Daniel Warren Johnson is a comic book artist and writer based in Chicago. He has worked on titles with

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

, and

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

. He also collaborated with colorist Mike Spicer beginning with ''Extremity''. The men also worked together on the ''Wonder Woman: Dead Earth'' and ''

Beta Ray Bill Beta Ray Bill is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in the Bronze Age of Comic Books, the character was initially intended to be a surprise; an apparent monster who unexpectedly turns out ...

: Argent Star'' mini-series. He followed that up with a solo project, ''Do A Powerbomb'' in 2022. His works have been published in five languages. He received the ComicBook.com Golden Issues Award for Best Artist in 2021. He was selected for his ability to illustrate fights and his empathy. For instance, he was nominated for IGN's Best Comic Book Artist of 2020 award for his powerful fight scenes in ''Wonder Woman: Dead Earth''. He has subsequently been noticed for his work in ''Do a Powerbomb''. In 2022, he received an award for Best Limited Series by the

Eisner Awards The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

Early life

Originally from Massachusetts, Johnson has stated that his first introduction to comic books was Bill Watterson's ''

Calvin and Hobbes ''Calvin and Hobbes'' is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. Commonly cited as "the last great newspaper comic", ''Calvin and Hobbes'' has enjoyed ...

''. He has explained that he had a sheltered childhood, and wasn't allowed to read certain comics or watch certain cartoons as a child. Reading these stories as a kid inspired Johnson to start drawing. Johnson was homeschooled beginning in third grade and continuing until twelfth. He was tutored by a woman named Rosetta at a local art center, who he credits as being very influential for his career in art. Johnson went to college in Chicago to get a degree in teaching, before changing paths and getting a job as a patient transporter at a hospital. At his job at the hospital, Johnson would occasionally draw portraits of patients. After returning to teaching, Johnson's wife Rachel encouraged him to pursue a career in art.

Career

Daniel Warren Johnson gained popularity through his first major web-comic ''Space Mullet'' that began in 2012 and ran until 2017. In 2014 Johnson collaborated with

Donny Cates Donny Cates (born September 14, 1984) is an American comic book writer, artist, and podcaster, known for his work on titles like ''Venom'', ''Thanos'', ''Doctor Strange'', ''Thor,'' and ''Hulk.'' Early life Donny Cates was born in Dallas, Texa ...

on the

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

published ''The Ghost Fleet.'' Continuing his partnership with Dark Horse Comics ''Space Mullet'' was printed and published in a trade paperback from the publisher in 2016. In 2015 Johnson pitched his creator owned series ''Extremity'' for

and

Skybound Entertainment Skybound Entertainment is an American multiplatform entertainment company founded by Robert Kirkman and David Alpert. History Skybound Entertainment is the company behind the long-running comic, '' The Walking Dead'', created by Robert Kirkman ...

, but the series began coming out in 2017. his work for which was nominated for an

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

in the following year for best limited series losing to ''Black Panther: World of Wakanda'' by Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Alitha E. Martinez from

. ''Extremity'' also marks the beginning of the collaboration between Johnson and colorist Mike Spicer. Johnson has stated that ''Extremity'' was a series that he wanted to feel like he was taking seriously, unlike ''Space Mullet'' before it. Johnson has discussed that he met with some Hollywood studio executives to discuss making ''Extremity'' into a movie, but these discussions ended up going nowhere due to the high budget that an adaptation would require. Following the completion of ''Extremity'', Johnson moved to his next creator owned project, ''Murder Falcon.'' In the collected edition, Johnson shares a personal story at the start describing the comic's encapsulation of all the things that Johnson appreciates and holds dear, while also telling a story about being brave during the hardest times in life. The pair then went to

to work on their

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mini-series ''Wonder Woman: Dead Earth'' published from December 2019 - August 2020. The story is an alternate universe tale starring

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

in a post-apocalyptic world where nightmarish monsters roam the Earth. After the completion of ''Dead Earth'', Spicer and Johnson went to Marvel Comics to collaborate of the mini-series ''

: Argent Star'' which ran from March to July in 2021. The duo then returned to creator owned work at Image Comics with ''Do A Powerbomb'' beginning in June of 2022 and finishing in December of the same year. In addition to receiving the Comic book.com Golden Issues Award for Best Artist in 2021, he has also received an award from the Ohio Digital Library. In 2022, he received an award for Best Limited Series by the

. His works have been published in five languages.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Daniel Warren Wikipedia Student Program American comics artists Artists from Chicago Writers from Chicago Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Writers from Massachusetts