Ross Andru

Ross Andru (born Rossolav Andruskevitch, June 15, 1927 – November 9, 1993) was an American comic book artist and editor. He is best known for his work on Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Flash and Metal Men.

His most frequent collaborator was inker Mike Esposito, with whom he worked on projects over a span of four decades. The two founded three short-lived comic books companies: Mr. Publications (1951), MikeRoss (1953) and Klevart Enterprises (1970).

Andru was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2007.

Biography

Early life and career

Ross Andru was initially raised in Cleveland, Ohio, by Russian emigre parents who had fled the Russian Revolution; according to family lore, Andru's mother was part Polish and part Russian royalty, while his father had played French horn for the Ballets Russes before later doing so for the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. After moving to New York City, Andru graduated from The High School of Music & Art, then in Harlem, where one of his classmates and friends was future comics artist Mike Esposito, with whom he would collaborate on flip-book animation. Andru served in the U.S. Army, and after being discharged in 1946, found work later that year with an animation studio in Manhattan drawing for Chiclets chewing-gum commercials.

Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X (the name of a closely related but independent supervisory organization), is a name for two fictional organizations appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 (1959), and the second version, created by John Ostrander, debuted in Legends #3 (1987).

The modern Suicide Squad is an antihero "strike team" of incarcerated, death row supervillains. Acting as deniable, covert assets of the United States government, it undertakes high-risk, black-ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences. The group operates out of Belle Reve Penitentiary under the directorship of Amanda Waller.

The Suicide Squad functions as an unorthodox, work-release program, which explains why many of the DC Universe's supervillains remain perpetually on the loose – regardless how many occasions they're apprehended and incarcerated for their latest crimes.

Various incarnations of the Suicide Squad have existed throughout DC Universe canon, as depicted in several self-titled comic book series, from its origins in the Silver Age, to its modern-day post-Crisis reimagining, to the current version that was introduced in the wake of DC's 2011 New 52 continuity reboot.

Punisher

The Punisher is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist John Romita, Sr., with publisher Stan Lee providing the name. The Punisher made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 (cover-dated Feb. 1974).

The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder, kidnapping, extortion, coercion, threats of violence, and torture in his war on crime. Driven by the deaths of his wife and two children, who were killed by the mob during a shootout in New York City's Central Park, the Punisher wages a one-man war on the mob and all criminals in general by using all manner of conventional war weaponry. His family's killers were the first to be slain. A war veteran of the U.S. military, Frank Castle is a master of martial arts, stealth tactics, guerrilla warfare, and a wide variety of weapons.

The Punisher's brutal nature and willingness to kill made him a novel character in mainstream American comic books in 1974. By the late 1980s, he was part of a wave of psychologically troubled antiheroes and at the height of his popularity, was featured in three monthly publications, including The Punisher War Journal, The Punisher War Zone, and The Punisher Armory. Despite his violent actions and dark nature, the Punisher has enjoyed some mainstream success on television, making guest appearances on Spider-Man: The Animated Series and The Super Hero Squad Show, where the depiction of his violent behavior was toned down for family viewers. In feature films, Dolph Lundgren portrayed the Punisher in 1989, as did Thomas Jane in 2004, and Ray Stevenson in 2008. Jon Bernthal will portray the character in the second season of Marvel's Daredevil, set to premiere in 2016.