Between 1950 and 1976, Matera drew hundreds of comic book stories and covers. In the 1950s, he contributed to St. John Publications' "Fightin' Marines" and Charlton Comics' "Gabby Hayes" and "Speed Demons". In 1959, he helped initiate the Catholic school comic book "Treasure Chest", drawing all the editorial content in the "Treasure Chest Advance Edition" comic given to teachers and school administrators in introduce the concept. He was the initial artist on writer-creator Max Pine's long-running feature "Chuck White" (later "Chuck White and His Friends"), contributing to that schoolboy's naturalistic family drama through 1971.