Alvin C. Hollingsworth (1928–2000) was a groundbreaking American painter, educator, and one of the first Black artists in the comic book industry. Working under various names including Al Hollingsworth and Alvin Holly, his career bridged the worlds of commercial illustration, fine art, and education, making him a significant figure in American visual culture.
Born in Harlem, New York City to West Indian parents, Hollingsworth showed artistic talent early, beginning to draw at age four. By twelve, he was already working professionally as an assistant on Cat-Man Comics for Holyoke Publishing. He studied at The High School of Music & Art, where he was classmates with future comics legend Joe Kubert, and later graduated Phi Beta Kappa from City College of New York, earning his master's degree in fine arts in 1959.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Hollingsworth worked as an illustrator for a wide range of publishers during the golden age of comics, contributing to titles across genres including war, crime, horror, romance, and adventure. His credits span well-known imprints such as Fiction House, Atlas Comics, Avon, Lev Gleason, and Fawcett, including a contribution to Negro Romance—a rare title spotlighting Black characters during an era of widespread racial exclusion in mainstream comics.
In addition to comic books, Hollingsworth contributed to newspaper strips like Scorchy Smith and Kandy, and co-created Marlin Keel with George Shedd. In the 1960s, he began teaching illustration at the High School of Art & Design in Manhattan, inspiring a new generation of artists.
Hollingsworth would go on to embrace fine art more fully in his later years, often exploring civil rights, jazz, dance, and social justice themes in his paintings. His lifelong dedication to both visual storytelling and education left a lasting legacy in both the comic arts and American painting.
