'My Spirit... Your Executioner!' (Weird War Tales #33, 10 January 1975).
John Edmond Sparling got his artistic education at the Arts and Crafts Club in New Orleans, and the Corcoran School of Art. After doing gag cartoons for the editorial page of the New Orleans Item-Tribune, he created the comic strip about the reporter 'Hap Hopper, Washington Correspondent' with writers Drew Pearson and Robert S. Allen in 1939. He drew the strip until 1943, when he was succeeded by Al Plastino.
'Hap Hopper'.
Sparling has several credits with the Parents' Magazine Press, including 'Real Heroes', 'Judy Wing', 'Betty Fairfield', 'Jack Armstrong' and 'Pug and Curly'. In the 1940s, he worked on comic books by Lev Gleason (romance) and Fawcett ('Nyoka'), and did various promotional comics, among others for the American Gas Association and the steel industry. He also did a new syndicated comic, called 'Claire Voyant' (1943-48).
Comic art by Jack Sparling, 1975.
In the 1950s, Sparling worked for companies like Harvey, Toby Press, Charlton and Ziff Davis, doing western, horror and romance titles. He also did syndicated strips like 'Mister Rubbles' and 'Sam Hill'. For Gilberton's Classics Illustrated, Sparling drew 'Robin Hood' and Mark Twain's 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'.
'The Common Enemy!' (Weird War Tales #34, February 1975).
In the late 1960s, Sparling was additionally present in Eerie with several horror stories. From 1960 to 1972, he did the daily 'Honor Eden' for the McClure Syndicate. Jack Sparling remained active until the late 1980s. In the final stages of his comic book career, he worked mainly on Western Publishing titles like 'The Twilight Zone' and 'Turok', but he also did contributions to DC and Marvel titles. In 1970, he created the educational comic book, 'What If They Call Me Chicken?' (1970, Kiwanis International). Written by Malcolm Ater, the comic warns children to stay away from drug dealers. Jack Sparling passed away in 1997.
'Plastic Man'.
'Robin Hood'.