Brendan McCarthy
Encyclopedia
Brendan McCarthy is a British artist and designer best known for his work in comic books, film and television.
After leaving Chelsea art college in London, where he studied film and Fine Art, Brendan decided to become a full-time artist. He created the indy comic book Sometime Stories with art college pal Brett Ewins
. His first paid commercial work was a one page strip Electrick Hoax in the British
weekly music paper Sounds
with another art school escapee, writer Peter Milligan
in 1978. After this he started working for 2000 AD including Judge Dredd
.
At the same time he was working on designs for his first television show - the unmade Dan Dare
live-action television series for Lew Grade
's ATV
in the 1970s. It was to have been a stylish retro 50's take on the classic Eagle
hero.
In 1980, inspired by the book The Razor's Edge
, McCarthy decided to travel the globe on a futile and nonsensical metaphysical pilgrimage, ending up, via Egypt, India and the Himalayas, in Sydney
, Australia
. Deeply inspired by George Miller
's punk masterwork, Mad Max 2, Brendan mulled over a post-apocalyptic surfing
story, later written with Peter Milligan and called Freakwave.
In 1983 Brendan McCarthy returned to the UK and to drawing comics, working on Strange Days, an anthology
title published by Eclipse Comics
, once again collaborating with his friends Peter Milligan
and Brett Ewins
. He also drew a two issue series featuring his alternative media-brat superhero
Paradax from Strange Days. Around this time, one of his best-loved characters was created with Pete Milligan: Mirkin The Mystic was a kind of laconic, psychedelic Ditko
-esque, Oscar Wilde
an, inter-dimensional traveller.
Returning to the pages of 2000AD, he again drew Judge Dredd, redefining the look of the character in the process and creating the classic storylines featuring the Judda
and Brit-Cit
Judges.
1986 saw Milligan and McCarthy produce Sooner or Later for 2000 AD, a surreal
, psychedelic
strip which split fan opinion but was critically well received.
Around this time, Brendan designed and storyboarded the Arabian cel-animated TV series, New Babylon and also The Storyteller
for Jim Henson
's company.
Brendan designed the characters in Grant Morrison
's Zenith
strip which started in 1987 and on Morrison and Mark Millar
's Marvel series Skrull Kill Krew
. He also produced covers and character designs for Pete Milligan's revamp of Shade, the Changing Man
. To this day McCarthy remains a huge Steve Ditko
fan.
By now McCarthy was an influential figure in British comics. Over the next few years he worked for the 2000 AD spin off titles Crisis and Revolver
.
For Revolver McCarthy drew Rogan Gosh (later compiled into a single edition by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics
), and for Crisis he drew Skin
, the tale of a thalidomide
skinhead
in 1970s London
, both books created with and written by Peter Milligan. Skin proved to be highly controversial, with Crisis refusing to release the story and their printers refusing to print it due to claims of it being "morbidly obscene". The story remained in legal limbo before eventually being released by Kevin Eastman
's Tundra Publishing
in 1992.
Brendan worked as designer on the films Highlander
, the first live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
film, Lost In Space
and The Borrowers
. He also designed and contributed visual gags to the film Coneheads
, working alongside SNL
comedians like Dan Aykroyd
, Adam Sandler
, David Spade
and Phil Hartman
.
McCarthy spent much of the remainder of the 1990s working in film and television. Most notably as the designer of the CGI
animated science fiction
TV series ReBoot
and character creator for War Planets. ReBoot was a worldwide success, and was the world's first long-form computer animated piece, predating both Pixar
and Dreamworks
' later movies. Computer games, toys and motion rides were developed from the series.
In 2003 he was asked to co-write and design Mad Max 4: Fury Road with director George Miller
. Brendan also created, co-wrote and designed a surreal CGI animated feature, also for George Miller.
Brendan McCarthy in 2004 took a year sabbatical and hired Steve Cook
to help him design Swimini Purpose, an illustrated visual autobiography
of his original art and design work. This was released in 2005 in the UK, as a limited artist's edition, and sold out within weeks. This very rare book has become a serious collectors' holy grail
.
Recently, McCarthy featured in the final issue of DC Comics' Solo. His comic had new takes on characters such as The Flash
, Batman
, and Johnny Sorrow
, as well as introducing a new comics' cavalcade of homeless, insane and transgendered social outcasts.
He remains active as an artist and writer, working around the world in film, TV and animation and developing his own strange and wonderful ideas.
Recently, Brendan was commissioned by Marvel Comics to create a new take on Doctor Strange
. The finished mini-series, Spider-Man: Fever, appeared in April 2010.
Biography
Brendan McCarthy, of Irish descent, was born in London. Brendan soon began painting and drawing his own home-made comics.After leaving Chelsea art college in London, where he studied film and Fine Art, Brendan decided to become a full-time artist. He created the indy comic book Sometime Stories with art college pal Brett Ewins
Brett Ewins
Brett Ewins is a British comic book artist best known for his work on Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper in the weekly comic book 2000 AD.-Biography:...
. His first paid commercial work was a one page strip Electrick Hoax in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
weekly music paper Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
with another art school escapee, writer Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
in 1978. After this he started working for 2000 AD including Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
.
At the same time he was working on designs for his first television show - the unmade Dan Dare
Dan Dare
Dan Dare is a British science fiction comic hero, created by illustrator Frank Hampson who also wrote the first stories, that is, the Venus and Red Moon stories, and a complete storyline for Operation Saturn...
live-action television series for Lew Grade
Lew Grade
Lew Grade, Baron Grade , born Lev Winogradsky, was an influential Russian-born English impresario and media mogul.-Early years:...
's ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
in the 1970s. It was to have been a stylish retro 50's take on the classic Eagle
Eagle (comic)
Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
hero.
In 1980, inspired by the book The Razor's Edge
The Razor's Edge
The Razor’s Edge is a book by W. Somerset Maugham published in 1944. Its epigraph reads, "The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard." taken from a verse in the Katha-Upanishad....
, McCarthy decided to travel the globe on a futile and nonsensical metaphysical pilgrimage, ending up, via Egypt, India and the Himalayas, in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Deeply inspired by George Miller
George Miller (producer)
George Miller is an Australian film director, screenwriter, producer, and former medical doctor. He is most well known for his work on the Mad Max movies, but has been involved in a wide range of projects, including the Oscar-winning Happy Feet and "Babe" family films.Miller is the older brother...
's punk masterwork, Mad Max 2, Brendan mulled over a post-apocalyptic surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
story, later written with Peter Milligan and called Freakwave.
In 1983 Brendan McCarthy returned to the UK and to drawing comics, working on Strange Days, an anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
title published by Eclipse Comics
Eclipse Comics
Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market...
, once again collaborating with his friends Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
and Brett Ewins
Brett Ewins
Brett Ewins is a British comic book artist best known for his work on Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper in the weekly comic book 2000 AD.-Biography:...
. He also drew a two issue series featuring his alternative media-brat superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
Paradax from Strange Days. Around this time, one of his best-loved characters was created with Pete Milligan: Mirkin The Mystic was a kind of laconic, psychedelic Ditko
Steve Ditko
Stephen J. "Steve" Ditko is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the artist co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange....
-esque, Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
an, inter-dimensional traveller.
Returning to the pages of 2000AD, he again drew Judge Dredd, redefining the look of the character in the process and creating the classic storylines featuring the Judda
Morton Judd
Morton Judd is a fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip and appears in progs 559-563 of the British comic 2000 AD, in the story "Oz"....
and Brit-Cit
Brit-Cit
Brit-Cit is a huge fictional city in the fictional universe of British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd. It is also the home of Sam Slade in some of 2000AD's Robo-Hunter stories. The city covers the south of England and bordering on the Black Atlantic...
Judges.
1986 saw Milligan and McCarthy produce Sooner or Later for 2000 AD, a surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
, psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
strip which split fan opinion but was critically well received.
Around this time, Brendan designed and storyboarded the Arabian cel-animated TV series, New Babylon and also The Storyteller
The Storyteller
The StoryTeller is a live-action/puppet television series. It was an American/British co-production which originally aired in 1988 and was created and produced by Jim Henson....
for Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
's company.
Brendan designed the characters in Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
's Zenith
Zenith (comics)
Zenith is a British superhero, who appeared in the science fiction comic 2000 AD. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Steve Yeowell, with original character designs by Brendan McCarthy, he first appeared in 2000 AD #536 .Shallow and sarcastic, Zenith was a distinctly Generation X superhero...
strip which started in 1987 and on Morrison and Mark Millar
Mark Millar
Mark Millar is a Scottish comic book writer, known for his work on books such as The Authority, The Ultimates, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Civil War, Wanted, and Kick-Ass, the latter two of which have been adapted into feature films...
's Marvel series Skrull Kill Krew
Skrull Kill Krew
The Skrull Kill Krew are a fictional group from Marvel Comics who first appeared in their own limited series published in 1995. They were created by Grant Morrison, Mark Millar and Steve Yeowell.The group are humans modified by eating Skrull-infected beef...
. He also produced covers and character designs for Pete Milligan's revamp of Shade, the Changing Man
Shade, the Changing Man
Shade, the Changing Man is a fictional comic book character created by Steve Ditko for DC Comics in 1977. The character was later adapted by Peter Milligan and became one of the first Vertigo titles....
. To this day McCarthy remains a huge Steve Ditko
Steve Ditko
Stephen J. "Steve" Ditko is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the artist co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange....
fan.
By now McCarthy was an influential figure in British comics. Over the next few years he worked for the 2000 AD spin off titles Crisis and Revolver
Revolver Comic (UK)
Revolver is the title of a British comic which was a spin off from 2000AD. It lasted for seven regular issues and two specials, and was published between July 1990 to January 1991.-History:...
.
For Revolver McCarthy drew Rogan Gosh (later compiled into a single edition by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
), and for Crisis he drew Skin
Skin (comic)
Skin is a 48-page graphic novel written by Peter Milligan, created and drawn by Brendan McCarthy and colored by Carol Swain. It tells the story of a young skinhead, Martin Atchitson who grew up in 1970s London with thalidomide-related birth defects...
, the tale of a thalidomide
Thalidomide
Thalidomide was introduced as a sedative drug in the late 1950s that was typically used to cure morning sickness. In 1961, it was withdrawn due to teratogenicity and neuropathy. There is now a growing clinical interest in thalidomide, and it is introduced as an immunomodulatory agent used...
skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
in 1970s London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, both books created with and written by Peter Milligan. Skin proved to be highly controversial, with Crisis refusing to release the story and their printers refusing to print it due to claims of it being "morbidly obscene". The story remained in legal limbo before eventually being released by Kevin Eastman
Kevin Eastman
Kevin Brooks Eastman is an American comic book artist and writer, best known as the creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Eastman is also the current owner, editor and publisher of the magazine Heavy Metal.-Early life:Eastman was born on May 30, 1962 in Springvale, Maine...
's Tundra Publishing
Tundra Publishing
Tundra Publishing was a Northampton, Massachusetts-based comic book publisher founded by Kevin Eastman in 1990.-Overview:Tundra was meant to provide a venue for high-quality work by talented cartoonists and illustrators. Its publications were noted in the trade for their high production values,...
in 1992.
Brendan worked as designer on the films Highlander
Highlander (film)
Highlander is a 1986 fantasy action film directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen. It stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and Roxanne Hart. The film depicts the climax of an ages-old battle between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and...
, the first live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (film)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1990 American live-action film adaptation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise directed by Steve Barron. The film was followed by three sequels: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze in 1991, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III in 1993, and...
film, Lost In Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
and The Borrowers
The Borrowers
The Borrowers, published in 1952, is the first in a series of children's fantasy novels by English author Mary Norton. The novel and its sequels are about tiny people who live in people's homes and "borrow" things to survive while keeping their existence unknown...
. He also designed and contributed visual gags to the film Coneheads
Coneheads
The Coneheads is a sketch on Saturday Night Live which originated on the January 15, 1977 episode, and starred Dan Aykroyd as father Beldar, Jane Curtin as mother Prymaat, and Laraine Newman as daughter Connie.-Summary:...
, working alongside SNL
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
comedians like Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
, Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
, David Spade
David Spade
David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
and Phil Hartman
Phil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
.
McCarthy spent much of the remainder of the 1990s working in film and television. Most notably as the designer of the CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
animated science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
TV series ReBoot
ReBoot
ReBoot is a Canadian CGI-animated action-adventure cartoon series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001. It was produced by Vancouver-based production company Mainframe Entertainment, Alliance Communications, BLT Productions and created by Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell and John Grace,...
and character creator for War Planets. ReBoot was a worldwide success, and was the world's first long-form computer animated piece, predating both Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
and Dreamworks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
' later movies. Computer games, toys and motion rides were developed from the series.
In 2003 he was asked to co-write and design Mad Max 4: Fury Road with director George Miller
George Miller (producer)
George Miller is an Australian film director, screenwriter, producer, and former medical doctor. He is most well known for his work on the Mad Max movies, but has been involved in a wide range of projects, including the Oscar-winning Happy Feet and "Babe" family films.Miller is the older brother...
. Brendan also created, co-wrote and designed a surreal CGI animated feature, also for George Miller.
Brendan McCarthy in 2004 took a year sabbatical and hired Steve Cook
Steven Cook
Steven Cook is a British artist, photographer, and graphic designer.Best known for his work in the comics field, Cook was art director and designer for the British comic 2000 AD . During this time he produced a number of striking cover illustrations along with its distinctive, iconic logo still in...
to help him design Swimini Purpose, an illustrated visual autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
of his original art and design work. This was released in 2005 in the UK, as a limited artist's edition, and sold out within weeks. This very rare book has become a serious collectors' holy grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
.
Recently, McCarthy featured in the final issue of DC Comics' Solo. His comic had new takes on characters such as The Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, and Johnny Sorrow
Johnny Sorrow
Johnny Sorrow is a fictional character that appears in publications published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Secret Origins of Super-Villains 80-Page Giant #1 Johnny Sorrow is a fictional character that appears in publications published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in...
, as well as introducing a new comics' cavalcade of homeless, insane and transgendered social outcasts.
He remains active as an artist and writer, working around the world in film, TV and animation and developing his own strange and wonderful ideas.
Recently, Brendan was commissioned by Marvel Comics to create a new take on Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
. The finished mini-series, Spider-Man: Fever, appeared in April 2010.
Awards
- 1992 - nominated for Eisner AwardEisner AwardThe Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
for "Best Cover Artist", for Shade, the Changing Man - 1993 - nominated for Eisner AwardEisner AwardThe Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
for "Best Cover Artist", for Shade, the Changing Man
External links
- The Strangeness of Brendan McCarthy, the official fansite
- Brendan McCarthy Showreel on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....