Klaus Nordling

Klaus Nordling (May 29, 1910 – November 19, 1986) was an American writer-artist for American comic books. He is best known for his work on the 1940s masked-crimefighter feature "Lady Luck", and as co-creator of the Marvel Comics superhero the Thin Man. Some of the early Nordling's pen names are Fred Nordley, F. Klaus, Ed Norris, and Clyde North.

Biography

Early life and career Born in Pori, Finland, Klaus Nordling moved to the United States as a toddler in 1912. From 1935 to 1937, he wrote and drew the weekly newspaper comic strip Baron Munchausen for Van Tine Features, under the pen name Fred Nordley. Some of his early comics are signed under the pen names F. Klaus, Ed Norris, and Clyde North.

Quality Comics editor Gill Fox recalled Nordling as "a little guy. Good-looking. And involved in local theatre. He had a very vivid imagination and was a good writer. In later years I'd send some work in his direction. But if you did something for him, he'd think you wanted something back. We got to know each other socially, but he still mistrusted people. Even me. But I admired his cartooning. And he was a great guy to sit and talk to".

Nordling created the feature "The Three Aces", also known as "Crash, Cork, and the Baron", in Harvey Comics' Speed Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), and the detective feature "Pen Miller" in National Comics #1 (July 1940). For Marvel Comics predecessor Timely Comics, Nordling and an unknown writer created the Thin Man, one of comics' first "stretching" superheroes, in Mystic Comics #4 (July 1940). with artist Chuck Mazoujian. Writer Dick French then took over scripting. Writer-artist Nicholas Viscardi (later known as Nick Cardy) took over the feature beginning with the May 18, 1941 strip. Nordling succeeded him from the March 1, 1942 to March 3, 1946, strip, when "Lady Luck" was temporarily canceled. After briefly being replaced by the humor feature "Wendy the Waitress" by Robert Jenny, "Lady Luck" returned from May 5 to November 3, 1946, under cartoonist Fred Schwab.

As historians at the Chicago, Illinois, comics retailer Atlas Comics noted in "The Top 100 Artists of American Comic Books", which listed Nordling at #78,

"Lady Luck" stories were reprinted in the Quality Comics comic book Smash Comics #42-85 (April 1943 - Oct. 1949), whereupon the series changed its title to Lady Luck for five more issues. Nordling providing new seven- to 11-page stories in Lady Luck #86-90 (Dec. 1949 - Aug. 1950), with Gill Fox drawing the covers. Lady Luck #90 was Nordling's last known original comics work.

Reprint collections Ace Comics Presents #3: The Golden Age of Klaus Nordling (2000) Includes "Bob and Swab" and "The Barker" stories, and January 21, 1982 Nordling letter to Jerry DeFuccio Lady Luck (Kitchen Sink Press, 1977–1978) Lady Luck (Ken Pierce, Inc. trade paperback, 1980)