sf series of the 1950s, for which he also designed the endpapers). His ILLUSTRATION is realistic, versatile and assured, usually eschewing brightcolours; he was known as "king of the airbrush". Important in the comics industry as well, he worked on many of the Timely Comics (now MARVEL COMICS) titles, helping develop Captain America and Sub-Mariner. In 1990he was awarded a Special Award by the World Science Fiction Convention; he has also won the Lensman Award (1979) and the Frank R. Paul Award (1984). His work is showcased in Chroma: The Art of Alex Schomburg (1986), text byJon Gustafson.

JG