Paul Kirchner
Encyclopedia
Paul Kirchner is an American writer and illustrator who has worked in diverse areas, from comic strips and toy design to advertising and editorial art.
Born in New Haven, Connecticut
, Kirchner attended Cooper Union School of Art
but left in his third year, when, with the help of Larry Hama
and Neal Adams
, he began to get work in the comic book industry. He penciled stories for DC
’s horror line and assisted on Little Orphan Annie
for Tex Blaisdell
, who took over the strip after the death of Harold Gray. In December 1973, Ralph Reese
introduced Kirchner to Wally Wood
, for whom he worked as assistant for several years.
he did an equally surrealistic monthly strip. The Bus (1978-85), in addition to writing and illustrating occasional short features. He regularly illustrated for The New York Times
and other publications. In 1980-1981, he created a line of military action figures, the Eagle Force, for Mego Corp
.
Buddhist
monk
, he met the Zen practitioner and author Janwillem van de Wetering
. Together they produced a graphic detective novel, Murder by Remote Control (Ballantine, 1986).
In 1983-84, Kirchner did the licensing art and in-pack comic books for the RoboForce robot toy line from CBS Toys. From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, he wrote and drew comics features for He-Man
, GoBots
, ThunderCats
, G.I. Joe
and Power Rangers
magazines, published by Telepictures (later Welsh Publications). He freelanced regularly for Tyco Toys, working on the Dino-Riders
, Crash Dummies and Spy-Tech toy lines, for which he wrote the back stories, did design work, wrote and drew in-pack comics and scripted for animation. He illustrated the long-running “Jack B. Quick” feature in Sports Illustrated for Kids. He illustrated Col. Jeff Cooper’s To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth, as well as seven subsequent books for the noted firearms authority and big game hunter. He wrote three pop-culture books for Rhino Entertainment
. The first, Forgotten Fads and Fabulous Flops, inspired an episode of The History Channel
's Modern Marvels
, "Failed Inventions", in which Kirchner is featured. He has published four books with Paladin Press: The Deadliest Men, Dueling With the Sword and Pistol, Jim Cirillo's Tales of the Stakeout Squad, and More of the Deadliest Men Who Ever Lived.
. In 2002, Kirchner returned to freelance illustration, working primarily in advertising. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Sandy Rabinowitz, an illustrator specializing in equine art, and their three children.
Born in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, Kirchner attended Cooper Union School of Art
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
but left in his third year, when, with the help of Larry Hama
Larry Hama
Larry Hama is an American comic book writer, artist, actor and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s....
and Neal Adams
Neal Adams
Neal Adams is an American comic book and commercial artist known for helping to create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow; as the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates; and as a creators-rights advocate who...
, he began to get work in the comic book industry. He penciled stories for DC
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...
’s horror line and assisted on Little Orphan Annie
Little Orphan Annie
Little Orphan Annie was a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray and syndicated by Tribune Media Services. The strip took its name from the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, and made its debut on August 5, 1924 in the New York Daily News...
for Tex Blaisdell
Tex Blaisdell
Philip Eustice Blaisdell , better known as Tex Blaisdell, was an American comic strip artist and comic book editor...
, who took over the strip after the death of Harold Gray. In December 1973, Ralph Reese
Ralph Reese
Ralph Reese is an American artist who has illustrated for books, magazines, trading cards, comic books and comic strips, including a year drawing the Flash Gordon strip for King Features...
introduced Kirchner to Wally Wood
Wally Wood
Wallace Allan Wood was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, best known for his work in EC Comics and Mad. He was one of Mads founding cartoonists in 1952. Although much of his early professional artwork is signed Wallace Wood, he became known as Wally Wood, a name he...
, for whom he worked as assistant for several years.
Comics
In the mid-1970s, Kirchner wrote and illustrated the surrealistic comic strip Dope Rider for High Times. For Heavy MetalHeavy 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...
he did an equally surrealistic monthly strip. The Bus (1978-85), in addition to writing and illustrating occasional short features. He regularly illustrated for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and other publications. In 1980-1981, he created a line of military action figures, the Eagle Force, for Mego Corp
Mego Corporation
The Mego Corporation was a toy company that dominated the action figure toy market during most of the 1970s. The Mego Corporation was founded in the early 1950s by David Abrams and was mostly known prior to 1971 as a producer of dime store toys.-Golden age:...
.
Books
In 1981, through his brother Thomas Kirchner, a ZenZen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
, he met the Zen practitioner and author Janwillem van de Wetering
Janwillem van de Wetering
Janwillem Lincoln van de Wetering was the author of a number of works in English and Dutch. He was particularly noted for his detective fiction, his most popular creations being Grijpstra and de Gier, a pair of Amsterdam police officers who figure in a lengthy series of novels and short stories...
. Together they produced a graphic detective novel, Murder by Remote Control (Ballantine, 1986).
In 1983-84, Kirchner did the licensing art and in-pack comic books for the RoboForce robot toy line from CBS Toys. From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, he wrote and drew comics features for He-Man
He-Man
He-Man is a fictional heroic character featured in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. In most variations, he is the alter ego of Prince Adam...
, GoBots
Gobots
Gobots was a line of transforming robot toys produced by Tonka from 1983 to 1987, similar to Transformers. In 1991, the Gobots range was acquired from Tonka Inc. by Hasbro.-History:...
, ThunderCats
ThunderCats
ThunderCats is an American animated television series that was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions debuting in 1984, based on the characters created by Tobin "Ted" Wolf. The series follows the adventures of a group of cat-like humanoid aliens...
, G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
and Power Rangers
Power Rangers
Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes...
magazines, published by Telepictures (later Welsh Publications). He freelanced regularly for Tyco Toys, working on the Dino-Riders
Dino-Riders
Dino-Riders is a cartoon television series that first aired in 1988. Dino-Riders was primarily a promotion to launch a new Tyco toy line. Only fourteen episodes were produced, three of which were produced on VHS for the United States. It aired in the U.S...
, Crash Dummies and Spy-Tech toy lines, for which he wrote the back stories, did design work, wrote and drew in-pack comics and scripted for animation. He illustrated the long-running “Jack B. Quick” feature in Sports Illustrated for Kids. He illustrated Col. Jeff Cooper’s To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth, as well as seven subsequent books for the noted firearms authority and big game hunter. He wrote three pop-culture books for Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
. The first, Forgotten Fads and Fabulous Flops, inspired an episode of The History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
's Modern Marvels
Modern Marvels
Modern Marvels is a documentary television series that premiered on January 1, 1995 on History. The program focuses on how technologies affect and are used in today's society....
, "Failed Inventions", in which Kirchner is featured. He has published four books with Paladin Press: The Deadliest Men, Dueling With the Sword and Pistol, Jim Cirillo's Tales of the Stakeout Squad, and More of the Deadliest Men Who Ever Lived.
Advertising
From 1996 to 2002, he held the post of senior art director at Jordan, McGrath, Case & Taylor (later Arnold New York). Kirchner and his creative partner, writer Andrew Cahill, created a campaign for Zest Body Wash featuring football's Craig Ironhead HeywardCraig Heyward
Craig William "Ironhead" Heyward was an American football running back who played for the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, St...
. In 2002, Kirchner returned to freelance illustration, working primarily in advertising. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Sandy Rabinowitz, an illustrator specializing in equine art, and their three children.
Sources
- Toyland: The High-Stakes Game of the Toy Industry by Sydney Ladensohn Stern and Ted Schoenhaus (Contemporary Books, 1991)
- Creating the Eagle Force
- Recollections of Dino Riders
- Kirchner at the Great Comic Database
- Paladin Press Author of the Month
- Get 'er, Robo!: Toys
- Paul Kirchner Storyboard Artist