Joshua Middleton
Encyclopedia
Joshua Middleton is an artist and designer working in the animation, film, comics, and book industries. In 2004 he was nominated for an Eisner Award
as "Best Cover Artist" for his work on Marvel
's NYX, X-Men Unlimited
, and New Mutants
.
's Meridian
, written by Barbara Kesel
. After that, he joined a small independent British publisher, Com.x
, planning to release there his creator-owned
series Sky Between Branches, but only did a preview issue in early 2002, along with some other work for the publisher.
After contributing covers and short stories to Marvel
's X-Men Unlimited
series beginning in late 2002, he signed an exclusive contract in 2003, and created NYX with Joe Quesada
as writer, but left the title after four issues in 2004 when his contract ran out.
Following his stint at Marvel he signed exclusively with DC Comics
in 2004. His first DC series was Superman/Shazam: First Thunder
, a miniseries that launched in September 2005. Along with illustrating some short stories and single issues, Middleton also served as regular cover artist for the Vertigo series American Virgin
and DC Comics' Supergirl
ongoing series.
Since then he has been hard working as an artist for Warner Brothers Animation. Middleton began working for WB Animation in October 2009 as a character designer, but was quickly promoted to be an art director for the upcoming Green Lantern: The Animated Series, where he has worked hand-in-hand with Bruce Timm
to carve out the look and feel of the first Warner Brothers' CG
television series.
In addition to his comic book work, Joshua Middleton has illustrated book covers for several major publishers, including Scholastic, Abrams
, Penguin
, Viking
, Tor
, and Disney Press
. Middleton has also served as a conceptual artist/illustrator for feature films produced by Universal Studios
, Warner Brothers, Disney, Marvel Studios
, Sony Pictures Entertainment
, and Sony Pictures Animation
.
In early 2011, Middleton stated that he has decided to leave animation and return to his work in comics.
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
as "Best Cover Artist" for his work on Marvel
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...
's NYX, X-Men Unlimited
X-Men Unlimited
-Volume 1:The purpose of this title was to run stories that fit between the main X-Men comics. The stories included all characters from the X-titles, and the issues were collections of short stories...
, and New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
.
Career
Middleton started his career as a comic book artist in 2000 as penciler for CrossGenCrossGen
Cross Generation Entertainment, or CrossGen, was an American comic book publisher that operated from 1998 to 2004.CrossGen Comics, Inc. was founded in 1998, by Tampa, Florida-based entrepreneur Mark Alessi who sought to create a comic book universe that was uniquely varied but also connected by a...
's Meridian
Meridian (comics)
Meridian was a comic book series published by CrossGen Comics. It was written by Barbara Kesel, and penciled by a number of artists including Joshua Middleton and Steve McNiven. Meridian ran for 44 issues, from July of 2000 to April of 2004....
, written by Barbara Kesel
Barbara Kesel
Barbara Randall Kesel is an American writer and editor of comic books; her bibliography includes work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Crossgen, Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics.-Biography:...
. After that, he joined a small independent British publisher, Com.x
Com.x
-2000-2002:Com.x wwas founded in 2000 by Eddie Deighton, Russell Uttley and Neil Googe. Deighton later described how the group came together in 1999:...
, planning to release there his 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...
series Sky Between Branches, but only did a preview issue in early 2002, along with some other work for the publisher.
After contributing covers and short stories to Marvel
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...
's X-Men Unlimited
X-Men Unlimited
-Volume 1:The purpose of this title was to run stories that fit between the main X-Men comics. The stories included all characters from the X-titles, and the issues were collections of short stories...
series beginning in late 2002, he signed an exclusive contract in 2003, and created NYX with Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
as writer, but left the title after four issues in 2004 when his contract ran out.
Following his stint at Marvel he signed exclusively with 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...
in 2004. His first DC series was Superman/Shazam: First Thunder
Superman/Shazam: First Thunder
Superman/Shazam: First Thunder is a 2006 comic book mini-series published by DC Comics, written by Judd Winick, with art by Joshua Middleton.The story recounts the first meeting between two DC superheroes, Superman and Captain Marvel...
, a miniseries that launched in September 2005. Along with illustrating some short stories and single issues, Middleton also served as regular cover artist for the Vertigo series American Virgin
American Virgin (comics)
American Virgin was an American comic book series published by Vertigo Comics and written by Steven T. Seagle and illustrated by Becky Cloonan. The series launched on a monthly schedule in March 2006 and was canceled two years later...
and DC Comics' Supergirl
Supergirl (comic book)
Supergirl is the name of six comic book series published by DC Comics, featuring various characters of the same name. The majority of the titles feature Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El.-Volume 1 :...
ongoing series.
Since then he has been hard working as an artist for Warner Brothers Animation. Middleton began working for WB Animation in October 2009 as a character designer, but was quickly promoted to be an art director for the upcoming Green Lantern: The Animated Series, where he has worked hand-in-hand with Bruce Timm
Bruce Timm
Bruce Walter Timm is an American character designer, animator and producer. He is also a writer and artist working in comics, and is known for his contributions building the modern DC Comics animated franchise, the DC animated universe.-Animation:Timm's early career in animation was varied; he...
to carve out the look and feel of the first Warner Brothers' CG
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
television series.
In addition to his comic book work, Joshua Middleton has illustrated book covers for several major publishers, including Scholastic, Abrams
ABRAMS Books
Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. , is an American publisher of high-quality art and illustrated books, and the enterprise is presently a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe...
, Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, Viking
Viking Press
Viking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
, Tor
Tor Books
Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, and Disney Press
Disney Press
Disney Press is a department of The Walt Disney Company specifically used to produce books of various genres and for various age groups . Many of the books Disney Press produces are picture books based on Mickey Mouse and friends and other characters from many popular Disney animated features...
. Middleton has also served as a conceptual artist/illustrator for feature films produced by Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, Warner Brothers, Disney, Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, originally Marvel Films, is an American television and motion picture studio based in Manhattan Beach, California. Marvel Studios is a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, a self-contained part of the The Walt Disney Company conglomerate....
, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
, and Sony Pictures Animation
Sony Pictures Animation
Sony Pictures Animation is an American computer-animated film production company owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, founded in May 2002. It is working closely with Sony Pictures Imageworks, which takes care of the digital production...
.
In early 2011, Middleton stated that he has decided to leave animation and return to his work in comics.
Covers only
- X-Men UnlimitedX-Men Unlimited-Volume 1:The purpose of this title was to run stories that fit between the main X-Men comics. The stories included all characters from the X-titles, and the issues were collections of short stories...
#40, 47, 49 (MarvelMarvel ComicsMarvel 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...
, 2003) - New MutantsNew MutantsThe New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
#1-6 (Marvel, 2003) - RunawaysRunaways (comics)Runaways is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series features a group of teenagers who discover that their parents are part of an evil crime group called the Pride. Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, the series debuted in April of 2003 as part of Marvel Comics'...
#11-12 (Marvel, 2004) - NYX #5-7 (Marvel, 2004–2005)
- MajesticMister MajesticMister Majestic is a fictional character, a Wildstorm Productions superhero created by H.K. Proger and Jim Lee. He first appears in a backup story within WildC.A.T.s #11. One of the most powerful heroes in the WildStorm universe, he bears a strong, deliberate resemblance to DC Comics's...
#1 (WildstormWildstormWildStorm 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...
, 2005) - SerenitySerenity: Those Left BehindSerenity: Those Left Behind is a 2005 three-issue comic book limited series published by Dark Horse Comics. It was written by Brett Matthews with Joss Whedon credited for story, illustrated by Will Conrad, and colored by Laura Martin....
#3 (Dark HorseDark Horse ComicsDark 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...
, 2005) - Gotham CentralGotham CentralGotham Central is a police procedural comic book series that was published by DC Comics. It was written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, with pencils initially by Michael Lark....
#36 (DC ComicsDC ComicsDC 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...
, 2006) - American VirginAmerican Virgin (comics)American Virgin was an American comic book series published by Vertigo Comics and written by Steven T. Seagle and illustrated by Becky Cloonan. The series launched on a monthly schedule in March 2006 and was canceled two years later...
#4-14 (Vertigo, 2006–2007) - All-FlashFlash (comics)The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
#1 (DC Comics, 2007) - JLA: Classified #50-54 (DC Comics, 2008)
- SupergirlSupergirl (comic book)Supergirl is the name of six comic book series published by DC Comics, featuring various characters of the same name. The majority of the titles feature Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El.-Volume 1 :...
#34, 36-43, 45-51 (DC Comics, 2008–2009) - Vixen: Return of the Lion #1-5 (DC Comics, 2009)
- The War that Time ForgotThe War that Time ForgotThe War that Time Forgot was a comic book feature published by DC Comics beginning in 1960 in the title Star Spangled War Stories, created by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito...
#8 (DC Comics, 2009) - Wonder WomanWonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
#30, 613-614 (DC Comics, 2009–2011) - Green ArrowGreen ArrowGreen Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
#13-14 (DC Comics, 2011)