# Alex Blum

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Hungarian-American comic book artist

Alex Blum Born Blum Sándor Aladár (1889-02-07)February 7, 1889 Hungary Died September 1969(1969-09-00) (aged 80) Rye, New York Nationality Naturalized American Area Artist Pseudonym Alex Boon Notable works Classics Illustrated Spouse Helen

Blum illustration from *[Classics Illustrated](/source/Classics_Illustrated)* issue 87, *A Midsummer Night's Dream*

**Alexander Anthony Blum** (February 7, 1889 – September 1969)[1] was a [Hungarian-American](/source/Hungarian-American) [comic book](/source/Comic_book) artist best remembered for his contributions in the 1940s and 1950s to the long-running comic book series *[Classics Illustrated](/source/Classics_Illustrated)*.[2]

## Biography

Born **Sándor Aladár Blum** in [Hungary](/source/Hungary), into a [Jewish](/source/History_of_the_Jews_in_Hungary) family,[3] Blum studied at the [National Academy of Design](/source/National_Academy_of_Design) in [New York](/source/New_York_City) before moving with his young family to the [Germantown](/source/Germantown%2C_Philadelphia%2C_Pennsylvania) section of [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia), where he worked as a [portrait painter](/source/Portrait_painter).[4]: 47[5]

During the [Great Depression](/source/Great_Depression), Blum's career as a portrait painter evaporated, leading the family to move to [New York City](/source/New_York_City), seeking work.[4]: 39 He signed with the [comic book packager](/source/Comic_book_packager) [Eisner & Iger](/source/Eisner_%26_Iger), and in the 1930s and 1940s his work appeared in comics published by [Fox Comics](/source/Fox_Comics), [Quality Comics](/source/Quality_Comics), [Fiction House](/source/Fiction_House) and [Fawcett Comics](/source/Fawcett_Comics). He occasionally worked in collaboration with his daughter, [Toni Blum](/source/Toni_Blum), born in 1918, who wrote comics during that period for Eisner & Iger.[6]

For [Fox Feature Syndicate](/source/Fox_Feature_Syndicate) (as "Alex Boon"), he illustrated the debut of the fictional superhero [Samson](/source/Samson_(Fox_Feature_Syndicate)), in *[Fantastic Comics](/source/Fantastic_Comics)* #1 (Dec. 1939).[7] He drew *The Red Comet* in *[Planet Comics](/source/Planet_Comics)* #6–10 (Fiction House, 1940–1941).[8][9]

Later, in the period 1948 to 1955, he worked for the publisher [Gilberton](/source/Gilberton_(publisher)), illustrating almost twenty-five *[Classics Illustrated](/source/Classics_Illustrated)* titles, as well as *Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs*, the debut issue of *[Classics Illustrated Junior](/source/Classics_Illustrated_Junior)*. Along with [Henry C. Kiefer](/source/Henry_C._Kiefer), he was one of the leading *Classics Illustrated* artists.

## Personal life and death

Blum and his wife Helen[4] had two children, a son and a daughter, [Audrey Anthony "Toni" Blum](/source/Toni_Blum) (1918–c. 1972), who also became a comic book creator.

Blum died in 1969 in [Rye, New York](/source/Rye%2C_New_York).

## Bibliography

- *[Samson](/source/Samson_(Fox_Feature_Syndicate))* (Fox, 1939–c. 1941)

- *The Eagle* (Fox, 1941–1942)

- *Neon the Unknown* in *[Hit Comics](/source/Hit_Comics)* (Quality, 1940–1941)

- *The Purple Trio* in *[Smash Comics](/source/Smash_Comics)* (Quality, 1940–1942)

- *The Strange Twins* in *Hit Comics* (Quality, 1940–1942)

- *Captain Nelson Cole* in *[Planet Comics](/source/Planet_Comics)* (Fiction House, 1940–1941)

- *The Red Comet* in *Planet Comics* #6–10 (Fiction House, 1940–1941)

- *Kaänga Comics* (Fiction House)

- *Midnight the Black Stallion* in *[Jumbo Comics](/source/Jumbo_Comics)* (Fiction House, 1941–1942)

- *Greasemonkey Griffin* in *[Wings Comics](/source/Wings_Comics)* (Fiction House)

- *[Classics Illustrated](/source/Classics_Illustrated)* (Gilberton, 1948–1955): - *[Alice in Wonderland](/source/Alice_in_Wonderland)* — #49 (1948) - *[The Song of Hiawatha](/source/The_Song_of_Hiawatha)* — #57 (1949) - *[The Woman in White](/source/The_Woman_in_White_(novel))* — #61 (1949) - *[Treasure Island](/source/Treasure_Island)* — #64 (1949) - *[The Scottish Chiefs](/source/The_Scottish_Chiefs)* — #67 (1950) - *[The Pilot](/source/The_Pilot%3A_A_Tale_of_the_Sea)* — #70 (1950) - *[The Man Who Laughs](/source/The_Man_Who_Laughs)* — #71 (1950) - *[The Black Tulip](/source/The_Black_Tulip)* — #73 (1950) - *[The Iliad](/source/The_Iliad)* — #77 (1950) - *[Cyrano de Bergerac](/source/Cyrano_de_Bergerac_(play))* — #79 (1951) - *[White Fang](/source/White_Fang)* — #80 (1951) - *[The Jungle Book](/source/The_Jungle_Book)*, with William Bossert — #83 (1951) - *[The Gold Bug and Other Stories](/source/The_Gold_Bug)* — #84 (1951) - *[The Sea Wolf](/source/The_Sea_Wolf)* — #85 (1951) - *[A Midsummer Night's Dream](/source/A_Midsummer_Night's_Dream)* — #87 (1951) - *[Green Mansions](/source/Green_Mansions)* — #90 (1951) - *[The Courtship of Miles Standish](/source/The_Courtship_of_Miles_Standish)* and *[Evangeline](/source/Evangeline)* — #92 (1952) - *Daniel Boone* — #96 (1952) - *[Hamlet](/source/Hamlet)* — #99 (1952) - *[The White Company](/source/The_White_Company)* — #102 (1952) - *[From the Earth to the Moon](/source/From_the_Earth_to_the_Moon)* — #105 (1953) - *[Knights of the Round Table](/source/Knights_of_the_Round_Table)* — #108 (1953) - *[Macbeth](/source/Macbeth)* — #128 (1955)[10]

- *[Classics Illustrated Junior](/source/Classics_Illustrated_Junior)* (Gilberton, 1953–1954): - *[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs](/source/Snow_White_and_the_Seven_Dwarfs)* — #501 (1953) - *[Jack and the Beanstalk](/source/Jack_and_the_Beanstalk)* — #507 (1954)[11]

- *Classics Illustrated Special Edition* (Gilberton, 1955): - *The Story of Jesus* — #129A (with William A. Walsh) (1955)[12]

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Social Security Death Index, SS# 085-18-0640.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Jones Jr., p.66 ff.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Greenspoon, Leonard Jay & Ronald Simkins, *American Judaism in Popular Culture*, Creighton University Press (2006), p. 189

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-aep_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-aep_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-aep_4-2) Interview with Bill Bossert (January 2011). "I Was Contemptuous, Basically of the Comics". *[Alter Ego](/source/Alter_Ego_(magazine))* (99)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Kooiman, Mike; Amash, Jim (2011). [*The Quality Companion: Celebrating the forgotten publisher of Plastic Man and the Freedom Fighters*](https://books.google.com/books?id=LtaqDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA83). TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 83. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-60549-037-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-60549-037-3).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Hajdu, David](/source/Hajdu%2C_David). *The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America* (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008), [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-374-18767-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-374-18767-5), p. 26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Markstein, Don. ["Samson"](http://www.toonopedia.com/samson.htm). *Don Markstein's Toonopedia*. Retrieved 12 April 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Steele, Henry (1978). *Fiction House - A Golden Age Index*. Al Dellinges.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Love, G.B (ed.). "Planet Comics". *The Fandom Annual*. SFCA (2): 118–121.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Jones Jr., Appendix A, pp. 218-223 (covering all *Classics Illustrated* artwork references).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Jones Jr., Appendix E, p. 229 (covering both *Classics Illustrated Junior* artwork references).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Jones, Jr., Appendix F, p. 233.

## References

- [Alex Blum entry](http://lambiek.net/artists/b/blum_alex.htm), Lambiek's *Comiclopedia*

- Jones Jr., William B. *Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, with Illustrations* (Jefferson, NC, and London: McFarland, 2002).

- Overstreet, Robert M. *Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide*. House of Collectibles, 2004.

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND WorldCat National United States Netherlands Norway Israel People DDB Other SNAC Yale LUX

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