Eric Stephenson (born January 8, 1968) is an American

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

publisher, editor, and writer. He is the publisher of

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 ...

, where he has also co-created and written comics such as ''Long Hot Summer'', ''

Nowhere Men ''Nowhere Men'' is a comic book series written by Eric Stephenson. The first six issues were drawn by Nate Bellegarde, colored by Jordie Bellaire, lettered by Fonografix (Steven Finch), and published by Image Comics. As of issue 7, Dave Tay ...

'', and ''They're Not Like Us''.

Career

Stephenson was involved with Image Comics during its formative years, having learned about plans for the new company from co-founder Jim Valentino months before it was announced. In the 1990s, he was the editor for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios and writer or co-writer for significant runs of '' Bloodstrike'', ''

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

'', ''

New Men New men is a term referring to various groups of the socially upwardly mobile in England during the House of Lancaster, House of York and Tudor periods. The term may refer to the new aristocracy, or the enriched gentry. It is used by some h ...

'', '' Supreme'', ''Team Youngblood'', and ''

Youngblood Youngblood, Youngbloods or Young Blood may refer to: Film and television * ''Young Blood'' (1926 film), a German silent drama film * ''Young Blood'' (1932 film), an American western film * ''Young Blood'' (1943 film), a Swedish drama film * ...

''. With Rob Liefeld, he co-created Psilence. Between 1999 and 2000, Stephenson wrote '' Spider-Man Unlimited'' and '' Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man'', and co-wrote several issues of ''

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...

'' first with Erik Larsen and then later with Rob Leifeld for

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 ...

. From 2001 to 2002, he co-wrote and colored '' Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comics Magazine''. Stephenson worked with Valentino and Larsen during their tenures as Publisher of Image Comics, first as Director of Sales & Marketing and then later as the company's Executive Director. He also developed and edited two Image anthologies, ''

Four-Letter Worlds ''Four Letter Worlds'' is a comics anthology published by American company Image Comics in 2005; it tells 16 stories revolving around four lettered words: Love, Hate, Fear, and Fate. Organized by Image Comics' Executive Director Eric Stephens ...

'' (2005) and '' Put the Book Back on the Shelf: A Belle & Sebastian Anthology'' (2006). In 2008, Stephenson was promoted to the position of Publisher of Image Comics, replacing Larsen. During this period he oversaw the expansion of Image's line to include titles such as ''

Bitch Planet ''Bitch Planet'' is an American comic book published by Image Comics, created by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Valentine De Landro. The series is a feminist portrayal of the exploitation film genre and takes place in a dystopian reali ...

'', ''

East of West ''East of West'' is a monthly comic book series published by Image Comics which debuted in March 2013 and was concluded in December 2019. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Nick Dragotta, the book is a science fiction Western set in ...

'', '' Monstress'', ''

Saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square (video game company), Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, ...

'', and ''

The Wicked + The Divine ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''. It was also at this time that he began writing ''

'' and ''They're Not Like Us''. In 2014, ''Nowhere Men'' received four

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 ...

nominations, including Best Continuing Series, Best Writer, Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team, and Best Colorist. ''The Beat: The News Blog of Comics Culture'' named Stephenson the Comics Industry Person of the Year in 2012, and Stephenson won the ComicsPRO Industry Appreciation Award in 2014. In 2018, Image added Stephenson to its Board of Directors, naming him as the company's Chief Creative Officer.

References

External links

*
Stuff Said podcast interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Eric 1968 births Living people American comics writers Comic book editors Writers from Louisville, Kentucky Image Comics