Craig Yoe
Encyclopedia
Craig Yoe is an author, editor, art director, graphic designer, cartoonist and comics historian, best known for his Yoe! Studio creations and his line of Yoe! Books. Publishers Weekly
labeled Yoe a "comics archaeologist" because of the sometimes forgotten, obscure or hard-to-find comic strip
s and comic book
s he has unearthed for his meticulous restorations and hardcover reprints. The Yoe! Studio is located in Peekskill, New York
.
Born in Des Moines, Iowa
, Yoe attended Firestone High School
in Akron, Ohio
and the University of Akron
before dropping out to concentrate on counter-cultural activities and the anti-war movement. In the very early 70's Yoe was a leader in the Akron Jesus People movement, creating a newspaper/Christian comic first called "The Acorn" and later, "Jesus Loves You" . In 1970, Yoe commissioned legendary surf artist and friend Rick Griffin to do the painting "Rock of Ages" which became the cover for "Jesus Loves You" (published by Zondervan
Early in his career, Yoe was senior designer at Marvin Glass & Associates, where he worked on Cabbage Patch Kids
and My Little Pony
toys. Recruited by Jim Henson
, Yoe became the creative director and general manager of the Muppets, working on everything from theme parks to television shows. After Henson's death, Yoe opened his own company, the Yoe! Studio, creating publications, style guides, packaging, press kits, logos and toys. The Yoe! Studio client list includes Kellogg’s
, Disney, Nickelodeon
, Marvel and DC Comics
. Clizia Gussoni is Yoe's wife, business partner and the co-creative director of Yoe! Studio.
Yoe also handles The Adventures of Big Boy comic book, distributed to Big Boy Restaurants
, as he discussed with Steven Heller:
.
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
labeled Yoe a "comics archaeologist" because of the sometimes forgotten, obscure or hard-to-find comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
s and comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s he has unearthed for his meticulous restorations and hardcover reprints. The Yoe! Studio is located in Peekskill, New York
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point.This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products...
.
Born in Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, Yoe attended Firestone High School
Firestone High School
Harvey S. Firestone High School is a public high school located on the northwest side of Akron, Ohio. It is one of seven high schools in the Akron Public Schools district. The high school currently offers programs such as the Visual and Performing Arts, International Baccalaureate Program, and...
in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
and the University of Akron
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
before dropping out to concentrate on counter-cultural activities and the anti-war movement. In the very early 70's Yoe was a leader in the Akron Jesus People movement, creating a newspaper/Christian comic first called "The Acorn" and later, "Jesus Loves You" . In 1970, Yoe commissioned legendary surf artist and friend Rick Griffin to do the painting "Rock of Ages" which became the cover for "Jesus Loves You" (published by Zondervan
Early in his career, Yoe was senior designer at Marvin Glass & Associates, where he worked on Cabbage Patch Kids
Cabbage Patch Kids
Cabbage Patch Kids is a line of dolls created by American art student Xavier Roberts in 1978. It was originally called "Little People". The original dolls were all cloth and sold at local craft shows, then later at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia...
and My Little Pony
My Little Pony
My Little Pony is a brand of toy ponies marketed primarily to girls produced by the toy manufacturer Hasbro. These ponies can be identified by their colorful bodies and manes and a unique symbol on one or both sides of their flanks...
toys. Recruited by 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...
, Yoe became the creative director and general manager of the Muppets, working on everything from theme parks to television shows. After Henson's death, Yoe opened his own company, the Yoe! Studio, creating publications, style guides, packaging, press kits, logos and toys. The Yoe! Studio client list includes Kellogg’s
Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company , is a producer of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and vegetarian foods...
, Disney, Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
, Marvel and 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...
. Clizia Gussoni is Yoe's wife, business partner and the co-creative director of Yoe! Studio.
Yoe also handles The Adventures of Big Boy comic book, distributed to Big Boy Restaurants
Big Boy (restaurant)
Big Boy is a restaurant chain with its headquarters in Warren, Michigan.Big Boy was started in 1936 by Bob Wian, in partnership with Arnold Peterson in Glendale, California, USA. Marriott Corporation bought the chain in 1967...
, as he discussed with Steven Heller:
- We produce everything from start to finish. We interview celebrities from Britney SpearsBritney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
(when she was more wholesome, remember?) to SpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
. We produce the comic stories that are still the heart of the publication. Luke McDonnell, another Marvel graduate, is our staff artist at Yoe! Studio. Luke is an incredible visual storyteller who gives Big Boy and friends a delightful modern flair. We get freelance writers Craig Boldman and Bob Supina to do the scripts. When she has time, my business partner, Clizia Gussoni, pens some of the stories with her own magic. It goes from our printer right to the warehouse that houses all the food and napkins, then is trucked to the individual restaurants across the country. The kids love ’em. We get many enthusiastic letters and incredible drawings of Big Boy that we include in each issue.
Books
Yoe followed The Art of Mickey Mouse (co-author Janet Yoe-Morra, Rizzoli, 1991) with books for several different publishers: The Mighty Big Book of Optical Illusions (Price Stern Sloan, 2002), Clean Cartoonists’ Dirty Drawings (Last Gasp, 2007), Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-creator Joe Shuster (Abrams, 2009), The Great Anti-War Cartoons (Fantagraphics, 2009), Boody (Fantagraphics, 2009) and Krazy Kat & the Art of George Herriman: A Celebration (Abrams, 2011).Yoe! Books/IDW
In 2010, Yoe launched his own imprint, Yoe! Books, with IDWIDW
IDW may refer to:* IDW Publishing , a U.S. comic book publisher* Inverse distance weighting, a mathematical method for surface fitting* Investigative Data Warehouse, an FBI surveillance database...
.
- The Art of DitkoSteve DitkoStephen 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....
(January 2010) - The Complete Milt Gross Comic Books and Life StoryMilt GrossMilt Gross , was an American comic strip and comic book writer, illustrator and animator. He wrote his comics in a Yiddish-inflected English. He originated the non-sequitur "Banana Oil!" as a phrase deflating pomposity and posing. His character Count Screwloose's admonition, "Iggy, keep an eye on...
(February 2010) - Dan DeCarlo's JettaDan DeCarloDaniel S. DeCarlo was an American cartoonist best known as the artist who developed the look of Archie Comics in the late 1950s and early 1960s, modernizing the characters to their contemporary appearance and establishing the publisher's house style...
(March 2010) - The Golden Collection of Klassic Krazy Kool Kids Komics (April 2010)
- Felix the Cat’s Greatest Comic Book TailsFelix the CatFelix the Cat is a cartoon character created in the silent film era. His black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of the situations in which his cartoons place him, combine to make Felix one of the most recognized cartoon characters in film history...
(August 2010) - Dick Briefer's FrankensteinDick BrieferRichard "Dick" Briefer was an American comic-book artist best known for his various adaptations, including humorous ones, of the Frankenstein monster...
(October 2010) - Barney Google: Gambling, Horse Races & High-Toned WomenBarney Google and Snuffy SmithBarney Google and Snuffy Smith, originally Barney Google, is a long-running American comic strip created by cartoonist Billy DeBeck . Since its debut on June 17, 1919, the strip has gained a huge international readership, appearing in 900 newspapers in 21 countries...
(October 2010) - The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories (November 2010)
- Popeye: The Great Comic Book Tales by Bud SagendorfBud SagendorfForrest Cowles Sagendorf , better known as Bud Sagendorf, was an American cartoonist, notable for his work on King Features Syndicate's Thimble Theatre Starring Popeye comic strip....
(February 2011) - Krazy & Ignatz in Tiger TeaKrazy KatKrazy Kat is an American comic strip created by cartoonist George Herriman, published daily in newspapers between 1913 and 1944. It first appeared in the New York Evening Journal, whose owner, William Randolph Hearst, was a major booster for the strip throughout its run...
(April 2011) - Archie: A Celebration of America's Favorite TeenagersArchie ComicsArchie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
(May 2011) - Archie's MadhouseArchie ComicsArchie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
(August 2011) - Amazing 3-D Comics!Joe KubertJoe Kubert is an American comic book artist who went on to found The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawkman...
(August 2011) - Barks' Bear BookCarl BarksCarl Barks was an American Disney Studio illustrator and comic book creator, who invented Duckburg and many of its inhabitants, such as Scrooge McDuck , Gladstone Gander , the Beagle Boys , The Junior Woodchucks , Gyro Gearloose , Cornelius Coot , Flintheart Glomgold , John D...
(September 2011) - Bob Powell's Terror: The Chilling Archives of Horror ComicsBob PowellBob Powell né Stanislav Robert Pawlowski was an American comic book artist known for his work during the 1930-40s Golden Age of comic books, including on the features "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle" and "Mr. Mystic". He received a belated credit in 1999 for co-writing the debut of the popular...
(November 2011)