Joe Maneely (1926–1958, b. Philadelphia, PA) blazed a trail through Marvel’s 1950s comic books that is unsurpassed in both quantity and quality. Maneely was revered as a lightning-fast talent, and he launched most of Marvel’s character features during that time, excelling at every genre — westerns, horror, humor, and war. He is best remembered today for his signature character, The Black Knight. Maneely’s career was tragically cut short in June 1958 when, at the age of 32, he accidentally fell between the cars of a moving commuter train.