Joe Kubert, an artist, writer, and editor of comic books whose career stretched back almost to the beginning of the medium, has died at the age of 85, Comic Book Resources and other sources are reporting. Born in Poland in 1926, Kubert immigrated to America with his family as a child and entered the industry at a young age—he was between 10 and 12, in various versions of his origin story—most likely inking pencils at MLJ Studios. By 1943 he’d found work at DC Comics, working on stories involving the Seven Soldiers Of Victory team and, eventually, Hawkman, a character he’d return to throughout his career. In the 1950s, Kubert began illustrating the not-always-glorious WWII adventures of Sgt. Rock, another character with whom his name became synonymous and created Tor, a prehistoric hero whose adventures he’d also continue to draw until his death. From 1967 until 1976, he served as DC’s director of publication.