John Paul Leon
Encyclopedia
John Paul Leon is an American
comic book artist
, known for his work on the Milestone Comics series Static
, and the Marvel Comics
limited series Earth X
.
Dragon and Dungeon magazines.
While majored in illustration at New York's School of Visual Arts
, studying under artists as Will Eisner
, Walter Simonson, and Jack Potter
.
Leon began his comic book career with a mini-series for Dark Horse Comics
, RoboCop
: Prime Suspect, and followed with the DC Comics
/Milestone
series Static.
Leon received his Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree from SVA in 1994, after which he worked on series such as Superman
, Batman
, and X-Men
. Some of his other notable works include Logan: Path of the Warlord, The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
and Challengers of the Unknown
. Leon has contributed artwork for the Superman Returns
style guide, as well as a pair of Superman children's books for Meredith Books. He also illustrated most of the licensing artwork for the movie Batman Begins
. He was the artist for The Winter Men
, a miniseries for Wildstorm
/DC Comics.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic book artist
Comic Book Artist
Comic Book Artist was an American magazine founded by Jon B. Cooke devoted to anecdotal histories of American comic books, with emphasis on comics published since the 1960s...
, known for his work on the Milestone Comics series Static
Static (comics)
Static is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics and a member of the Teen Titans. An original character from DC's Milestone Comics imprint, Static first appears in Static #1 and was created by Dwayne McDuffie and John Paul Leon.-Publication history:McDuffie has stated...
, and the 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...
limited series Earth X
Earth X
Earth X is a 1999 comic book limited series written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon and published by Marvel Comics. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian future version of the Marvel Universe....
.
Career
Leon first began working professionally at the age of 16, with a series of black and white illustrations for TSR'sTSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
Dragon and Dungeon magazines.
While majored in illustration at New York's School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
, studying under artists as Will Eisner
Will Eisner
William Erwin "Will" Eisner was an American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. He is considered one of the most important contributors to the development of the medium and is known for the cartooning studio he founded; for his highly influential series The Spirit; for his use of comics as an...
, Walter Simonson, and Jack Potter
Jack Potter
Jack Potter is a former Australian cricketer who played 81 matches for Victoria. He also represented Australia although never in a Test....
.
Leon began his comic book career with a mini-series for Dark Horse Comics
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...
, RoboCop
RoboCop
RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction-action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...
: Prime Suspect, and followed with the 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...
/Milestone
Milestone
A milestone is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road or boundary at intervals of one mile or occasionally, parts of a mile. They are typically located at the side of the road or in a median. They are alternatively known as mile markers, mileposts or mile posts...
series Static.
Leon received his Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree from SVA in 1994, after which he worked on series such as Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, 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...
, and X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
. Some of his other notable works include Logan: Path of the Warlord, The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:...
and Challengers of the Unknown
Challengers of the Unknown
The Challengers of the Unknown is a group of fictional characters in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, or co-created with Dave Wood , this quartet of adventurers explored science fictional and apparent paranormal occurrences and faced fantastic menaces.Scripts for the first...
. Leon has contributed artwork for the Superman Returns
Superman Returns
Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
style guide, as well as a pair of Superman children's books for Meredith Books. He also illustrated most of the licensing artwork for the movie Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
. He was the artist for The Winter Men
The Winter Men
The Winter Men is a comic book limited series published by Wildstorm Productions in 2005. The series was written by Brett Lewis, with art by John Paul Leon....
, a miniseries for 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...
/DC Comics.