John Celardo 1918-2012

John Celardo was one of those Golden and Silver Age artists who is often underappreciated. He had a distinguished career that included long stints at Fiction House (where he drew Kaanga and others) and Standard (where this picture was taken, with editor Joe Archibald in the background right), and later at DC. He also drew the newspaper strips Buz Sawyer and Tales of the Green Berets. But he is best known for Tarzan, which he drew with a distinctive style for many years. I had the pleasure of interviewing John for an upcoming Alter Ego article about Mike Peppe. Like so many of his peers from that generation, I found him to be extremely congenial and humble about his accomplishments. John passed away on Friday, January 8, 2012. He had just celebrated his 93rd birthday on December 27. Another one gone. He will be missed.