Ramona Fradon has passed away at the age of 97. A comics legend, Fradon worked with many characters, most notably at DC Comics, and co-created the characters of Aqualad and Metamorpho. Her death was announced by her art dealer, Catskill Comics, in a post on Facebook.
Born Ramona Dom in Chicago, she was raised in Westchester County, New York. She was encouraged in her art by her father, a commercial letterer. Shortly after graduating from the Parsons School of Design, she married fellow artist Dana Fradon.
Ramona Fradon first worked at DC Comics, drawing the Shining Knight feature in Adventure Comics. She later shifted to the Aquaman feature in 1951, where she had a major role in revamping the character for the Silver Age. Beyond co-creating the characters of Aqualad and Arthur Curry’s mother, Atlanna, she helped establish DC Comics’ version of Atlantis.
Ramona Fradon was a Pioneer for Women in Comics
Ramona Fradon worked steadily throughout the 1950s, drawing Aquaman’s adventures for over 100 issues. At the time, she was one of only two women working professionally in American comic books. (The other was EC and Marvel Comics colorist Marie Severin.)
She stopped working briefly to focus on raising her daughter but returned to work part-time in 1963 to draw Metamorpho. She returned to work full-time in 1973 with the SuperFriends comic based on the cartoon. In 1980, she took over the syndicated daily newspaper strip Brenda Starr, Reporter after creator Dale Messick retired.
Ramona Fradon officially retired in 1995. Despite this, she continued to take commission work from fans until January 2024. Her recent works continued to reflect the same off-beat humor and fluid style that made her famous.
The Fradon Family is accepting cards from well-wishers. They may be sent care of Catskills Comics at PO Box 264, Glasco, NY 12432.
