John Workman (born June 20, 1950) is an American editor, writer, artist, designer,

colorist In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates. Since the late 20th century it is ...

and

letterer A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer's use of typefaces, calligraphy, letter size, and layout all contribute to the impact of the comic. The letterer crafts the comi ...

in the

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 ...

industry. He is known for his frequent partnerships with writer/artist

Walter Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' '' Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned ...

and also for lettering the entire run of

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, w ...

Rachel Pollack Rachel Grace Pollack (born August 17, 1945 as Richard Pollack) is an American science fiction author, comic book writer, and expert on divinatory tarot. She is involved in the women's spirituality movement. Career Tarot reading Pollack has wr ...

's ''

Doom Patrol Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appe ...

'' (

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 ...

). Born in

Beckley, West Virginia Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838. This city is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology or West Virginia University, Beckley Campus. ...

, Workman spent the first eight years of his life in Glen Rogers, West Virginia and

Darlington, Maryland Darlington is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in northeastern Harford County, Maryland, United States.George Reeves George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 – June 16, 1959) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series '' Adventures of Superman'' (1952–1958). His death at age 45 from a g ...

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

'' TV series, he began writing short stories and drawing pictures. Living in

Aberdeen, Washington Aberdeen () is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,013 at the 2020 census. The city is the economic center of Grays Harbor County, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis. Aberdeen is occasi ...

, he studied art and journalism at

Grays Harbor College Grays Harbor College is a public community college in Aberdeen, Washington. Founded in 1930, the college sits on a campus overlooking the town of Aberdeen and its seaport on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Additional "learning centers" are locat ...

and

Clark College Clark College is a public community college in Vancouver, Washington. With 11,500 students, Clark College is the largest institution of higher education in southwest Washington. Founded in 1933 as a private two-year junior college, Clark Colleg ...

, receiving an Associate in Arts degree from Grays Harbor in 1970.

Career

Working in and around the Aberdeen area from 1967 to 1975, Workman created local and regional advertising, always attempting to do the ad work in comics form whenever he was allowed to do so. He also did comics fanzine work, writing and drawing for several different publications, including fanzines overseen by Rick Spanier (''Assorted Superlatives'') and by Mark Wheatley. In 1968, he met gag cartoonist Carl Stamwitz who had worked for Marvel Comics in their humor magazines. He was further encouraged when he met and had numerous conversations with the legendary writer-artist

Basil Wolverton Basil Wolverton (July 9, 1909 – December 31, 1978)
at the

Archie Comics'' alumnus Ed Goldstein. Using different pseudonyms (one being E. L. Bert), Workman also wrote short prose stories that appeared in the magazines alongside stories by

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...

and Robert Bloch. Two years later, in the pages of Mike Friedrich's ''

Star*Reach ''Star Reach'' (also spelled ''Star*Reach'') was an American science fiction and fantasy comics anthology published from 1974 to 1979 by Mike Friedrich Mike Friedrich (; born March 27, 1949) is an American comic book writer and publisher be ...

'', he wrote, penciled, inked and lettered stories for the seminal fantasy/science fiction comics anthology. Workman's work on ''Star*Reach'' attracted attention from

, and they offered him a production job in 1975.Rosenberg, Aaron
"Happy Birthday, John Workman, the King of Letterers," ComixMix (June 20, 2008).
Retrieved July 22, 2008. Workman was

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

of '' Heavy Metal'' magazine from 1977 to 1984. His comics art, writing, lettering, coloring and design work are evident throughout issues from that period.

Lettering

From 1977-1983, Workman lettered comics occasionally (mostly for DC); he has been working steadily as a

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

letterer since 1983. Some of the regular titles he has lettered include

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 ...

' ''

Grimjack Grimjack is the main character of a comic book originally published by the American company First Comics. John Ostrander and Timothy Truman are credited as co-creators of the character, although Ostrander had been developing Grimjack with artist L ...

'' from 1984 to 1987, Marvel's ''

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...

'' from 1985 to 1989, '' Cosmic Odyssey'' in 1988–1989, ''

Fantastic Force Fantastic Force is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the Fantastic Four. The team had its own title, which lasted for eighteen issues from November 1994 to April 1996. ...

'' from 1994–1996, ''

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 ...

'' from 1997–1999, and '' Spider-Girl'' from 2000–2002. For

, Workman lettered ''

'' from 1987–1995, the ''

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st c ...

'' from 1991–1993, ''

Michael Moorcock's Multiverse ''Michael Moorcock's Multiverse'' is an American twelve-issue comic book limited series published in 1997 as a part of the short-lived DC Comics imprint Helix. It was later collected as a single edition graphic novel. Written by Michael Moorcoc ...

'' in 1997–1998, and ''

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially ...

'' in 1999–2000. Workman handled lettering chores for

Topps Comics Topps Comics was a division of Topps, Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993 to 1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies. It was based in New York City, at ...

' '' X-Files'' titles in the late 1990s, and

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 ...

' ''

Savage Dragon The Savage Dragon is a fictional superhero created by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics and taking place in the Image Universe. The comic features the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon. The character first appeared ...

'' from 2003–2005. Since 2003, he has done a lot of lettering work for Archie Comics, especially for their Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man titles. He has created logos for many of their super-hero characters and has done interior lettering on both New Crusaders and The Fox.

Walt Simonson

Workman has worked on many of

Walt Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned w ...

’s projects, including ''

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

'' (Marvel, 1983–1987), '' Balder the Brave'' (Marvel, 1985), ''Jurassic Park'' (Topps, 1993), '' Robocop vs. Terminator'', '' Star Slammers'' ( Bravura/Malibu, 1994), '' Orion'' (DC, 2000–2002), and "Ragnarok."

Tommy Lee Edwards

Recently Workman has lettered much of the Marvel, DC and

Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wilds ...

work of

Tommy Lee Edwards Tommy Lee Edwards is an American illustrator. Edwards' varied portfolio includes works created in the realm of comics, video games, books, advertising, film, and animation. Career As well as comic-related work he has also worked on film projects ...

, including '' Gemini Blood'' (1996–1997), '' The Question'' (2005), '' Bullet Points'' (2007), ''Turf,'' '' Marvel 1985'' (2008) for which he won the 2009 Harvey Award for lettering, and DC's "Mother Panic" (2016)."

Writing, artwork and design

In addition to the thousands of comics pages that he has lettered, Workman has also written and/or drawn 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 ...

, Archie Comics, '' National Lampoon'', ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'', Hamilton Publishing, Image Comics, and others. He wrote an introduction and the final chapter in

Bhob Stewart Robert Marion Stewart, known as Bhob Stewart (November 12, 1937 – February 24, 2014) was an American writer, editor, cartoonist, filmmaker, and active fan who contributed to a variety of publications over a span of five decades. His articles a ...

's ''Against the Grain: Mad Artist Wallace Wood'' and contributed a short autobiographical piece in comics form to the TwoMorrows book ''Streetwise''. Working in an art style similar to that of artist Mike Sekowsky, he pencilled and inked three of the dust jackets for the hardcover DC Comics ''Justice League Archives'' series. He wrote and drew the 41-page "Adventures of Roma" which ran in consecutive issues of ''

Dark Horse Presents ''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by American company Dark Horse Comics from 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was published on MySpace, r ...

'' in 1987. Workman's early science fiction and girlie-humor strips "Sindy" and "The Fallen Angels" were collected in a five-issue run by

Forbidden Fruit Forbidden fruit is a name given to the fruit growing in the Garden of Eden which God commands mankind not to eat. In the biblical story, Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and are exiled from Eden. As a ...

, an imprint of

Apple Comics Apple Comics, also known as Apple Press, was an American comic book publisher which operated from 1986 to 1994. Founded by Michael Catron, they began by taking over the publishing elements of comic production from WaRP Graphics, before expanding ...

. ''Wild Things'', a three-issue series published by

Metro Comics Metro, short for metropolitan (disambiguation), metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a ...

, was made up mostly of material created by Workman for such diverse publications as ''Star*Reach'' and ''Heavy Metal''. In July 2013, a reformatted graphic novel version of "The Adventures of Roma" with new art and additional story material was published in both hardbound and softcover editions by CO2 Comics. For the

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was founde ...

imprint

Eros Comix Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was founde ...

, Workman wrote and designed ''Betty Being Bad'' (1990), a 48-page booklet about pin-up model Betty Page. He also wrote and designed two hardcovers for Heavy Metal Books, ''Heavy Metal: 25 Years of Classic Covers'' and ''Innocent Images''. A self-published booklet,"The Comic Book Crisis," which examined the business side of comic books was incorporated (with additional new material) into issue 199 of ''The Comics Journal'', featuring commentary by Mike Friedrich, Steve Geppi, Kurt Busiek, Gary Groth and others. Through his own Neonarcheos Publishing imprint, Workman has published limited editions of "Writing, Penciling, Inking, Lettering, Editing Martelaine," "The Third Man," "The Art of John Workman," and both black-and-white and color posters of pages of his artwork.

Lettering style

Workman is noted for his distinct lettering style, tight craftsmanship, and the fact that for the most part he still does traditional lettering on art boards instead of using the computer and digital fonts. One of Workman's lettering trademarks is to often erase or omit panel borders when they touch the top, side or bottom of a word balloon or caption, thus opening up the balloon/caption to the gutter. In this regard, Workman's lettering style is similar to that of the late Bill Oakley. Workman's lettering style was highly influenced by the lettering of Jean "Moebius" Giraud from the time when Moebius appeared regularly in the pages of ''Heavy Metal''. Because he does most of his lettering by hand, Workman's collaboration is sought by those artists who wish to have a more cohesive and integrated look to the final artwork. (A joke in the comic book community goes that "Comic books are the only place where having 'Workmanlike' craftsmanship is a plus.") Recently, however, even Workman has moved toward digital lettering. In addition to his "on-the-art boards work," Workman has been electronically hand-lettering by way of a

WACOM () is a Japanese company headquartered in Kazo, Saitama, Japan, that specializes in manufacturing graphics tablets and related products. Headquarters locations The main headquarters are located in Kazo, Saitama, Japan. Its office in the USA ...

tablet for such books as ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing ...

,'' '' Mega Man'', ''

'', ''

Turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...

,'' DC's "Before Watchmen" series ''

Ozymandias "Ozymandias" ( ) is a sonnet written by the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). It was first published in the 11 January 1818 issue of '' The Examiner'' of London. The poem was included the following year in Shelley's c ...

'', ''Superman: American Alien'', and the latest incarnation of the ''Batman'' title.

Personal life

Workman is married to the former Cathy Foster, whom he met at Aberdeen's Eaton's Bookstall when she was looking for issues of ''

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...

'' drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger,Voger, Mark. ''Hero Gets Girl!: The Life & Art of Kurt Schaffenberger'' (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003). and the two have a daughter named Kate, a writer who is the author of two Sherlock Holmes novels. His brother Bill worked beside him on-staff at '' Heavy Metal'' magazine. Both were in the 2000

Jon Cryer Jonathan Niven Cryer (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor, writer, director and producer. Born into a show business family, he made his motion picture debut as a teenage photographer in the 1984 romantic comedy ''No Small Affair''; his bre ...

film ''Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five''.

Notes

References

* Field, Todd
Interview with John Workman, Comicon.com: Alan Moore.
* Rosenberg, Aaron
"Happy Birthday, John Workman, the King of Letterers," ComixMix (June 20, 2008).

John Workman at the Comic Book Database

John E. Workman at the Comic Book Database

External links

''The Comics Journal'' #49: Interview with John Workman"DC Profiles #5: John Workman"
at the

Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Workman, John 1950 births American comics artists American comics writers Comic book letterers Living people People from Beckley, West Virginia 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists