Christopher Rule

• Born — 23 November 1894 • Died — April 6, 1983 November 23, 1894 • Nationality — American • Art — y • Pencil — y • Ink — y

After driving an ambulance in France during World War I, Christopher Rule in the 1920s worked in comic strips and fashion illustration. For publisher S. Gabriel & Sons, Rule and Pelagie Doane illustrated a Pinocchio "put together book" in which gummed illustrations could be cut out and mounted on background sheets.

In 1923, Rule married Harriet May Cassebeer, the former wife of Edwin William Cassebeer, an executive of the Steinway Corporation, and a daughter of Charles Ruthrauff. By this marriage he had one stepdaughter, Florence Louise Cassebeer (a.k.a. Florence Louise Steinway, born 1913). Atlas Comic colleague Stan Goldberg recalled that Rule's first wife died after having scalded herself. After 1950, Rule married second wife Caryl Gilbert Bartine (née Baker, 1886–1969). By this marriage Rule had a stepson, Oliver Hunt Bartine Jr.

• Illustration — Tales of Suspense #2 (March 1959). Art by Kirby & Rule. In a rare formal credit in a comic of that period, Rule is listed as "art associate" in the Atlas Comics title Girls' Life #4 (July 1954), under "editorial and art director" Stan Lee. In that or a similar staff capacity throughout the 1950s, Rule inked in a variety of genres and forms, with known work that includes medieval adventure, inking Syd Shores' Black Knight and Crusader stories in Black Knight #5 (Dec. 1955); Westerns, inking Shores in Six-Gun Western #2 (March 1957); biography, drawing the feature "Famous Explorers of Space" in the successively named Space Squadron / Space Worlds; and science fiction/fantasy, drawing a story each in Strange Tales #49 (Aug. 1956) and World of Fantasy #9 & #15 (Dec. 1957 & Dec. 1958), and inking Shores yet again in World of Suspense #6 (Feb. 1957). In a rare switch, Rule penciled a story that someone else (Vince Colletta) inked, in My Own Romance #63 (May 1958). Rule inked the first stories of industry great Jack Kirby when Kirby returned to the company for a long-term stay for the first time since 1941, when he had co-created Captain America with Joe Simon. Rule inked Kirby's premiere Atlas/Marvel cover and the accompanying seven-page story "I Discovered the Secret of the Flying Saucers" in Strange Worlds #1 (Dec. 1958), Rule would remain Kirby's regular, nearly exclusive inker on these "pre-superhero Marvel" stories as Atlas Comics segued into Marvel Comics, at which point Dick Ayers would become Kirby's most frequent inker during the company's early years. Rule as well inked the prolific Kirby on Western stories in Gunsmoke Western #51 and Kid Colt: Outlaw #86 (Sept. 1959), romance stories in Love Romances #85 (Jan. 1960), and war stories in Battle #66-67 (Oct.-Dec. 1959), plus many covers across all genres. Rule's last known confirmed credit is inking Kirby on the five-page story "What Was the Strange Power of Simon Drudd?" in Tales to Astonish #10 (Jan. 1960). Some comics historians theorize he may have been an inker on some portion of Kirby's landmark comic The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961), for which George Klein is the generally recognized, uncredited inker. The standard Grand Comics Database, for example, lists the inker credit as "George Klein?; Christopher Rule?... George Klein, or Chris Rule have been suggested as the inker but there is no consensus." Others note the long lag time between Rule's last confirmed credit and the Fantastic Four premiere.

The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. The rule of life set forth sufficiently and compleatly in the holy scriptures. Rules and orders for the Civil Protestant Society. Healths improvement: or, rules comprizing and discovering the nature, method, and manner of preparing all sorts of food used in this nation / Written by that ever famous Thomas Muffett.