Dick Calkins

Dick Calkins (1895-1962) was the first artist to work on the comic strip Buck Rogers, which was written by Phil Nowlan and began in 1929. When Nowlan died, Calkins took over the strip entirely, writing and drawing it until 1947. After his strip run he wrote for comic books until his retirement. Calkins is notable for open, line-based style and keen sense of design. His worlds, and the way casual ways in which he floated his characters within them, were entirely believable, optimistic art deco visions of the future.