Henry P. Chapman, who is credited in comics under both his formal name and as Hank Chapman, is an American comic book writer for Marvel Comics' two predecessors, Timely Comics and Atlas Comics, and later for DC Comics, where he specialized in war fiction. Though much of his Timely/Atlas work went unsigned, comics historians estimate that Chapman, a staff writer, penned several hundred or more stories. Among Chapman's works is an early self-reflexive comic-book story, in 1951, in which he and editor Stan Lee appear; and the creation, with artist Jack Abel, of the DC Comics character Sgt. Mule, a pack animal that helped its Allied keepers fight the Nazis in a variety of World War II stories.
Career
Chapman's earliest known credit is as one of the many Golden Age of comic books professionals who contributed to the epic crossover battle between the Sub-Mariner and the original Human Torch in Marvel Mystery Comics #8–10, plus an additional story in The Human Torch No. 5. His precise contributions are as lost to history as those of other writers and artists who legendarily collaborated on this hastily created confrontation. As described by historian Jess Nevins, Sub-Mariner creator Bill Everett and Human Torch creator Carl Burgos... or Al Plastino. By the following decade, Chapman was one of at least five staff writers under editor-in-chief Stan Lee at Marvel forerunner Atlas, along with Ernie Hart, Paul S. Newman, Don Rico, Carl Wessler, and, on teen-humor comics, future Mad MagazinecartoonistAl Jaffee. Among the titles for which Chapman wrote, beginning in early 1951, are the horror/fantasy series Adventures into Terror, Adventures into Weird Worlds, Astonishing, Marvel Tales, Mystery Tales, Spellbound, Strange Tales, Suspense, and Uncanny Tales; the war titles Battle, Battle Action, Battlefield, Battlefront, Battle Brady, Combat Casey, Combat, War Action, War Adventures, War Combat and War Comics; the WesternsRed Warrior and The Texas Kid; the adventure-drama series Girl Comics, Man Comics, Men's Adventures, and Young Men; the crime fiction series Crime Exposed and Justice; the romance titles True SecretsLove Romances; and such miscellanea as Sports Action, and Speed Carter, Spaceman. Chapman's last known Atlas works were in comics cover-dated May 1954. His next known credit is a story in the DC anthology title All-American Men of War No. 18, followed by four years without recorded credits until his name surfaced in two June 1959 DC titles, G.I. Combat No. 73 and Our Fighting Forces No. 46. These would be the first of at least 105 war stories he would write in those comics along with Our Army at War, Sea Devils, Capt. Storm, and Star SpangledWar Stories. His and artist Jack Abel's character Sgt. Mule – whose name, "Millie", meant she was actually not a mule but a hinny — appeared with various keepers including Private Mulvaney ; Private Skinner ; and Private Smith. Chapman's last recorded credit is the story "Paper Bullets", with artist Abel, in Our Army at War No. 181. Chapman was married to wife Bonnie, a production staffer at Atlas. He left comics to become a magazine writer for Boys' Life, in 1964, and for travel magazines.
