Tom Palmer, 1941-2022

The Lady Liberators, an early Roy Thomas attempt at feminism, pencilled by John Buscema and inked by Tom Palmer. From Avengers #83 (December 1970).

Born and raised in Queens, New York, Tom Palmer began drawing to pass the time while confined to crutches for several years due to a childhood illness. He attended the Frank J. Reilly School of Art while working freelance at an advertising studio. At the advertising studio, he met EC artist Jack Kamen, who become something of a mentor. Kamen, who had left comics when EC’s comic book line shut down in the wake of the foundation of the Comics Code Authority, initially dissuaded Palmer from pursuing a career in comics. However, ultimately Kamen introduced Palmer to Wally Wood, who brought him to the attention of Marvel, though his first assignment was not an unqualified success. As Palmer related in Tom Field’s Secrets In The Shadows: The Life and Work of Gene Colan:

‘I walk in the door and pencil [an] issue of Doctor Strange—first job I ever penciled. At the time, I thought I did a good job, but really it was a stinker. It wasn’t up to par. I went back two weeks later to get the next issue, and they said, “No, we’re getting someone else to pencil it; would you like to ink it?” I said “Sure!” I’d never inked anything before! But to this day, if someone asks, “Can you handle this new assignment?” I’ll say “Sure!” I may not know how to tackle that specific assignment today, but by tomorrow or next week I will.’

Palmer’s marvellous inks on Gene Colan’s atmospheric pencils, on their signature character Dracula, here in another title they worked on, Doctor Strange #14 (May 1976).

The new penciller for Doctor Strange was Gene Colan,  known for fully-rendered pencil art that was often ill-served by unsuitable inkers. Palmer applied techniques he learned in art school and ad agencies to bring a lush, illustrative quality to the finished art, becoming generally regarded as Colan’s definitive inker;  later a highly-acclaimed collaborative run with Colan on Tomb of Dracula contributed to that title’s long-standing fan-favourite position.

During the ensuing decades, Palmer worked on dozens of series as an inker, almost exclusively for Marvel, including well-received stints over Neal Adams on X-Men and the Avengers, and over John Buscema on the Avengers. His other notable works in a career lasting until the early twenty-first century include Star Wars, Moon Knight, and, in tandem with John Romita, Jr., Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl, published by Marvel’s Icon imprint; in addition, he continued a side career as a freelance advertising illustrator.

His son, Tom Palmer, Jr., followed his father into comics, becoming an editor at DC after a stint editing Wizard Magazine. Tom was predeceased by his daughter Jean, and is survived by Ann, his wife of 57 years, son Tom, Jr, daughter-in-law Heather and granddaughters Lena and Maya. The family has requested that donations in his name be made to the Hero Initiative, the charity which helps comic book creators in need.