Gerhard
Encyclopedia
Gerhard is the professional name of Canadian
artist known for the elaborately detailed background illustrations in the comics
series Cerebus the Aardvark
.
's Cerebus with issue #65 (August 1984), and continued through its conclusion with #300 in March, 2004. The series was written by Dave Sim, who also drew the foreground figures, and had worked on the self-published series largely solo for the first 64 issues. Gerhard jokingly described his job saying that he "draws tables and chairs behind an aardvark". He is also fond of photography
(some later issues of the comic book have covers based on his scenic photos) and sailing
.
Effective December 31, 2006, approximately three years after finishing his work on Cerebus, Gerhard ended his professional and personal relationship with Dave Sim. Subsequently, Dave Sim has been in the process of purchasing Gerhard's share of Aardvark-Vanaheim
.
Although most associated with Cerebus, Gerhard has produced works for other publications, although mostly with Sim. In September 1994, however, he worked with Stephen R. Bissette
on the cover to Bissette's Tyrant #1, and also colored Oni Press
' August 1998-published Free Speeches #1, featuring the artwork of Art Adams
, Mike Allred, Steven Hughes
, Jim Mahfood
and Kevin McCarthy to words by Sim, Neil Gaiman
, Nadine Strossen
and Frank Miller
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
artist known for the elaborately detailed background illustrations in the comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
series Cerebus the Aardvark
Cerebus the Aardvark
Cerebus the Aardvark, or simply Cerebus , is an independent comic book, written and illustrated by Canadian artist Dave Sim, with backgrounds by fellow Canadian Gerhard. Cerebus ran for 300 issues from December 1977 to 2004, and was over 6000 pages long, the longest-running original...
.
Biography
He was born on April 14, 1959 in Edmonton, and started his association with Dave SimDave Sim
David Victor Sim is an award-winning Canadian comic book writer and artist.A pioneer of self-published comics and creators' rights, Sim is best known as the creator of Cerebus the Aardvark, a comic book published from 1977 to 2004, which chronicles its main character in a 6,000-page self-contained...
's Cerebus with issue #65 (August 1984), and continued through its conclusion with #300 in March, 2004. The series was written by Dave Sim, who also drew the foreground figures, and had worked on the self-published series largely solo for the first 64 issues. Gerhard jokingly described his job saying that he "draws tables and chairs behind an aardvark". He is also fond of photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
(some later issues of the comic book have covers based on his scenic photos) and sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
.
Effective December 31, 2006, approximately three years after finishing his work on Cerebus, Gerhard ended his professional and personal relationship with Dave Sim. Subsequently, Dave Sim has been in the process of purchasing Gerhard's share of Aardvark-Vanaheim
Aardvark-Vanaheim
Aardvark-Vanaheim is a Canadian independent comic book publisher founded in 1977 by Dave Sim and Deni Loubert. It is best known for publishing Sim's Cerebus....
.
Although most associated with Cerebus, Gerhard has produced works for other publications, although mostly with Sim. In September 1994, however, he worked with Stephen R. Bissette
Stephen R. Bissette
Stephen R. Bissette is an American comics artist, editor, and publisher with a focus on the horror genre. He is best known for working with writer Alan Moore and inker John Totleben on the DC comic Swamp Thing in the 1980s....
on the cover to Bissette's Tyrant #1, and also colored Oni Press
Oni Press
Oni Press is an American independent comic book publisher based in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1997 by Bob Schreck and Joe Nozemack with the goal of publishing the kinds of comics and graphic novels they themselves would want to read...
' August 1998-published Free Speeches #1, featuring the artwork of Art Adams
Art Adams
Arthur "Art" Adams is an American comic book artist and writer. He first broke into the American comic book industry with the 1985 Marvel Comics miniseries Longshot...
, Mike Allred, Steven Hughes
Steven Hughes
Steven Jay Hughes was an American artist for the Chaos! Comics company. Hughes provided the art for many of the company's comics, including Lady Death, Evil Ernie, and the short-lived superhero series Detonator...
, Jim Mahfood
Jim Mahfood
Jim Mahfood , a.k.a. Food One, is an American comic book creator.Apart from his creator-owned comic book series Grrl Scouts and his comic strip Stupid Comics he also did work for Marvel Comics on various Spider-Man titles, including Ultimate Marvel Team-Up and Spectacular...
and Kevin McCarthy to words by Sim, Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
, Nadine Strossen
Nadine Strossen
Nadine Strossen was president of the American Civil Liberties Union from February 1991 to October 2008. She was the first woman and the youngest person to ever lead the ACLU. A professor at New York Law School, Professor Strossen sits on the Council on Foreign Relations...
and Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
.
External links
- Art of Gerhard A gallery of both Cerebus and non-Cerebus related artwork by Gerhard.
- http://www.comics.org/search/advanced/process/?target=sequence&method=icontains&logic=False&order1=date&order2=series&order3=&title=&feature=cerebus&job_number=&pages=&script=&pencils=&inks=gerhard&colors=&letters=&story_editing=&genre=&characters=&synopsis=&reprint_notes=¬es=&start_date=&end_date=&pub_name=&pub_notes=&series=&series_notes=&tracking_notes=&publication_notes=&issues=&volume=&issue_date=&brand=&indicia_publisher=&price=&issue_pages=&format=&issue_editing=&issue_notes=&has_stories=NoneGerhard]'s work on Cerebus at the Grand Comics Database
A lengthy three-part interview on the technical aspects of Gerhard's work on CerebusCerebus the AardvarkCerebus the Aardvark, or simply Cerebus , is an independent comic book, written and illustrated by Canadian artist Dave Sim, with backgrounds by fellow Canadian Gerhard. Cerebus ran for 300 issues from December 1977 to 2004, and was over 6000 pages long, the longest-running original...