“Respect My Craft” – J. Scott Campbell

In this consumer-based industry, it can be easy to forget the years of hard work that the people in the business put in. Behind every panel, it takes a skilled writer, artist, inker and colorist to make the product complete. Behind each scene goes hours of preparation. Hush Comics’ weekly article “Respect My Craft” will dive into the history of these comic book and pop culture greats that will hopefully give a new perspective on how the men and women behind the pen (or stylus) contribute to the collective awesome-ness of the nerd world, or at least give you a reason to invest in their work.

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Name:  Jeffrey Scott Campbell

Profession: Comic book artist

Notable Work: Gen13, The Amazing Spider-Man, Danger Girl

“I draw ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Spiderman’ all the time; people come up to me asking did you see the latest’ Iron Man’? And I say no I didn’t see it, but I’m caught up with ‘Girls’ on HBO. Because to me it’s like what I’m doing all day long, I almost want like this quiet Indie movies that are the exact opposite of what I do for a living. I’m the last guy who sees the superhero movie. – J. Scott Campbell

 

Chances are, if you’ve picked up a Marvel book in the past few years, you’ve seen the gorgeous cover work of J. Scott Campbell. This man has been quietly killing it on various books in the industry throughout his career. He’s recognized as the one of the Image Comics’ early brain children and for doing iconic Amazing Spider-Man covers, but his nerdy story originated from a place other than comic books – video games. When Campbell was just a kid, he entered himself into the Nintendo Power magazine’s “Invent the Ultimate Video Game” contest. At a young age of fifteen years old, he was published in one of the hottest video-game publications in the country. Even then, his distinct art style gave him the public eye. Another early claim to fame came in the form of 80’s pop culture caricatures.

In the mid-1990’s, Campbell struck big by joining Jim Lee‘s WildStorm Productions. He was hand-picked by Lee and the other pioneers at Image Comics. Right away, he was assigned to issue #1 of Gen 13, a creation of Jim Lee and Brandon Choi. The series centered around a group of teens who escape a government testing facility with powers, which they use to fight the system and reveal secrets about their past; it was very X-Men inspired, but had a modern appeal to it thanks to Campbell’s artwork. He even began co-writing the series for the twenty issue run he was a part of. Although the art is rough compared to his current work, his skill was evident from the get go. In the mid-1990’s, when variant covers were running rampant, Campbell and company came out with thirteen different covers for the debut issue. One of these variants was a “Create Your Own” cover, an idea that is often used nowadays with DC and Marvel.

After leaving Gen 13, Campbell (and a couple others, including Denver Comic Con guest Humberto Ramos) started up Cliffhanger, an imprint of WildStorm. There, he created his own series, Danger Girl. Often referred to as part Indiana Jones, part James Bond, Danger Girl became known for very sexualized women who kick ass. If there’s one thing Campbell did well, it was draw the female figure in a very flattering manner. Danger Girl even spawned its own video-game (PSone baby!) and a whole bunch of comic book spin-offs from industry hotshots at the time (the story was usually outlined by Campbell himself). Right now, Danger Girl: May Day is currently running for IDW Comics. There were even talks of a full-length movie coming out that took place a few years ago, with Mila Jovavich, Kate Beckinsale, Sofia Vergara and Megan Fox being among those in the running for casting. Under the Cliffhanger label, Campbell also created Wildsiderz in 2005, a short-lived but well-received comic about group of teams who could use holographic powers to take the shapes of different animals.

From a young age, J. Scott fell in love with animation. As such, his drawings are rich with expression, and he has often cited his love for Disney films as his inspiration. Some of the most famous drawings of his are of fantasy and fairy-tale characters. In the past few years, Campbell has released a yearly series of Fairytale Fantasy calendars, which feature sexy versions of Disney characters. It doesn’t stop their, though. On his website and twitter acount, which he updates quite frequently, you can find a commission for pretty much anything from Star Wars to Breaking Bad. Doing these commissions and Fairytale Fantasy calendars have given him the opportunity to stay close to the comic book industry, but has still given him exposure to fans who otherwise may not have been interested in comic book art.

J. Scott Campbell has had a fruitful career, and is now known in the comic book community as the guy who does the knock-out Marvel.NOW covers. Since signing an exclusive contract with Marvel back in 2006, Campbell has drawn some of the most recognizable covers in this generation, notably his work on The Amazing Spider-Man. J. Scott is a meticulous artist, and so since it takes him so long to complete his work, it suits him that he sticks primarily to cover art. This works out for him in a few aspects: he’s allotted more time per issue, and he is able to step outside of a single book to work on other genres of comic books. To date, he has done covers for: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Batman, Elephantmen, Wizard magazine and a slew of recent Marvel comics – but finds Spider-Man to be his favorite and most magnetizing character. Campbell was even asked to help bring in and sculpt a 3-D rendering model for Sideshow Collectibles of Spidey, Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy.

Oddly enough, although he feels drawn to Spider-Man as a character, J. Scott Campbell is not a huge superhero fan. His largest comic book influence was through MAD magazine as a kid. He also listens to Adele and Lana Del Ray to put him in the mood to work; basically, he’s not from your typical comic book artist. Now, that doesn’t mean that he has lost touch with the industry; Campbell still frequents conventions, looking to connect with current fans and make new ones. Exploring so many different channels allows him to get maximum exposure, and his fans all appreciate it, too. Best of all, Campbell is a native of Denver, having moved here when he was very young, and considering Colorado home. He even designed the poster from last year’s Denver Comic Con and taking part in the Aurora Rise charity benefit, a non-profit that helps aid those affected by the shooting at the Aurora Century 16 theater shooting.

 

 

 

None of the media in this article belongs to Hush Comics; it all belongs to their respective properties. Join us tomorrow as we continue our countdown to Denver Comic Con with animator and producer Greg Weisman, who’s work on Young Justice and the upcoming Star Wars: Rebels has made him the man in animated TV.

“Respect My Craft” – Jim Lee

In this consumer-based industry, it can be easy to forget the years of hard work that the people in the business put in. Behind every panel, it takes a skilled writer, artist, inker and colorist to make the product complete. Hush Comics’ weekly article “Respect My Craft” will dive into the history of these comic book greats that will hopefully give a new perspective on how the men and women behind the pen (or stylus) contribute to the collective awesome-ness of comic books, or at least give you a reason to invest in their work.

Name: Jim Lee

Profession: Artist, DC Co-Publisher

Notable Work: X-Men: Mutant Genesis, WildC.A.T.S., Batman: Hush, Superman: For Tomorrow, Justice League

Jim Lee is one of the most revered comic book artists in the industry. From his unlikely start in independent books to his rise to the top of the ranks as Co-Publisher of DC Comics, Jim Lee’s story is one of as much absolute detail as his work.  Lee has a Korean heritage, but grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Always a comic book fan growing up, Lee gravitated towards the X-Men, reason being that they were marginalized for their differences – something many can relate to. It was even a dream of his to create his own comic book company after graduating high school, an accomplishment he was voted most likely to achieve by his peers. As money crushed dreams and grown-up responsibilities set in, Lee was pressured by his parents to enroll at Princeton University with the goal of becoming a medical doctor.

After obtaining his BS in Psychology, Lee made a deal with his strict, but loving, parents to take a hiatus from med school to try it on his own for one year as a comic book artist. This was during the mid 1980’s, when such iconic books like The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen were leading a renaissance in the industry. After putting his foot in the door and submitting portfolios to publishes all over the country, Jim Lee got his start in the comic book business in 1986 by lending his artistic talents as an inker to Samurai Santa #1 (no, seriously). Without much else to go off of, Marvel Comics hired Lee to pencil Alpha Flight, a mid-tier comic, in 1987 that started with Alpha Flight #51.

After several issues of Alpha Flight and then moving on to Punisher: War Journal (which Lee started illustrating in 1989), Lee got his wish to draw his favorite childhood characters in Uncanny X-Men #248. He was asked to come back for subsequent issues until Marvel asked Lee to draw a twelve-issue run simply titled X-Men with writer Chris Claremont, widely regarded as one of the best X-Men writers. Together, the two created Omega Red and the fan-favorite character, Gambit. He also redesigned many of the characters’ costumes – most of which are still used! To this very day, the first issue of X-Men (Vol. 2) is the highest selling issue of any comic book in history.

The success of X-Men meant that Lee could pretty much write his ticket wherever he wanted to go. It just so happened that what he wanted was more creative control over his work. Along with several powerhouse writers and artist, including Hush Comics’ favorite, Todd McFarlane, Lee helped found Image Comics. This is the same Image Comics that has been the birthing grounds of: The Walking Dead, Saga, Black Science and Deadly Class. Taking more interest in writing and producing, Lee branded himself as Wildstorm Productions and created WildC.A.T.S., a team of aliens caught in an intergalactic war, and Gen13, which follows a group of teenage super-heroes as they find their powers while running away from government testing. Both were very intriguing books that lasted far beyond Jim Lee’s involvement, showing that Lee has substantial writing capabilities to back up his artwork.

In an effort to focus more on art, Jim Lee sold Wildstorm to DC Comics and, shortly thereafter, began illustrating some of the most beautiful panels I’ve ever seen. In 2003, Lee joined acclaimed writer Jeph Loeb on Batman: Hush. This is the arc that got me into comic books, and it was largely due to the full-page panels, detailed background and unique use of medium by using watercolors (a first for Jim Lee). If you want to know how much we love Hush, look no further our very first graphic novel review. The iconic “Kissing the Knight” panel impacted me so much that I decided to get it tattooed on my arm. A year later, he joined Brian Azzarello (current Wonder Woman and 100 Bullets) for Superman: For Tomorrow, a very unique book about the Man of Tomorrow. Lee followed For Tomorrow up with a darker, more brutal All Star Batman and Robin The Boy Wonder,  written by Frank Miller, which is the first comic to use the legendary “Goddamn Batman” line. It was a bit of a departure from Lee’s tone, but the art keeps up with Miller’s rough and grimy story perfectly.

As he was finishing All-Star, Lee was also waist-deep into the DC Universe Online. Released for Playstation and PC, Lee spent years creating character models for the game as its Executive Producer. Seeing these renders as fully-functional video-game characters is a sight to behold. Along the way, he earned the title of Co-Publisher for DC Comics and spear-headed The New 52, a complete reintroduction of the DC Comics’ catalog. He and Geoff Johns became the creative team behind the Justice League relaunch (review of Volume One: Origin here). Since then, Lee has headed numerous design projects for DC, including: a partnership with Kia to design Justice Legue themed cars (the Batman Optima is the best, by far), promotion for the We Can Be Heroes charity (donations usually lead to goodies), design work for Scorpion’s costume in the Injustice video-game DLC, and he still makes time to attend various comic book conventions around the country.

Jim Lee free-hand sketching at SDCC 2012

As amazing as Jim Lee is, it’s important to remember that a lot of work is done between the last pencil stroke and the time the issue hits the shelves. Most artists use a team, composed of an inker and a colorist. The inker is in charge of turning dark pencil marks into appropriate shadows or accents, while the colorist brings the appropriate shading and tone to the story. Dating back to his run with Uncanny X-Men, Lee has used Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair for inking and coloring, respectively. They deserve just as much credit for his quality work.

Checked out his bibliography and still want more? Check these books out:

Batman: Hush – Unwrapped is drawn entirely in pencils, with no inking or coloring. The amount of detail is stunning, showing why Jim Lee is one of the best in the business.

ICONS: The DC Comics & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee offers a lot of background about Jim Lee – history and anecdotes, as well as some great spreads of his best work.

Image Comics: The Road to Independence gives an in-depth look at how a group of brave men disbanded from the largest comic book company to create the third-largest comic book company.

Just Imagine If… Stan Lee Created Wonder Woman is written by Stan Lee, drawn by Jim Lee, and kicks harder than Bruce Lee

Wizard: Jim Lee, Millennium Edition is like ICONS but gives a better look at his pre-Wildstorm days.

How Much Does Hush Comics Love Jim Lee?

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I wanted to point out that none of this art is mine; it is all credited to the original publishers (Solson, Marvel and DC). Check back next week as we kick off Black History Month by honoring all Black writers and artists, as well as graphic novel reviews with cultural significance. Peace and much love to ya!

Written by Sherif Elkhatib