John Francis Rosenberger (November 30, 1918 in Richmond Hill, Queens – January 24, 1977), also occasionally credited as John Diehl, was an American comics artist and painter from after the Second World War until the mid-1970s. Educated at the Pratt Institute, he worked primarily in the romance and superhero genres of comics, with forays into many other subjects. Biography Early life (1918–1945) Rosenberger was born and grew up in the Richmond Hill neighborhood of Queens. During early childhood, he was bedridden for two years with scarlet fever. It was during this time he began to draw. His father, a printer, encouraged John's artistic ambitions, and recruited him to help at the print shop. John continued to draw, and took inspiration from such artists as Norman Rockwell, Alex Raymond, Hal Foster, and Milton Caniff. In 1938, Rosenberger enrolled in night classes at the Pratt Institute, where he met and started a romantic relationship with Marguerite "Peggy" Chapellier. Peggy was a fellow student as well as the daughter of prominent art dealer George Chapellier. During their time at Pratt, John was painting houses and Peggy worked for Western Publishing as a comics colorist. The two continued to see each other as they took classes through 1941, and were married on May 27, 1942. Soon after the marriage, John was drafted into the Army, compelling the couple to relocate to Washington, D.C. There, John taught at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers School at Fort Belvoir, and was editor of the military magazine The Specialist, to which he contributed pin-ups and other illustrations. In 1943 John was sent overseas for the remainder of the war, working on the construction of an oil pipeline in the China Burma India Theater. The Rosenbergers' first son John was born while he was away. After the war, the Rosenbergers moved into a new house in Jackson Heights, Queens, and John took a job at his father-in-law's gallery, eventually becoming manager. Chapellier Galleries was located next to the Whitney Museum, and dealt in American art, endorsing such painters as William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri and Frank Duveneck. Meanwhile, Rosenberger painted portraits and spent evenings and free time preparing samples of his art and looking for publishers. Early comics career (1946–1960) Rosenberger had done a bit of work for Dell Comics before the war. He started comics work again in 1946, and by 1949 he was working entirely freelance.