Jill Elgin

Born Kathleen Jo Elgin in 1923, one of the things she loved to do was draw. It was no surprise to friends and family that she turned that love into drawing a comic strip for her school’s newspaper when she was fourteen – which she signed as “Jo Elgin.”

Flash forward a few years, after graduating high school, she found herself working for Quality Comics as a staff artist. Still using the “Jo Elgin” name, she worked on their Kid Eternity comic.

Following her gig with Quality, Elgin then moved on to work for Harvey Comics in 1942, both writing and drawing Girl Commandoes at the height of the World War. Her pen name at this point was altered, and she was now “Jill Elgin” for anyone curious enough to look up the artist’s name.

Other titles tackled by Elgin was the Black Cat, Green Hornet, and Wild Bill Hickok, all popular titles at the time.

After a decade of writing and drawing comics, Elgin turned her skills to illustrating children’s books. It would be the first time in her career that she reverted to her birth name “Kathleen.” Illustration work during this time includes Big and Little, Up and Down, in 1950, and The Adventures of Silly Billy, in 1961.

Jill Elgin (Jan 13, 1923 – Jan. 25, 2005)