Bill Everett was an American comic book writer and artist born on May 18, 1917, who left a permanent mark on the superhero genre before his death on February 27, 1973. He is best remembered as the creator of Namor the Sub-Mariner, the brooding, half-human ruler of Atlantis who debuted in 1938 and remains one of Marvel's most enduring characters. Everett also worked alongside Stan Lee to co-create both Daredevil and the zombie Simon Garth, cementing his place as one of the foundational contributors to what became the Marvel Universe.
His professional output was remarkably broad. Over a career spanning from 1938 well into the following decades, Everett contributed to hundreds of issues across a range of titles, wearing multiple hats as artist, writer, colorist, inker, and letterer. His most frequently credited work appeared in publications including *Marvel Mystery Comics*, *Sub-Mariner*, and *Marvel Super-Heroes*, among others reaching international markets.
Everett brought a distinctive fluidity to his underwater sequences, giving Namor's aquatic world a visual dynamism that few contemporaries matched. His willingness to portray morally ambiguous protagonists — Namor is as often antagonist as hero — influenced how superhero storytelling would evolve. Though he never accumulated the headline awards of some peers, his co-creations have sustained decades of adaptations, and his foundational role in Marvel's history is difficult to overstate.
Strange Tales (1951) · 29
Mystery Tales (1952) · 17
Journey into Mystery (1952) · 17
Journey into Unknown Worlds (1950) · 16
Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) · 12
Adventures into Weird Worlds (1952) · 12
Uncanny Tales (1952) · 12
Reg'lar Fellers Heroic Comics (1940) · 11
Amazing Mystery Funnies (1938) · 10
Tales to Astonish (1959) · 10
Sub-Mariner Comics (1941) · 8
Lorna the Jungle Girl (1954) · 8
World of Fantasy (1956) · 8
Amazing Man Comics (1939) · 7
Strange Stories of Suspense (1955) · 7
Secrets of the Unknown (1962) · 7
Amazing Stories of Suspense (1963) · 7
Mystical Tales (1956) · 6
Men's Adventures (1950) · 5
My Own Romance (1949) · 5
Strange Tales of the Unusual (1955) · 5
Adventure into Mystery (1956) · 5
Misterios del Gato Negro (1953) · 5
Cuentos de Brujas (1951) · 5
New Heroic Comics (1946) · 4
Adventures into Terror (1950) · 4
The Adventures of Big Boy (1956) · 4
Silver Streak Comics (1939) · 3
Girl Confessions (1952) · 3
World of Mystery (1956) · 3
Jann of the Jungle (1955) · 3
Famous Funnies (1934) · 2
Victory Comics (1941) · 2
The Human Torch (1940) · 2
Uncle Joe's Funnies (1938) · 1
Motion Picture Funnies Weekly (1939) · 1
Hurrah ! et les grandes explorations réunies (1940) · 1
All-Winners Comics (1941) · 1
Mitzi's Boy Friend (1948) · 1
All True Crime (1949) · 1
Valiant Comics (1951) · 1
Colossal Comics (1951) · 1
Love Adventures (1949) · 1
Western Outlaws and Sheriffs (1949) · 1
Amazing Detective Cases (1950) · 1
Secret Story Romances (1953) · 1
Complete Love Magazine (1951) · 1
Patsy and Her Pals (1953) · 1
Two-Gun Western (1957) · 1
World of Suspense (1956) · 1
The Kid from Dodge City (1957) · 1
Two Gun Western (1956) · 1
Nellie the Nurse (1957) · 1
Frontier Western (1956) · 1
Marines in Battle (1954) · 1
All-American Men of War (1952) · 1
Strange Tales Annual (1962) · 1
Sinister Tales (1964) · 1
Modeling with Millie (1963) · 1
Patsy and Hedy (1952) · 1
Marvel Super Heroes (1966) · 1
Héroes del Oeste (1952) · 1
Millie the Model (1966) · 1
Sheriff Classics (1964) · 1
Fantasy Masterpieces (1966) · 1
Original biography and editorial content © comicbooks.com™.
Information drawn in part from Wikipedia and the Grand Comics Database. Portrait by Bill Everett / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).