Ethan Van Sciver
Encyclopedia
Ethan Daniel Van Sciver (born September 3, 1974) is an 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...

 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...

, best known for illustrating a number of titles including Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...

, Superman/Batman
Superman/Batman
Superman/Batman was a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular characters: Batman and Superman...

, New X-Men, and The Flash: Rebirth
The Flash: Rebirth
The Flash: Rebirth is a six issue monthly American comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver. Published by DC Comics, the series features characters from throughout the nearly seventy year history of Flash comics. This is the creative team's second...

. He is known for a meticulous and detail-oriented style that collaborator Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...

 claims reflects the depth to which Van Sciver explores the mythology of his characters.

Early life

Van Sciver was born in Utah, and grew up in South New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. He decided on a career in the comic book field after seeing Superman: The Movie as a child, but read comics "mostly just... for the pictures, until John Byrne's "Man of Steel
Man of Steel
Man of Steel may refer to:* Superman, the comic book superhero, whom the nickname "The Man of Steel" commonly refers to** The Man of Steel , a six-issue comic book limited series about Superman released in 1986 by DC Comics...

" in 1986
1986 in comics
-Year overall:* Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, a four-issue limited series written and drawn by Frank Miller and published by DC Comics, debuts...

, the first time he really started reading the books.

Comics career

He was involved in art in various forms before his comics work, speaking in 2005, he said:
Van Sciver cites Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...

 and Jon Bogdanove
Jon Bogdanove
Jon Bogdanove is an American comic book artist and writer. He is best known for his work on Power Pack, Superman: The Man of Steel, and for creating the character Steel with writer Louise Simonson in 1993.-Comics:...

's Fantastic Four vs. X-Men as a strong influence, telling a group of fans at Comic-Con International
Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...

 that:
"I'm trying in my own comics to recreate the feeling I got from that four-issue miniseries."


Van Sciver's entry into the comics industry came when he was 19 years old, and created "a horrible little character called Cyberfrog." Cyberfrog was written and drawn by Van Sciver, and published by Hall of Heroes
Hall of Heroes
Hall of Heroes was a short-lived American independent comic book company that existed from 1993 to 1999, as well as the name of their flagship title.-Titles:*Cyberfrog — by Ethan van Sciver; title later acquired by Harris Comics...

, and later, Harris Comics. He has contributed to a number of high-profile series for both 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...

, and primarily 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...

. Titles include his own Cyberfrog and such titles as New X-Men, The Flash: Rebirth
The Flash: Rebirth
The Flash: Rebirth is a six issue monthly American comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver. Published by DC Comics, the series features characters from throughout the nearly seventy year history of Flash comics. This is the creative team's second...

, Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...

, and Superman/Batman
Superman/Batman
Superman/Batman was a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular characters: Batman and Superman...

.

Van Sciver's first major work for DC Comics was on the series Impulse
Bart Allen
Bartholomew "Bart" Allen is a superhero in the . Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse. He would later go on to become the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Allen's first cameo appearance was in The Flash #91, while his first full appearance was in issue #92...

, with writer Todd Dezago
Todd DeZago
Todd Dezago is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his collaborations with penciller Mike Wieringo on The Sensational Spider-Man and their creator-owned fantasy series Tellos, which premiered in 1999, as well as for co-creating Young Justice with artist Todd Nauck in the 1998...

. Van Sciver recalled that Paul Kupperberg
Paul Kupperberg
Paul Kupperberg is a former editor for DC Comics, and a prolific writer of comic books and newspaper strips.-Biography:Kupperberg entered the comics field from comics fandom, as had his brother, writer/artist Alan Kupperberg...

 offered him a fill-in role on the series, with the chance to try and save the title. Van Sciver recalls, "we did save the book for a while."

Many of Van Sciver's most notable works have been produced in collaboration with writer Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...

. Van Sciver feels he may have had a "bad influence" on the writer, working with him early on on the superhero-horror one-shot The Flash: Iron Heights
Iron Heights
Iron Heights Penitentiary is a fictional setting in the , a maximum-security prison which houses the many Flash rogues and superhuman criminals of Keystone City and Central City when captured...

. The artist described his approach on the issue as "taking well known, maybe well worn superhero concepts, make them scary, make them upsetting in some way."
For Marvel
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...

, Van Sciver produced several issues of 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 New X-Men, starting as a two-issues-per-year fill-in artist for regular series artist Frank Quitely
Frank Quitely
Vincent Deighan, better known by the pen name Frank Quitely, is a Scottish comic book artist. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with Grant Morrison on titles such as New X-Men, We3, All-Star Superman, and Batman and Robin, as well as his work with Mark Millar on The...

. Initially intending to also work on an X-Men miniseries with Johns while producing his small yearly commitment to Morrison's story, Van Sciver soon found himself asked to produce more and more issues, until a third 'regular' artist (Igor Kordey
Igor Kordey
-Career:While his best-known work is featured in New X-Men, he has a very diverse repertoire, moving between traditional pencils and inks to fully painted panels. Because of his speed as an artist, at his peak, he was producing artwork for three or four monthly books at the same time...

) was brought on board, and the Johns-penned miniseries was abandoned.

Van Sciver is fond of inserting hidden elements in some of his work, including the incorporation of the word "sex" onto almost every page of New X-Men #118.

In 2004, Johns and Van Sciver brought Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...

 back to the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...

 as Earth's main Green Lantern officer in the six-issue miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth
Green Lantern: Rebirth
Green Lantern: Rebirth was a six-issue monthly American comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver...

, before the duo re-launched the Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...

title itself with a new volume. Van Sciver's work on the Green Lantern mythos helped explain and retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...

 many elements of the Green Lantern story which some fans and writers found nonsensical, such as the reasons of the power ring
Power ring (weapon)
A power ring is a fictional object featured in comic book titles published by DC Comics. It first appeared in All-American Comics #16 .-Origin:...

s uselessness against the color yellow, and Hal Jordan's transformation into the supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...

 Parallax
Parallax (comics)
Parallax is a fictional comic book supervillain in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks for Green Lantern vol...

.

In 2007, Johns, Van Sciver, Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons is an English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...

 and Ivan Reis
Ivan Reis
Ivan Reis , born 1976 in São Paulo, is a Brazilian comic book artist. He is known for his work on books such as Marvel Comics' Captain Marvel, and DC Comics' Green Lantern books...

 produced the eleven-issue Sinestro Corps War
Sinestro Corps War
"Sinestro Corps War" is an American comic book crossover event published by DC Comics in its Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps titles. Written by Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons and drawn by Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, and Ethan Van Sciver, the 11-part saga was originally published between June...

across the two Green Lantern monthly titles, the second part of a mooted trilogy of Green Lantern tales. This story launched the Sinestro Corps
Sinestro Corps
The Sinestro Corps is a group of fictional characters, a villainous analogue to the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. It is led by the supervillain Thaal Sinestro.-Before the Corps:...

, the antithesis of the Green Lantern Corps
Green Lantern Corps
The Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the planet Oa...

, led by rogue Green Lantern Sinestro
Sinestro
Thaal Sinestro is a fictional character, an alien supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro is the former mentor of Hal Jordan and the arch-nemesis of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro first appears in Green Lantern #7 . In 2009, Sinestro was...

 and his Qward
Qward
Qward is a fictional world existing within an antimatter universe that is part of the . It was first mentioned in Green Lantern # 2 .-Fictional history:...

ian yellow power ring. The series set the stage for a complete overhaul of the Lantern Corps, and introduced the emotional spectrum of power which provides energy to many different color variations of power rings.

In 2008, Van Sciver was the guest artist on an issue of Justice League of America (vol. 2) #20 (June 2008). Van Sciver's 2009 work includes the six-issue mini-series The Flash: Rebirth
The Flash: Rebirth
The Flash: Rebirth is a six issue monthly American comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver. Published by DC Comics, the series features characters from throughout the nearly seventy year history of Flash comics. This is the creative team's second...

, and variant covers for the Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...

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...

 event, The Blackest Night
Green Lantern: The Blackest Night
"Blackest Night" is a 2009–2010 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, central miniseries written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, as well as a number of tie-in books. "Blackest Night" involves Nekron, a personified force of death...

.

Other work

In the Fall of 2006 Ethan was contacted by Kip Winger
Kip Winger
Charles Frederick Kip Winger is an American rock musician, both a member of the hard rock band, Winger, and a solo artist.-Early days:Winger was born in Denver, Colorado to parents who were both jazz musicians....

 and asked to pencil the cover art for Winger's fourth studio album
IV (Winger album)
-Band members:* Kip Winger - vocals, bass, acoustics, keys* Reb Beach – guitars, vocals* John Roth – guitars, vocals* Cenk Eroglu – keys, guitars and effects* Rod Morgenstein - Drums-Additional personnel:* Denny McDonald - additional background vocals...

. The cover art was sold as a poster called Guardian of Freedom.

DC

  • 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...

    /Catwoman
    Catwoman
    Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...

    : Trail of the Gun
    , miniseries, #1-2 (2004)
  • 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 ....

    : Iron Heights
    (2001)
  • Flash: Rebirth, miniseries, #1-6 (2009)
  • Flash 80-Page Giant (Impulse
    Impulse (DC Comics)
    Impulse is an identity shared by three comic book superheroes published by DC Comics.-Publication history:Kent Shakespeare was the first DC Comics superhero known as Impulse, he debuted in Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 4 #12 . Bart Allen is the second DC Comics superhero known as Impulse, he debuted...

    ) #1 (1998)
  • Green Lantern: Rebirth
    Green Lantern: Rebirth
    Green Lantern: Rebirth was a six-issue monthly American comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver...

    , miniseries, #1-6 (2004–05)
  • Green Lantern
    Green Lantern (comic book)
    Green Lantern is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics heroes of the same name. The character's first incarnation, Alan Scott, appeared in All-American Comics #16, and was later spun off into the first volume of Green Lantern in 1941. That series was canceled in 1949 after 39 issues...

    , vol. 4, #1 (along with Carlos Pacheco
    Carlos Pacheco
    Carlos Pacheco is a Spanish comic book artist and penciller. Pacheco was born in San Roque, Cádiz. He is best known in the United States for his work on titles such as Avengers Forever, X-Men and Green Lantern...

    ); #4-5, 9 (full art); #25 (along with Ivan Reis
    Ivan Reis
    Ivan Reis , born 1976 in São Paulo, is a Brazilian comic book artist. He is known for his work on books such as Marvel Comics' Captain Marvel, and DC Comics' Green Lantern books...

    ) (2005–08)
  • Green Lantern: Secret Files & Origins 2005
  • Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps
    Sinestro Corps
    The Sinestro Corps is a group of fictional characters, a villainous analogue to the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. It is led by the supervillain Thaal Sinestro.-Before the Corps:...

     Special
    #1 (2007)
  • Hawkman
    Hawkman
    Hawkman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published by All-American Publications in 1940....

    , vol. 4, #13 (2003)
  • Impulse
    Impulse (DC Comics)
    Impulse is an identity shared by three comic book superheroes published by DC Comics.-Publication history:Kent Shakespeare was the first DC Comics superhero known as Impulse, he debuted in Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 4 #12 . Bart Allen is the second DC Comics superhero known as Impulse, he debuted...

    #41, 50-52, 54-58, 62-63, 65-67 (1998–2000)
  • JLA
    JLA (comic book)
    JLA was a monthly comic book published by DC Comics from January 1997 to April 2006 featuring the Justice League.-Publication history:The low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books by the mid-1990s prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team on a single title...

    Secret Files #3 (among other artists) (2000)
  • Justice Leagues
    Justice Leagues
    "Justice Leagues" was a storyline which ran through six one-shot comics published in 2001 by DC Comics, which introduced a revamped Justice League of America....

    : JL?
    , one-shot (2001)
  • Justice League of America, vol. 4, #20 (2006)
  • Superman/Batman
    Superman/Batman
    Superman/Batman was a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular characters: Batman and Superman...

    #28-30 (2006)
  • Secret Origins
    Secret Origins
    Secret Origins is the title of three American comic book series published by DC Comics.The title began in 1961 and for one issue, all reprints. The title Secret Origins of Super Heroes went onto a second series, also reprints, which ran for seven issues from 1973-1974...

     80-Page Giant
    (Wonder Girl
    Wonder Girl
    Wonder Girl is the name of three fictional characters featured as superheroes in comic books and other media produced by DC Comics. The original was a younger version of Wonder Woman...

    ) #1 (1998)
  • Untold Tales of Blackest Night #1 (among other artists) (2010)
  • War of the Supermen (Free Comic Book Day
    Free Comic Book Day
    Free Comic Book Day is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to help bring new readers into independent comic book stores. Retailer Joe Field of in Concord, CA brainstormed the event in his "Big Picture" column in the August 2001 issue of Comics & Games Retailer...

    )
    #0 (among other artists) (2010)

Marvel

  • Weapon X
    Weapon X
    Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project in the Marvel Universe conducted by the Canadian Government's Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their...

    : The Draft - Wild Child
    (2002)
  • 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...

    #179 (2002)
  • New X-Men #117-118, 123, 133 (2001–02)

Personal life

Van Sciver is married and resides in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

. He and his wife Sharis have a son, Hunter. He has mentioned in interview that he is "obsessed by historical tragedies." He is also a notable autograph collector.

Van Sciver's younger brother is the underground comic
Underground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books which are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, including explicit drug use, sexuality and violence...

 artist Noah Van Sciver
Noah Van Sciver
Noah Van Sciver is an independent American cartoonist, known for his comic book "Blammo" and his comic strip, Four Questions in the Denver alternative weekly, Westword....

.

External links


Interviews

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