Don Rico

Donato "Don" Francisco Rico II was born on September 26, 1912, and worked across an unusually wide range of creative fields — comic books, paperback fiction, screenwriting, and wood engraving — before his death on March 27, 1985. He is perhaps best remembered in comics circles for co-creating the Black Widow (Natasha Romanova) alongside plotter Stan Lee and artist Don Heck, a character who would go on to become one of Marvel's most enduring figures.

Rico's career in comics stretched from 1940 onward, encompassing work as writer, artist, and inker across more than 150 issues. His output skewed heavily toward adventure and jungle titles, and he was instrumental in building that corner of Marvel's catalog: he co-created Jann of the Jungle with artist Arthur Peddy, Leopard Girl with Al Hartley, and Lorna the Jungle Girl with Werner Roth, the last of which became one of his most frequently credited series. Rawhide Kid and various jungle-themed anthology titles also featured prominently in his workload.

Beyond comics, Rico operated under several pen names — including Dan Rico, Donna Richards, and N. Korok — suggesting a prolific parallel career in prose and other media. Though major awards are not documented in the available record, his co-creation of the Black Widow alone secures his place as a quietly significant contributor to the Marvel universe.