Joseph Michael Linsner (born December 13, 1968)Creator entry
Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Dec. 13, 2021. 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 ...

writer/artist, known as the creator of the mature-audiences supernatural character

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's hori ...

,Linsner bio
''Lambiek's Comiclopedia''. Retrieved May 17, 2022. and for his illustrations of female characters. He is a popular cover artist in the comics industry.

Early life

Linsner was born in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York, one of three brothers. His father died when Joseph was 14 years old.Linser, Joseph Michael. "Look Back in Anger," in ''Dawn: The Swordmaster's Daughter'' (Image Comics 2013). Linsner grew up with a fascination for Batman, the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...

,Figureid, Jocelyn
"The Life of Linsner: Joseph Michael Linsner,"
''Sequential Tart'' (Jan. 2001). and the pinup artist

Alberto Vargas Joaquin Alberto Vargas y Chávez (9 February 1896 – 30 December 1982) was a Peruvian-American painter of pin-up girls. He is often considered one of the most famous of the pin-up artists. Numerous Vargas paintings have sold and continue to se ...

. Later influences included

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...

Pat Mills Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfather ...

, and David Cronenberg.

Career

Linsner introduced the lingerie-wearing occult character

in '' Cry for Dawn'',Destito, Deanna
"Dynamite & Joseph Michael Linsner Celebrate DAWN’s 30th Anniversary: Just like Vampi and Chaos! before her, Linsner’s iconic Dawn is celebrating a milestone,"
''The Beat'' (Aug. 29, 2019). a nine-issue series self-published by Linsner and Joseph M. Monks' Cry for Dawn Productions beginning in 1989.Linsner entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Dec. 13, 2021. Cry For Dawn Productions dissolved in late 1993, and Linsner took Dawn to

Sirius Entertainment Sirius Entertainment was an American comic book company which operated from 1994 to 2007. Sirius Entertainment was founded by Robb Horan, Joseph Michael Linsner, and Larry Salamone, Fassbender, Tom. "A Sirius Interview: With Two Sirius Guys," ...

;Fassbender, Tom. "A Sirius Interview: With Two Sirius Guys," '' Capital Comics Internal Correspondance'' (May 1995), pp. 1–3. Dawn was published by Sirius for several

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

and one-shots from 1995 to 2000. Linsner broke into mainstream comics drawing the cover of ''

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 ...

'' #13 (Winter 1993). His

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 ...

work includes the one-shot ''

Killraven Killraven (Jonathan Raven) is a character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as a freedom fighter in several Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apoca ...

'' #1 (Feb. 2001), several covers for the company's mid-2000s Mystique series, and painted covers and interior penciling and inking for the

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " 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 a muscul ...

- Black Cat three-issue limited series ''Claws'' (Oct.-Dec., 2006), followed in 2011 by the three-issue limited series ''Wolverine & Black Cat: Claws 2'' (Aug.–Nov., 2011). In 2002, Linsner self-published ''I Love New York'', a benefit book for the American Red Cross following the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

; the comic presents his perceptions as a native New Yorker on that day. Image Comics released the 176-page paperback ''The Art of Joseph Michael Linsner'' () in October 2003. He provided the illustrations for the 2007 book ''

Our Gods Wear Spandex ''Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes'' is a 2007 book by Christopher Knowles, the former editor of '' Comic Book Artist'', with illustrations by Joe Linsner. The book examines superheroes as a modern evolution of myth ...

: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes'' by

Christopher Knowles Christopher Knowles (born 1959) is an American poet and painter. He was born in New York City on May 4, 1959, and has received a diagnosis of possible brain damage. He is often referred to as autistic.crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

one-shot ''

Witchblade ''Witchblade'' is a comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, which ran from November 1995 to October 2015. The series was created by Top Cow founder and owner Marc Silvestri, editor David Wohl, writers ...

The Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...

'' #1 (June 2007), and has also done painted comic book cover art 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 ...

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 know ...

, and others. He did his first cover for

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptations ...

in 2007 (

Red Sonja Red Sonja is a fictional sword and sorcery comic-book superheroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino. Marvel Comics p ...

), and since 2012 has been one of the company's most prolific cover artists,"BALTIMORE COMIC-CON 2022 GUEST: JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER: Writer and Artist,"
Baltimore Comic-Con official website. Retrieved Dec. 13, 2021. mainly for its collections of comics featuring such licensed characters as

Vampirella Vampirella () is a fictional vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of '' Cre ...

Bettie Page Bettie Mae Page (April 22, 1923 – December 11, 2008) was an American model who gained notoriety in the 1950s for her pin-up photos.

, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark,

Dejah Thoris Dejah Thoris is a fictional character and princess of the Martian city-state/empire of Helium in Edgar Rice Burroughs' series of Martian novels. She is the daughter of Mors Kajak, Jed (chieftain) of Lesser Helium, and the granddaughter of Tardo ...

, and Jennifer Blood. Linsner has a lengthy association with

The Hero Initiative The Hero Initiative, formerly known as A Commitment to Our Roots, or ACTOR, is the first federally recognized not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators, writers and artists in need. Founded in late 2000 by a consorti ...

, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators, writers, and artists in need.

Controversy

In 2013, in the pages of a Dawn comic, Linsner accused his former assistant Eva Hopkins of acquiring and selling his original pages without his consent. Hopkins denied the allegations, and an online war of words erupted between the two creators.

Personal life

Linsner is married to Kristina Deak-Linsner.

Awards and honors

Linsner was nominated for the 1997

Eisner Award for Best Painter/Digital Artist The Eisner Award for Best Painter/Digital Artist is an award for creative achievement in American comic books. It is awarded to a comic book artist for interior art. Name change The award was named "Best Painter" from 1993 to 1999, "Best Painter/ ...

. He was given an

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual conv ...

at the 2007

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

. Along with

Herb Trimpe Herbert William Trimpe (; May 26, 1939 – April 13, 2015) was an American comics artist and occasional writer, best known as the seminal 1970s artist on '' The Incredible Hulk'' and as the first artist to draw for publication the character Wolve ...

and

Greg Land Greg Land (born 1956) is an American comic book artist, best known for his work on books such as ''Uncanny X-Men'', ''Birds of Prey'', and ''Fantastic Four''. Career Greg Land first got a job with an independent publisher as the artist for ''Stor ...

, Linsner was a guest of honor at the 2008

Toronto Comic Con The Toronto Comic Con was an annual comic book convention held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It started in 2003 and was sold in 2009 to Wizard Entertainment owner Gareb Shamus. It was subsequently relaunched as a Wizard event in 2010. The event h ...

Bibliography

* ''Cry for Dawn'' #1–9 (Cry for Dawn Productions, 1989–1991) * ''Subtle Violents'' (Cry for Dawn Productions, 1991) * ''Drama'' (

, 1994) * ''Angry Christ Comix'' (Sirius Entertainment, 1994) * ''Eleven or One: An Angry Christ Comic'' (Sirius Entertainment, 1995) * ''Dawn'' #1–5 (Sirius Entertainment, 1995–1996) * ''Crypt of Dawn'' #1–6 (Sirius Entertainment, 1996–1999) ** collected in ''The Best of Crypt of Dawn'' (Sirius Entertainment, Inc., 2000) * ''Dawn: Lucifer's Halo'' #1 (Sirius Entertainment, Nov. 1997, ) — collects material from ''Drama'' (Sirius Entertainment, 1994) and ''Dawn'' (Sirius Entertainment, 1995) * ''Dawn 1/2: Dreams of Dawn'' (Sirius Entertainment, 1999) * ''Dawn 1/2'' (Sirius Entertainment/Wizard, 2000) * ''Dawn: the Return of the Goddess'' (Sirius Entertainment, 1999–2000) * ''Killraven'' #1 (

, Feb. 2001) * ''Dark Ivory'' #0 (Linsner.com, Winter 2001) — co-created and co-written with Eva Hopkins * ''I Love New York'' (Lisner.com, 2002) * ''Dawn: Three Tiers'' #1–6 ( Image Comics, 2003–2005) * ''Claws'' #1–3 (Marvel Comics, 2006) * ''Dark Ivory'' #1–4 (Image Comics, 2008–2009) — co-written with Eva Hopkins * ''Dawn: Not to Touch the Earth'' (Image Comics, 2010) * ''Wolverine & Black Cat: Claws 2'' #1–3 (Marvel Comics, 2011) * ''Dawn: The Swordmaster's Daughter'' (Image Comics 2013) * ''Sin Boldly'' (Image Comics, 2013) * ''Dawn/Vampirella'' #1–5 (

, 2014–2015) ** collected in ''Dawn/Vampirella'' (Dynamite Entertainment, 2019) * ''

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker in '' Batman: The Animated Series'', and debuted in i ...

'' #4,''Harley Quinn'' #4 preview
''CBR'' (Sept. 20, 2016). Retrieved May 17, 2022. 10, 15, 16, 20 (

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 ...

, 2015–2017) — a few pages in each issue

References

Notes

Sources

Linsner entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''

External links

Linsner's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linsner, Joseph Michael 1968 births Living people American comics writers American comics artists Artists from New York City