Alexander Anthony Blum (February 7, 1889 – September 1969)[1] was a Hungarian-American comic book artist best remembered for his contributions in the 1940s and 1950s to the long-running comic book series Classics Illustrated.[2]
| Alex Blum | |
|---|---|
| Born | Blum Sándor Aladár (1889-02-07)February 7, 1889 Hungary |
| Died | September 1969(1969-09-00) (aged 80) Rye, New York |
| Nationality | Naturalized American |
| Area(s) | Artist |
| Pseudonym(s) | Alex Boon |
Notable works | Classics Illustrated |
| Spouse(s) | Helen |
Born Sándor Aladár BluminHungary, into a Jewish family,[3] Blum studied at the National Academy of DesigninNew York before moving with his young family to the Germantown section of Philadelphia, where he worked as a portrait painter.[4]: 47 [5]
During the Great Depression, Blum's career as a portrait painter evaporated, leading the family to move to New York City, seeking work.[4]: 39 He signed with the comic book packager Eisner & Iger, and in the 1930s and 1940s his work appeared in comics published by Fox Comics, Quality Comics, Fiction House and Fawcett Comics. He occasionally worked in collaboration with his daughter, Toni Blum, born in 1918, who wrote comics during that period for Eisner & Iger.[6]
For Fox Feature Syndicate (as "Alex Boon"), he illustrated the debut of the fictional superhero Samson, in Fantastic Comics #1 (Dec. 1939).[7] He drew The Red CometinPlanet Comics #6–10 (Fiction House, 1940–1941).[8][9]
Later, in the period 1948 to 1955, he worked for the publisher Gilberton, illustrating almost twenty-five Classics Illustrated titles, as well as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the debut issue of Classics Illustrated Junior. Along with Henry C. Kiefer, he was one of the leading Classics Illustrated artists.
Blum and his wife Helen[4] had two children, a son and a daughter, Audrey Anthony "Toni" Blum (1918–c. 1972), who also became a comic book creator.
Blum died in 1969 in Rye, New York.