We have in many issues of this newsletter detailed his work as an assistant to Sy Barry on the Phantom newspaper strip, highlighted by the interview in FOTP issue # 18. At the time of that interview, André was already battling the cancer that finally overtook him, but it never, ever bested him. André was intelligent, vibrant, talented, kind, and generous. I have never met a nicer man and he will be greatly missed by everyone who had the good fortune to meet him. I am not exaggerating when I say knowing him made all of his acquaintances’ lives a little richer. I was blessed having him as both a mentor and a friend. Whether or not you believe André may now be in a better place, I can definitely assure you that this plane is a better place because he was here.

Joe Orlando was known to Phantom fans as the artist of DC Comics four-issue Phantom mini-series released in 1989, but he also made anonymous contributions to Phantom history by ghosting Phantom Sunday strips before Fred Fredericks' tenure on the strip. I never met Joe, but he invited me to have lunch with him during our phone conversations. I regret not having taken him up on it... I always felt there would be time later.

When I spoke with him, he was the associate publisher of MAD but still he took time to talk with me. Joe was a nice man. His more than 30 years with DC found him in numerous roles, from editor to the company's vice-president to editorial director. He was a colleague of André LeBlanc's at the School of Visual Arts in New York. His loss was a great one for family, friends, and fans.

 (At left is a Yugoslavian comic with Joe's art on the cover.)  .

Although he only produced 30 illustrations featuring the Phantom, George Wilson's work is some of the best ever on the subject. George's beautiful oil paintings graced the covers of all 15 of the Avon Phantom paperbacks and 14 of the Gold Key Phantom comics. Those images have been reused for collector cards, toy packages, Yugoslavian hardbacks, and television specials.

George was a quiet, modest man who purposely avoided publicity. Some may have thought George reclusive - he lived alone, never went to comic shows, or made public appearances - but we found him to be warm, friendly, helpful, kind, generous, and outgoing. His very last painting was of the Phantom, created for Friends of the Phantom.

August 24, 1932 - July 19, 2005

Jim was intelligent, talented, considerate and an entertaining conversationalist. I became acquainted with him through phone conversations and finally met him at a comic show in NY where I took the photo of him at left posing with a Phantom ring. His popularity was enormous! Fans lined up for hours for his autograph and he accommodated everyone (even people with stacks of his comics).

He made a nice drawing of the Phantom which is framed on the wall in my studio, and he would occasionally send me new comics with his work. It was an honor and a privilege to know the man.