J. Scott Campbell
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Scott Campbell is an American
comic book
artist. He has had several pen names, including "Jeff Scott", but is best known as J. Scott Campbell. He rose to fame as an artist for Wildstorm Comics, though he has since done work for Marvel Comics
(most notably as a cover artist on The Amazing Spider-Man
), and the video game industry.
, though he has no memories of that city, as his family moved when he was very young to the Denver, Colorado
, which he regards as his home. He has a younger sister, who is a digital architect, and a younger brother who is a musician.
In 1989, Campbell, then age fifteen, entered for and won an "Invent the Ultimate Video Game" contest featured in the issue 6 of Nintendo
's official magazine, Nintendo Power
, whereby submitted contest entries were to consist of drawings and concepts for a video game. Color drawings from "Lockarm," the videogame idea he pitched, were published in the magazine as the winning entry.
Years later, the 200th issue of Nintendo Power
included a poster featuring prominent Nintendo
characters drawn by Campbell in his unique art style, along with an interview whereby Campbell recalled his memories of the "Invent the Ultimate Video Game" Contest.
and Danger Girl
. He got his big break at Jim Lee
's Wildstorm
Productions with his work on Gen¹³
, his first comic book series, which featured a group of teenage heroes. He soon gained a reputation in the American comics industry for his highly sexualized illustrations of women
.
In 1998, Campbell, together with fellow comics artists Joe Madureira and Humberto Ramos
, founded the Cliffhanger
imprint as part of Wildstorm
Productions. He then launched his comic series Danger Girl
through this imprint. The story, which followed the adventures of a group of female secret agents, made the most of Campbell's talents drawing well-endowed women and dramatic action sequences.
The Danger Girl
series has since generated a video game for the Sony PlayStation
, as well as several comic spinoffs in the forms of limited series and one-shots that were drawn by different artists in the American comics industry. Most of these spin-offs featured story outlines from Campbell himself.
In August 2005, Campbell published Wildsiderz
, which he co-created with his Danger Girl writing partner Andy Hartnell
.
In 2006, Campbell provided a variant incentive cover for Justice League of America
(vol. 2) #0, the first issue of Brad Meltzer
's run on the title.
In 2007, Campbell illustrated the covers to the Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash
six-issue limited series
.
, Marvel Comics
announced that Campbell signed an exclusive contract with the company, and to work on a Spider-Man
series with writer Jeph Loeb
. Campbell has previously done covers for The Amazing Spider-Man
in 2003. Marvel scheduled Campbell and Loeb's new Spider-Man series for publication in 2008 as Campbell revealed in a video interview at the 2007 Wizard World Chicago Comic Con but the project was cancelled. However at C2E2 2010, when interviewed he stated the Spider-Man project is not officially cancelled.
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. He has had several pen names, including "Jeff Scott", but is best known as J. Scott Campbell. He rose to fame as an artist for Wildstorm Comics, though he has since done work 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...
(most notably as a cover artist on The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
), and the video game industry.
Early life and first published work
Campbell was born in East Tawas, MichiganEast Tawas, Michigan
East Tawas is a city in Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,951 at the 2000 census.-Geography:*According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, though he has no memories of that city, as his family moved when he was very young to the Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, which he regards as his home. He has a younger sister, who is a digital architect, and a younger brother who is a musician.
In 1989, Campbell, then age fifteen, entered for and won an "Invent the Ultimate Video Game" contest featured in the issue 6 of Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's official magazine, Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
, whereby submitted contest entries were to consist of drawings and concepts for a video game. Color drawings from "Lockarm," the videogame idea he pitched, were published in the magazine as the winning entry.
Years later, the 200th issue of Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
included a poster featuring prominent Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
characters drawn by Campbell in his unique art style, along with an interview whereby Campbell recalled his memories of the "Invent the Ultimate Video Game" Contest.
Wildstorm/DC
Campbell is best known as the original artist and co-creator of Gen¹³Gen¹³
Gen¹³ is a fictional superhero team and comic book series originally written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi and illustrated by J. Scott Campbell. It was originally published by Image Comics under the banner Wildstorm, which went on to become an imprint for DC Comics, who continued publishing the Gen¹³...
and Danger Girl
Danger Girl
Danger Girl is an American comic book series created by J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell. The comic features a group of female secret agents led by a mentor named Deuce. The series follows the James Bond and Indiana Jones action-adventure formula, with the Danger Girls being an homage to the...
. He got his big break at Jim Lee
Jim Lee
Jim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
's Wildstorm
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
Productions with his work on Gen¹³
Gen¹³
Gen¹³ is a fictional superhero team and comic book series originally written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi and illustrated by J. Scott Campbell. It was originally published by Image Comics under the banner Wildstorm, which went on to become an imprint for DC Comics, who continued publishing the Gen¹³...
, his first comic book series, which featured a group of teenage heroes. He soon gained a reputation in the American comics industry for his highly sexualized illustrations of women
Good girl art
Good girl art is found in drawings or paintings which feature a strong emphasis on attractive women no matter what the subject or situation. GGA was most commonly featured in comic books, pulp magazines and crime fiction...
.
In 1998, Campbell, together with fellow comics artists Joe Madureira and Humberto Ramos
Humberto Ramos
Humberto Ramos is a Mexican comic book penciller, best known for his work on American comic books such as Impulse, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man and his creator-owned series Crimson.-Career:...
, founded the Cliffhanger
Cliffhanger (comics)
Cliffhanger was an imprint of Wildstorm, publishing creator-owned comic books. It was founded in 1998 by Joe Madureira, J. Scott Campbell and Humberto Ramos, when Wildstorm was still part of Image Comics ....
imprint as part of Wildstorm
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
Productions. He then launched his comic series Danger Girl
Danger Girl
Danger Girl is an American comic book series created by J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell. The comic features a group of female secret agents led by a mentor named Deuce. The series follows the James Bond and Indiana Jones action-adventure formula, with the Danger Girls being an homage to the...
through this imprint. The story, which followed the adventures of a group of female secret agents, made the most of Campbell's talents drawing well-endowed women and dramatic action sequences.
The Danger Girl
Danger Girl
Danger Girl is an American comic book series created by J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell. The comic features a group of female secret agents led by a mentor named Deuce. The series follows the James Bond and Indiana Jones action-adventure formula, with the Danger Girls being an homage to the...
series has since generated a video game for the Sony PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, as well as several comic spinoffs in the forms of limited series and one-shots that were drawn by different artists in the American comics industry. Most of these spin-offs featured story outlines from Campbell himself.
In August 2005, Campbell published Wildsiderz
Wildsiderz
Wildsiderz is a comic book series created by J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell, and published by Wildstorm Productions. It is the second series created by Campbell and Hartnell after their successful Danger Girl...
, which he co-created with his Danger Girl writing partner Andy Hartnell
Andy Hartnell
Andy Hartnell is an American comic book writer and co-creator of the popular comic book series Danger Girl. He is best known for his work at Jim Lee's Wildstorm Productions.-Life and career:...
.
In 2006, Campbell provided a variant incentive cover for Justice League of America
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
(vol. 2) #0, the first issue of Brad Meltzer
Brad Meltzer
Brad Meltzer is a bestselling American political thriller novelist, non-fiction writer, TV show creator and award-winning comic book author.-Early life:...
's run on the title.
In 2007, Campbell illustrated the covers to the Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash
Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash
Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash is a six-issue comic book limited series that was released in November 2007 and ran until March 2008. It was published by Wildstorm, Dynamite Entertainment, and DC Comics. Based on the original Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash film treatment by Jeff Katz, the story serves as a...
six-issue limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
.
Marvel
At the WizardWorld 2006 Comic Convention held in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, 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...
announced that Campbell signed an exclusive contract with the company, and to work on a Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
series with writer Jeph Loeb
Jeph Loeb
Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost, writer for the films Commando and Teen Wolf and was a writer and Co-Executive Producer on the NBC TV show Heroes from its...
. Campbell has previously done covers for The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
in 2003. Marvel scheduled Campbell and Loeb's new Spider-Man series for publication in 2008 as Campbell revealed in a video interview at the 2007 Wizard World Chicago Comic Con but the project was cancelled. However at C2E2 2010, when interviewed he stated the Spider-Man project is not officially cancelled.
Technique and materials
Campbell does his pencil with a lead holder, and Sanford Turquoise H lead, which he uses for its softness and darkness, and for its ability to provide a "sketchy" feel, with a minimal amount of powdery lead smearing. He uses this lead because it strikes a balance between too hard, and therefore not dark enough on the page, and too soft, and therefore prone to smearing and crumbling. Campbell avoids its closest competitor because he finds it too waxy. Campbell has also used HB lead and F lead. He maintains sharpness of the lead with a Berold Turquoise sharpener, changing them every four to six months, which he finds is the duration of their grinding ability. Campbell uses a combination of Magic Rub erasers, eraser sticks, and since he began to ink his work digitally, a Sakura electric eraser. He often sharpens the eraser to a cornered edge in order to render fine detailed work.External links
- j scott campbell fan page
- J. Scott Campbell on deviantARTDeviantArtdeviantART is an online community showcasing various forms of user-made artwork. It was first launched on August 7, 2000 by Scott Jarkoff, Matthew Stephens, Angelo Sotira and others. deviantArt, Inc...
- J. Scott Campbell Image Gallery at Comic Art Community
- Video of Campbell speaking at the 2009 New York Comic Con (Time Stamp: 4:53)