Carl Gafford was a member of comics fandom, writing and drawing his own ditto fanzine MINOTAUR from 1968 to 1972, as well as contributing art and writing to other fanzines and the amateur press alliance CAPA-Alpha ("K-a") beginning in December 1970. CAPA-Alpha debuted in October 1964 and was begun by the late Jerry Bails, noted comicologist.
Carl Gafford began his professional career at DC Comics as an assistant proofreader in the production department in March 1973, and was promoted to full proofreader at the end of the year with the retirement of the at the time current proofreader Gerta Gattel. Gafford started coloring feature pages in the production department, eventually doing coloring freelance regularly with Justice League of America #115. Was promoted to Assistant Production Manager in August, 1974 and began work on DC's inhouse fanzine, The Amazing World of DC Comics, doing editing, writing, production work and color separations.
Gafford moved to San Francisco in September 1976, then to Los Angeles in 1977 to color and write for the Hanna-Barbera comics H-B produced for Marvel Comics. Titles included Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Laff-A-Lympics and others. Also worked in the layout department for H-B on TV shows Godzilla and Super Friends before returning to New York City in August 1978. Went to work in Marvel Comics' production department, first as a freelancer then as the staff typesetter.
Gafford left Marvel in January 1981 and began freelancing for both DC and Marvel, one of the few colorists to work at both companies at the same time. Returned to staff at DC in the summer of 1981 as the proofreader, then by year's end became Assistant Editor to Len Wein on Justice League, Flash, Teen Titans and the Batman books. At this time, became editor of Adventure Comics Digest and with writer Bob Rozakis revived the Challengers of the Unknown, with art first by George Tuska and later by Alex Toth. Also wrote the Creeper back-up series in THE FLASH, featuring British artist Dave Gibbons' first work for DC, though most of the scripts were scrapped after a change of editors.
During this time, Gafford began coloring The Legion of Super-Heroes with #288, and continued on that run for 7 years without missing an issue, totaling 125 regular issues, giants, mini-series and two different Legion books a month for a year.
Returned to freelance coloring for DC and Marvel in Summer 1982 after marrying former Marvel staffer Sharon Ing and moving to Massachusetts, where she worked. "In particular, I remember how in the summer of 1983 I was called in to color the adaptation of SUPERMAN III, but Warner Bros. security wouldn't let the color stills leave DC's office, and the pages were coming in dribs and drabs. What ended up happening was a Marvel production person was on vacation that week, so during the day I filled in at Marvel pasting up covers and doing lettering & art corrections, spent my lunch hours going up to DC for the latest pages and reference, and then coloring the SUPERMAN III pages at night at the office of some friends of mine in lower Manhattan, where I crashed on their couch."
The Gaffords moved to San Francisco in August 1984, only to return to New York City a year later after the birth of their only son William in May 1985. While in New York, freelanced for DC and occasionally subbed for vacationing staff members like Assistant Editors and DC's proofreader. The couple separated in 1986 and divorced in 1991.
Was offered a job as Assistant Editor to Denny O'Neil on the Batman books at DC in 1988, but turned it down to return to school full time (while still freelance coloring), graduating ]]cum laude]] from the College of Staten Island in 1989 with a B.A. in History. After which, returned to San Francisco (just in time for the 1989 earthquake!), only to return to Los Angeles in June 1990 to accept a job at Disney Comics, a division of Disney Publishing producing a series of comics based on Mickey Mouse, Goofy, new TV cartoon shows like Chip 'n' Dale's Rescue Rangers and Duck Tales and the continuing of Uncle Scrooge and Walt Disney's Comics and Stories from Gladstone Publishing.
Freelanced for Dark Horse Comics and Innovation while at Disney, and did some editing of the final Disney Comics (an Aladdin mini-series) while helping to transition the end of the Disney Comics line, returning the license to Gladstone Publishing, later bought out by Diamond Distribution. In March 1993, moved back to New York to help noted writer and former Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter launch his new Defiant Comics line, but creative differences resulted in severing ties with the new publisher, which eventually went out of business a year later.
In June 1993, was hired by former Marvel editor Jim Salicrup for the new line of Topps Comics produced by noted sports trading card publisher The Topps Company. Topps Comics was producing a line of books licensed from famed comics creator Jack Kirby, who died in 1994. As the independent comics market shrank in the mid-1990s, Topps dropped their original titles and concentrated on TV and movie licensed titles, most notably The X-Files and Jurassic Park.
Was laid off from Topps at the end of January 1997 along with other staffers, including editor-in-chief Jim Salicrup. The few who remained were let go before year's end, and some of the inventory eventually saw print at Dark Horse Comics.
Starting in 1994, Gaff returned to writing and drawing, this time for the anthropomorphic (furry) market, and produced material that saw print at Antarctic Press, Radio Comics and Shanda Fantasy Arts. Also wrote and drew original comics stories reminiscent of '50s and '60s super-hero genres which saw print in Big Bang Comics: two stories were redrawn by other artists, but the final one ("Ladybug," a combination of Fly Girl and Supergirl) featured Gaff's own art, the last to appear in print.
After leaving New York City behind for the final time in 1997, Gaff has returned to the mundane outside world, working in sales and retail for department and supermarket chains in roles far removed from the creative world of comics, as has happened to many in the comics field over the years. Currently resides in Arizona, tending to his invalid wife and battling arthritis and diabetes. There have been no other children. His father died March 11, 2008 at the age of 82 of complications with Alzheimers and his mother lives in an assisted care facility in Florida following a series of strokes.
