Frank Springer, a longtime Long Islander who was a prolific comics artist for such strips as “Terry and the Pirates” and “Rex Morgan, M.D.,” died Thursday at his home in Damariscotta, Maine, of prostate cancer. He was 79.
Springer was a gregarious and practical man who labored for hours a day in his backyard studio, said his son, Jon Springer of Brooklyn. “He’d be out there basically all day long, morning until dinnertime.”
The artist would listen to jazz and opera while he worked, and he never got too high-minded about his outstanding talent, his son said. “He was a normal, conservative kind of guy,” Jon Springer said.
Frank Springer drew for a wide variety of companies, including DC Comics and Marvel. He also illustrated an adult-themed satire, “The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist,” a comic that Springer considered one of his best works.
Besides his wife of 52 years and his son Jon, Springer is survived by four children: Barbara Edwards of Asheville, N.C.; Bill Springer ofFairfax, Va.; Jennifer Dills of Fairfax, Va.; and Christopher Springer of White Plains; and seven grandchildren. He was predeceased by a sister.
A memorial service is planned for later this spring on Long Island.