Paul Gustavson

Paul Gustavson was born Karl Paul Gustafson on August 16, 1916, in Finland, and later moved to the United States. He is best remembered as a writer and artist during the Golden Age of Comic Books, most notably co-creating the Angel, who first appeared in *Marvel Comics* #1 (1939), the debut publication of Timely Comics, the forerunner of Marvel. The Angel went on to star in over 100 stories during the 1940s. Gustavson also created the Human Bomb for Quality Comics, a character later acquired by DC Comics and revived as late as 2005. His career spanned from 1938 into the 1970s, with credits on 98 issues across titles such as *Crack Western*, *Blackhawk*, *Smash Comics*, *Funny Pages*, and *Police Comics*. He worked with collaborators like writer/artist Will Eisner on early comic projects. Gustavson’s style was energetic and expressive, fitting the pulp-infused adventure and superhero genres of his era. He died on April 29, 1977. While he did not receive major lifetime awards, his contributions to foundational Marvel and DC characters have secured his place in comic history.