Phantom Lady #17 (April 1948). This Matt Baker cover appeared prominently in the book Seduction of the Innocent.

Clarence Matthew Baker (b. 10 December 1921, d. 11 August 1959) is an American comic book artist best known for the costumed crimefighter Phantom Lady and as the medium's first known African American artist, active as early as the 1930s-40s Golden Age of comic books. He also penciled what is arguably the first graphic novel, St. John Publications' digest-sized "picture novel" It Rhymes with Lust (1950). His speciality was good girl art, a comics and cartooning subgenre for which his work is in high demand with collectors. Phantom Lady #17 (April, 1948). ... Phantom Lady #17 (April, 1948). ... First U.S. printing, 1954 First U.K. printing, 1954 Seduction of the Innocent was a book by Dr. Fredric Wertham published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a bad form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... August 11 is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Phantom Lady #17 (April, 1948), Fox Feature Syndicate. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Superman, catalyst of the Golden Age: Superman #14 (Feb. ... In producing a comic book, the penciller (or penciler) draws the comic based on the script created by the writer. ... Sabre (1978), one of the first graphic novels. ... St. ... Original cover to It Rhymes with Lust, one precursor of the graphic novel. ... Rangers Comics #26: Angels from Hell Good girl art (GGA) is a type of art (usually drawings or paintings) depicting attractive women. ...

Baker was educated at Cooper Union in New York City, and was later hired by the Iger Studio, one of the 1940s "packagers" who provided outsourced comics on demand for publishers entering the new medium. Through Iger, Baker did work for publishers including St. John, Fiction House, Fox Comics, and Quality Comics. In later years, he independently teamed with inker Jon D'Agostino under the pseudonym Matt Bakerino at Charlton Comics. The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is a privately funded college in Lower Manhattan of New York City. ... Nickname: Big Apple; City that never Sleeps; Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Eisner & Iger was a prominent comic book packager that produced comics on demand for publishers entering the new medium during its late-1930s and 1940s Golden Age. ... Fiction House was a American publisher of pulp magazines and comic books that existed from the 1920s to the 1950s. ... Fox Feature Syndicate (a. ... Crack Comics #1 (May, 1940), featuring the Clock, previously introduced as the first masked comic book superhero. ... The inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional comic book, or graphic novel. ... A pseudonym (Greek: false name) is a fictitious name used by an individual as an alternative to his or her legal name. ... Big C logo, used from Sept. ...

The character Phantom Lady, created by Arthur Peddy, had originated in 1941 as a Quality Comics feature supplied by the Iger Studio. Cartoonist Frank Borth later took over the art. After Quality dropped her feature, which had appeared in Police Comics #1-23 (Aug. 1941 - Oct. 1943), Iger supplied her to Fox Comics, which had requested a sexy costumed adventuress. Baker redesigned the character into her best-known incarnation (see image above right). This version (generally but unconfirmably credited to writer Ruth Roche) debuted in Fox's Phantom Lady #13 (Aug. 1947), the premiere issue after taking over the numbering of the canceled comic Wotalife; the title ran through issue #23 (April 1949). Baker's Phantom Lady also appeared as a backup feature in All Top Comics #9-16 (Jan. 1948 - March 1949).

His other comic-book work includes the light-humor military title Canteen Kate, as well as stories in the suspense anthology Tales of The Mysterious Traveler; the comedic-adventure feature "Sky Girl" in Fiction House's Jumbo Comics, with originals and later reprints running from #69-139 (Nov. 1944 - Dec. 1952); the jungle adventure "Tiger Girl"; "Flamingo", "South Sea Girl", "Glory Forbes", "Kayo Kirby"; and "Risks Unlimited". He is the generally credited but unconfirmed artist for Fox's Rulah, Jungle Goddess #17-27 (Aug. 1948 - June 1949, title's complete run after having taken over the numbering of the defunct Zoot Comics). He also produced Flamingo as a syndicated comic strip from 1952 through 1954. ANThology is the first major label album by Alien Ant Farm. ... Fiction House was a American publisher of pulp magazines and comic books that existed from the 1920s to the 1950s. ... Box Log Falls, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia Jungle refers usually to a dense forest in a hot climate. ...

He later did several romance and other titles for St. John Publications, and afterward freelanced for Atlas Comics, the 1950s forerunner of Marvel Comics, beginning with a five-page anthological story generally if unconfirmably credited to writer-editor Stan Lee, in the omnibus title Gunsmoke Western #32 (Dec. 1955). At some point during this period working through artist Vince Colletta's studio, Baker went on to draw stories for Atlas' Western Outlaws, Quick Trigger Action, Frontier Western, and Wild Western; more prolifically for the company's romance comics Love Romances, My Own Romance, and Teen-Age Romance; and one story each for the supernatural/science fiction anthologies Strange Tales, Worlds of Fantasy, and Tales to Astonish ("I Fell to the Center of the Earth!" in issue #2, March 1959, reprinted in the hardcover book Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales to Astonish, ISBN 0-7851-1889-6) Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ... Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Entertainment, Inc. ... Stan Lee at the 1973 San Diego comic con Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1922, New York, New York) is an American writer, editor, Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Comics, and memoirist, who — with several artist co-creators, especially Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko — introduced complex, naturalistic... An omnibus is a book or video collecting two or more previous works by the same author or director. ... Vince Colletta (born Oct. ... This article refers to the wide variety of writing called romantic. For literature from the European Romantic movement of the 18th and 19th centuries, see Romanticism: Art and Literature. ... Look up Supernatural in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Strange Tales was the name of several comic book anthology series that have been published by Marvel Comics. ... Tales to Astonish #44 Tales to Astonish is the name of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics. ...

His last known work (generally credited but unconfirmed) is the first page of the six-page story Happily Ever After in Atlas/Marvel's Love Romances #90 (Nov. 1960). His last known confirmed work is the six-page "I Gave Up the Man I Love!" in the company's My Own Romance #73 (Jan. 1960).

Baker was a finalist for induction into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2005. The Will Eisner Comic Industry Award is given for creative achievement in comic books. ...

References

• Strickler, Dave. Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index. Cambria, CA: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0-9700077-0-1.
• Lambiek Comiclopedia: Matt Baker
• Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Phantom Lady
• Black Superhero Hype: Matt Baker
• The Grand Comics Database