In Memorium: Sheldon Moldoff & Ralph McQuarrie

"Shelly" Moldoff

This weekend brought sad news of the passing of twin titans of the genre realm. Golden age artist Sheldon "Shelly" Moldoff  passed away at the age of ninety-two on February 29, 2012. He was best known for his early work on the DC Comics characters Hawkman and as one of Bob Kane's primary "ghost artists" (uncredited collaborators) on the Batman. As such he co-created the super-villains Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, an early version of Clayface, and Bat-Mite, as well as the original versions of Bat-Girl, Batwoman and Ace the Bat Hound . Moldoff was also the sole creator of Jon Valor the Black Pirate (Jon Valor).

 After Moldoff was let go by DC in 1967, he turned to the world of animation, doing storyboards for TV series such as Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse, and he wrote and drew promotional comic books given away through prominent restaurant and fast-food chains, as well as the Atlanta Braves baseball team. I’m grateful that I had a chance to meet him once some years ago. The Catacombs extends its sincerest condolences to his family, friends and fans.

Ralph McQuarrie

Virtually every Star Wars fan knows the name of Ralph McQuarrie, who was the conceptual artist and illustrator who designed the original Star Wars trilogy, the original Battlestar: Galactica TV series, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Cocoon, for which he won an Academy Award. Other genre films which bear his artistic touch include Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,*batteries not included and Jurassic Park. McQuarrie passed away at the age of eighty-two on March 3, 2012, in his California home, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. The Catacombs extends its sincerest condolences to his family, friends and fans.