I recently learned that my dear friend and long-time mentor Joe Sinnott had passed away. He was 93 and had lived a lifetime overflowing with experiences that most of us could only dream of, but still…hearing that he was gone hit me hard. A treasured piece of the world is now gone, leaving a hole that many of us will feel for years to come.
I’m not one to post my personal thoughts on social media, as I prefer to keep that platform strictly for showcasing my art and shining the spotlight on projects I’m working on. To every rule though, there are exceptions, and this is one of them. The news of Joe’s passing opened a floodgate of memories of another dear friend, Pepper Davis (Hall of Fame baseball player -A League of Their Own fame). I’m writing this in tribute to Joe and as a record that reflects on some of the other incredible mentors who have impacted me throughout my life.
Both Joe and Pepper were famous in their own respect, and were both like grandparents to me. I’ve been lucky and blessed throughout my career to have such wonderful mentors. They are a huge part of my love and passion for history, and a great influence behind my deep respect for their generation. I’d have given just about anything to have introduced them; they had so much in common, including baseball. I’d love to think though, that they’ve already connected in heaven’ swapping stories about the good old days.
I was introduced to Joe Sinnott when I was in college, over 20 years ago. My friend Bob Henchy, who also sadly has passed, would tell me about his friend who was a famous comic artist, but also illustrated baseball. When I began collecting comics again, I looked Joe up and I was blown away by his illustrious career. His resume was long, so I had many questions about his artwork during the 1940s and 50’s and his famous Marvel days in the early 1960’s. I sent Joe some of my artwork and we hit it off. He created this wonderful piece of me with some Marvel characters, which I cherish. I would also visit Joe at his home In Saugerties, NY.
He was like the Mayor, as everyone not only new him for his art but his generosity. I would take many trips through Saugerties with Joe as he would tell me about when he was a boy and things about his father and grandparents. We had many lunches together and these trips became almost a spiritual experience as I would make the trip from NJ up to the Catskill mountains. I made this trip almost every year since 2012 and several were with my friend Ted Pope, who was a friend of Stan Lee. So an annual trip was in the books every year. One year I had Joe and his son Mark visit my home in NJ and Joe did a special event at the local comic store which was a huge hit.
The last time I visited Joe at his home and his son Mark’s home was in 2018. It will be one of the most memorable because I took the trip with my friend Patrick McDonnell who is famous in his own right for being one of the greatest cartoonists today illustrating Mutts. Patrick is a fan of Joe’s work and especially the Kirby-Sinnott works, so to see these two legendary artists together was a thrill for me. The trip ended up having a collaboration of the two on some really amazing strips published by Patrick.
Joe Sinnott was one of the greatest comic book artists to live. He was most recognized for his incredible inks on Jack Kirby’s works on the Fantastic Four. Joe was also an incredibly talented penciler. I loved seeing his works and even up until recently his works still showcased that old classic line. I was always amazed to see him pencil out a DR Doom or Thing.
Joe’s biography speaks for itself but some highlights are that he worked for Marvel Comics and with his friend Stan Lee for over 60 years. Joe inked some of the most iconic covers in history. I would ask him what he thought when he would first receive these originals to ink and witness these characters for the first time. In the 1960’s it must have been amazing!
Joe, a WWII Navy veteran, would often talk about his brother, who died in Italy during that same war. I had so many conversations with Joe over the years, some lasting hours that we both said we would not get our work done; fortunately, I am pretty good with painting and talking at he same time. I will miss those calls and I feel the knowledge he shared with me is priceless.
I think the world not only lost a great artist but more importantly a great person. I know many people will be sharing similar stories, but that is what makes him so important to everyone. He made you feel important and there are thousands of fans that feel that way.
I feel like he shared that legacy with artists like me, and I will continue that legacy through my artwork. I try to help up and coming artists and share that same respect for others. To me that is what his generation expressed the best, respect for others, selflessness and an appreciation for life and what they have. I feel the same way. We also spoke hours and hours about baseball, for me my team is the Yankees and his was the Giants.
I was blessed to trade with Joe many original paintings. I painted a wedding image of Joe and his wife, Bing Crosby, Giants baseball players, etc. My collection from Joe is so meaningful to me and will carry memories for a lifetime. I know how much his children and grandchildren meant to him, and I want to especially thank his son Mark for everything. I will miss Joe and our trips and our wonderful talks. I will treasure our friendship forever. I will look at the art pieces he gave me, as gifts that are more special than ever before.
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