Walt Simonson

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Walt Simonson
AwardsShazam Award:
  • Outstanding New Talent (1973)
  • Best Individual Short Story (Dramatic) (1973, with Archie Goodwin)
  • Best Individual Short Story (Dramatic) (1974, with Archie Goodwin)
  • Best Individual Story (Dramatic) (1974)

Inkwell Awards All-in-One Award (2022)[1][2]
Signature
Signature of Walt Simonson

Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American

Robocop vs. Terminator
.

Simonson has won numerous awards for his work and has influenced artists such as Arthur Adams and Todd McFarlane.

He is married to comics writer Louise Simonson, with whom he collaborated as penciller on X-Factor from 1986 to 1989.

Early life

Walter Simonson was born September 2, 1946, in

Magnus Robot Fighter right before he started college, and submitted a drawing that was printed in issue #10 in May, 1965, in the publication's fan page, "Robot Gallery." This was his first published work in comics.[3]

Simonson studied geology at

Odinsword. In later years he would be given the opportunity to publish this story, as the writer on that title.[5]

After graduating from Amherst with a degree in geology,

World Science Fiction Convention in Washington, D.C. (DisCon II). Simonson would later revisit Star Slammers throughout his career, publishing it through various publishers over the decades.[3][4]

Career

Star Slammers graphic novel (1983)

1970s

In August 1972, Simonson traveled to New York with his Star Slammers portfolio, and met with Gerry Boudreau, a friend who worked for

Berni Wrightson and Alan Weiss sitting together. Simonson struck up a conversation with the artists, who looked at his portfolio. Kaluta showed Simonson's work to Assistant Production Manager Jack Adler, who in turn showed it to DC Publisher Carmine Infantino, who after being shown the portfolio, summoned Simonson into his office. After speaking to Simonson for about ten minutes, he had Goodwin and his fellow editors Julius Schwartz and Joe Orlando give Simonson work. Simonson walked out of Infantino's office with jobs from each one of them.[3]

At one point Simonson lived in the same Queens apartment building as artists

Allen Milgrom, Howard Chaykin and Bernie Wrightson. Simonson recalls, "We'd get together at 3 a.m. They'd come up and we'd have popcorn and sit around and talk about whatever a 26, 27 and 20-year-old guys talk about. Our art, TV, you name it. I pretty much knew at the time, 'These are the good ole days.'"[8]

Simonson's first professional published comic book work was illustrating writer

Hercules Unbound[14] and co-created Doctor Phosphorus with Steve Englehart.[15] Batman #300 (June 1978) featured a story by Simonson and writer David Vern Reed.[16][17] In 1979 Simonson and Goodwin collaborated on an adaptation of the movie Alien, published by Heavy Metal. It was that book that Simonson began his long working relationship with letterer John Workman, who would go on to letter most of Simonson's work.[18][19]

Starting in January 1977, Simonson was the original artist on

Curtis Magazines line.[20] Simonson also had his first run on Thor at this time, working only as the series' artist alongside writer Len Wein.[14] In late 1978,[21] Simonson, Howard Chaykin, Val Mayerik, and Jim Starlin formed Upstart Associates, a shared studio space on West 29th Street in New York City. The membership of the studio changed over time.[22]

In 1979 Simonson did writing and art on a book for the first time with his run on Marvel's licensed

Battlestar Galactica series,[4] penciling 12 sporadic issues from issues #4 to 23 with writer Roger McKenzie. Simonson began co-writing the series with McKenzie with issue #11, co-wrote some issues with Bob Layton and Steven Grant after McKenzie left the title, began writing the book himself with issue #19, staying on until issue #23.[14]

1980s

In 1982, Simonson and writer

intercompany crossover between the top-selling Marvel and DC titles.[23][24]

Simonson is best known for his work on Marvel Comics' Thor which he began writing and drawing with issue #337 (Nov. 1983).[25] During his run as writer/artist, Simonson used the epic story that he first began writing in college in 1967,[5] transformed Thor into a frog for three issues and introduced the supporting character Beta Ray Bill, an alien warrior who unexpectedly proved worthy to wield Thor's hammer, Mjolnir.[26][27] He left the book as artist with issue #367 (May 1986), after which Sal Buscema took over. Simonson continued to write the book until issue #382 (Aug. 1987).[14] Buscema described Simonson's stories as "very stimulating. It was a pleasure working on his plots, because they were a lot of fun to illustrate. He had a lot of great ideas, and he took Thor in a totally new direction."[28] In late 1986 he dropped several of his assignments, including Thor, remarking that "I had a very busy season over the past six to eight months, and I'd like to take some time off, to take time maybe to take stock and refuel a bit."[29]

Simonson was to have drawn a

Fall of the Mutants," and "Inferno".[14]

In 1983, he returned to Star Slammers with another version of the story that Marvel published in Marvel Graphic Novel No. 6.[4]

Simonson left Upstart Associates in late 1986.[31]

1990s

Simonson became writer of the

dinosaurs with feathers, two decades before this idea gained mainstream acceptance among paleontologists. Simonson's decision to depict the dinosaurs in this manner was inspired by Gregory S. Paul's then-controversial book, Predatory Dinosaurs of the World, in which Paul theorized that dinosaurs had feathers. Because this idea was met with skepticism from the scientific community at the time, Simonson decided to compromise by depicting the dinosaurs with a small amount of feathers, rather than covered with them.[35] Simonson left the Fantastic Four with issue #354 (July 1991). In 1992, he wrote and illustrated the one-shot Superman Special #1 for DC. His other Marvel credits in the decade included co-plotting/writing the Iron Man 2020 one-shot (June 1994) and writing the Heroes Reborn version of The Avengers.[14]

In 1994 Simonson continued the adventures of the Star Slammers in a limited series as one of the founders of Malibu Comics' short-lived Bravura label.[4]

2000s

Simonson with a Thor cosplayer at the 2012 New York Comic Con

In the 2000s, Simonson mostly worked for DC Comics. From 2000 to 2002 he wrote and illustrated

Orion.[36] After that series ended, he wrote six issues of Wonder Woman (vol. 2) drawn by Jerry Ordway.[14] In 2002, he contributed an interview to Panel Discussions, a nonfiction book about the developing movement in sequential art and narrative literature, along with Durwin Talon, Will Eisner, Mike Mignola and Mark Schultz.[37]

From 2003 to 2006, he drew the four issue prestige mini-series

Elric's creator, Michael Moorcock. This series was collected as a 192-page graphic novel in 2007 by DC. He continued to work for DC in 2006 writing Hawkgirl, with pencillers Howard Chaykin, Joe Bennett, and Renato Arlem.[14]

His other work includes cover artwork for a

Wildstorm comic book series based on the online role-playing game World of Warcraft.[38] The Warcraft series ran 25 issues and was from #15 on co-written with his wife, Louise Simonson. He wrote the Demon and Catwoman serial in Wednesday Comics in 2009.[39]

2010s

In 2011, Simonson had a cameo role in the live-action Thor film, appearing as one of the guests at a large Asgardian banquet.[40] The sequel, Thor: The Dark World, featured Simonson's character Malekith the Accursed.[41]

Simonson serves on the Disbursement Committee of the comic-book industry charity The Hero Initiative.[42]

Other work in the 2010s includes drawing six issues of The Avengers vol. 4 in 2012 and providing the artwork for three issues of The Indestructible Hulk which guest starred Thor. Simonson collaborated with his wife for a short story in Rocketeer Adventures vol. 2 #4 and drew covers for several Rocketeer comics during this period.[14]

In 2012 DC Comics published The Judas Coin,[14] a graphic novel written and drawn by Simonson. The book shows how one silver coin paid to Judas to betray Jesus affects various characters down the centuries including Batman.[43]

In July 2014 IDW Publishing published the first issue of Simonson's creator-owned series Ragnarök, which depicts a version of Thor unrelated to the Marvel version of the deity.[44] It ran for twelve issues until 2017 and was followed by the six-issue mini-series Ragnarök: The Breaking of Helheim in 2019, also written and drawn by Simonson.

2020s

In 2021, Walt Simonson revisited his run as an artist on X-Factor by providing covers and artwork for a two-issue X-Factor story in X-Men Legends, written by his wife Louise Simonson who had also scripted his issues for the original series.[45]

In April 2022, Simonson and his wife Louise were reported among the more than three dozen comics creators who contributed to

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[46][47] Simonson's contribution was a story featuring the Star Slammers, his first time returning to that property since the 1990s.[48]

Awards and honors

Signature

Simonson's distinctive signature consists of his last name, distorted to resemble a Brontosaurus. Simonson's reason for this was explained in a 2006 interview. "My mom suggested a dinosaur since I was a big dinosaur fan."[58][59]

Technique and materials

Simonson inked his own work with a Hunt 102 crow quill pen.[60][61] He switched to a brush during the mid-to-late 2000s, and despite the disparity between the two tools, Bryan Hitch, an admirer of Simonson's, stated that he could not tell the difference, calling Simonson's brush work "as typically good and powerful as his other work."[61] He has used Pelikan drawing ink for most of his career.[62]

Influence

Comics creators who have been influenced by Simonson's work include Arthur Adams[63][64] and Todd McFarlane.[65]

Personal life

Simonson met his future wife Louise Jones in 1973. The couple started dating in August 1974[66] and were married in 1980.[67]

Bibliography

Atlas/Seaboard

  • Thrilling Adventure Stories #2 (artist) (1975)

CrossGen

  • The Path
    #5 (artist) (2002)

Dark Horse Comics

DC Comics

First Comics

  • Badger Goes Berserk #4 (artist, among others) (1989)

Gold Key Comics

IDW Publishing

  • Ragnarök #1–12 (writer/artist) (2014–2017)
  • Ragnarök: The Breaking of Helheim #1–6 (writer/artist) (2019–2020)

Image Comics

  • Cyberforce
    #0 (writer/artist) (1993)
  • Gen13 Bootleg #4 (artist), #11–12 (writer, with Aaron Lopresti) (1996–1997)
  • Hey Kids! Comics! #4 (artist, 2 pages) (2018)
  • Savage Dragon #100 (inker, 6 pages) (2002)
  • Weapon Zero #T-1–T-4, 0, 1–13 (writer, with Joe Benitez) (1995–1996)
  • Wildstorm! #1 (Gen13) (artist/writer, with Louise Simonson) (1995)

Image Comics / Marvel Comics

HM Communications, Inc.

Malibu Comics

  • Prime #8 (artist, two pages) (1994)
  • Star Slammers #1–4 (writer/artist) (1994)
  • Tarzan: Love, Lies and the Lost City #1 (writer) (1993)

Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics / DC Comics

Star*Reach

Topps Comics

  • Jurassic Park
    movie adaptation #1–4 (writer) (1993)

TwoMorrows Publishing

  • Streetwise ("The Sparking Cruise") (artist/writer) (2000)

Warren Publishing

  • Creepy #102, 107, 112 (artist) (1979)

Books and compilations

DC Comics

  • The Art of Walter Simonson collects stories from Detective Comics #450; 1st Issue Special #9; Unknown Soldier #254–256; Star Spangled War Stories #170 and 180; Hercules Unbound #11–12; and Metal Men #45–49, 208 pages, June 1989,
  • Manhunter: The Special Edition collects stories from Detective Comics #437–443, 104 pages, June 1999,

Marvel Comics

IDW Publishing

Titan Books

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2009 Batman: Black and White (episode "Legend") Writer and artist TV series
2011 Thor Cameo as Asgardian
2013 Thor: The Dark World Special thanks, creator of villain Malekith the Accursed

References

  1. ^ a b Comic Art News: Inkwell Awards Announces 2022 Honorees
  2. ^ a b Comics for Sinners: 2022 Inkwell Awards Celebrates Gunslinger Spawn’s Corona, 4th time winner Rapmund and more… #ink-magic
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i May, Peggie (Editor) (June 1989). "People at Work". Direct Currents #18. DC Comics. p. 7
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l McKenzie, Marc (August 16, 2000). "Walt Simonson". The Slush Factory: The World's Coolest Comics Magazine. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Simonson, Walter (May 1, 2001). "Introduction", Thor Visionaries: Walt Simonson (Vol. 1), p. Marvel Comics (New York)
  6. ^ "Cartoonist Behind Thor Donates Time and Talent to Alma Mater". Amherst, Massachusetts: Amherst College. n.d. Archived from the original on August 23, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  7. ^ Bell, Josh (2011). "A Thousand Pages of Thor: Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus, by Walter Simonson ’68 (Marvel Comics)". Amherst College.
  8. ^ Warner, Meredith (March 25, 2017). "How Bernie Wrightson uncovered the soul of the monster in his work". Los Angeles Times.
  9. ^ Cooke, Jon B. (October 2000). "Simonson Says The Man of Two Gods Recalls His 25+ Years in Comics". Comic Book Artist (10). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 18.
  10. ^ Arndt, Richard J. (April 2018). ""Nice" Is the Word: A Few Words on Archie Goodwin". Back Issue! (103). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 11.
  11. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. Together with exciting new artist Walt Simonson, [Archie] Goodwin executed seven flawless tales that chronicled Paul Kirk's hunt for the world's deadliest game." " Manhunter's award-winning revival earned undying acclaim for its talented storytellers. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  12. ^ Boney, Alex (May 2013). "Hunting the Hunters: Manhunter and the Most Dangerous Game". Back Issue! (64). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 44–50.
  13. ^ Cooke, Jon B. (October 2000). Comic Book Artist #10 p. 20
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Walt Simonson at the Grand Comics Database and Walter Simonson at the Grand Comics Database
  15. ISBN 978-1465424563. Engelhart and Simonson introduced readers to Dr. Phosphorus, who earned a spot in Batman's Rogues Gallery. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  16. ^ Trumbull, John (December 2013). "A New Beginning...And a Probable End Batman #300 and #400". Back Issue! (69). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 49–53.
  17. ^ Manning "1970s" in Dougall, p. 128: "Crafted by writer David V. Reed and penciller Walter Simonson, this special 34-page issue imagined a possible future where Gotham City had become the hub of Magalopolis-East."
  18. CBR.com
    . Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  19. ^ Collura, Scott (October 25, 2012). "From Alien to Thor to Avengers: Walt Simonson". IGN. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  20. ISBN 978-0756641238. In these stories, written by Doug Moench and drawn by Walter Simonson, the Hulk contended against an invading race of aliens called the Krylorians. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  21. ^ Cooke (2000) p. 25
  22. . Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  23. ^ Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 199: "The issue, written by longtime X-Men scribe Chris Claremont and drawn by Walter Simonson [was]...one of the most well-received crossovers of its time - or of any time for that matter - the team-up was a huge success."
  24. ^ Brown, Jonathan (August 2013). "The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans: The Breakfast Club of the Comics Crossover". Back Issue! (66). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 65–68.
  25. ^ DeFalco, Tom "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 213: "This issue began a highly acclaimed run by writer/artist Walt Simonson that would last for nearly four years and end with issue #382 (Aug. 1987)."
  26. ^ Singer, Matt (July 10, 2001). "Review: Thor Visionaries: Walter Simonson". PopImage. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013.
  27. ^ Kelley, Cary (August 21, 2006). "Merely This and Nothing More: Defining Our Heroes". Silverbulletcomics.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2006.
  28. ISBN 978-1605490212.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  29. Fictioneer Books
    . pp. 42–57.
  30. ^ Mithra, Kuljit (August 1997). "Interview With Walt Simonson". ManWithoutFear.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013. The gist of it is that by the time Marvel was interested in having us work on the story, Frank was off doing Dark Knight and I was off doing X-Factor. So it never happened. Too bad--it was a cool story too.
  31. ^ Cooke (2000) p. 26
  32. ^ Nolen-Weathington Modern Masters Volume Eight Walter Simonson p. 67
  33. ^ Manning, Matthew K. "1990s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 252: "Spider-Man, the Hulk, Wolverine, and Ghost Rider were tricked into forming a new Fantastic Four...Written by Walter Simonson with art by Arthur Adams, this new FF found themselves locked in battle with the Mole Man."
  34. ISBN 978-0756692360. Take Spidey, Ghost Rider, Wolverine, and the Hulk, add a script by Walt Simonson and illustrations by Art Adams, and the result is one of the best Marvel comics of the decade. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  35. CBR.com. Archived from the original
    on July 5, 2015. This is because Simonson...decided to be as accurate as he possibly could in the depiction of the dinosaurs in the issue. He relied heavily on Gregory Paul's book, Predator Dinosaurs of the World, which was a controversial call at the time as Paul's theories regarding dinosaurs having feathers was not yet proven and drew much skepticism from other scientists.
  36. ^ Cowsill, Alan "2000s" in Dolan, p. 296 "Comic book legend Walt Simonson brought his unique vision to one of Jack Kirby's greatest heroes on Orion, the first ongoing series to feature the most prominent of the New Gods."
  37. .
  38. ^ Brady, Matt (October 25, 2007). "Walter Simonson: Into The World Of Warcraft". Newsarama. Archived from the original on October 27, 2007.
  39. ^ Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 305
  40. ^ Johnston, Rich (May 6, 2011). "Stan, Joe, Walt And The Thunder God". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
  41. ^ Buxton, Marc (November 6, 2013). "Malekith and Kurse, The Villains of Thor: The Dark World". Den of Geek. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  42. ^ "Hero Initiative Board Members Disburstment Committee". The Hero Initiative. 2013. Archived from the original on June 21, 2013.
  43. CBR.com
    . Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  44. ^ Sims, Chris (February 18, 2015). "Five Reasons To Read Simonson, Martin, And Workman's Ragnarok". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015.
  45. ^ Adams, Tim (2021-01-06). "X-Men Legends Recruits Louise and Walter Simonson for a New X-Factor Story". CBR. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  46. ^ Kaplan, Rebecca O. (April 18, 2022). "ZOOP launches benefit anthology COMICS FOR UKRAINE: SUNFLOWER SEEDS". The Beat. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  47. ^ Brooke, David (April 18, 2022). "'Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds' to benefit Ukrainian refugees". AIPT. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  48. ^ Kit, Borys (April 20, 2022). "Comic Book Creators Team for Ukraine Relief Effort Anthology 'Sunflower Seed'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  49. ^ Hahn, Joel (ed.). "1973 Academy of Comic Book Arts Awards". Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  50. ^ Hahn, Joel (ed.). "1974 Academy of Comic Book Arts Awards". Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  51. ^ "Inkpot Award Winners". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012.
  52. ^ Fishman, Marc Alan (August 29, 2010). "2010 Harvey Awards Announced!". ComicMix. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016.
  53. ^ Ash, Roger (2010). "Roger's Comic Ramblings: Baltimore Comic-Con 2010 Report". Westfield Comics. Archived from the original on March 18, 2016.
  54. ^ Spurgeon, Tom (July 14, 2012). "Your 2012 Eisner Award Winners". The Comics Reporter. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  55. ^ Tree, Brad (September 9, 2012). "Congratulations to the Harvey Award Recipients!". Harvey Awards. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016.
  56. ^ "53237 Simonson (1999 CU118)". Minor Planet Center. International Astronomical Union. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  57. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. International Astronomical Union. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  58. ^ Nolen-Weathington Modern Masters Volume Eight Walter Simonson p. 8
  59. ^ Ostrander, John (August 7, 2011). "John Ostrander: Pro Advice – Hit By a Bus". ComicMix. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016.
  60. ^ Simonson, Walt (December 13, 2016). "Untitled". Twitter. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  61. ^
    Hitch, Bryan
    (2010). Bryan Hitch's Ultimate Comics Studio. Impact Books
  62. ^ Simonson, Walt (February 20, 2020). "Untitled". Facebook. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  63. .
  64. ^ Cooke, Jon B. (January 2002). "The Art of Arthur Adams: A career-spanning chat with the celebrated artist/writer on his comics". Comic Book Artist (17). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013.
  65. ^ Parker, John R. (June 12, 2012). "ComicsAlliance Reviews Todd McFarlane's Spawn Year One, Part 1: Questions". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016.
  66. ^ Cooke (2000) p. 23
  67. ^ Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins", Marvel comics cover-dated July 1981.
  68. ^ Trumbull, John (April 2014). "221B at DC: Sherlock Holmes at DC Comics". Back Issue! (71). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 38–39.

External links

Interviews

Preceded by Thor artist
1977–1978
Succeeded by
John Buscema
Preceded by Star Wars artist
1981–1982
Succeeded by
Preceded by Thor artist
1983–1986
Succeeded by
Preceded by Thor writer
1983–1987
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Ralph Macchio
The Avengers writer
1988–1989
Succeeded by
Ralph Macchio
Preceded by
Steve Englehart
(as John Harkness)
Fantastic Four writer
1989–1991
Succeeded by
Preceded by Fantastic Four artist
1990–1991
Succeeded by
Preceded by The Avengers writer
1997
Succeeded by
Preceded by Wonder Woman writer
2003
Succeeded by