Prolific artist Frank Springer, who drew a wide range of comics ranging from Secret Six and Dazzler to Rex Morgan, M.D., and The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist, died Thursday of prostate cancer. He was 79.

Born Dec. 6, 1929, in Jamaica, Queens, N.Y., Springer earned a bachelor's degree in fine art from Syracuse University in 1952. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he became an assistant to cartoonist George Wunder on the popular Terry and the Pirates comic strip until 1960.

He broke into comic books in 1962 drawing Brain Boy for Dell. Throughout the 1960s and into the '70s Springer drew numerous titles for Dell and worked on issues of Batman, House of Mystery, Detective Comics and Secret Six for DC Comics, and such series as Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, Captain America, The Avengers and Captain Marvel for Marvel.

In 1965, Springer collaborated with writer Michael O'Donoghue on the adult-satire strip The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist for Evergreen Review. He considered that one of his best works.

Springer returned to newspaper strips in the late 1970s with Rex Morgan and the short-lived Incredible Hulk series.

In the early '80s, Springer was the regular inker on Marvel's The Savage She-Hulk and penciller on Dazzler, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and The Transformers. He later returned to DC for turns on Green Arrow and Manhunter.

Springer is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara, five children and seven grandchildren.

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