Jim Valentino
Encyclopedia
Jim Valentino is an American
writer
, penciler, editor
and publisher of comic books.
Valentino began his career in the late 1970s creating small press and mostly autobiographical comics
. The early-mid 1980s saw normalman
which first appeared as a back-up story in Aardvark-Vanaheim
's Cerebus. Aardvark-Vanaheim's Dave Sim
and Deni Loubert
(Sim's wife at the time) began publishing normalman as a 13-issue limited series but only did so until #8, when Loubert began her own publishing company, Renegade Press
, which finished the series. Renegade also published three issues of Valentino's self-titled series, in the mid-late 1980s.
In the late '80s Valentino began working for Marvel Comics
on their superhero
titles. His most notable work for the company was as writer/ artist on the future-set super-hero series Guardians of the Galaxy and selected issues of What If...?, plus fill-ins on most of Marvel's major titles.
with Erik Larsen
, Jim Lee
, Rob Liefeld
, Todd McFarlane
and Marc Silvestri
. Valentino originated several projects at Image, which he published through his own Shadowline
imprint. Unlike at Marvel, where Valentino worked on characters owned by that company, the original Shadowline titles were all creator-owned
.
Of these the titles the most notable was the super-hero series ShadowHawk
, on which he was both writer and artist. In 1997 he began another series in black and white called A Touch of Silver, a semi-autobiographical novel about a young comic book fan coming of age in the 1960s. Also during this time he repackaged most of his earliest autobiographical work into a trade paperback
called Vignettes, with an introduction by Dave Sim
.
In 1999 he became the publisher of Image Comics. Under his directorship the company diversified its line considerably. The results were mixed. On one hand, Valentino's efforts led to the discovery of a number of talented creators, including Robert Kirkman
and Brian Michael Bendis
. On the other hand Image Comics saw a drop in overall sales. Still, he was able to turn the company's first profit in nearly a decade by opening new revenue streams such as sales to traditional book stores and libraries. The company managed to maintain its standing as number three in overall market share.
In 2003, Valentino was replaced as publisher of Image Comics
by Erik Larsen
, another co-founder of the company. Since then Valentino has resurrected Shadowline, his own arm of Image and has published a wide variety of books including a revived ShadowHawk series, The Collected normalman, a new auto-bio book, Drawing From Life as well as creator owned properties including Bomb Queen, After the Cape
and Sam Noir
. He also serves on the board of directors of the comic industry charity The Hero Initiative
. In 2008 Valentino created Silverline Books an all-ages imprint for original graphic novels.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
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....
, penciler, editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and publisher of comic books.
1970s - 1992
Autobiographical comics
Autobiographical comics are autobiography in the form of comic books or comic strips. The form first became popular in the underground comics movement and has since become more widespread...
. The early-mid 1980s saw normalman
Normalman
normalman is a limited series of American comic books created by Jim Valentino. It began in November 1983 as a four-page story in Cerebus #56 and #57 before being launched as a full-color 12-issue series which was published by Aardvark-Vanaheim before moving to Renegade Press. There was also a...
which first appeared as a back-up story in 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....
's Cerebus. Aardvark-Vanaheim's Dave Sim
Dave 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...
and Deni Loubert
Deni Loubert
Deni Loubert is a French Canadian comics publisher, co-founder of Aardvark-Vanaheim and founder of Renegade Press. She is the ex-wife of Dave Sim, with whom she founded Aardvark-Vanaheim and published Cerebus from issues #1 to #77 .Loubert and Sim met in 1976) and married in 1979...
(Sim's wife at the time) began publishing normalman as a 13-issue limited series but only did so until #8, when Loubert began her own publishing company, Renegade Press
Renegade Press
Renegade Press was an American comic book company, founded by Canadian Deni Loubert, that operated from 1984 to 1988. Notable titles published by Renegade include Flaming Carrot, Ms...
, which finished the series. Renegade also published three issues of Valentino's self-titled series, in the mid-late 1980s.
In the late '80s Valentino began working 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...
on their superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
titles. His most notable work for the company was as writer/ artist on the future-set super-hero series Guardians of the Galaxy and selected issues of What If...?, plus fill-ins on most of Marvel's major titles.
Image Comics
He left Marvel in 1992 to co-found Image ComicsImage Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
with Erik Larsen
Erik Larsen
Erik J. Larsen is an American comic book writer, artist and publisher. He is best known for his work on Savage Dragon, as one of the founders of Image Comics, and for his work on Spider-Man for Marvel Comics.-Early life:...
, 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...
, Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....
, Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....
and Marc Silvestri
Marc Silvestri
Marc Silvestri is an American comic book artist, creator and publisher. He currently acts as the CEO for Top Cow Productions.-Early life:Marc Silvestri was born in Palm Beach, Florida.-Career:...
. Valentino originated several projects at Image, which he published through his own Shadowline
ShadowLine
Shadowline is a partner studio of Image Comics established by Image co-founder Jim Valentino. The name is an homage to Valentino's character, ShadowHawk.-History:...
imprint. Unlike at Marvel, where Valentino worked on characters owned by that company, the original Shadowline titles were all creator-owned
Creator ownership
Creator ownership is an arrangement in which the creator or creators of a work of fiction retain full ownership of the material, regardless of whether it is self-published or by a corporate publisher. In some fields of publishing, such as fiction writing, creator ownership is a standard arrangement...
.
Of these the titles the most notable was the super-hero series ShadowHawk
Shadowhawk
ShadowHawk is a fictional comic book vigilante anti-hero created by Jim Valentino.He was first introduced in the Malibu Sun free promotional magazine in May of 1992...
, on which he was both writer and artist. In 1997 he began another series in black and white called A Touch of Silver, a semi-autobiographical novel about a young comic book fan coming of age in the 1960s. Also during this time he repackaged most of his earliest autobiographical work into a trade paperback
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
called Vignettes, with an introduction by Dave Sim
Dave 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...
.
In 1999 he became the publisher of Image Comics. Under his directorship the company diversified its line considerably. The results were mixed. On one hand, Valentino's efforts led to the discovery of a number of talented creators, including Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics, and Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt...
and Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
. On the other hand Image Comics saw a drop in overall sales. Still, he was able to turn the company's first profit in nearly a decade by opening new revenue streams such as sales to traditional book stores and libraries. The company managed to maintain its standing as number three in overall market share.
In 2003, Valentino was replaced as publisher of Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
by Erik Larsen
Erik Larsen
Erik J. Larsen is an American comic book writer, artist and publisher. He is best known for his work on Savage Dragon, as one of the founders of Image Comics, and for his work on Spider-Man for Marvel Comics.-Early life:...
, another co-founder of the company. Since then Valentino has resurrected Shadowline, his own arm of Image and has published a wide variety of books including a revived ShadowHawk series, The Collected normalman, a new auto-bio book, Drawing From Life as well as creator owned properties including Bomb Queen, After the Cape
After the Cape
After the Cape is a 2007 superhero comic book limited series published by the Image Comics studio ShadowLine. There is also a sequel, After the Cape II, whose first issue was published in November 2007....
and Sam Noir
Sam Noir
Sam Noir is a comic book mini-series written by Eric A. Anderson/Manny Trembley and illustrated by Manny Trembley, first published in September 2006.Rendered in grayscale, the comic is a fusion of hardboiled noir fiction and a samurai adventure tale...
. He also serves on the board of directors of the comic industry charity The Hero Initiative
The Hero Initiative
The Hero Initiative, formerly known as A Commitment to Our Roots, or ACTOR, is the first federally recognized not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators, writers and artists in need...
. In 2008 Valentino created Silverline Books an all-ages imprint for original graphic novels.