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Column: Alex Toth Appreciation   In Memory of Alex Toth By John L. Daniels Jr. Published: 2006-07-04

Inside cover, Detective Comics #442. (Click to view full size)

From Detective Comics #442. (Click to view full size)

I was deeply saddened to hear about the loss of the great comic book and animation artist Alex Toth. While growing up in Washington D.C. I had many opportunities to play basketball or play at the playground, but reading comic books and watching television were what I liked best. Alex Toth’s work was present in both mediums and I had the opportunity to experience his artistry in both. I am forty-five years old and for at least thirty of those years I have been touched by the skill of this artisan.

Toth’s trademark cleft-in-the-chin on many of his male characters was the little signature identifier for me, the clue that he was the artist drawing the comic. His facial drawings were distinctive and his action panels were fluid and thrilling. My earliest experience of his work was the cartoon Clutch Cargo! The amazing stills and frames of the characters in outer space were fascinating. I viewed different worlds and people… it was as if I could touch them. Next was my all-time favorite Toth creation, the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. Mr. Toth’s expertise shined in other Hanna-Barbera shows as well: Johnny Quest, The Herculoids, and Superfriends, where Toth’s talents were as visible and distinctive as ever in the animated drawings of the popular DC characters. In 1974 he drew the Archie Goodwin story “Death Flies the Haunted Sky” in Detective Comics #442, and it’s another of my all-time favorites. I have the book in my collection and will treasure it always; it’s where I began to appreciate his ability as a storyteller.

As a comic reviewer, you always wish you could interview your hero — your favorite creator or artist. Alex Toth was my wish. If I could have interviewed him, I would tell him this: “Mr. Toth, thank you for all you have done for me! Thank you for making me happy with your visions of adventure and heroism. And thank you for making me believe in heroes like you!”

To his family, thank you for the site at http://tothfans.dynu.com where the many fans who knew of him — and first-time fans — can experience his life’s works. Alex Toth will be missed.