See that comic book cover at left? See the great logo on it saying SWAMP THING? That great logo was the handiwork of the man at right.
For around five decades, you couldn't read DC Comics without seeing and surely enjoying the contributions of Gaspar Saladino, who passed away yesterday following a long illness. Sources vary on his birthdate but he was either 88 or 90.
Gaspar was a letterer — one of the best in comics and the man responsible for so many iconic logo designs. He was born in Brooklyn and attended Manhattan's School of Industrial Art, picking up occasional money inking for comic books. Throughout the forties, he dabbled in comics for minor publishers but his main career trajectory was towards fashion art.
After a stint in the Army, he decided to try and find something steadier at one of the major publishers and showed his portfolio to Julius Schwartz at DC. Schwartz was unimpressed with the art but impressed with the lettering…and that was how Gaspar found his life's occupation. He lettered for DC for more than fifty years.
Schwartz had first call on his services for a long time but Saladino's crisp, attractive lettering could be found all across DC's line and he occasionally moonlighted for other publishers, particularly when asked by an artist-friend. (Online sources say he lettered the early issues of Eerie for Warren Publishing. They're wrong. His work for Warren was minimal.)
Until around 1966, Saladino was the second banana letterer at DC, the first being Ira Schnapp. Schnapp was a gifted calligrapher and designer who was responsible for most of the cover lettering, logo design and house advertising there for years. In '66 when artist Carmine Infantino was brought into management (eventually becoming publisher), he attempted to modernize the look of DC by replacing Schnapp with Saladino. Thereafter, Gaspar did most of the cover lettering, logo design and house advertising. Schnapp left the company in 1968.
Gaspar designed hundreds of logos for the company and as time permitted, worked on the insides. When Swamp Thing by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson became both a financial and creative success for DC in the seventies, everyone agreed the comic wouldn't be the same without Gaspar's distinctive and expressive lettering. When he had to miss an issue, the point was proven. He also occasionally worked for Marvel, often under the name "L.P. Gregory" or merely "Gaspar," and was called upon most times when MAD needed someone to do fancy lettering.
Many comic book letterers, including frequent award-winner Todd Klein, cite Saladino as an inspiration or even mentor. He truly was an artist himself, able to craft sound effects and display lettering that were as good as any artwork over which they appeared. His basic balloon lettering was clear and organic and more than a few artists were known to ask, "Can you get Gaspar to letter my work?" He was also super-reliable, putting in long hours at the drawing board when necessary to meet deadlines.
I interviewed Gaspar one year at a comic convention — before a room packed with professional letterers who regarded him as a master. He was a genuinely humble man, delighted to find that so many people noticed and appreciated what he had done. Take a look at this page of Gaspar lettering designs and tell me if you wouldn't be a little conceited if you could letter this well.