Jan Duursema (born October 27, 1954) is an American

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

known for her work on the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' comics franchise. She is the creator of Denin and Vila from Naldar, the Twi'lek

Jedi Jedi (), Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are the main heroic protagonists of many works of the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Old Galactic Republic, and later supporting the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi O ...

Aayla Secura This incomplete list of characters from the '' Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt D ...

and the Kiffar Jedi

Quinlan Vos Quinlan Vos is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Vos was voiced by Al Rodrigo in the ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' television series. The character also appears in various canon and non-canon ''Star Wars'' media like boo ...

Career

Jan Duursema's first published comics work appeared in '' Heavy Metal'' vol. 3 #3 (July 1979). She drew several stories for

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 ...

' ''

Sgt. Rock Sgt. Franklin John Rock is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Sgt. Rock first appeared in ''Our Army at War'' #83 (June 1959), and was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. The character is a W ...

'' title beginning in 1980. With writer

Paul Kupperberg Paul Kupperberg (born June 14, 1955) is an American writer and comics editor. He is currently a writer and executive editor at Charlton Neo Comics and Pix-C Webcomics, and a contributing author with Crazy 8 Press. Formerly, he was an editor for D ...

, she co-created the

Arion Arion (; grc-gre, Ἀρίων; fl. c. 700 BC) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant ...

character in '' The Warlord'' #55 (March 1982) and the ''Arion, Lord of Atlantis'' series was launched in November 1982. Duursema was one of the artists of ''

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 ...

'' #300 (Feb. 1983). She provided artwork to the '' Star Ace'' role-playing game from

Pacesetter Ltd Pacesetter Ltd was a game company based in Delavan, Wisconsin, founded in 1984. Company founders included CEO John Rickets, and Mark Acres, Andria Hayday, Gaye Goldsberry O'Keefe, Gali Sanchez, Garry Spiegle, Carl Smith, Stephen D. Sullivan an ...

. Her first work 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 ...

, as well as her first work on the ''Star Wars'' franchise, appeared in ''

'' #92 (Feb. 1985). Back at DC, she was one of the contributors to the ''

DC Challenge ''DC Challenge'' was a 12-issue comic book limited series produced by DC Comics from November 1985 to October 1986, as a round robin experiment in narrative. The series' tagline was "Can You Solve It Before We Do?" Publication history The ''DC Ch ...

'' limited series in 1986 and drew the ''

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...

'' comic book series for three years. She briefly worked with

John Ostrander John Ostrander (born April 20, 1949) is an American writer of comic books, including ''Suicide Squad'', ''Grimjack'' and '' Star Wars: Legacy''. Career Ostrander studied theology with the intent of becoming a Catholic priest, but now describes ...

on the ''

Hawkworld ''Hawkworld'' is a comic book series published by American company DC Comics from 1989 to 1993. The initial storyline was published as a three-issue mini-series and then, based on the high sales and interest level generated by this limited serie ...

'' series in 1992 and again the following year when the title was cancelled and relaunched as ''

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

''. Her association with

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 ...

' ''Star Wars'' franchise began with ''Star Wars:

Chewbacca Chewbacca ( ), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute, bipedal, intelligent species originating from the fictional planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and firs ...

'' #2 (Feb. 2000). She has since drawn several ''Star Wars'' series for Dark Horse including the '' Star Wars: Darth Maul'' mini-series in 2000 and the comics adaptation of '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'' in 2002. Duursema and Ostrander collaborated on the '' Star Wars: Legacy'' series which was introduced with a #0 issue and ran for 50 issues from June 2006 to August 2010. They launched the '' Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi'' series in 2012. Duursema was the basis for the character Ur-Sema Du.

Advertising

In 2011

Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...

commissioned Duursema and fellow comics artist

Amanda Conner Amanda Conner is an American comics artist and commercial art illustrator. She began her career in the late 1980s for Archie Comics and Marvel Comics, before moving on to contribute work for Claypool Comics' '' Soulsearchers and Company'' and Ha ...

to create artwork for the ''Make Yourself: A Super Power''

advertising campaign An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC). An IMC is a platform in which a group of people can group their ideas, beliefs, and conc ...

Awards

Duursema received the Russ Manning Outstanding Newcomer Award in 1983.

Personal life

Duursema is married to fellow comic book artist

Tom Mandrake Tom Mandrake (born 1956) is an American comics artist, perhaps best known for his collaborations with writer John Ostrander on several series, including ''Grimjack'' (from First Comics) and ''Firestorm'', ''The Spectre'', and ''Martian Manhunter'' ...

, whom she met while both were students at

The Kubert School The Kubert School, formerly the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art and Joe Kubert School, is a private, for-profit technical school focused on cartooning and located in Dover, New Jersey. It teaches the principles of sequential art a ...

. Their wedding was held on the school's grounds. The couple have a son, Jack Moses Mandrake, and a daughter, Sian Mandrake, who is also a Kubert School-trained comics illustrator.

Bibliography

Dark Horse Comics

*''Star Wars: Chewbacca'' #2 (2000) *'' Star Wars: Republic'' #16, 19–22, 32–35, 42–45, 49–50, 54, 59, 63, 65–66, 68–77, 81–83 (2000–2006) *''

Star Wars Tales ''Star Wars Tales'' is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics, beginning on September 29, 1999, and completing its run on July 13, 2005. Each issue is 64 pages and features a few unrelated stories from various eras of the ''Star Wars'' ...

'' #3, 7, 11 (2000–2002) *''Star Wars: Darth Maul'', miniseries, #1–4 (2000) *'' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'', miniseries, #1–4 (2002) *'' Star Wars: Jedi'': **''Aayla Secura'' (2003) **''Count Dooku'' (2003) **''Mace Windu'' (2003) **''Shaak Ti'' (2003) *'' Star Wars: Legacy'' #0–3, 5–7, 11–12, 14–19, 23–26, 28–31, 34–35, 37–40, 43–50 (2006–2010) *''Star Wars: Legacy: One for One'' (2010) *'' Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi'': **''Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi'' #0 (2012) **''Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi—Force Storm'' #1–5 (2012) **''Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi—The Prisoner of Bogan'' #1–5 (2012–2013) **''Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi—Force War'' #1–5 (2013–2014)

DC Comics

*''

'' #1–22, 24–30, 33–36, ''Annual'' #1 (1988–1991) *''

Arak, Son of Thunder Arak is a fictional comic book character and a superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in a special insert in '' The Warlord'' #48 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas and Ernie Colón. Arak (Bright-Sky-After-Storm) is depict ...

'' #8–11 (1982) *'' Arion, Lord of Atlantis'' #1–21, 23, 27, 30–35, ''Special'' #1 (1982–1985) *''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'' #392 (1986) *'' Batman and the Outsiders Annual'' #1 (among other artists) (1984) *''

Convergence Convergence may refer to: Arts and media Literature *''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen *Convergence (comics), "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics: **A four-part crossover storyline that ...

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character has appeared in various incarnations; the identity was adopted by Dick Grayson when he left his role as Batman's vigilante partner Robin. Although ...

Oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

'' #1–2 (2015) *''

'' #12 (1986) *''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...

Annual'' #5 (1992) *'' Earth 2: World's End'' #4–7, 10 (2014–2015) *''

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

'' #163 (1983) *''

'' vol. 3 #1–4, ''Annual'' #1 (1993–1994) *''

'' #27–29 (1992) *''

Heroes Against Hunger ''Heroes Against Hunger'' is a 1986 all-star benefit comic book for African famine relief and recovery. Published by DC Comics in the form of a "comic jam" or exquisite corpse, the book starred Superman and Batman. Spearheaded by Jim Starlin and B ...

'' #1 (1986) *''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets''. It is also the name of the titular setting of the series. First serie ...

'' #301 (1982) *''

Justice League Quarterly ''Justice League Quarterly'' (''JLQ'') was a quarterly American comic book series published by DC Comics from Winter 1990 to Winter 1994; it lasted 17 issues. It had a variable cast, pulling from the Justice League membership. The title centred o ...

'' #5 (1991) *''

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...

'' vol. 2 #5 (1999) *''

Omega Men The Omega Men are a fictional team of extraterrestrial superheroes who have appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. They first appeared in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 2) #141 (June 1981), and were created by Marv Wolfman and Joe ...

'' #36 (1986) *''The

Outsiders Outsider(s) may refer to: Film * Outsider (1997 film), ''Outsider'' (1997 film), a 1997 Slovene-language film * Outsider (2012 film), ''Outsider'' (2012 film), a Malayalam-language Indian film * Outsiders (1980 film), ''Outsiders'' (1980 film), a ...

'' #8, 16 (1986–1987) *''Saga of the Swamp Thing'' #9 (1983) *''

Scooby Apocalypse ''Scooby Apocalypse'' is a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics, which began in May 2016. It re-imagines the characters from the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise, particularly the 1969 TV series ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'', setting them in ...

'' #11–14 (2017) *''

'' #347–352, 357–360, 362, 364 (1980–1982) *''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' #34 (1992) *''

Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental List of swamp monsters, creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or mo ...

'' vol. 2 #117 (1992) *''

Tangent Comics Tangent Comics is a DC Comics imprint created in 1997, developed from ideas by Dan Jurgens. The line, formed from various one-shots, focused on creating all-new characters using established DC names, such as the Joker, Superman, and the Flash. ...

'' #1 (1997) *''Tangent Comics / Nightwing: Night Force'' #1 (1998) *''The

Warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

'' #55–62 (Arion); #60–62, 123–133 (The Warlord) (1982–1988) *''

Weird War Tales ''Weird War Tales'' was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics. It was published from September–October 1971 to June 1983. Publication history The original title ran for 12 years and 124 issues. It was ...

'' #98 (1981) *''

'' #300 (among other artists) (1983)

Marvel Comics

*'' The Avengers'' #369 (1993) *''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

'' #399–402 (1992–1993) *''

Professor Xavier Professor X (Charles Francis Xavier) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as the founder and sometimes leader of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writ ...

and the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

'' #1–4, 6 (1995–1996) *''

Spider-Man Unlimited ''Spider-Man Unlimited'' is an American animated series by Saban Entertainment which features the Marvel comic book superhero Spider-Man, intended as a loose sequel series to the previous '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', which ran from 199 ...

'' #5 (1994) *''

'' #92 (1985) *''

Uncanny X-Men ''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the X ...

'' #305 (1993) *'' Wolverine: Knight of Terra'' (1995) *''

X-Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' #97, 99–104, 106, 108–111, 200 (1993–2010) *''

X-Man Nathaniel Grey (X-Man) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Steve Skroce, the character first appeared in ''X-Man'' ...

'' #10 (among other artists) (1995) *'' X-Men: Road to Onslaught'' (among other artists) (1996) *''

X-Men 2099 ''X-Men 2099'' is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics from 1993 to 1996 that chronicled the adventures of an X-Men team in the year 2099. It extends the Marvel 2099 imprint, which features other future versions of popular Marvel char ...

'' #32–35 (1996) *''

X-Men Unlimited ''X-Men Unlimited'' was the title of three comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The purpose of this title was to run stories that fit between the main X-Men comics. The stories included all characters (heroes and villains) from the X-tit ...

'' #2 (1993)

Other publishers

*'' Elric: The Vanishing Tower'', miniseries, #1–6 (

First Comics First Comics was an American comic book publisher that was active from 1983 to 1991, known for titles like ''American Flagg!'', ''Grimjack'', ''Nexus'', ''Badger'', ''Dreadstar'', and ''Jon Sable''. Along with competitors like Pacific Comics and ...

, 1987–1988)

References

External links

* *
Jan Duursema
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{DEFAULTSORT:Duursema, Jan 1954 births 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists American female comics artists DC Comics people Eisner Award winners Living people Marvel Comics people The Kubert School alumni