Michael Suchorsky (no relation to Mike Sekowsky) was born on November 20, 1912 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. His father, also named Michael Suchorsky, was born 1885 in the Ukraine and came to America in 1905. His mother, Mary Suchorsky, was born 1889 in Poland in 1893. His parents married in 1911 and had four children, Michael (b.1912), Anna (b.1915), William (b.1917), and George (b.1924). The family lived at 329 Rosehill Place in Union, NJ.
His father worked as an electrician.
In June of 1930 Michael Suchorsky graduated from high school in Union, NJ.
He worked for four years as a newspaper artist in Baltimore, Maryland.
In the early 1940s he contributed drawings to Fawcett's Slam-Bang Comics and to Fiction House's Rangers Comics.
Michael Suchorsky enlisted on April 25, 1942. He served 568th Army Air Force Base Unit, stationed at Lincoln Army Air Field in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was recorded at the time to have been age thirty, five-foot-five, and 118 pounds. During his military service he drew a popular comic strip, "Air Base Andy," for the base newspaper. His comic strip was also reprinted in the local newspaper, The Lincoln Journal & Star. Here is a second example of his work for the local newspaper. Here is a third example of his work for the paper. Here is a fourth example of his work. Here is a fifth example. He was honorably discharged at the rank of Staff Sergeant on December 1, 1945.
After the war he returned to New Jersey and resumed his career as a commercial artist. He drew comic books for Ziff-Davis, Ace, Orbit, Prize, Pines, Hillman, and ACG.
By 1953 the comic book industry was rocked by political scandal, self-censorship, lost readership, and the growing popularity of television. Most of the artists that worked for comics needed to find new sources of income. Michael Suchorsky returned to his earlier career in newspaper advertising.
In October of 1955 he went fishing with a friend on the local Delaware River, which was swollen from recent rains. When their small boat overturned, both men were accidentally drowned in the fast running water.
Michael Suchorsky died at the age of forty-two on October 8, 1955.
© David Saunders 2018 |
