Ted McKeever
Encyclopedia
Career
McKeever first professional work appeared in 1987, when he published the first five parts of his unfinished series Transit (Vortex ComicsVortex Comics
Vortex Comics was a Canadian independent comic book publisher that operated during the years 1982 to 1994. Under the supervision of president, publisher, and editor Bill Marks, Vortex was known for such titles as Dean Motter's Mister X, Howard Chaykin's Black Kiss, and Chester Brown's Yummy Fur...
), establishing his trademark style. This was followed in 1987-1988 by his 12-part series Eddy Current
Eddy Current (comics)
Eddy Current is a twelve issues comic-book series created in 1987 by Ted McKeever and published by Mad Dog Graphics.This and Transit were later tied into McKeever's Metropol world.-Publication:...
. This "12-hour book" centers on an escapee from an asylum. Obsessed with the exploits of the superhero "The Amazing Broccoli," Eddy buys a mail-order battery-powered "Dynamic Fusion Suit" and sets out to save the world. The work is quintessential McKeever: darkly humorous, showing an "ordinary" person caught up in extraordinary events. Some of the characters in Eddy Current reappear in Metropol and other later works, similarly from Transit. This series was nominated for the Eisner Award
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...
s for Best Single-Issue (#1), Best Black-and-White Series, Best New Series, and Best Artist (for McKeever) for 1988.
His five-parter Plastic Forks (Epic
Epic Comics
Epic Comics was a creator-owned imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982, lasting through the mid-1990s, and being briefly revived on a small scale in the mid-2000s.- Origins :...
, 1990) explored the world of animal experimentation, albeit in a surreal and comical way.
Metropol (Epic
Epic Comics
Epic Comics was a creator-owned imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982, lasting through the mid-1990s, and being briefly revived on a small scale in the mid-2000s.- Origins :...
1991-1992) is an epic story of the fight between angels and demons, but set in a modern industrial landscape. An apocalyptic work in which non-entity Jasper Notochord becomes involved in a surreal fight between the forces of good and evil.
The Extremist (Vertigo, 1993), a four-parter written by Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
, tells the tale of a woman who finds that her husband had a secret life, which she discovers upon his death. Her investigations lead her into a shocking world of extreme sex and violence.
McKeever has produced a number of works exploring alternative realities within the world of 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...
superhero comics. With Randy & Jean-Marc Lofficier
Jean-Marc Lofficier
Jean-Marc Lofficier is a French author of books about films and television programs, as well as numerous comic books and translations of a number of animation screenplays. He usually collaborates with his wife, Randy Lofficier .-Biography:Jean-Marc Lofficier was born in Toulon, France in 1954...
, he has produced an Elseworlds
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...
trilogy: Superman's Metropolis
Superman's Metropolis
Superman's Metropolis is a DC Comics comic book Elseworlds publication and the first part in a trilogy based on German Expressionist cinema...
, Batman: Nosferatu
Batman: Nosferatu
Batman: Nosferatu is a DC Comics comic book Elseworlds publication and is the middle of a trilogy based on German Expressionism cinema. It was written by Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier, and illustrated by Ted McKeever....
and Wonder Woman: The Blue Amazon
Wonder Woman: The Blue Amazon
Wonder Woman: The Blue Amazon is a DC Comics comic book Elseworlds publication and the final part of a trilogy, based on German Expressionist cinema. It was written by Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier and illustrated by Ted McKeever....
, all retellings of the 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...
mythos.
In addition to Milligan and Randy & Jean-Marc Lofficier, McKeever has collaborated with comics creators Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons is an English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...
and writer and singer Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
. His most recent work Enginehead (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...
, 2004), was written by Joe Kelly
Joe Kelly (comics)
Joseph "Joe" Kelly is an American comic book writer, penciler and editor who has written such titles as Deadpool, Uncanny X-Men, Action Comics, and JLA...
.
McKeever is now working on a five part series titled "Meta4".
Cover work
Comics covers include:- Clive Barker's Night Breed #24-25 (EpicEpic ComicsEpic Comics was a creator-owned imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982, lasting through the mid-1990s, and being briefly revived on a small scale in the mid-2000s.- Origins :...
, 1993) - Silent HillSilent Hill (comics)Silent Hill comics are a series of comic books based on the Silent Hill series.Apart from an unreleased graphic novel and Sinner's Reward, they have all been written by Scott Ciencin, with various artists, and published by IDW Publishing....
: Dead/Alive #1-5 (IDW, 2006) (variant covers only) - Zombies!Zombies!Zombies! is a comic series published by IDW Publishing. It is written by Shane McCarthy and Chris Bolton.The stories deal with the early days of a zombie outbreak.-Feast:...
Feast #1-5 (IDW, 2006) (variant covers only)
Awards and nominations
- 1988 Eisner AwardEisner AwardThe 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...
- Best Single Issue nominee: Eddy CurrentEddy Current (comics)Eddy Current is a twelve issues comic-book series created in 1987 by Ted McKeever and published by Mad Dog Graphics.This and Transit were later tied into McKeever's Metropol world.-Publication:...
#1 - Best Black-and-White Series nominee: Eddy CurrentEddy Current (comics)Eddy Current is a twelve issues comic-book series created in 1987 by Ted McKeever and published by Mad Dog Graphics.This and Transit were later tied into McKeever's Metropol world.-Publication:...
- Best New Series nominee: Eddy CurrentEddy Current (comics)Eddy Current is a twelve issues comic-book series created in 1987 by Ted McKeever and published by Mad Dog Graphics.This and Transit were later tied into McKeever's Metropol world.-Publication:...
- Best Artist nominee: Eddy CurrentEddy Current (comics)Eddy Current is a twelve issues comic-book series created in 1987 by Ted McKeever and published by Mad Dog Graphics.This and Transit were later tied into McKeever's Metropol world.-Publication:...
- Best Single Issue nominee: Eddy Current
- 1991 Eisner AwardEisner AwardThe 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...
- Best Artist nominee
- 1992 Harvey Award
- Best Colorist nominee: Metropol
- 1997 Eisner AwardEisner AwardThe 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...
- Best Short Story nominee: Perpetual Mourning, Batman: Black & WhiteBatman: Black & WhiteBatman Black and White refers both to a four-issue comic book limited series published in 1996 by DC Comics, and three collections of 8-page black-and-white Batman stories, comprising the limited series and backup features from the Batman: Gotham Knights comic.-Publication history:The origin of the...
#1
- Best Short Story nominee: Perpetual Mourning, Batman: Black & White