Stephen R. Bissette
Stephen R. Bissette | |
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Eisner Award, 1993 | |
new.srbissette.com |
Stephen R. Bissette (/bəˈsɛt/; born March 14, 1955)[1] is an American comic book artist and publisher with a focus on the horror genre. He worked with writer Alan Moore and inker John Totleben on the DC Comics series Swamp Thing in the 1980s.
Biography
Early work and education
Bissette was born and raised in Vermont, where he still lives, and was raised
Shortly after the publication of his first work, Abyss (1976),
While still enrolled at The Kubert School, Bissette executed the logo for early New Jersey synth-pop band WKGB and drew the cover for the band's 1979 single "Non-Stop/Ultramarine" on Fetish Records (UK Fetish 002).[6]
His early work appeared in the pages of Heavy Metal, Epic Illustrated, Bizarre Adventures, Scholastic Corporation's Weird Worlds and Bananas illustrating stories written by Goosebumps founder and author R. L. Stine, and he worked with Rick Veitch on the graphic novelization of Steven Spielberg's motion picture 1941.[3]
Horror master
Bissette is best known for his multiple award-winning collaboration with writer Alan Moore and inker John Totleben on DC Comics' Saga of the Swamp Thing (1983–1987).[7]
Under the company name of Spiderbaby Grafix, he later published the horror anthology Taboo, the original home of Moore and Eddie Campbell's From Hell, and Tim Lucas' Throat Sprockets, illustrated by Mike Hoffman and David Lloyd. He created Tyrant, a comic book biography of a Tyrannosaurus rex,[8] which lasted four issues. During this period, he edited the horror anthology Gore Shriek, published by FantaCo Enterprises.
Since 1991, Bissette has presented a lecture series on horror comics called "Journeys into Fear". Having since grown in scope into a five-part series, "Journeys into Fear" identifies 12th century Japanese ghost scrolls
Other work
Bissette subsequently worked with Moore, Totleben, and Rick Veitch on the Image Comics' limited series 1963, their final creative collaborative effort.[13] From 1963, Bissette owns the characters Hypernaut, N-Man, and the Fury.[14]
Scott McCloud's 24-hour comic project began as a dare to Bissette in 1990. Each created a 24-page comic in 24 hours. The 24-hour comics project evolved into a challenge taken up by numerous hopeful contributors, with several published collections, and inspired other time-limited creative projects. Bissette published the story A Life in black and white in his own comic book anthology SpiderBaby Comix #2 (SpiderBaby Graphix, 1997).
In 1993, Bissette and Stanley Wiater co-edited Comic Book Rebels: Conversations with the Creators of the New Comics (Dutton,
Retirement and teaching
Bissette retired from the comics industry in 1999, alluding to what he termed a "generational shift."[16] He teaches courses in Comic Art History, Drawing, and Film at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont
Since 2005, Bissette has also edited and published Green Mountain Cinema, a trade paperback journal devoted to the independent cinema scene in his home state of Vermont,[8] as well as five volumes of Blur, collecting his film reviews and criticism.[17]
The Stephen R. Bissette Collection at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, houses Bissette's works and memorabilia.[18]
Awards
Bissette's work with
His work with Alan Moore and John Totleben earned a nomination for the 1985 "Best Single Issue" Jack Kirby Award for Swamp Thing #34.[19] Bissette and Totleben earned nominations for the 1986 and 1987 Jack Kirby Awards for "Best Art Team" for their work on Swamp Thing.[20][21] Bissette and Moore were nominated for the 1986 Jack Kirby Award for "Best Writer/Artist (Single or Team)".[20] Bissette was nominated for the "Best Editor" Eisner Award in 1993 for Taboo[22] and received an Inkpot Award in 1997.[23]
Bibliography
Aardvark-Vanaheim
- Cerebus #116 (text article), 139, 159, 184–185 (1988–1994)
Archie Comics
- Mighty Crusaders #10 (1984)
Atomeka Press
- A1 Bojeffries Terror Tome #1 (letterer) (2005)
Comico Comics
- Elementals #9 (1986)
Dark Horse Comics
- Aliens: Havoc #2 (1997)
- Dark Horse Presents #37, 143 (1990–1999)
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters Special #1 (1987)
DC Comics
- G.I. Combat #218 (1980)
- House of Mystery #299, 310 (1981–1982)
- Neil Gaiman's Midnight Days TPB (2000)
- Saga of the Swamp Thing #16–17, 19, 21–27, 29–30, 34–36 (1983–1985)
- Secrets of Haunted House #46 (1982)
- Sgt. Rock #311 ("A Song for Saigon Sally"), #321 ("Live by the Sword... Die by the Sword!", script; art by Thomas Yeates), #323 ("Dead Shot", script by Robert Kanigher), #335, 343, 345–346 (1977–1980)
- Swamp Thing #39–42, 44, 46, 50, 59, 64, 78, Annual #2, 4 (1985–1988)
- The Unexpected #191, 214 (1979–1981)
Eclipse Comics
- Bedlam #1–2 (1985)
- Fearbook #1 (1986)
- Real War Stories #1 (1987)
FantaCo Enterprises
- Alien Encounters #1 (1981)
- Gore Shriek #1, 4–6 (1986–1990)
- Gore Shriek Delectus #1 (1989)
HM Communications
- Heavy Metal #v2 #5–7, #v3 #6, 9–10, #v4 #2, #v5 #5, #v7 #3 (1978–1983)
Image Comics
- 1963 #2–4 (1993)
Kitchen Sink Press
- Taboo #8–9 (1995)
Mad Love Publishing
Marvel Comics
- Amazing High Adventure #4 (1986)
- Bizarre Adventures #31, 33 (1982)
- Epic Illustrated #2, 6 (1980–1981)
- Marvel Preview #18, 23 (1979–1980)
- Timespirits #4 (1985)
Spiderbaby Grafix
- SpiderBaby Comix #1-2 (1996–1997)
- Taboo #1–7 (1988–1992)
- Taboo Especial #1 (1991)
- Tyrant #1–4 (1994–1996)
References
- ^ Miller, John Jackson (June 10, 2005). "Comics Industry Birthdays". Comics Buyer's Guide. Iola, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on February 18, 2011.
- ^ Dahlen, Chris (July 23, 2009). "Steve Bissette". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014.
I was raised Catholic; I was the kid who would get in trouble because I would ask "How do cavemen fit into Genesis? I don't get this."
- ^ a b c Stephen R. Bissette at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Ash, Roger A. (August 1996). "Stephen R. Bissette Interview". Westfield Comics.
- ^ Dahlen, Chris (July 23, 2009). "Steve Bissette". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
- ^ "WKGB -Non-Stop". Hyped to Death. 2013. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
[Alan] Moore, with help from artists Stephen R. Bissette and Rick Veitch had overhauled Swamp Thing's origin by issue #21.
- ^ a b "Stephen R. Bissette". Lambiek Comiclopedia. August 14, 2009. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ^ "Scroll of Hungry Ghosts". Tokyo National Museum. 2009. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
- ^ "Gaki-zoshi (Scroll of the Hungry Ghosts)". Kyoto National Museum. 2009. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
- ^ Weiland, Jonah (October 29, 2003). "A Horrific View of Comics: A chat with Stephen Bissette". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012.
- FanTasia. July 2005. Archivedfrom the original on February 23, 2012.
- ^ Erik Larsen quoted in Johnston, Rich (September 29, 2008). "Lying in the Gutters Volume 2 Column 177". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
Same thing happened in a sense – to 1963. I called Alan about that at one point after he and Steve Bissette had a falling out and its time had passed – Alan didn't want to have anything to do with it
- ^ Bissette, Stephen R. (April 7, 2010). "N-Man, Fury, Hypernaut at MoCCA!". Srbissette.com. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-55611-355-0.
- ^ Woodley, Matthew (July 14, 2005). "Monster magnate: Stephen R. Bissette brings his harrowing yet educational comic lecture series to Fantasia". Montreal Mirror. Archived from the original on May 19, 2006.
- ^ "Blur by Stephen R. Bissette". BlackCoatPress.com. n.d. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013.
- ^ "Huie Library's Stephen R. Bissette Collection". Henderson State University. 2019.
- ^ a b c d "1985 Jack Kirby Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012.
- ^ a b c "1986 Jack Kirby Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012.
- ^ a b "1987 Jack Kirby Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012.
- ^ a b "1993 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013.
- ^ "Inkpot Award Winners". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012.
External links
- Official website
- Bissette's previous blog
- Stephen R. Bissette at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Stephen R. Bissette at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
- Stephen R. Bissette at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
- Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Art Database