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Henry Peter Chapman (May 3, 1915 – October 18, 1973), credited in comics under both his formal name and as Hank Chapman,Page 1 credit at was an American comic book writer for Marvel Comics' two predecessors, Timely Comics and Atlas Comics, and later for DC Comics, where he specialized in War comics fiction. Though much of his Timely/Atlas work went unsigned, comics historians estimate that Chapman, a staff writer, penned several hundred or more stories.
Among Chapman's works is an early self-reflexive comic-book story, in 1951, in which he and editor Stan Lee appear; and the creation, with artist Jack Abel, of the DC Comics character Sgt. Mule, a pack animal that helped its Allied keepers fight the Nazis in a variety of World War II stories.
By the following decade, Chapman was one of at least five staff writers (officially titled editors) under editor-in-chief Stan Lee at Marvel forerunner Atlas, along with Ernie Hart, Paul S. Newman, Don Rico, Carl Wessler, and, on teen-humor comics, future Mad Magazine cartoonist Al Jaffee. Among the titles for which Chapman wrote, beginning in early 1951, are the horror comics/fantasy series Adventures into Terror, Adventures into Weird Worlds, Astonishing, Marvel Tales, Mystery Tales, Spellbound, Strange Tales, Suspense, and Uncanny Tales; the war titles Battle, Battle Action, Battlefield, Battlefront, Battle Brady, Combat Casey, Combat, War Action, War Adventures, War Combat and War Comics; the Western comics Red Warrior and The Texas Kid; the adventure-drama series Girl Comics, Man Comics, Men's Adventures, and Young Men; the crime fiction series Crime Exposed and Justice; the romance titles True Secrets Love Romances; and such miscellanea as Sports Action, and Speed Carter, Spaceman. Hank Chapman and Henry P. Chapman at the Grand Comics Database.
Chapman's last known Atlas works were in comics cover-dated May 1954. His next known credit is a story in the DC anthology title All-American Men of War No. 18 (Feb. 1955), followed by four years without recorded credits until his name surfaced in two June 1959 DC titles, G.I. Combat No. 73 and Our Fighting Forces No. 46. These would be the first of at least 105 war stories he would write in those comics along with Our Army at War, Sea Devils, Capt. Storm, and Star Spangled War Stories.
His and artist Jack Abel's character Sgt. Mule – whose name, "Millie", meant she was actually not a mule (male) but a hinny (female) — appeared with various keepers including Private Mulvaney ( Our Army at War No. 149 & 160, Star Spangled War Stories #136); Private Skinner ( G.I. Combat #104); and Private Smith ( Our Army at War #117).
Chapman's last recorded credit is the story "Paper Bullets", with artist Abel, in Our Army at War No. 181 (June 1967).
Chapman died in Tesuque, New Mexico on October 18, 1973, at the age of 58. He was survived by his second wife, Toni.
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