Marie Severin

EC Comics was a powerhouse back in the 1940s-50s. Much of its catalog after 1950 consisted of dark stories of horror and science fiction. Its last title was published in 1956 due to increasing pressure from the Comic Code Authority and a growing suspicion that it was harmful to adolescents. The final issue it published as EC Comics was Incredible Science Fiction #33. If you were to open it, you would see the name Marie Severin as the colorist.

 Severin was drawn to comics and adventure stories as a child. She would devour books by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan) and, as a teen, took a few classes to learn the craft of illustration. Her dream was to draw for a living. Before she could chase that dream, she had to work, and that took her to Wall Street and the world of big finance. Lucky for her, her brother John worked for EC Comics as an artist and asked her to help him with some colors. This led to her first published work as a colorist – 1949s a Moon, a Girl… Romance (#9).

As much as she loved to illustrate, she loved working with and mixing colors to get the right feel and to bring the artwork to life. She was also very adept at recognizing when a particularly gruesome scene (such as dismemberment) might need a different touch. Instead of going with the obvious, she would “rather color it in yellow because it’s garish.”

When EC stepped out of the industry as a comics publisher, Severin went to work for Marvel, where she quickly became its head colorist (a role she would enjoy until around 1972).

This is not to say she never drew again. She did. In the late 60s, she penciled issues of Tales to Astonish and eventually Doctor Strange. Working alongside Stan Lee, Severin co-created the Living Tribunal, whose attempt to destroy earth was thwarted by Doctor Strange in Strange Tales #157.

In October 1973, Marvel launched its own version of MAD magazine with Crazy Magazine. For its inaugural issue, it turned to its bullpen of talent, including Severin, who contributed heavily with both pencils and colors. She would remain a constant on the title, which lasted for 94 issues.

When it became vogue to create female versions of its main characters, Severin co-created Spider-Woman, who first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #32 (1977). Severin designed her look while Archie Goodwin handled the character and her backstory.  

Severin continued to work well into the 1980s before retiring but never truly put her pencils and colors away. In the 2000s, she recolored some of the earlier EC Comics work reprinted in collection books.

Marie Severin ( August 21, 1929 – August 29, 2018)