Ric Estrada: Mormon Illustrator
Ric Estrada was a penciler of comic books and created comic strips, political cartoons, and commercial illustrations. He also worked in advertising and storyboarding.
Estrada was born on February 26, 1928, in Havana, Cuba. He sold his first illustration at the age of 13. His uncle Sergio Carbo and writer Ernest Hemingway helped Estrada move to New York City in 1947 to study art. He attended New York Art Students League, New York University, and the School of Visual Arts.
He worked for DC Comics on superhero comics Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, Richard Dragon, and co-created Lady Shiva and Power Girl. He also drew detective, romance, and horror comics. His preference was war comics and he worked on Gallery of War and G. I. Combat.
Estrada was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He filled a page shortage for G. I. Combat #169 with a scriptural story found in the book of Ether in the Book of Mormon; he called it "Peace with Honor." Because of that, he was selected to draw the 1980 illustrated New Testament Stories for Children for the Church.
He drew the Flash Gordon syndicated newspaper comic strip sporadically for twenty years. He also collaborated on animated television series such as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Galtar, The New Adventures of Johnny Quest, and Bionic Six. He has illustrated books and done advertising, illustrations, and storyboards for film and TV commercials. He did storyboarding and character design for Hanna-Barbera, and was coproducer and storyboards for The Greatest Adventures, based on the Old and New Testaments. He also worked for DreamWorks, Warner Brothers, and Universal.
He died on May 1, 2009. He and his wife, Loretta, had eight children.
