Hank Chapman
Henry P. Chapman (living status unknown), who is credited in comics under both his formal name and as Hank Chapman, is 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 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. Career. Chapman's earliest known credit is as one of the many Golden Age of comic books professionals who contributed to the epic crossover battle between the Sub-Mariner and the original Human Torch in "Marvel Mystery Comics" #8–10 (June–Aug. 1940), plus an additional story in "The Human Torch" No. 5 (Fall 1941; due to a numbering quirk, there was a previous No. 5, cover-dated Summer 1941). His precise contributions are  as lost to history as those of other writers and artists who legendarily collaborated on this hastily created confrontation. As described by historian Jess Nevins, Sub-Mariner creator Bill Everett and Human Torch creator Carl Burgos... 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/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 Westerns "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". 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 was married to wife Bonnie, a production staffer at Atlas. He left comics to become a magazine writer for "Boys' Life", in 1964, and for travel magazines. Known reprints. "Chronological by date of original publication"