George Olesen

George Olesen was an American comic book artist, born on December 6, 1924, and best known for his long tenure as a penciller on the newspaper strip *The Phantom*. He died on October 15, 2013. Olesen began his career after serving as a B-24 pilot in the Burma campaign during World War II, later earning an illustration degree from the Pratt Institute. For roughly forty years, he drew *The Phantom* without official credit until Sy Barry’s retirement, when inker Keith Williams took over. Olesen also pencilled and inked several Phantom stories for Scandinavian comics. His work appears in titles such as *The Hawk*, *Fantomet*, *Fantomen*, *Sheriff Klassiker*, *Top Secret*, and *Cinderella Love*, with credited work on fourteen issues from 1952 to 2005. He retired in 2005, passing the strip to Paul Ryan. Olesen led a quiet life with his wife Rigmor, away from the deadlines that marked his cartooning years.