Profiling the Dell Inker Steve Steere: An Origin Story

One of Dell and Western’s most prolific inkers was Steve Steere. Stephen Douglas Steere was born in Santa Monica, California, on June 20, 1925. Son of a Canadian immigrant and owner of a sporting goods store, Steere was the first of his family born in California. He spent most of his youth in Venice Beach along the unpaved trolley way that is now Pacific Avenue.

Steere attended Santa Monica High School, where he was a star football and track athlete. While he was due to graduate in the class of ‘44, he enlisted in the Navy following his junior year on campus during World War II.

His obituary states, “After training in San Francisco and San Diego, Steve was deployed in the South Pacific for the remainder of the war. He worked as a medic and served on Guam, Kwajalein, and the Palau Islands of Peleliu, Angaur, and Babelthuap. When combat ended on an island, he often stayed on to assist with medical needs, tending the cemetery, assisting with births for native residents, etc. – sometimes one of few, if any, other U.S. soldiers left on the war-torn island.”

Following his experiences in the war and finishing high school, Steere spent his time on the beach and in art classes. He was friends with many of the most famous surfers of the day, including Tommy Zahn, who at one point dated a young Marilyn Monroe. After finishing high school, Steere attended the ArtCenter College of Design, where he developed an impressionistic style and was friends with artists Bob Peak and Robert Runyan.

In 1948, he saw his future wife for the first time, while attending the USC vs Notre Dame football game at the Los Angeles Coliseum, where Charlene Hardey presided as USC Homecoming Queen. They finally met on a blind date a year later and married in 1956. Charlene was a model and actor, who appeared in films such as A Life of Her Own (1950), Take Care of My Little Girl (1951), episodes of Fireside Theatre, Rebound, and on Lux Radio Theatre.

Many comic and animation artists were first aspiring fine artists, and that was the case with Steve Steere, as well. While attending ArtCenter College of Design in 1951, he submitted a painting to the Pageant of the Masters contest at the Laguna Beach Art Festival. His painting titled “Greater Love Than This” won third prize and was recreated on stage throughout the run of the show.

Having been born in 1925, America was inundated with cartoon characters during Steere’s youth. Since he was never asked if there were any cartoonists he admired growing up, it is unknown if there were specific artists who had influenced him.

Realizing he had to make a living, he went to work for Dell Publishing as an inker. Based on the information known, his first inking was in the story “Bugs Bunny the Giant-Maker,” penciled by Tony Strobl. While Steere inked many artists, Strobl was the artist whose work he would ink more than any other.

Tony Strobl was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and had a background practically set up for work in comic books. He attended the Cleveland School of Art with Siegel and Shuster and according to author Gerard Jones, even assisted both of them in the creation of Superman. Didier Ghez’s third volume of Walt’s People includes a lengthy interview with Strobl. After first being refused by the Disney studio, he eventually was hired and animated on Pinocchio, Dumbo, and Fantasia. While most known for working on the Disney characters, he also did remarkable comic book work featuring the MGM, Hanna-Barbera, Lantz, and especially, the Warner Bros. characters.

According to his two children, Steve Jr. and Shannon, while working at Western, Steere and another artist tried to sell a cartoon series titled “Doodley Doo.” Porcelain figures and preparatory art were made to sell the series and both artists traveled to New York to try to sell it. However, the series never sold, and the art likely no longer exists. Steere worked from home for the majority of his career, and much of his earliest work was destroyed, along with his home, in the 1978 Malibu/Agoura Fire.

Steere would go on to ink many of Dell’s most prolific artists including Phil De Lara, Harvey Eisenberg, Pete Alverado, Jack Bradbury, Kay Wright, John Carey, and Fred Abranz. Outside of his work at Western Publishing, Steere worked extensively for Disney by inking under the Al White Studio.. He also worked on the Disney newspaper strips for Roman Arambula and Carson Van Osten. Both Steve Jr. and Shannon remember going to visit Roman Arambula when their dad would deliver work to him. The general merchandising work (such as for the Disney Store) paid better than comic book work did, because comics paid by the page, while merchandise paid by the character. Steere also did a lot of work for overseas comics, and did extensive work for Marvel, when the publisher had the license to use the Hanna-Barbera characters.

After retiring, Steere returned to his love of fine art and created many pieces for his family and friends to enjoy. He lived a very full life until he passed in 2014 at the age of 89.

Steere’s son, Steve Jr. also has an extensive background in comics. Both he and his father have similar stories, as aspiring fine artists who turned to comics. After also graduating from the ArtCenter, Steve Jr. went to work by assisting his dad in inking the backgrounds of art made for the Disney Store. Steve Jr. did extensive work for Bongo Comics and his most popular inking project was most likely the Simpsons/Futurama Crossover comic book.

Special thanks to Steve Steere Jr., Shannon Steere, and Alberto Becatini for their notes and help. Also, thanks to David Gerstein, the Grand Comics Database, and Didier Ghez.