| Alex Ross | |
 Alex Ross |
|
| Birth name | Nelson Alexander Ross |
| Born | January 22, 1970 Portland, Oregon |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Painter, Illustrator |
| Awards | Will Eisner Award (1997) National Cartoonists Society Comic Book Award (1998) |
Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book painter, illustrator and plotter, acclaimed for the photorealism of his work. Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative Painting (pān'tīng in Art, is the practice of applying Color to a Surface (support base such as e For the vector -based drawing program by Adobe Systems, see Adobe Illustrator. A plotter is a Vector graphics printing device that connects to a Computer. Photorealism is the genre of painting based on making a painting of a Photograph. Ross is known for his love of the vintage looks of classic characters and the more mythic elements of the superheroes. The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a Fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do
From the late 1990s, Ross has done much work for the industry’s two largest and most historically important publishing houses, Marvel and DC Comics, but Ross is also the co-creator of Astro City, an original series that explores superhero mythology. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Kurt Busiek's Astro City is a Comic book series centered around a fictional American city of that name The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore"
Although he is a prominent figure for both DC and Marvel, he is better known as a DC artist, as much of his work (such as Kingdom Come) was created for DC. Due to the time and effort required to render his complex paintings, he is often hired to craft covers rather than interiors. Almost all of his Marvel work since 1994 has been as a plotter or cover artist.
Contents |
Biography
Ross was born in Portland, Oregon, but grew up in Lubbock, Texas. The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team. Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers His mother, Lynette C. Ross, was a commercial artist best known for her paper doll books. His father is a minister. From childhood, he wanted to work in comics. He was particularly influenced by George Pérez, Bernie Wrightson and Neal Adams. George Pérez (born June 9, 1954) is an illustrator and writer of Comic books born of Latin-American (Puerto-Rican descent Bernie "Berni" Wrightson (born October 27, 1948, Baltimore Maryland, U Neal Adams (born June 6, 1941, Governors Island, Manhattan, New York City) is an American Comic book and The telling facial expressions and realism of Adams’ work can be seen in much of Ross’. He was also interested in mainstream American painters such as Andrew Loomis, J. C. Leyendecker and especially Norman Rockwell. William Andrew Loomis (1892-1959 was an Illustrator from the United States. Joseph Christian Leyendecker ( 23 March 1874 – 25 July 1951) was an American Illustrator. Norman Percevel Rockwell ( February 3, 1894 &ndash November 8, 1978) was a 20th century American painter and Illustrator He was even influenced by his favorite band, Queen, specifically the cover to their second album, Queen II, the composition of which, (black background, grouped figures with faces partially shadowed,) would go on to be used many times in Ross' work. Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Queen II is the second album by English rock band Queen, originally released in 1974
In 1987, Ross moved to Chicago to attend the American Academy of Art, where his mother had studied. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The American Academy of Art is a professional accredited fine arts school located in downtown Chicago Illinois. His first published work was the five issue series, Terminator: The Burning Earth (1990), penned by Ron Fortier. Terminator The Burning Earth was first published in 1990 by NOW comics. Ron Fortier (born 5 Nov1946 is an American author primarily know for his Green Hornet and The Terminator Comic books and his revival of the pulp hero Ross created all of the art, from pencils through coloring for the series. He performed similar work on a variety of titles over the next few years. In 1993, he completed his first painted superhero assignment, the cover of a Superman novel: Superman: Doomsday & Beyond. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Superman Doomsday & Beyond is a licensed Novel set in the DC Comics universe written by Louise Simonson, and with illustrations from Dan
During this time, Ross met writer Kurt Busiek and the two began submitting proposals for series that would feature paintings as their internal art, an unexplored idea at the time. Kurt Busiek (born September 16, 1960) is a Comic book Writer. Marvel agreed to a project that would tell much of the history of the Marvel Universe from the perspective of an ordinary person. The Marvel Universe is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by Marvel Comics take place That limited series, Marvels, was released in 1994, and chronicled the life of a photojournalist, as he reacted to living in a world of superheroes and villains. A limited series is a term originated by Marvel Comics referring to a Comic book series with a set number of issues Marvels is a four-issue Comic book Limited series written by Kurt Busiek, painted by Alex Ross and edited by Marcus Photojournalism is a particular form of Journalism (the collecting editing and presenting of news material for publication or broadcast that creates images in order to tell Many fans were astonished by Ross’ uncannily realistic portrayals of Spider-Man, Captain America, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, Silver Surfer, The Human Torch and others. Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Fantastic Four is a fictional Superhero team appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. } The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics Superhero created by Jack Kirby. The Human Torch ( Jonathan "Johnny" Storm) is a Fictional character and Superhero of the Marvel Comics universe
Busiek, Ross, and penciller Brent Anderson went on to create Astro City, first published by Image Comics in 1995 and later by Homage Comics. Brent Eric Anderson (b 1955 is an American Comic book Artist. Kurt Busiek's Astro City is a Comic book series centered around a fictional American city of that name Image Comics is an American Comic book publisher It was founded in 1992 by seven high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their Homage Comics was a Comic book publishing Imprint, a subdivision of Wildstorm. The series features an original superhero world and continues the theme of Marvels, exploring how ordinary people, and superheroes and villains too, react to a world where the fantastic is commonplace. Ross paints the covers and helps set the costumes and the general look and feel for the series, which has been published sporadically in recent years due to Busiek’s health problems.
In 1996, Ross teamed up with writer Mark Waid for the DC Comics limited series Kingdom Come, which unveils a possible future for the DC universe, in which Superman and several other classic superheroes return from retirement to tame a generation of brutal anti-heroes. Mark Waid (born March 21 1962 in Hueytown Alabama) is an American Comic book Writer. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company A limited series is a term originated by Marvel Comics referring to a Comic book series with a set number of issues The DC Universe ( DCU) is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely Ross redesigned several important superheroes, such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkman and Captain Marvel for the series. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created For other meanings of the term see Hawkman (disambiguation Hawkman is a Superhero in the DC Comics universe. Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. He also hid numerous visual references in his images, such as recognizable graffiti, objects and posters, and modeled Rev. Norman McCay, a minister who The Spectre appoints with judging who is responsible for a prophesized tragedy, on his own father, Clark Ross. Graffiti (singular graffito; the plural is used as a Mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched scrawled painted or marked in any manner on property Norman McCay is a Fictional character from the DC Comics series Kingdom Come. The Spectre is a fictional cosmic entity and Superhero who has appeared in numerous Comic books published by DC Comics.
Kingdom Come helped cement Ross' place as a comic book industry superstar. He followed it with the risky Uncle Sam, a non-superhero work. A project of DC’s Vertigo line, it was an experimental work that examined the dark side of American history. Vertigo is an Imprint of the American Comic-book publisher DC Comics. While not a sales success, the mini-series garnered favorable reviews from comic fans.
In the early 2000s, with writer Jim Krueger, Ross plotted and designed characters for a trilogy of Marvel limited series, Earth X, Universe X, and Paradise X, which combined dozens of Marvel characters from various time periods in one galaxy-spanning epic. Jim Krueger is a Comic book writer novelist and filmmaker Early life He graduated Marquette University with a degree in Journalism A limited series is a term originated by Marvel Comics referring to a Comic book series with a set number of issues This article is about the Marvel Comics miniseries Earth X and its sequels This article is about the Marvel Comics miniseries Earth X and its sequels This article is about the Marvel Comics miniseries Earth X and its sequels Alex Ross's decision to not paint the internal art hurt the series.
Ross has also been the subject of a minor controversy over his refusal to draw certain characters (most notably Kyle Rayner, who at the time of Ross' refusal was the Green Lantern). Kyle Rayner is a Fictional character, a Superhero from the DC Comics universe, known for most of his publication history as Green Lantern
Between 1998 and 2003, writer Paul Dini and Ross produced annual tabloid-sized editions celebrating the 60th anniversaries of DC Comics’ Superman ('Peace on Earth'), Batman ('War on Crime'), Shazam ('Power of Hope'), and Wonder Woman ('Spirit of Truth'), as well as two specials featuring the Justice League, 'Secret Origins' and 'Liberty and Justice'. Paul Dini (born August 7, 1957) is an American Television producer of Animated cartoons. A tabloid is a Newspaper industry term which refers to a smaller newspaper format per spread to a weekly or semi-weekly alternative newspaper that focuses on local-interest The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team.
In 2001, Ross won acclaim for his work on special comic books benefiting the families of those killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, including his portraits of paramedics, police and firefighters. He has also designed much DC merchandise, including posters, dinner plates, and statues.
In 2004, DC compiled the coffee table book Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross, written and designed by Chip Kidd. Chip Kidd (born September 12 1964 is an American Author, editor, and Graphic designer, best known for his innovative book covers In late 2005, a paperback version of the book was published to include new artwork by Ross, including sketches for his "Justice" mini-series.
Also in 2004, Ross designed paintings for the opening credits of the film Spider-Man 2. Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American Superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred The paintings presented key elements from the first film, including a rendition of the classic upside-down kiss between Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. Tobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire (born June 27, 1975) is a Canadian Actor. Kirsten Caroline Dunst (born April 30 1982 is an American actress and singer
In August 2005, Ross reunited with writer Jim Kreuger and penciller Doug Braithwaite to begin the epic 12-issue, bi-monthly limited series Justice for DC Comics. A limited series is a term originated by Marvel Comics referring to a Comic book series with a set number of issues The series focuses on the enemies of the Justice League of America banding together to defeat the League. The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team. After Justice he will be working on Superpowers with Jim Krueger for Dynamite Entertainment. Project Superpowers is a Comic book Limited series (eight issues numbered 0 to 7 published by Dynamite Entertainment beginning January Jim Krueger is a Comic book writer novelist and filmmaker Early life He graduated Marquette University with a degree in Journalism Dynamite Entertainment is a Comic book publisher founded in 2005, first producing two Army of Darkness Limited series published [1]
Starting in July 2008, Ross will return to Marvel to write a new story called Avengers/Invaders. Events January January 9: Teen Titans The Lost Annual, delayed since 2003, is published [2] The story will pit World War II versions of Captain America, Namor, and other classic war characters against the modern Avengers groups. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Avengers is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. He has not stated what will happen in the series, but he has stated the recent death of Captain America has improved the story, since it was conceived a year before his death. [3] [4] [5]
During an interview in Wizard Magazine #167, Ross stated that his favorite Flash is the Barry Allen, as he says that Barry Allen's character was "screwed". Wizard or Wizard The Magazine of Comics Entertainment and Pop Culture (originally titled Wizard The Guide to Comics and Bartholomew "Barry" Allen is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the DC Comics universe and the second Flash
Toys
DC Direct (the exclusive collectibles division of DC Comics) has produced 3 waves of action figures from the comics book Kingdom Come based on Alex Ross' artwork. DC Direct is the exclusive collectibles division of DC Comics, the Time Warner Subsidiary that publishes Comic books and licenses characters DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company The first wave of figures included Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Hawkman. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Alan Scott is a Fictional character, a Superhero from the DC Comics universe and the first superhero to bear the name Green Lantern For other meanings of the term see Hawkman (disambiguation Hawkman is a Superhero in the DC Comics universe. The second wave included Batman, Red Robin, Captain Marvel and Kid Flash. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a fictional Superhero that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Kid Flash ( Iris West II) is a Superheroine in the alternate future of ''Kingdom Come'' in the DC Comics universe. The last wave included Magog, Flash, Armored Wonder Woman and Deadman. Magog is a fictional Antihero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Kingdom Come #1 (May 1996 and was created by Deadman is a Fictional character, a Superhero appearing in DC Comics. An exclusive figure of Red Arrow was released through ToyFare magazine. For the English musician see Roy Harper Roy Harper is a fictional Superhero in the DC Comics ToyFare is a monthly comedy and collecting Magazine published by Wizard Entertainment that focuses on collectible Action figures, busts DC Direct also released several other characters through their Elseworlds toylines. DC Direct is the exclusive collectibles division of DC Comics, the Time Warner Subsidiary that publishes Comic books and licenses characters Elseworlds is the publication Imprint for a group of Comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon These figures included The Spectre, Norman McCay, Jade, Nightstar, Aquaman and Blue Beetle. The Spectre is a fictional cosmic entity and Superhero who has appeared in numerous Comic books published by DC Comics. Norman McCay is a Fictional character from the DC Comics series Kingdom Come. Jade ( Jennifer-Lynn Hayden) is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the DC Comics DC universe. Nightstar is a Fictional character, the daughter of Starfire and Red Robin aka Dick Grayson, who was also the first Robin and Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional, American Comic book Superheroes published by a variety of companies since 1940 Ross also designed the costume the current incarnation of Batwoman wears; this character has been released in action-figure form by DC Direct as part of its "52" line of toys. Batwoman (originally referred to as The Bat-Woman) is a fictional character and female counterpart to the superhero Batman, created by Bob Kane and
DC Direct has also released a line of action figures for the comic book Justice based again on Alex Ross' artwork:
- Series 1: Bizzaro, Sinestro, Cheetah, Flash, Superman
- Series 2: Aquaman, Batman, Black Canary, Black Manta, Parasite
- Series 3: Green Lantern, Joker, Plastic Man, Poison Ivy, Wonder Woman
- Series 4: Black Adam, Hawkman, Shazam!, Solomon Grundy, Zatanna
- Series 5: Brainiac, Green Arrow, Lex Luthor, Martian Manhunter, Martian Manhunter (Translucent), Red Tornado. DC Direct is the exclusive collectibles division of DC Comics, the Time Warner Subsidiary that publishes Comic books and licenses characters
- Series 6: Batman Armored, Green Lantern Armored, Hawkgirl, Scarecrow.
- Series 7: Aquaman Armored, Gorilla Grodd, Green Lantern John Stewart, Superman Armored
- Series 8: Batgirl, Captain Cold, Supergirl, Toyman
Other media
- Alex Ross drew the cover picture on the Anthrax albums We've Come for You All and Music of Mass Destruction. Anthrax is a New York City -based heavy metal band that released its first full-length album in 1984 We've Come for You All is the ninth studio album by the American heavy metal band Anthrax. Music of Mass Destruction is Anthrax 's second full-length Live album, and is packaged as one CD and one DVD.
- Had a notable feud with filmmaker Kevin Smith because Smith's film Mallrats stated that Stan Lee was the sole creator of the Marvel Universe. Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2 1970 is an American Screenwriter, Writer, Film director, Actor and Comic book writer Mallrats is a 1995 film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is the second to be set in Smith's " View Askewniverse " series Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922) is an American Writer, editor, creator of comic book characters Ross stated that he feels that Jack Kirby should have half the credit. Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, August 28, 1917 &ndash February 6, 1994) was an American Comic book This feud was referenced in the DVD for Mallrats.
- Had designed a series of costumes for the 2002 film Spider-Man, but director Sam Raimi instead chose not to use Ross' outfits. Spider-Man is a 2002 American Superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi (born October 23, 1959) is an American Film director, producer, Actor and Rather, many of the costumes were redesigned prior to filming. In the film's video game counterpart, as an easter egg, it is possible to unlock a playable version of Ross' Spider-Man design. A virtual Easter egg is an intentional Hidden message or feature in an object such as a movie, Book Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. When using this unlockable, the Green Goblin will also feature one of Ross' unused character outfits. The Green Goblin is a name shared by several fictional Supervillains that appear in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. As such, Ross was commissioned to do a series of drawings for the opening credits of Spider-Man 2, which recapped the major events from the first film. Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American Superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred
- Painted a picture of Ace and Gary, The Ambiguously Gay Duo in his trademark form. The Ambiguously Gay Duo is an American animated comedy sketch that debuted on The Dana Carvey Show before moving to its permanent
Awards
His numerous awards include a 1997 Will Eisner Award for the limited series Kingdom Come (with Mark Waid) and a 1998 National Cartoonists Society Comic Book Award for Superman: Peace on Earth. William Erwin Eisner ( March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an acclaimed American Comics Writer, Artist and The National Cartoonists Society is the world's largest organization of professional Cartoonists It presents the Reuben Awards.
Notes
- ^ Ross! Krueger! Dynamite! "SUPERPOWERS!", July 18 2007, Comic Book Resources
- ^ Avengers/Invaders at the Comic Book DB
- ^ Interview: Alex Ross Returns to Marvel, IGN, August 11, 2007
- ^ Ross' Return = "Avengers/Invaders", Comic Book Resources, August 14, 2007
- ^ Alex Ross Talks Avengers/Invaders, Newsarama, August 14, 2007
References
- Alex Ross at the Comic Book DB
Audio Interviews
- Around Comics Interview on Around Comics 01/01/08
External links
- Official site
- Alex Ross at Marvel.com
- Comic Book Pros, represents Alex Ross
- A video showcasing Alex Ross at work on the cover to JLA: Liberty and Justice
Interviews
- Interview at Alex Ross Art (1997)
- Interview at The Jack Kirby Collector (1999)
- Interview at FilmForce (2003)
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