Fran Matera
Fran Matera (December 9, 1924 – March 15, 2012) was an American cartoonist and inker best known for drawing Steve Roper and Mike Nomad, a King Features Syndicate adventure strip that ran from 1984 to 2004.
Early life and WWII service: While in high school in Connecticut, Matera sent his art to Alfred Andriola in New York and soon started pursuing a comics career. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and, after a year, joined the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II. On duty he helped create a camp newspaper and drew the Marine Corps’ Ship to Shore. He served aboard the USS Augusta and drew a portrait of President Truman. After the war, he returned to comics and worked with Andriola on Kerry Drake.
Early career in comics: Matera drew Dickie Dare from 1947 to 1949, and in 1950 he and Chad Kelly created Mr. Holiday. The strip had limited distribution. He also ghosted or contributed to many other strips, including Little Annie Rooney, Nero Wolfe, Rex Morgan, M.D., Indiana Jones, and The Legend of Bruce Lee. He had brief stints on Judge Parker and Apartment 3-G and worked on Galexo for the international market from 1974 to 1975.
Steve Roper and Mike Nomad: Starting April 8, 1985, Matera drew Steve Roper and Mike Nomad for two decades. The strip began as Big Chief Wahoo in 1936, with Steve Roper joining the title in 1944 and Mike Nomad added in 1956. Matera wrote the final year after the previous writer’s death, with the last strip published on December 26, 2004.
Other work and later life: Between 1950 and 1976, Matera produced hundreds of comic stories and covers for various publishers, including Charlton and Marvel. He inked a Hulk story for The Hulk #11 (1978) and worked on Tarzan Annual #2 (1978). He lived in Florida later in life and attended the Tampa Comic Book & Toy Convention in 2007. He was married to Patricia, with whom he had three sons: Fran Jr., Chris, and Guy. Patricia died in 2004.
Matera died of prostate cancer on March 15, 2012, at age 87.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:06 (CET).