Born in 1924, Drake began his work in the comics industry in 1950 with a startlingly innovative project: the "picture novel" It Rhymes with Lust from St. John Publications, which he co-wrote with Leslie Waller. Drake brought his inventiveness to DC, where he wrote for titles in different genres in the 1950s and '60s. In addition to lengthy runs on HOUSE OF MYSTERY, HOUSE OF SECRETS, MYSTERY IN SPACE, CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN and TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED, Drake also conceived of two of the era's most innovative features: the Doom Patrol and Deadman. He went on to work extensively for Western Publishing's Gold Key comics line in the 1970s and early '80s, and in later years he was deeply involved in the Veterans Bedside Network, an organization of show business personalities using music and drama as therapy in America's V.A. hospitals. In 2005 Drake received the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing at the Comic-Con International in San Diego, in recognition of his lifelong contributions to the medium. He passed away in March of 2007.
