Spotlight Exhibit - The Flash

CARMINE INFANTINO was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1925 and as a young man attended the School of Art and Design and the School of Industrial Arts.

While still a teenager, Carmine would travel around the city, seeking comic book and comic strip artists. When he was 15, he met and befriended Charles Flanders, the artist on the Lone Ranger comic strip, and Flanders let the young would-be artist watch him draw.

Infantino himself broke into comics in 1942 working for Timely Comics (now Marvel Comics) and landed at National (now DC Comics) in 1946.

In 1956 DC Editor Julius Schwartz assigned Infantino the task of redesigning The Flash. During his tenure with The Flash, Infantino's inventive maneuvers to simulate speed became the industry standards. In 1958 he was presented with the National Cartoonists Society Award.

Infantino made many contributions to the art of comics. His modern design, inspired by architect Frank Lloyd Wright together with his electric figurative drawing inspired by his interest in Degas' work, made him extremely individualistic in both style and content.

While working on The Flash, he was also drawing the acclaimed Adam Strange for the series Strange Adventures: The Elongated Man, and is credited for modernizing and revamping the Batman.

In 1967, Infantino left the drawing board and became editorial director at DC and was appointed Publisher in 1971. Under his leadership he oversaw the revivals of Captain Marvel, The Shadow and The Avenger. Infantino retired from DC Comics in the late 1970's and moved to Los Angeles where he worked in animation for Hanna Barbera. He now lives in New York City.

In 1999, graphic designer and owner of Dynamic Duo Studio, Arlen Schumer, sat down with Mr. Infantino to discuss his artistic career and created an article entitled "The Legendary Art of Carmine Infantino". The resulting article appeared in the January 2000 issue of Comic Book Marketplace. In April 2000, the Words & Pictures Museum approached Mr Schumer about showcasing this as an exciting interactive comic exhibit, designed exclusively for the world wide web.

All dialogue in quotations is commentary by the artist, the legendary Carmine Infantino.