Jack Sparling


John Edmond Sparling, better known as Jack Sparling, was a Canadian comics artist.

Biography

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sparling moved to the United States as a child. He received his early arts training at the Arts and Crafts Club in New Orleans and later attended the Corcoran School of Art. He worked briefly as a gag cartoonist for the New Orleans Item-Tribune. In 1941, Sparling, along with writer William Laas, created the United Feature Syndicate comic strip Hap Hopper, Washington Correspondent, for which real-life newspaper columnists Drew Pearson and Robert S. Allen were listed as editors. One source lists it as having launched January 29, 1939, but comics historian Don Markstein, noting that that day was a Sunday, says January 29, 1940, is better supported and more likely. Sparling was the artist until 1943, when he was succeeded by Al Plastino.
Sparling's next comic strip was Claire Voyant, which premiered May 10, 1943, in the New York PM. and ran until 1948.
From the 1950s through the 1970s, Sparling provided art for a variety of publishers, including Harvey Comics and Charlton Comics' adaptations of The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. Sparling also worked for Classics Illustrated, drawing adaptations of Robin Hood and Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Sparling drew biographic comic books featuring Adlai Stevenson II, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Barry Goldwater for Dell Comics.
At DC Comics, Sparling drew Secret Six, the "Eclipso" feature in House of Secrets, and the "Unknown Soldier" feature in Star Spangled War Stories. Editor Joe Orlando began a new direction for DC's House of Mystery series with issue #175 and the series' host Cain was created by Sparling and Orlando with writer Bob Haney. Sparling worked with writer Dennis O'Neil on The Witching Hour and the Challengers of the Unknown. For Western Publishing's Gold Key Comics, he co-created the superhero Tiger Girl with Jerry Siegel in 1968, drew the toyline tie-in Microbots one-shot, and illustrated comic book adaptations of the television series Family Affair, The Outer Limits, and Adam-12. In 1976, he drew a licensed Welcome Back, Kotter comic book series for DC. For Charlton Comics' satire magazine Sick, he wrote and drew the nudie-cutie feature "Cher D'Flower!"

DC Comics