Sid Check

Sid Check was an American comic book artist whose clean, atmospheric linework made him a recognizable—if often overlooked—figure in the EC Comics stable. Born Sidney Charles Check on August 2, 1930, in Newark, New Jersey, he grew up in Coney Island, Brooklyn, where he befriended Frank Frazetta. After graduating from Manhattan’s School of Industrial Art in 1948, Check broke into comics the following year, working alongside Wally Wood and taking on solo assignments. His style was frequently compared to Wood’s, leading many readers to mistake his pages for those of his more famous colleague. Check’s EC work appeared in Crime SuspenStories, The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, and Weird Science. He also drew for Marvel’s pre-superhero titles like Journey into Unknown Worlds, for Harvey Comics’ Tomb of Terror, and for Classics Illustrated. His most prolific period ran from 1951 through 1958. After leaving comics, Check joined the U.S. Postal Service, though he returned briefly in the early 1970s for DC war comics and later contributed spot illustrations to Amazing Stories. He died on June 19, 2002, in Coney Island. Today, his EC work remains sought after by collectors, a testament to a brief but memorable career.