George Tuska

(Asbury Park Press)

GEORGE TUSKA
AGE: 93 LAKEHURST/MANCHESTER
George Tuska, 93, legendary comic book artist best associated with the character Iron Man, passed away in his sleep from natural causes on October 16. A resident of Lakehurst / Manchester for many years, George drew comics, both book and strips for more than 70 years. His fans are legion and comprise some of the top comic book professionals working today. He was born in 1916 in Connecticut and moved to the New York area, eventually settling in Long Island until moving to New Jersey for his remaining years. He began drawing at the age of seven and attended the Academy of Design in NYC. He began working professionally for comics in 1939 and, except for his stint in the service during WWII (also drawing), continued uninterrupted until recently retiring. He drew every genre imaginable for comics: romance, horror, westerns, crime, whatever was given him, he never lacked for work. He worked for virtually every major comic book publisher known: Eisner/Iger, Fox, Chesler, Quality, Fawcett, Charlton, Lev-Gleason, Timely, D.C., Marvel, Tower and so on. He also worked for syndicated newspapers, drawing and many times writing, strips like Scorchy Smith, Buck Rogers, and Superman. During the Sixties and Seventies he was best remembered for his work on Superheroes. He drew stories featuring headline characters like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Captain America, Sub-Mariner, X-Men and countless others. He is best remembered for his work on the Marvel character Iron Man, eventually becoming the definitive artist on the series. A vigorous athlete, Tuska was an excellent golfer, playing avidly until the age of 90.
He is survived by Dorthy his wife of 61 years, three children: Barbara, Kathy and Robert, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
A viewing is scheduled at the Oliveri Funeral home in Manchester for Monday, October 19; hours for visitation are 2-4 PM and 7-9 PM. A mass is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 10 AM at St. John's Church, Lakehurst.