The comic book industry lost another “Titan of the Silver Age” today with the passing of inker Joe Sinnott at the age of 93.
Known as “Joltin Joe” to family, friends, and fans, Sinnott was best known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1960s with Jack Kirby on The Fantastic Four and for helping define the art style that Marvel became known for over the years.
Born in Saugerties, N.Y, on October 16, 1926, Joe grew up in a boarding house for school teachers, which he created with inspiring his love for drawing. After graduating from high school, Joe enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944 and served with Seabees in Okinawa during WWII. After leaving the Navy and a short stint working for his father, Joe was accepted into the Cartoonists and Illustrators School (now the School of Visual Arts) in N.Y.C in 1949.
Upon leaving, Joe’s first comic book work was “Trudi”, a 5-page filler story in Mopsy #12 (Sept. 1950) published by St. John’s Publishing before moving to Timely/Atlas (Marvel) in 1950, where he penciled and inked crime, horror, war, westerns, sci-fi and romance books. Before his groundbreaking work at Marvel, which began in 1965, Joe drew for other comic companies of the time such as Dell, Charlton, Treasure Chest, ACG, Archie, and Classic Illustrated on projects such as the life stories of Babe Ruth, John Kennedy, General Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, Pope John XXIII, The Beatles, Pope John Paul II, and Mother Teresa among others.
While best known for his work with Kirby on Fantastic Four, Joe worked on most of the Marvel characters in his 65 years with the company including titles such as Thor, Silver Surfer, Captain America, The Avengers, West Coast Avengers, The Hulk, The Defenders, The Invaders, Rom, The Thing, Ms. Marvel, and Nick Fury.
Some of his awards and honors included the 1967 & 1968 Alley Award as comics best inker, an Inkpot Award at the 1995 San Diego Con, 2 Inkwell Awards in 2008 even having The Inkwells Hall Of Fame “Joe Sinnott Award” is named in his honor. In 2013 Joe was elected into the Will Eisner Comic Hall of Fame.
Though he retired in 1992 from comic books, he continued to ink the Sunday Spider-man comic strip for King Features, doing so for 27 years, until Spidey’s final appearance in March 2019.
The announcement of his passing was posted on his Facebook fan page by his family who wrote the following:
It with great sorrow that we must announce the passing of Joltin’ Joe Sinnott on June 25th at 8:40am at the age of 93. He went peacefully with the knowledge that his family, friends, and fans adored him. He enjoyed life and was drawing up until the end. He always loved hearing from all of you and having your comments read to him. Each and every one of you were special to him.
The Sinnott family requests their privacy and understanding during this difficult time. Please send condolences to:
The Sinnott Family
27 Spaulding Lane
Saugerties, NY 12477Thank you again for being such loyal and dedicated fans and friends to Joe. He considered all fans friends, and seeing you at cons and reading your messages was what kept him young at heart.
RIP Joe Sinnott
October 16th, 1926 – June 25th, 2020
Joe was one of the industry greats and one of the last of his generation. He was also a hero, family man, and friend who will be missed by family, friends, and fans.
REST IN POWER