Alex Toth (1928-2006). As I read it, he was best know for design and storyboard work in 60s and 70s cartoons. Space Ghost, Super Friends and Sealab 2020 to name a few. His work was remixed recently and became Sealab 2021.
Alex Toth was known as something of an irascible guy. I know little about that personally — when I worked at The Comics Journal we occasionally listened to a tape of Toth made during a cut-short interview because he was so brutal, straightforward and funny — but I do know that he was never rewarded by his chosen medium in two of the most basic ways that matter: opportunity and reward. He earned far more of a right than he spent in terms of speaking back to comics, whether it was criticism of art that fell short or a more personal confrontation. The sad thing about Toth as opposed to other square pegs in round holes in comics history is that Toth’s work surely indicates he was present to the possibilities in more mainstream genres than perhaps any great comics artist ever. He wasn’t “out there” — his work influenced the mainstream of comics history at the major houses, and inspired artists who generally went on to become workhorses as opposed to arthouse favorites. That he still didn’t quite fit into the industry in a way befitting his skill and passion is one of those unknowable things in comics history. Hopefully, Toth will continue to live on in a variety of ways and in a variety of publishing platforms in a way that does justice to his life in art.
