Biography
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sparling moved to the United States as a child.[3] He received his early arts training at the Arts and Crafts Club in New Orleans and later attended the Corcoran School of Art.[1] He worked briefly as a gag cartoonist for the New Orleans Item-Tribune.[1] In 1941, Sparling, along with writer William Laas, created the United Feature Syndicate comic strip Hap Hopper, Washington Correspondent, for which real-life newspaper columnists Drew Pearson and Robert S. Allen were listed as editors.[4] One source lists it as having launched January 29, 1939, but comics historian Don Markstein, noting that that day was a Sunday, says January 29, 1940, is better supported and more likely.[4] Sparling was the artist until 1943, when he was succeeded by Al Plastino.[1]
Sparling's next comic strip was Claire Voyant, which premiered May 10, 1943, in the New York PM. and ran until 1948.[1]
From the 1950s through the 1970s, Sparling provided art for a variety of publishers, including Harvey Comics (the Pirana) and Charlton Comics' adaptations of The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman.[5] Sparling also worked for Classics Illustrated, drawing adaptations of Robin Hood and Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.[6] Sparling drew biographic comic books featuring Adlai Stevenson II,[7] Lyndon B. Johnson, and Barry Goldwater for Dell Comics.[8] At DC Comics, Sparling drew Secret Six,[6] the "Eclipso" feature in House of Secrets,[9] and the "Unknown Soldier" feature in Star Spangled War Stories.[10] Editor Joe Orlando began a new direction for DC's House of Mystery series with issue #175 (July–August 1968) and the series' host Cain was created by Sparling and Orlando with writer Bob Haney.[11][12] Sparling worked with writer Dennis O'Neil on The Witching Hour[13] and the Challengers of the Unknown.[14] For Western Publishing's Gold Key Comics, he co-created the superhero Tiger Girl with Jerry Siegel in 1968,[15] drew the toyline tie-in Microbots one-shot,[16] and illustrated comic book adaptations of the television series Family Affair, The Outer Limits, and Adam-12.[6][17] In 1976, he drew a licensed Welcome Back, Kotter comic book series for DC.[18] For Charlton Comics' satire magazine Sick, he wrote and drew the nudie-cutie feature "Cher D'Flower!"[19]
