Norman Saunders

Norman Blaine Saunders (January 1, 1907 – March 7, 1989) was a prolific 20th-century American commercial artist. He is best known for paintings in pulp magazines, paperbacks, men's adventure magazines, comic books and trading cards. On occasion, Saunders signed his work with his middle name, Blaine.

Pulp paintings

He left Fawcett to become a freelance pulp artist, moved to New York City and studied under Harvey Dunn at the Grand Central School of Art. He painted for all the major publishers and was known for his fast-action scenes, his beautiful women and his ability to meet a deadline. He worked in almost any genre—Westerns, weird menace, detective, sports and the saucy pulps (sometimes signed as "Blaine"). He was able to paint very quickly, producing 100 paintings a year—two a week from 1935 through 1942—and thus lived well during the Depression era.

Product developer Len Brown, inspired by Wally Wood's cover for EC Comics' Weird Science #16, pitched the idea to art director Woody Gelman. Wood fleshed out his and Gelman's initial sketches, and Bob Powell did the final designs. Saunders painted the 55-card set.

The cards were test marketed by Topps through a dummy corporation called Bubbles, Inc. under the name Attack From Space. Sales were sufficient to expand the marketing, and the name was changed to Mars Attacks. The cards sparked parental and community outrage over their graphic violence and implied sexuality. Topps responded initially by repainting 13 of the cards to reduce the gore and sexuality; then, following inquiries from a Connecticut district attorney, Topps agreed to halt production before the altered cards could be added.

Saunders also produced a number of less well-known trading card series, including Ugly Stickers, Nutty Initials, Make Your Own Name Stickers and Civil War News.

Books Graphic Design Time Line: A Century Of Design Milestones. Heller, Steven; Pettit, Elinor, Allworth Publications, New York, NY, 2000. Norman Saunders. Saunders, David, The Illustrated Press, Saint Louis, MO, 2008. Pulp Art: Original Cover Paintings For The Great American Pulp Magazines. Lesser, Robert; Reed, Roger, Gramercy Books, New York, NY, 1997.