Ernie Schroeder; Golden Age comic artist
Hyfler/Rosner
Ernie Schroeder for a magazine that's soon to appear.(Alter
Ego) He mentioned the article and I realized we hadn't
marked the guy's passing on AO.
http://lambiek.net/artists/s/schroeder_ernie.htm
http://comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=9349
http://www.cbgxtra.com/Default.aspx?tabid=42&view=topic&forumid=17&postid=15763
Here's an obit:
by Don Mangus
Heritage Auctions Comic Art and Illustration Specialist
A sterling talent has passed on - sadly, another link to
the Golden Age has slipped away.
Ernest "Ernie" Schroeder received his early art instruction
at the Art Students League, studying under noted art-world
figures George Bridgman and George Grosz.
In the mid-forties, Mr. Schroeder began his comics career
working for another Golden Age great, Bob Powell. Mr.
Schroeder turned out exhilarating tales for such Harvey
Comics super-folk as "Captain Freedom" and the "Spirit of
'76." Revisit any of the Ernie Schroeder originals found in
the Heritage Auction Archives and you are sure to be swept
away by the free-wheeling spirit and high-energy action that
infused his storytelling.
During his World War II military service, Mr. Schroeder
continued cartooning and drew gag cartoons for his Fort
Blanding, Florida camp newspaper, "The Bayonet."
Perhaps Mr. Schroeder's most fondly remembered comics work
was done in collaboration with Ed Cronin on the "Airboy" and
"The Heap" features for Hillman Periodicals. These yarns
were unsigned and years after their publication,
indefatigable comic-art sleuth Hames Ware was able to
identify Mr. Schroeder's hitherto anonymous art using a few
scant clues garnered from credited pulp magazine
illustrations. At last, the long sought-after identity of
the anonymous "good artist" on "The Heap" became known to
fandom at large - Ernie Schroeder.
Meanwhile, Mr. Schroeder had retired from comics. In the
late fifties he operated his own marina. In the sixties, Mr.
Schroeder produced commercial art for Boeing. In the
seventies, he was active in creating specialized designs for
the Franklin Mint. A skilled artist and hard-working
craftsman, Mr. Schroeder was accomplished in sundry
art-related fields. He personally built forty boats, a
public fountain, and even a full-sized saber-toothed tiger
display for a natural history museum.
For those who wish to read much more about this modest man
with a most remarkable talent, comics historian Jim Amash
published a heart-warming interview with Mr. Schroeder in
Roy Thomas' Alter Ego #42 (November, 2004). It's a rewarding
read.
We extend our sincere best wishes to Mr. Schroeder's family
and friends. We comic book fans will long treasure the
joyous legacy of excellence he left us.