Tom Moore Dies At 86 – Helped Create Globally Loved ‘Archie’ Comics

Archie Comics cartoonist Tom Moore died at his Texas home. He was 86. The artist helped create Archie comics and the hilarious stories of the freckled youth and his gang in Riverdale for over 30 years.

Tom Moore died Monday morning after dedicating his entire life to creating funny comic strips of the beloved red-haired, freckled-faced Archie Andrews and his friends. Though he retired in the 1980s, he continued to have an influence on Archie comics for a long time. He had developed throat cancer, but refused to undergo treatment, shared his son Lito Bujanda-Moore.

Moore has worked on Archie comics since 1953, but the impact he had on the comic world isn’t apparent to the public, said All Star Comics & Games owner Brad Wilson,

“He’s a legend, in El Paso and, really, around the United States. A lot of people don’t realize how much he influenced comic book art. Moore would regularly visit All Star, often looking for old issues of Archie. He was still buying comics and a really nice guy, a fun guy.”

Though Wilson may have restricted Moore’s fame to America, Archie comics have made their way across the globe. The adventures of Archie and the gang have offered light comic relief to the youth in many countries. These comics are often sold in bulk and continue to draw readers of all ages.

Moore began drawing cartoons during the Korean War when he was in the U.S. Navy. His career as a cartoonist showed promise in the Navy itself. His “Chick Call” strip, which ran in military service publications, was well read and enjoyed by the troops. That’s when he thought to himself, “I can really do this for a living,” reported El Paso Times.

Speaking about his creations during an interview in 1966, Moore had said:

“I did one comic book a month. I did everything. We always worked six months ahead. I’d be doing Christmas issues in June and beach stories with a foot of snow outside my window.”

Though he was sketching quite well, Moore decided to understand the concept of creating comics more closely. After the war was over, Moore collected funds through the GI Bill and began attending a school in New York for cartoonists. Interestingly, Moore studied under the tutelage of Tarzan illustrator Burne Hogarth, reported Huffington Post. Soon after clearing the course, Moore signed up with Archie Comics in New York.

Archie Comics recently shocked the world with signs of winding up the long running cartoon series. However its diehard fans have refused to let their ageless, always freckled, but good-natured and sometimes bumbling Archie and his close-knit friends Jughead, Veronica, Betty and the rest, fade away into oblivion.

[Image Credit | Huffington Post]