Al Hartley, R.I.P.

Veteran comic book artist Al Hartley died on Tuesday at age 81. Hartley was best known to comic fans for his work on Archie Comics, for Marvel's Patsy Walker, and for one very odd Thor story that ran in Journey Into Mystery #90. For much of his career, Hartley worked with the Archie company and with an outfit called Spire Christian Comics for which he wrote and drew 59 one-shot Christian comic books -- many featuring the Archie characters -- liberally laced with Biblical quotes and deeply religious themes.

It is also of note that his father was the co-sponsor of the famous Taft-Hartley Act.