John Workman
Encyclopedia
John Workman is an editor, writer, artist, designer, colorist
and letterer
in the comic book
industry. He is known for his frequent partnerships with writer/artist Walter Simonson and also for lettering the entire run of Grant Morrison
/Rachel Pollack
's Doom Patrol
(DC Comics
).
, and in Darlington, Maryland
. Inspired by the George Reeves
Superman TV series, he began writing short stories and drawing pictures. Workman grew up in Aberdeen, Washington
, and studied art and journalism at Grays Harbor College
and Clark College
, getting an Associate in Arts degree in 1970.
. In 1968, he met gag cartoonist Carl Stamwitz who had worked for Marvel Comics in their humor magazines. He was further encouraged when he met and had numerous conversations with the legendary writer-artist Basil Wolverton
in 1969.
He got his start in comics publishing on a national level in 1972 by writing and drawing two four-page comics features, "Sindy" and "The Fallen Angels," that appeared for three years in two California-based men's magazines published by Archie Comics
alumnus Ed Goldstein. Using different pseudonyms (one being E. L. Bert), Workman also wrote short prose stories that appeared in the magazines alongside stories by Harlan Ellison
and Robert Bloch
. Two years later, in the pages of Mike Friedrich's Star*Reach, he wrote, penciled, inked and lettered stories for the seminal fantasy/science fiction comics anthology. Workman's work on Star*Reach attracted attention from DC Comics
, and they offered him a production job in 1975.
Workman was art director
of Heavy Metal
magazine from 1977 to 1984. His comics art, writing, lettering, coloring and design work are evident throughout issues from that period.
From 1977-1983, Workman lettered comics occasionally (mostly for DC); he has been working steadily as a freelance letterer since 1983. Some of the regular titles he has lettered include First Comics
' Grimjack
from 1984 to 1987, Marvel's Fantastic Four
from 1985 to 1989, Cosmic Odyssey in 1988–1989, Fantastic Force
from 1994–1996, The Incredible Hulk from 1997–1999, and Spider-Girl
from 2000–2002.
For DC Comics
, Workman lettered Doom Patrol
from 1987–1995, the Legion of Super-Heroes
from 1991–1993, Michael Moorcock's Multiverse
in 1997–1998, and Aquaman
in 1999–2000.
Workman handled lettering chores for Topps Comics
' X-Files titles in the late 1990s, and Image Comics
' Savage Dragon
from 2003–2005.
’s projects, including Thor
(Marvel, 1983–1987), Balder the Brave (Marvel, 1985), Jurassic Park (Topps, 1993), Robocop vs. Terminator, Star Slammers
(Bravura/Malibu
, 1994), and Orion (DC, 2000–2002).
work of Tommy Lee Edwards
, including Gemini Blood
(1996–1997), The Question (2005), Bullet Points (2007), Turf and Marvel 1985
(2008) for which he won the 2009 Harvey Award for lettering.
, Marvel Comics
, Archie Comics
, National Lampoon, Playboy
, Hamilton Publishing, and others. He wrote an introduction and the final chapter in Bhob Stewart
's "Against the Grain: Mad Artist Wallace Wood" and contributed a short autobiographical piece in comics form to the TwoMorrows book "Streetwise." Working in an art style similar to that of artist Mike Sekowsky, he pencilled and inked three of the dust jackets for the hardcover DC Comics Justice League Archives series.
He wrote and drew the 41-page "Adventures of Roma" which ran in consecutive issues of Dark Horse Presents
in 1997. His early science-fiction and girlie-humor strips "Sindy" and "The Fallen Angels" were collected in a five-issue run by Forbidden Fruit, an imprint of Apple Comics
. Wild Things, a two-issue series published by Metro Comics, was made up mostly of material created by Workman for such diverse publications as Star*Reach and Heavy Metal.
For the Fantagraphics imprint Eros Comix
, Workman wrote and designed Betty Being Bad (1990), a 48-page booklet about pin-up model Betty Page. He also wrote and designed two hardcovers for Heavy Metal Books, Heavy Metal: 25 Years of Classic Covers and Innocent Images. A self-published booklet,"The Comic Book Crisis," which examined the business side of comic books was incorporated (with additional new material) into issue 199 of The Comics Journal, featuring commentary by Mike Friedrich, Steve Geppi, Kurt Busiek, Gary Groth and others.
's. Workman's lettering style was highly influenced by the lettering of Jean "Moebius" Giraud
from the time when Moebius appeared regularly in the pages of Heavy Metal.
Because he does most of his lettering by hand, Workman's collaboration is sought by those artists who wish to have a more cohesive and integrated look to the final artwork. (A joke in the comic book community goes that "Comic books are the only place where having 'Workmanlike' craftsmanship is a plus.")
Recently, however, even Workman has moved toward digital lettering. In addition to his "on-the-art boards work," Workman has been electronically hand-lettering by way of a Wacom
tablet for such books as Torchwood, Mega Man
, Thor
, and Turf.
drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger
, and the two have a daughter named Katie. His brother Bill worked beside him on-staff at Heavy Metal magazine. Both were in the 2000 Jon Cryer
film Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five.
Colorist
In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates...
and letterer
Letterer
A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer's use of typefaces, calligraphy, letter size, and layout all contribute to the impact of the comic. The letterer crafts the comic's "display lettering": the story title lettering and...
in the 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...
industry. He is known for his frequent partnerships with writer/artist Walter Simonson and also for lettering the entire run 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...
/Rachel Pollack
Rachel Pollack
Rachel Pollack is an American science fiction author, comic book writer, and expert on divinatory tarot...
's Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
(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...
).
Early life and career
John Workman spent the first eight years of his life in Glen Rogers, West VirginiaGlen Rogers, West Virginia
Glen Rogers is an unincorporated community in Wyoming County, West Virginia, United States.-Further Reading:* at Abandoned...
, and in Darlington, Maryland
Darlington, Maryland
Darlington is an unincorporated village in northeastern Harford County, Maryland, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district in 1987 with approximately 100 contributing properties .-Community:Local children attend the Darlington Elementary...
. Inspired by the George Reeves
George Reeves
George Reeves was an American actor best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman....
Superman TV series, he began writing short stories and drawing pictures. Workman grew up in Aberdeen, Washington
Aberdeen, Washington
Aberdeen is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States, founded by Samuel Benn in 1884. Aberdeen was incorporated on May 12, 1890. The city is the economic center of Grays Harbor County, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis...
, and studied art and journalism at Grays Harbor College
Grays Harbor College
Grays Harbor College is a community college located in Aberdeen, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1930. The college sits on an campus in Aberdeen with "learning centers" in Raymond, Ilwaco, North Aberdeen and Southside Aberdeen...
and Clark College
Clark College (Washington)
Clark College is a community college located in Vancouver, Washington.The college, which celebrated its 75th anniversary on October 1, 2008, was founded as a private, two-year, junior college in 1933...
, getting an Associate in Arts degree in 1970.
Career
Working in and around the Aberdeen area from 1967 to 1975, Workman created local and regional advertising, always attempting to do the ad work in comics form whenever he was allowed to do so. He also did comics fanzine work, writing and drawing for several different publications, including fanzines overseen by Rick Spanier (Assorted Superlatives) and by Mark WheatleyMark Wheatley (comics)
Mark Wheatley is an American illustrator, writer, editor, and publisher in the comic book field. Wheatley's comic book and pulp creations include Breathtaker, Mars, and Blood of the Innocent, all illustrated by his frequent collaborator Marc Hempel...
. In 1968, he met gag cartoonist Carl Stamwitz who had worked for Marvel Comics in their humor magazines. He was further encouraged when he met and had numerous conversations with the legendary writer-artist Basil Wolverton
Basil Wolverton
Basil Wolverton was an American cartoonist, illustrator, comic book writer-artist and professed "Producer of Preposterous Pictures of Peculiar People who Prowl this Perplexing Planet", whose many publishers included Marvel Comics and Mad.His unique, humorously grotesque drawings have elicited a...
in 1969.
He got his start in comics publishing on a national level in 1972 by writing and drawing two four-page comics features, "Sindy" and "The Fallen Angels," that appeared for three years in two California-based men's magazines published by Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
alumnus Ed Goldstein. Using different pseudonyms (one being E. L. Bert), Workman also wrote short prose stories that appeared in the magazines alongside stories by Harlan Ellison
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
and Robert Bloch
Robert Bloch
Robert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer, primarily of crime, horror and science fiction. He is best known as the writer of Psycho, the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock...
. Two years later, in the pages of Mike Friedrich's Star*Reach, he wrote, penciled, inked and lettered stories for the seminal fantasy/science fiction comics anthology. Workman's work on Star*Reach attracted attention from 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...
, and they offered him a production job in 1975.
Workman was art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
of Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal (magazine)
Heavy Metal is an American science fiction and fantasy comics magazine, known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica. In the mid-1970s, while publisher Leonard Mogel was in Paris to jump-start the French edition of National Lampoon, he discovered the French...
magazine from 1977 to 1984. His comics art, writing, lettering, coloring and design work are evident throughout issues from that period.
Lettering
First Comics
First Comics was an American comic-book publisher that was active from 1983–1991, known for titles like American Flagg!, Grimjack, Nexus, Badger, Dreadstar, and Jon Sable...
' Grimjack
GrimJack
Grimjack is the main character of a comic book originally published by First Comics. John Ostrander and Timothy Truman are credited as co-creators of the character, although Ostrander had been developing Grimjack with artist Lenin Delsol before Truman's arrival on the project...
from 1984 to 1987, Marvel's Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
from 1985 to 1989, Cosmic Odyssey in 1988–1989, Fantastic Force
Fantastic Force
Fantastic Force was a superhero team in the Marvel Universe, a spin-off of the Fantastic Four. The team had its own title, which lasted for eighteen issues from November 1994 to April 1996...
from 1994–1996, The Incredible Hulk from 1997–1999, and Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl is a superheroine in Marvel Comics' MC2 universe. The character was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz as the teenage daughter of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, and first appeared in What If #105...
from 2000–2002.
For 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...
, Workman lettered Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
from 1987–1995, the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
from 1991–1993, Michael Moorcock's Multiverse
Michael Moorcock's Multiverse
Michael Moorcock's Multiverse, is a twelve-issue comic book limited series published in 1997 as a part of the short-lived DC Comics imprint, Helix. It was later collected as a single edition graphic novel...
in 1997–1998, and Aquaman
Aquaman
Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
in 1999–2000.
Workman handled lettering chores for Topps Comics
Topps Comics
Topps Comics is a division of the American trading card publisher and gum/candy distributor the Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993–1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies...
' X-Files titles in the late 1990s, and 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...
' Savage Dragon
Savage Dragon
Savage Dragon is an ongoing American comic book series created by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics and taking place in the Image Universe. The comic features the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon...
from 2003–2005.
Walt Simonson
Workman has worked on many of Walt SimonsonWalt Simonson
Walter "Walt" Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist. After studying geology at Amherst College, he transferred to the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1972. His thesis project there was The Star Slammers, which was published as a black and white promotional comic book...
’s projects, including Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
(Marvel, 1983–1987), Balder the Brave (Marvel, 1985), Jurassic Park (Topps, 1993), Robocop vs. Terminator, Star Slammers
Star Slammers
Star Slammers was an American comic book series written and drawn by Walt Simonson.The series was first published by Marvel Comics as Marvel Graphic Novel No. 6 in 1983, and later published in 1995 as an unfinished four-issue limited series by Malibu Comics' Bravura imprint. Dark Horse Comics...
(Bravura/Malibu
Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...
, 1994), and Orion (DC, 2000–2002).
Tommy Lee Edwards
Recently Workman has lettered much of the Marvel, DC and WildstormWildstorm
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...
work of Tommy Lee Edwards
Tommy Lee Edwards
Tommy Lee Edwards is an American illustrator. Edwards' varied portfolio includes works created in the realm of comics, video-games, books, advertising, film, and animation.-Career:...
, including Gemini Blood
Gemini Blood
Gemini Blood is a nine-issue comic book series published by DC Comics under its Helix imprint. Dated from September 1996 to May 1997, the series was written by Christopher Hinz and illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards...
(1996–1997), The Question (2005), Bullet Points (2007), Turf and Marvel 1985
Marvel 1985
Marvel 1985 is a six-issue American comic book limited series, published in 2008 by Marvel Comics. It is written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards.-Plot:Issue 1...
(2008) for which he won the 2009 Harvey Award for lettering.
Writing, artwork and design
In addition to the thousands of comics pages that he has lettered, Workman has also written and/or drawn for DC ComicsDC 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...
, 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...
, Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
, National Lampoon, Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, Hamilton Publishing, and others. He wrote an introduction and the final chapter in Bhob Stewart
Bhob Stewart
Bhob Stewart is an American writer, editor, artist and film maker who has written for a variety of publications over a span of five decades. His articles and reviews have appeared in TV Guide, Publishers Weekly and other publications, along with online contributions to Allmovie, the Collecting...
's "Against the Grain: Mad Artist Wallace Wood" and contributed a short autobiographical piece in comics form to the TwoMorrows book "Streetwise." Working in an art style similar to that of artist Mike Sekowsky, he pencilled and inked three of the dust jackets for the hardcover DC Comics Justice League Archives series.
He wrote and drew the 41-page "Adventures of Roma" which ran in consecutive issues of Dark Horse Presents
Dark Horse Presents
Dark Horse Presents was the first comic book published by Dark Horse Comics in 1986 and was their flagship title until its September 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was published on MySpace, running from July 2007 until August 2010...
in 1997. His early science-fiction and girlie-humor strips "Sindy" and "The Fallen Angels" were collected in a five-issue run by Forbidden Fruit, an imprint of Apple Comics
Apple Comics
Apple Comics, also known as Apple Press, was a comic book publisher which operated from 1986–1994. Published by Michael Catron, they began as an imprint of WaRP Graphics, but had their own financing structure...
. Wild Things, a two-issue series published by Metro Comics, was made up mostly of material created by Workman for such diverse publications as Star*Reach and Heavy Metal.
For the Fantagraphics imprint Eros Comix
Eros Comix
Eros Comix is an adult-oriented imprint of Fantagraphics Books, established in 1990 to publish pornographic comic books. Eros Comix sells anime videos, DVDs, adult comic books, and books of erotic art and photography...
, Workman wrote and designed Betty Being Bad (1990), a 48-page booklet about pin-up model Betty Page. He also wrote and designed two hardcovers for Heavy Metal Books, Heavy Metal: 25 Years of Classic Covers and Innocent Images. A self-published booklet,"The Comic Book Crisis," which examined the business side of comic books was incorporated (with additional new material) into issue 199 of The Comics Journal, featuring commentary by Mike Friedrich, Steve Geppi, Kurt Busiek, Gary Groth and others.
Lettering style
Workman is noted for his distinct lettering style, tight craftsmanship, and the fact that for the most part he still does traditional lettering on art boards instead of using the computer and digital fonts. One of Workman's lettering trademarks is to often erase or omit panel borders when they touch the top, side, or bottom of a word balloon or caption, thus opening up the balloon/caption to the gutter. In this regard, Workman's lettering style is similar to that of the late Bill OakleyBill Oakley (artist)
William Douglas Oakley was a letterer for numerous comic books from Marvel, DC, and other companies. His most prominent works include the first two volumes of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Batman: Gotham Knights #1-11, #15-37.-Biography:Oakley attended...
's. Workman's lettering style was highly influenced by the lettering of Jean "Moebius" Giraud
Jean Giraud
Jean Henri Gaston Giraud is a French comics artist. Giraud has earned worldwide fame, not only under his own name but also under the pseudonym Moebius, and to a lesser extent Gir, the latter appearing mostly in the form of a boxed signature at the bottom of the artist's paintings, for instance the...
from the time when Moebius appeared regularly in the pages of Heavy Metal.
Because he does most of his lettering by hand, Workman's collaboration is sought by those artists who wish to have a more cohesive and integrated look to the final artwork. (A joke in the comic book community goes that "Comic books are the only place where having 'Workmanlike' craftsmanship is a plus.")
Recently, however, even Workman has moved toward digital lettering. In addition to his "on-the-art boards work," Workman has been electronically hand-lettering by way of a Wacom
Wacom
in Krefeld, Germany. Wacom is a Japanese portmanteau: Wa for "harmony" or "circle", and Komu for "computer". Wacom tablets are notable for their use of a patented cordless, battery-free, and pressure-sensitive stylus or digital pen...
tablet for such books as Torchwood, Mega Man
Mega Man
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
, and Turf.
Personal life
John Workman is married to the former Cathy Foster, whom he met at a bookstore when she was looking for issues of Lois LaneLois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger
Kurt Schaffenberger
Kurt Schaffenberger was an American comic book artist. Schaffenberger was best known for his work on Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family , as well as his work on the title Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane during the 1950s and 1960s.-Early career:Schaffenberger was born on a farm in the...
, and the two have a daughter named Katie. His brother Bill worked beside him on-staff at Heavy Metal magazine. Both were in the 2000 Jon Cryer
Jon Cryer
Jonathan Niven "Jon" Cryer is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer. He is the son of actress–singer Gretchen Cryer. He made his motion picture debut in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair, but gained greater fame as "Duckie" in the 1986 John Hughes-scripted film Pretty in Pink...
film Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five.