'Liberty Belle' (Boy Commandos #1).
Chuck Winter was an American comic book artist, active during the so-called Golden Age of Comic Books. He worked for many of the publishing companies of the time during the 1940s and the first half of the 1950s, and most notably co-created the female superhero 'Liberty Belle' (1942-1947) for DC Comics. While most of his work was either signed with "Chuck Winter" or "C.A. Winter", he also published under the pen names Cort Arthur, Achmed Zudella, Norton Kingley and Tex Lee. Charles A. Winter should not be confused with the cartoonist Charles W. Winter (1918-1974), who drew funny features for Hillman, Novelty Press and other companies during the same period. He is also not the same artist as classic illustrator Charles Allen Winter (1869-1942).
'Captain Savage' (Mystery Men Comics #13, 1940).
Early life and comics career
Charles Albert Winter was born in 1896 in Jersey City, New Jersey. During the 1920s and 1930s, he worked as an advertising artist, before doing his first comic book work through Harry "A" Chesler's shop in the late 1930s. His first known credit is a 1939 5-page 'Kardak the Mystic Magician' story for the first issue of the MLJ Comics title Top Notch Comics.
Iger Studios
Winter joined Jerry Iger's studio shortly afterwards, through which he did most of his work for Fox Comics between 1940 and 1941. This included regular work on 'Captain Savage' (1940-1941) in Mystery Men Comics and The Flame, a feature about a fast freighter captain/bounty hunter in the Pacific Ocean. For Wonderworld Comics, he drew the secret agent comic 'K-51 Spies At War' (1940-1941) as well as 'Black Lion' (1941), about a big game hunter who goes hunting for criminals out of boredom.
'Black Lion' (1941).
In the 1940s, Winter worked on Fiction House properties like 'Camilla' and 'ZX-5 Spies In Action' for Jumbo Comics (1940). He returned to this company in 1942 with 'Inspector Dayton' in Jumbo Comics and 'Shark Brodie' in Fight Comics, and then again in 1949 with the futuristic 'Mysta of the Moon' in Planet Comics.
By 1940, he was also present in the Quality Comics title Hit Comics with 'Old Witch' (1940) and 'Hell Diver' (1941), in Brookwood's Speed Comics with 'Lt. Jim Cannon' (1940) and in the Better Publications title Exciting Comics with 'The Sphinx' (1941). Winter supplied the short-lived titles Great Comics and Choice Comics of the obscure publisher Great Comics Publications with the features 'Madame Strange' (as Achmed Zudella) and 'Kangaroo Man' in the period 1941-1942.
'Spy' (Detective Comics #69).
DC Comics
By 1942, Winter had left Iger and began a fruitful collaboration with National Periodicals, the future DC Comics. His art appeared in this company's titles throughout the decade. His early work included the 'Mr. Terrific' feature in Sensation Comics (1942-1943) and 'Spy' in Detective Comics (1942-1944).
Liberty Belle
Between 1942 and 1947, Winter drew the female superhero 'Liberty Belle', who got her superpowers (enhanced speed, strength and stamina) through the ringing of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. The character was a co-creation of Winter and writer Don Cameron and originally appeared in the first two issues of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon's best-selling Boy Commandos comic book. After two stories it moved over to Star Spangled Comics, however. The character remained in obscurity for several decades, until writer Roy Thomas resurrected her for his superhero team-up 'All-Star Squadron' in 1981. She has since then made occasional reappearances in the titles set in the DC Universe.
'The Wage Earners' (Weird Terror #1, Harwell).
Comics after 1945 and during the 1950s.
In 1946, Winter also succeeded Louis Cazeneuve on the medieval feature 'Shining Knight' in Adventure Comics, which he continued with writer Joe Samachson until 1948. The character was originally created in 1941 by Creig Flessel. By 1950, the popularity of superheroes had mostly faded away, and many companies turned to thematic anthology comic books. Chuck Winter spent the final years of his comic book career drawing romance, war or supernatural stories for Ace Periodicals (Real Love, All Romances, Glamorous Romances, etc.), Harvey Comics (Love Lesson, Love Problems), Harwell Publications (Weird Terror) and Fawcett Comics. Most of Winter's later day comic book work was however done for the horror and mystery titles in Stan Lee's Atlas line (Astonishing, Strange Tales, Adventures into Weird Worlds, Justice, etc.).
'Don't Break My Heart Again' (All Romances #3, 1949).
Death
No comic book work by Charles A. Winter from after 1954 is known. He passed away in 1967 at Mt. Vernon, New York.
'The Assassin of Paris' (Journey into Mystery #10, July 1953).