Seymour "Sy" Barry (born March 12, 1928) is an American comic-book and comic-strip artist, best known for being the artist of the strip The Phantom for more than three decades.

Biography

Sy Barry was born in New York City in 1928, and is the brother of comics artist Dan Barry, who drew the Flash Gordon comic strip. Sy Barry attended high school at the School of Industrial Art in Manhattan, New York City beginning in 1943. His first job as an artist was working on the comic book Famous Funnies. The Montgomery Story, written by Alfred Hassler and Benton Resnik and distributed by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, "taught young people not just about the event itself but also about nonviolence as a tool for social change." Many decades later, the comic inspired the March trilogy by Georgia Congressman John Lewis.

In 1961, upon the death of The Phantom artist Wilson McCoy, who had succeeded artist Ray Moore, King Features hired Barry to take over that strip. Within three years the Phantom’s readership increased to over 900 newspapers becoming the most popular Phantom artist ever,

His Phantom added a sense of realism and style to the character that has never been seen before.

Barry remained on it for more than 30 years until his retirement in 1994.

References

Further reading

  • Strickler, Dave. Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index. Cambria, California: Comics Access, 1995.
  • Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Art Database