DICK AYERS (1924 - 2014)

ONE OF THE GREAT INKERS OF THE HISTORIC MARVEL SILVER AGE DIES ONE WEEK AFTER HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY. 

Only a week after losing comic book legend Al Feldstein, one of the artists in on the ground floor of the "Marvel House of Ideas" supernova leaves us.  Native New Yorker "Daring" Dick Ayers wasein the first class of Burne Hogarth's "Cartoonists and Illustrators School" in 1947 (later renamed "School of Visual Arts").  SUPERMAN co-creator Joe Shuster hired Ayers to pencil some of his FUNNYMAN stories which led to Ayers being hired to draw several western comics.  It was at this time that Ayers created the character GHOST RIDER in 1949 for the TIM HOLT western comic #11.  Years later, after the rights to the character lapsed, Marvel Comics would start an almost identical western character GHOST RIDER which Dick Ayers would draw.  Speaking of Marvel, Ayers would draw horror comics for Atlas; Marvel's 1950's predecessor as well as for Charlton.  When the Marvel Age of Comics began under the aegis of such legendary luminaries as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and company, "Daring" Dick Ayers would ink Kirby's groundbreaking work on the early issues of FANTASTIC FOUR as well as many other Marvel characters.  Ayers also became the definitive penciller for Marvel's World War II-era title SGT. FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS.  Ayers would later ink Kirby's updating of Nick Fury into the present day on the NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. strip.  Into the 70's, "Daring Dick" would also pencil horror stories in such B&W magazine-size comics as Eerie Publications' TALES FROM THE TOMB.  There is no doubt that Dick Ayers was an integral part of the look and feel of the Marvel Age of Comics.