David Lapham
Encyclopedia
David Lapham is an Eisner Award
winning American
comic book
writer
, artist
, and cartoonist
, best known for his work on his groundbreaking independent comic book Stray Bullets
.
at Valiant Comics
where he was discovered by editor Jim Shooter
. He went on to join Shooter at Defiant Comics
where they co-created Warriors of Plasm
in 1993.
He set up his own publisher El Capitan Books
in 1995, in order to publish Stray Bullets
which he wrote, drew and lettered himself. By the end of that year Miramax had hired Lapham to write and direct a feature film. It is unclear what came of this contract as no movie has yet been produced. He then took a sabbatical from Stray Bullets in 2000, to produce his nine issue period murder mystery Murder Me Dead also from El Capitan Books.
Lapham began accepting more mainstream comics work from 2005 onwards, writing a storyarc for Top Cow Comics' The Darkness
("Hell House", Vol. 2 #17-20), a 12 part Batman
storyline in Detective Comics
("City of Crime" #801-808 and 811-814) for DC Comics
and writing and pencilling the six part Daredevil
Vs. Punisher
: Means And Ends limited series for Marvel Comics
. In late 2006, Marvel released Giant-Size Wolverine
#1, with a 34 page Lapham story illustrated by David Aja
, and DC began releasing Tales of the Unexpected
with an 8 issue arc starring the Spectre
which was also written by Lapham. Vertigo published the original graphic novel Silverfish in July 2007 and his interpretation of Terror, Inc. was released under the Marvel MAX line. He then wrote the Vertigo series Young Liars and took over from Garth Ennis
as writer on Crossed
.
This choice to do more mainstream work has led to the near-abandonment of Stray Bullets (with one issue left in the current arc), as well as a self-published futuristic science fiction limited series, The Parallax Man
. The series was announced to debut in 2005 but Lapham had less time to devote to it, and issues have never been solicited. He has expressed that he is still interested in both projects, but is unsure when he will be able to complete them. In March 2010 reported he planned with Dark Horse
a Comic series over the Predator franchise
.
's writing, and include an original story by Shooter exclusively for the collection.
Eisner Award
The 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...
winning American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, and cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, best known for his work on his groundbreaking independent comic book Stray Bullets
Stray Bullets
Stray Bullets is an independent American comic book series published in black and white by El Capitan Books. It is written and drawn by David Lapham....
.
Biography
Lapham started his career in 1990 as a pencillerPenciller
A penciller is an artist who works in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms.The penciller is the first step in rendering the story in visual form and may require several steps of feedback with the writer. These artists are concerned with layout to showcase...
at Valiant Comics
Valiant Comics
Valiant Comics is a comic book imprint published by various publishers since its inception with Voyager Communications, Inc. in 1989, later Acclaim Comics, Inc. Its assets were purchased from the bankruptcy of the Acclaim Entertaintment by Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in 2007.-Voyager...
where he was discovered by editor Jim Shooter
Jim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
. He went on to join Shooter at Defiant Comics
Defiant Comics
Defiant Comics was a comic book publishing imprint of Enlightened Entertainment Partners, LP. Defiant was established in 1993 by former Marvel Comics and Valiant Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.- Publication history :...
where they co-created Warriors of Plasm
Warriors of Plasm
Warriors of Plasm was the flagship title of Jim Shooter's Defiant Comics comic book company.Besides the original first issue of the comic , there was also a zero issue of Warriors of Plasm which was released as an insert in Previews magazine, and as a trading card set that could be put together...
in 1993.
He set up his own publisher El Capitan Books
El Capitan Books
El Capitan Books is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, which exclusively publishes the work of its founder, David Lapham.El Capitan's first release was Stray Bullets #1 in 1995, and the company is still best known for publishing this comic book series which continues today.Other...
in 1995, in order to publish Stray Bullets
Stray Bullets
Stray Bullets is an independent American comic book series published in black and white by El Capitan Books. It is written and drawn by David Lapham....
which he wrote, drew and lettered himself. By the end of that year Miramax had hired Lapham to write and direct a feature film. It is unclear what came of this contract as no movie has yet been produced. He then took a sabbatical from Stray Bullets in 2000, to produce his nine issue period murder mystery Murder Me Dead also from El Capitan Books.
Lapham began accepting more mainstream comics work from 2005 onwards, writing a storyarc for Top Cow Comics' The Darkness
The Darkness (comics)
The Darkness is a series of ongoing American comic books created by Marc Silvestri, Garth Ennis, and David Wohl and produced by Top Cow Productions. The comic first appeared in 1996 and enjoyed an initial period of relative success during the Top Cow/Image Comics boom of the late 1990s. However,...
("Hell House", Vol. 2 #17-20), a 12 part 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...
storyline in Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
("City of Crime" #801-808 and 811-814) for 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 writing and pencilling the six part Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
Vs. Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
: Means And Ends limited series for Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. In late 2006, Marvel released Giant-Size Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
#1, with a 34 page Lapham story illustrated by David Aja
David Aja
David Aja is a Spanish comic book artist, best known for his work on The Immortal Iron Fist and Daredevil.-Biography:He obtained a degree in Fine Arts at the University of Salamanca and served as a member of the faculty of fine arts from 1995 to 2000.Aja began working as a professional illustrator...
, and DC began releasing Tales of the Unexpected
Tales of the Unexpected (comics)
Tales of the Unexpected was a science fiction comic book published by DC Comics from 1956 to 1968 for 104 issues. It was later renamed The Unexpected although the numbering continued and it ended at issue 222, in 1982...
with an 8 issue arc starring the Spectre
Spectre (comics)
The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
which was also written by Lapham. Vertigo published the original graphic novel Silverfish in July 2007 and his interpretation of Terror, Inc. was released under the Marvel MAX line. He then wrote the Vertigo series Young Liars and took over from Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
as writer on Crossed
Crossed (comics)
Crossed is a comic book written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Jacen Burrows for the first ten issues, and published by Avatar Press. Follow ups Crossed: Family Values, Crossed 3D, and Crossed: Psychopath were written by David Lapham...
.
This choice to do more mainstream work has led to the near-abandonment of Stray Bullets (with one issue left in the current arc), as well as a self-published futuristic science fiction limited series, The Parallax Man
The Parallax Man
The Parallax Man is a six issue American independent colour comic book which was originally solicited for publication by El Capitan Books in Autumn 2005...
. The series was announced to debut in 2005 but Lapham had less time to devote to it, and issues have never been solicited. He has expressed that he is still interested in both projects, but is unsure when he will be able to complete them. In March 2010 reported he planned with Dark Horse
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
a Comic series over the Predator franchise
Predator (franchise)
The Predator film series is a science fiction horror film franchise. Produced by 20th Century Fox, the series started in 1987 with the film Predator, which led to two sequels and novel, comic book and video game spin-offs....
.
Harbinger: The Beginning
In August 2007, Valiant Entertainment released a deluxe Hardcover collection of the complete Harbinger origin story (Harbinger #0-7) entitled Harbinger: The Beginning. The collected stories feature Lapham's art and Jim ShooterJim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
's writing, and include an original story by Shooter exclusively for the collection.
Awards
- Eisner Awards
- 1996 - Best Writer/Artist (for Stray Bullets).
- 1997 - Best Graphic Album: Reprint (for Stray Bullets: Innocence of Nihilism)
External links
- Harbinger: The Beginning Hardcover Solicitation in Previews Magazine
- Harbinger: The Beginning article at The Splash page
- Harbinger: The Beginning, VarietyVariety (magazine)Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
- Harbinger: The Beginning Press Release at Newsarama
- Harbinger cover gallery at Valiantfans.com
- The Ten Most Important Comic Books of the 1990s (Harbinger by David Lapham is ranked #1)
- "Valiant Days, Valiant Nights - A Look Back at the Rise and Fall of Valiant, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...