Gene Colan was born in New York and studied art at the Art Students League of New York.  Colan joined the Army Air Corps in 1944 and served in the Philippines where he drew for the Manila Times.  Upon returning to civilian life in 1946, Colan began to work for Timely Comics, which eventually became Marvel Comics.  Over the course of his long career, Colan illustrated everything from super hero to young romance comics.  He might be best known for his work in the 70s, when he illustrated two cult comics — Tomb of Dracula and Howard the Duck.  In 2005, Colan was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.