What are they doing now?

[Roquefort Raider]

Comic-book writers and artists are a bit like movie actors or any kind of creator or performer that, after enjoying the spotlight for a while, either stay on and on or mysteriously vanish. Thankfully, not all give up comics because of health problems! Sometimes the internet brings us echoes of new careers they started after their four-color forays (or B&W if they were indy creators).

In this thread, I'd like people to share info on any creator they might know about who doesn't do comics anymore.

For starters, I came across a more-or-less recent article on Pat Broderick, known for his work on Marvel's Captain Marvel, Micronauts, and Doom 2099, as well as DC's Firestorm and Swamp Thing. It seems that the comic field became extremely competitive and that Broderick's career veered toward advertisement. He tried a brief return to some other company's revival of the Micronauts, but that project folded pretty quick. I assume he's gone back to advertising.

Herb Trimpe (my favorite Hulk artist ever) got the cold shoulder from Marvel and had to give up comics, but successfully reinvented himself as an art teacher. I hope the kids appreciate how lucky they are! I wish Trimpe all the best.

James Owens, the creator of the indy comic Starchild, became the writer of the fantasy novel series "mythworld" which has known great success in Germany. He also publishes a fine art magazine, International Studio as well as the venerable fiction magazine Argosy. (Yes, THAT Argosy). Good going, Mr. Owens!

That's all that comes to mind at the moment. Any others?

[devildinosaur]

Comic-book writers and artists are a bit like movie actors or any kind of creator or performer that, after enjoying the spotlight for a while, either stay on and on or mysteriously vanish. Thankfully, not all give up comics because of health problems! Sometimes the internet brings us echoes of new careers they started after their four-color forays (or B&W if they were indy creators).

In this thread, I'd like people to share info on any creator they might know about who doesn't do comics anymore.

For starters, I came across a more-or-less recent article on Pat Broderick, known for his work on Marvel's Captain Marvel, Micronauts, and Doom 2099, as well as DC's Firestorm and Swamp Thing. It seems that the comic field became extremely competitive and that Broderick's career veered toward advertisement. He tried a brief return to some other company's revival of the Micronauts, but that project folded pretty quick. I assume he's gone back to advertising.

Herb Trimpe (my favorite Hulk artist ever) got the cold shoulder from Marvel and had to give up comics, but successfully reinvented himself as an art teacher. I hope the kids appreciate how lucky they are! I wish Trimpe all the best.

James Owens, the creator of the indy comic Starchild, became the writer of the fantasy novel series "mythworld" which has known great success in Germany. He also publishes a fine art magazine, International Studio as well as the venerable fiction magazine Argosy. (Yes, THAT Argosy). Good going, Mr. Owens!

That's all that comes to mind at the moment. Any others?

I don't know if anyone caught it, but I read that Trimpe was actually asked by Marvel to draw more like the current faves of the time: Lee, Liefeld, McFarlane, etc...

I think I might have slapped whoever suggested this. But Trimpe did actually draw in a completely different style towards the end of his mainstream work. Pity, that. I consider him my all-time favorite Hulk artist. I'd LOVE to see more work from him. Shame on Marvel for not recognizing his talent.

[matewan1990]

I don't know if anyone caught it, but I read that Trimpe was actually asked by Marvel to draw more like the current faves of the time: Lee, Liefeld, McFarlane, etc...

I think I might have slapped whoever suggested this. But Trimpe did actually draw in a completely different style towards the end of his mainstream work. Pity, that. I consider him my all-time favorite Hulk artist. I'd LOVE to see more work from him. Shame on Marvel for not recognizing his talent.


He drew a Fantastic Four story (if I remember correctly) for Fantastic Four Unlimited in the early- to mid-1990s that looked like a bad Liefeld clone (actually, it looked like a bad Mark Pacella clone, who was a bad Rob Liefeld clone, whose style no one should ever try - or want - to copy).
It was a sad way to be treated by a company for which Trimpe had co-created Wolverine and had been a major artist on Hulk, Godzilla, Shogun Warriors and anything else Marvel threw at him.
Mike B.

[devildinosaur]

He drew a Fantastic Four story (if I remember correctly) for Fantastic Four Unlimited in the early- to mid-1990s that looked like a bad Liefeld clone (actually, it looked like a bad Mark Pacella clone, who was a bad Rob Liefeld clone, whose style no one should ever try - or want - to copy).
It was a sad way to be treated by a company for which Trimpe had co-created Wolverine and had been a major artist on Hulk, Godzilla, Shogun Warriors and anything else Marvel threw at him.
Mike B.

Ah, I remember Shogun Warriors well...great stuff.

[matewan1990]

I want to know whatever happened to Michael Fleisher, the great writer of Ghost Rider, Jonah Hex, Hex and the Spectre. I loved his stories, especially his Jonah Hex and Hex stuff. I've been trying to get contact information for him for the past year and a half to interview him for my newspaper column and no one seems to know anything about his whereabouts or what he's doing these days. Has anyone seen any new work from him in a while?
Mike B.

[Babylon23]

For starters, I came across a more-or-less recent article on Pat Broderick, known for his work on Marvel's Captain Marvel, Micronauts, and Doom 2099, as well as DC's Firestorm and Swamp Thing. It seems that the comic field became extremely competitive and that Broderick's career veered toward advertisement. He tried a brief return to some other company's revival of the Micronauts, but that project folded pretty quick. I assume he's gone back to advertising.

Thanks for the update. I love Broderick's art, especially on Firestorm and Captain Atom and Micronauts. I've always wondered what happened to him.

[Agentum]

In older days the artists often was artists till they died almost, but today at least the popular ones gets higher paying jobs ass experts or managers etc, making them stop drawing or whatever.

I miss the old school artist now and then but i guess they couldn't sell comics today?

[Jake Lockley]

What about Paris Cullens? I don't remember seeing anything from him in ages. Ditto Keith Pollard, who was something of a mainstay at Marvel for quite a while.

[sheets]

I don't know if anyone caught it, but I read that Trimpe was actually asked by Marvel to draw more like the current faves of the time: Lee, Liefeld, McFarlane, etc...


What was especially sad about this is that not only did the Liefeld fanboys not buy it, it basically destroyed Trimpe's reputation with older fans. He went from being considered the definitive Hulk artist to a pathetic fad-riding loser. I still encounter people practically spitting on his name when they discuss his work because of those issues he did in the early 90's.

[matewan1990]

What about Paris Cullens? I don't remember seeing anything from him in ages. Ditto Keith Pollard, who was something of a mainstay at Marvel for quite a while.

Pollard's out of the business and I can't even get him to let me interview him. I think he's put his comics career behind him. Paris Cullins, I think, works for DC's licensing branch (which is where all the good money is made). Both of those guys are super artists and I'd love to see them both back drawing monthly titles.
Mike B.

[Red Oak Kid]

Anyone know what became of Tom Grindberg?
http://tomgrindberg.com/

http://hometown.aol.com/macredoak/images/grindberg.jpg

[Clint Barton]

What's Sal Bucsema up to these days? Has he done any Marvel books lately?

[Roquefort Raider]

Anyone know what became of Tom Grindberg?
http://tomgrindberg.com/

http://hometown.aol.com/macredoak/images/grindberg.jpg

Grindberg is an artist I'd like to know more about... He started as a credible clone of Neal Adams, then switched to being a clone of Mike Mignola. I don't know what his penciling looks like nowadays, but his painted art suggests that he developed his own style... and it looks really good!

As for Rick Buchler (http://www.richbuckler.com/), he seems to be painting nowadays.

[Red Oak Kid]

As for Rick Buchler (http://www.richbuckler.com/), he seems to be painting nowadays.

Hey look kids, no Kirby swipes. Just Da vinci swipes.

I didn't say that.

[Rob Imes]

What's Sal Bucsema up to these days? Has he done any Marvel books lately?

He's been inking Ron Frenz every month on Marvel's Spider-Girl series which will soon be reaching its final issue (#100).

[Stephane Garrelie]

Pat Broderick have done the unublished "Peacemaker" comicbook writen by Bob Layton (co-plotted by David Michelinie) with inks by Terry Austin. Issue 1 was on-line as e free e-comic at www.boblayton.com last year. you can still see the covers to issues 1 to 4. The compagny imploded before the release of the book, so there was only this first issue done. The art by Broderick was as always very cool (I'm a fan of him since his Captain Marvel days, writen by Doug Moench). It was cool to see him inked by Terry Austin.

[Roquefort Raider]

Hey look kids, no Kirby swipes. Just Da vinci swipes.


And big titties! Don't forget the big titties.

Nos as big as Captain America's as drawn by Liefeld, but still.

[Clint Barton]

He's been inking Ron Frenz every month on Marvel's Spider-Girl series which will soon be reaching its final issue (#100).

Yeah. After I asked the question, I researched it all, but alas.....I'm not a reader of that book and I read where it's being canned....sigh. Thanks for the info though.

[benday-dot]

I just picked up a bunch of absolutely random but attractive looking titles from the 1 and 2 dollar bins of my lcs. Two of the nice finds, along with a bunch of 1974 Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes, was a DC Strange Sports #4 (also from 1974 and which has to be one of the weirdest titles in a company that once proudly and guilelessly went for the weird titles with gusto) with some lovely Irv Novick pencils under Dick Giordano (rather Neal Adams like I thought), and, which brings me to this "What are they doing now?" thread, a Weird Western Tales #24 (again from 1974)

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/2039/2039_24.jpg

I have a soft spot for Big2 books published within the years 1973 to 1976, since that is when I first started collecting comics as a kid, but really the only reason why I picked this one up was because I took a shine to the cover. I don't much read westerns, having just a smattering of the Two-Gun Kid, and Kid Colt Marvel reprints of the mid-70's, but perhaps I should regret this ommision. Not the least because I would probably be as smart as some of the posters on this forum who do vigorously embrace the western genre, but more so because I would have previously discovered this huge talent of Noly Panaligan.

This Jonah Hex book features some amazing art from a guy I knew, and still know, nothing about. This is really top-drawer stuff, richly detailed and masterful use of light and shadow. Anybody have any other recommended books by him? More to the point of this thread what is he doing now, if still alive, if still in the biz?

Thanks.

[Sir Tim Drake]

According to David A. Roach's article in Comic Book Artist #5, Panaligan had a career in Filipino komiks before he arrived at DC. He started out as Tony DeZuniga's assistant, then did 33 stories of his own, most of which were horror stories. In the early '80s he did four stories for Warren, but "as the Warren and DC horror books folded, his work dried up, too."

Sadly, according to this link (http://www.komikero.com/museum/nolypanaligan.html), he passed away in 2004.

Roach recommends his stories in Weird Mystery Tales #16; Weird Western Tales #24, 25, 27 and 29; Eerie #138; and The Rook #13 and #14.

[benday-dot]

Brilliant Sir Tim... top notch info as always. Sad about his passing though.

I think I'll start following up on the rest of the Weird Westerns. It really is one of the small pleasures you can get in the huge and varied world of comic book collecting, that in the taking of a random chance, a blind shot in the dark if you will, on some comic you had previously never knew a thing about, you end up discovering a real gem. A dollar well spent on that Weird Western Tales 24.

[matewan1990]

Anyone know what became of Tom Grindberg?
http://tomgrindberg.com/

http://hometown.aol.com/macredoak/images/grindberg.jpg

I tried to contact Tom Grindberg recently. He drew the Teen Titans Annual 1 that caused such a stir after Superboy bedded Wonder Girl.
Grindberg was more than a competent Neal Adams clone. Sometimes you couldn't even tell them apart.
But, he developed a Mignola style and now paints in a Frazetta style. Grindberg, at least, copies good artists.
I owned a nice painting by Tom a few years back and own his Checkmate cover done back in the 1980s in his Neal Adams style. It's a pretty good cover, but it looks like rushed Neal Adams.
I've been trying to contact him lately, but to no avail.
Sal Buscema did a variant cover for one of Marvel's books recently. His most recent monthly work was a few years ago on some DC titles like Superboy.
Buscema did a Marvel 1970s handbook cover recently, too, proving he's still doing good work.
Rich Buckler is painting, but still does commission work. He's working on a Jonah Hex commission for me as we speak.
Buckler is the nicest guy in comics. He's really informative and articulate. I've interviewed him three times over the past three months and he's been extremely nice to me.
I wish he were still doing monthly comics.
Patrick Oliffe needs to be working on something with a higher profile than Spider-Girl. He's a great artist and has a really nice style. He's also a good storyteller, which may account for why he's on Spider-Girl and not X-Men.
Mike B.