View source for Letterer

{{short description|Member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}

{{About|Comic books|more general use|Lettering}}<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Simonson Thor346-pg17.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Interior page from ''[[Thor (Marvel Comics)|The Mighty Thor]]'' #346, showing [[John Workman]]'s distinctive lettering. Art by [[Walter Simonson]] (1984).{{deletable image-caption|Friday, 19 May 2017|F7}}]] -->

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A '''letterer''' is a member of a team of [[comic book creator]]s responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer's use of [[typeface]]s, [[calligraphy]], letter size, and [[page layout|layout]] all contribute to the impact of the comic-book-reading experience. The letterer crafts the comic's [[lettering|"display lettering"]]: the story's title lettering, creator credits, and any specialized captions that appear on the story's first page. They also craft the lettering that appears in the [[word balloon]]s, also designing the various [[onomatopoeia|sound effects]] that appear within the comic book story. Many letterers also design logos for the comic book company's various titles.

== History ==

=== Origins ===
[[File:AmericasBestComics3006 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Lettered 1949 panel from ''[[America's Best Comics]]'']]
By the time comic books came of age in the 1940s, the huge volume of work demanded by publishers had encouraged an assembly-line process, dividing the creative process into distinct tasks: writer, [[penciller]], letterer, [[inker]], and [[colorist]]. By the late 1940s, it became possible to make a living just lettering comic strips and comic books for artists, studios, and companies that did not have the time or desire to do it in-house. The career of freelance letterer was born, and by the 1950s, letterers such as [[Gaspar Saladino]], [[Sam Rosen (comics)|Sam Rosen]], and [[Ben Oda]] were crafting full-time careers as letterers for [[DC Comics]], [[Marvel Comics]], and [[King Features Syndicate|King Features]].<ref>Klein, Todd. [http://kleinletters.com/LetteringTop.html "How it all began," Todd Klein: Lettering – Logos – Design.] Retrieved July 22, 2008.</ref><!-- [[Image:SandmanEndless.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Four panels from ''[[The Sandman (Vertigo)|Sandman]]'' #21, demonstrating multiple [[Harvey Award]]-winning letterer Todd Klein's different styles for members of [[Endless (comics)|The Endless]].]] -->

Letterer and logo designer [[Ira Schnapp]] defined the DC Comics look for nearly thirty years. Starting in 1940, he designed or refined such iconic logos as ''[[Action Comics]]'', ''[[Superman (comic book)|Superman]]'', ''[[The Flash (comic book)|The Flash]]'', and ''[[Justice League of America]]'', while also creating the distinctive appearance of DC's house ads and promotions. (Schnapp also designed the [[Comics Code Authority]] seal, which was a fixture on comic book covers from all major companies for over forty years.)<ref name="chill">Kimball, Kirk. [http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/376/ "The Big Chill," Dial B for Blog #376 (Oct. 10, 2006).] Retrieved July 21, 2008.</ref>

DC Comics used a stable of more than 20 letterers in the comics they published in the 1950s and 1960s (some of the letterers — like [[Jerry Robinson]] and [[Dick Sprang]] — were more well known as artists):<ref>"Letterer Index," DC Comics Artists. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120530054647/http://dccomicsartists.com/letters/letters.htm Archived at the Wayback Machine.] Accessed July 31, 2019.</ref> 
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[John Costanza]]
* [[Jon D'Agostino]]
* [[Ben Oda]]
* [[Jerry Robinson]]
* [[Joe Rosen]]
* [[George Roussos]]
* [[Gaspar Saladino]]
* [[Ira Schnapp]]
* [[Dick Sprang]]
{{div col end}}

Starting in around 1966, Ira Schnapp's classic, art deco-inspired look was replaced by the pulsing, organic style of Gaspar Saladino, who redesigned DC's house style for the [[counterculture]] era.<ref name="BDS">B.D.S. [http://www.wtv-zone.com/silverager/interviews/saladino.shtml Interview with Gaspar Saladino in "Silver Age Sage," The Silver Lantern: A Tribute to the Silver Age of DC Comics (May 25, 2007).] Retrieved July 18, 2008.</ref> Gaspar became the cover letterer for all of DC's books throughout the 1970s, and even "[[Ghostwriter|ghosted]]" as Marvel Comics' "page-one" letterer for much of the same period.<ref>[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2006/08/31/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-66/ Mark Evanier quoted in Brian Cronin's "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed" #66, Comic Book Resources (Aug. 21, 2006).] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426235349/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2006/08/31/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-66/ |date=April 26, 2009 }} Retrieved July 20, 2008.</ref><ref name="Natural">Kimball, Kirk. [http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/489/ "Gaspar Saladino — The Natural,"] Dial B for Blog #489 (Sept.). Accessed May 18, 2011.</ref> Gaspar's work became so iconic that various independent comics publishers which sprang up in the 1970s and 1980s – such as [[Atlas/Seaboard Comics|Atlas/Seaboard]],<ref name="Gaspar Saladino — Atlas Shrugged!">Kimball, Kirk. [http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/497/ "Gaspar Saladino — Atlas Shrugged!"] Dial B for Blog #497 (Sept.). Accessed May 19, 2011.</ref> [[Continuity Comics]], and [[Eclipse Comics]]<ref>[http://www.comicvine.com/gaspar-saladino/26-4302/ "Gaspar Saladino,"] ComicVine. Retrieved July 20, 2008.</ref> – hired him to design logos for their entire line of titles.

From 1930 through the 1990s (with a few exceptions), the letterer added their lettering, in pen and ink, on the same original art page the penciler drew. The penciled art was then inked after the letterer had completed their work on the page. At DC Comics during the "[[Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]]" of the 1960s, pencilers were required to "rough in balloons and sound effects" for the letterers to use as a working guide. An accomplished letterer was able to adapt his or her style to the style of the art for that particular book.<ref>Letterer [[Clem Robins]], quoted in Kimball, Kirk. [http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/490/ "Gaspar Saladino — A New Star on the DC Horizon,"] Dial B for Blog #490 (Sept.). Accessed May 19, 2011.</ref>

=== Computer lettering ===
The evolution of desktop publishing powered by computers, especially those made by [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], began in the 1980s, and started having a gradual impact on comics lettering soon after. One of the first users of computer-generated lettering was writer/artist [[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]], who made fonts from existing lettering. (Incidentally, Byrne made use of existing lettering by other artists, such as [[Dave Gibbons]], without their permission.<ref name="computer">Klein, Todd. [http://kleinletters.com/ComputerLettering.html "Computer lettering," Todd Klein: Lettering – Logos – Design.] Retrieved July 23, 2008.</ref> Now Byrne uses a computer font based on the handwriting of letterer [[Jack Morelli]] – with Morelli's permission.)<ref name="FAQProcess">Byrne Robotics FAQ: [http://www.byrnerobotics.com/FAQ/listing.asp?ID=6&T1=Creative+Process Creative Process]. Retrieved December 2, 2005.</ref> Other early users of computer lettering were [[David Cody Weiss]]<ref name="computer" /> and [[Roxanne Starr]], who experimented in computer lettering with [[Bob Burden]]'s ''[[Flaming Carrot Comics]]''.

Computer lettering really started making an impact with the availability of the first commercial comic book font, "Whizbang" (created by Studio Daedalus) around 1990.

In the early 1990s letterer [[Richard Starkings]] and his partner [[John Roshell]] (formerly Gaushell) began digitally creating comic book fonts for use on computers, and started [[Comicraft]], which has since become the major source of comics fonts (though they have competition from others, such as [[Blambot]]).

In deference to tradition, at first computer lettering was printed out and pasted onto the original artwork, but after a few years, as comics coloring also moved to desktop publishing, digital lettering files began to be used more effectively by combining them directly with digital art files, eliminating the physical paste-up stage altogether. [[Wildstorm Comics]] was ahead of the curve, Marvel came around a few years later, and DC held to traditional production methods the longest, but now nearly all lettering is digitally applied.<ref name="computer" />

In the early years of the 21st Century, the mainstream American comics companies moved almost exclusively to in-house computer lettering, effectively ending the era of the freelance letterer.<ref name="Contino" /> [[Chris Eliopoulos]] designed the fonts for Marvel's in-house lettering unit, and [[Ken Lopez]] did the same at DC.<ref name="Contino">Contino, Jennifer. [http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=36&t=001693 "ABCs with Orzechowski," Comicon.com: The Pulse (Dec. 30, 2003). Retrieved July 17, 2008.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926133441/http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=36&t=001693 |date=September 26, 2008 }}</ref> Since then the trend has swung the other way, with most comics publishers once again using freelance letterers rather than in-house staff. Nearly all use computer and digital comic book fonts.

== Tools and methods ==

=== On-the-board ===
The traditional comic book letterer needs little more than a [[lettering guide]], a pen or brush, [[India ink]], and white paint for corrections. Some situations required the letterer to use [[vellum]] overlays on top of the original art.<ref name="Gaspar Saladino — Atlas Shrugged!"/>

=== EC Comics ===
The lettering in the comics of the sensationalist [[horror comics]] publisher [[EC Comics]] (c. 1945 – c. 1955) was different from other publishers – its mechanical appearance gave it a sterile aspect, and helped define the particular style of comics EC was known for. EC's letterers achieved their particular look by using a Leroy lettering set, a device popular amongst draftsmen and architects. The Leroy lettering set consisted of a stylus and a [[pantographic]] lettering form.<ref>Burns, Casey. [http://caseyburns.com/artwork/font-design/ "Squa Tront and Spa Fon (2001)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619123902/http://caseyburns.com/artwork/font-design |date=June 19, 2016 }}, Casey Burns official website. Accessed May 21, 2011.</ref>

=== Computer lettering ===
Most Marvel and DC books are now lettered using a graphics program such as [[Adobe Illustrator]], [[Adobe Photoshop]] or [[Adobe InDesign]], and a [[font]] that resembles hand lettering. Computer lettering provides a lot of technical shortcuts, especially by combining the lettering work directly with digital art files, eliminating the tedious physical paste-up stage altogether. Some letterers handwrite part of the script. Hand-lettering is often used for sound effects and [[onomatopoeia]] in comics.

There are also still comics artists and inkers who prefer to have the lettering directly on their pages. First, it saves drawing time (not having to put art where a big caption will be); and second, comics tell a story, and a page of comics art without the lettering is only half the story.

Long-time letterer [[John Workman]] toes a middle ground between traditional and digital lettering. In addition to his "on-the-art boards work", Workman has been electronically hand-lettering by way of a [[Wacom (company)|Wacom]] tablet.

== Awards and recognition ==
The [[Shazam Awards]], given from 1970 to 1975, had a "best letterer" category. Both the [[Harvey Award]]s (given starting in 1992) and the [[Eisner Award]]s (given starting in 1993) have a "best letterer" category. [[Todd Klein]] has won the Eisner award for lettering fifteen times and has won the Harvey Award for lettering eight times. [[Ken Bruzenak]], [[Chris Ware]], [[John Workman]], and [[Dan Clowes]] have all won the Harvey Award for lettering multiple times.

== Letterers and lettering studios ==
=== Notable letterers ===
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
*[[Diana Albers]]
*[[Jim Aparo]]
*[[Ken Bruzenak]]
*[[Janice Chiang]]
*[[John Costanza]]
*[[Chris Eliopoulos]]
*[[Tom Frame (letterer)|Tom Frame]]
*[[Todd Klein]]
*[[Ken Lopez]]
*[[Jack Morelli]]
*[[Jim Novak]]
*[[Bill Oakley (artist)|Bill Oakley]]
*[[Ben Oda]]
*[[Tom Orzechowski]]
*[[Annie Parkhouse]]
*[[Bill Pearson (American writer)|Bill Pearson]]
*[[Nate Piekos]]
*[[Joe Rosen]]
*[[Sam Rosen (comics)|Sam Rosen]]
*[[Gaspar Saladino]]
*[[Ira Schnapp]]
*[[Artie Simek]]
*[[Richard Starkings]]
*[[John Workman]]
*[[Bill Yoshida]]
{{div col end}}

=== Artist-letterers ===
Cartoonists known for the lettering on their own comics:

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Jim Aparo]]
*[[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]]
*[[Eddie Campbell]]
*[[Daniel Clowes]]
*[[Dave Gibbons]]
*[[Jean Giraud|Jean (Moebius) Giraud]]
*[[Rian Hughes]]
*[[Walt Kelly]]
*[[Frank Miller]]
*[[Stan Sakai]]
*[[Dave Sim]]
*[[Ty Templeton]]
*[[Frank Thorne]]
*[[Chris Ware]]
{{div col end}}

=== Companies ===
Companies and studios that create fonts and provide computer lettering:
*[[Blambot]]
*[[Comicraft]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* Evanier, Mark. [https://web.archive.org/web/20081014054923/http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL116.htm "Lettering part 1," POV Online (Jan. 10, 1997)] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20080929194910/http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL117.htm "Lettering part 2," POV Online (Jan. 17, 1997).]
* Klein, Todd. [http://kleinletters.com Todd Klein: Lettering – Logos – Design.]
* Thomas, Michael. [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=188 "The Invisible Art in Plain Sight: A Look at the Art of Lettering," Comic Book Resources (June 9, 2000).]
* [http://www.ninjalettering.com Ninja Lettering – extensive website devoted to the craft of comic book lettering]
* [http://www.balloontales.com Balloon Tales – the Comicraft studio's online guide to comic book lettering]

[[Category:Comic book letterers| ]]
[[Category:Comics terminology]]
[[Category:Comics creators| ]]
[[Category:Visual arts occupations]]