John Thomas Totleben (born February 16, 1958 in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

) is an American illustrator working mostly in comic books.

Biography

After studying art at Tech Memorial in Erie, Totleben attended

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 ...

for one year. He then spent several years working for comics editor

Harry "A" Chesler Harry Chesler (January 12, 1897, or January 12, 1898 (sources differ) – December 1981),Harr ...

, producing illustrations for the''

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam ''Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám'' is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his 1859 translation from Persian to English of a selection of quatrains (') attributed to Omar Khayyam (1048–1131), dubbed "the Astronomer-Poet of Persia". Altho ...

''; which never saw print. His first published work appeared in '' Heavy Metal'' in January 1979. His first success in American comics, and still his best-known work, was as the

inker The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production. The penciller creates a drawing, the inker outlines, interprets, finalizes, retraces this drawing by using a pencil ...

of pencilled art by Stephen R. Bissette for the

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 ...

title ''

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 ...

'', when the series was being written and reinvented by

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 Hell' ...

. Totleben and Bissette joined the series in 1983 shortly before Moore. Totleben's style was unusual for the time, and is still distinctive among U.S. comics artists, for its fluid layouts and heavily detailed rendering using a combination of

stippling Stippling is the creation of a pattern simulating varying degrees of solidity or shading by using small dots. Such a pattern may occur in nature and these effects are frequently emulated by artists. Art In printmaking, stipple engraving is ...

and

hatching Hatching (french: hachure) is an artistic technique used to create tonal or shading effects by drawing (or painting or scribing) closely spaced parallel lines. (It is also used in monochromatic representations of heraldry to indicate what the ...

. He also painted covers for the series in

oils An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

and

acrylic Acrylic may refer to: Chemicals and materials * Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound * Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity * Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...

. Totleben inked the story in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985) which introduced the

John Constantine John Constantine () is a fictional character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Constantine first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985), and was created by Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, Rick Veitch, and John Tot ...

character. Beginning in 1988, Bissette and Totleben co-created and edited the horror anthology ''

Taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

''. It showcased a wide range of writers and artists, from mainstream to semi-underground, and is best known as the original venue for the acclaimed graphic novel ''

From Hell ''From Hell'' is a graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published in serial form from 1989 to 1998. The full collection was published in 1999 by Top Shelf Productions. Set during the Whitechapel murders of ...

''. Totleben's most ambitious comics project was with Moore again, on the third volume of '' Miracleman'', which he pencilled and inked. Response to his art was so strong that

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market. It was ...

retained him as the series' sole artist after changing artists several times in the previous volume despite delays caused by his newly diagnosed eye disease,

retinitis pigmentosa Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetic disorder of the eyes that causes loss of vision. Symptoms include trouble seeing at night and decreasing peripheral vision (side and upper or lower visual field). As peripheral vision worsens, people may ...

. Totleben's art was praised as "one of the premier exemplars of the entire superhero genre." Though Totleben's eye condition has made him legally blind, it has left his central vision clear enough for him to continue working in his usual style, but much more slowly. He has illustrated a number of titles for DC and

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 worked on Moore's satirical

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 ...

series ''

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

'', in which he was described as "'Jaunty' John", the blind "inker without fear".

Awards and nominations

*1985: Won

Kirby Award The Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards were a set of awards for achievement in comic books, presented from 1985-1987. Voted on by comic-book professionals, the Kirby awards were the first such awards since the Shazam Awards ceased in 1975. Sponsored ...

s for "Best Art Team" (with Bissette), "Best Single Issue" (for ''Swamp Thing Annual'' #2), "Best Cover" (for ''Swamp Thing'' #34) *1985–1987: Won Kirby Award for Best Continuing Series (for ''Swamp Thing'') *1986–1987: Nominated for Kirby Award for "Best Art Team" (with Bissette) *1986: Nominated for "Favourite Artist (inker)" Eagle Award *2004: Won

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 c ...

Bibliography

DC Comics

* '' Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame'' #1 (2001) * ''

History of the DC Universe ''History of the DC Universe'' is a two-issue comic book limited series created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez which was published by DC Comics following the end of ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''. Publication history ''History o ...

'' HC (one page) (1988) * '' The Saga of the Swamp Thing'' #10, 16–17, 19–27, 29, 31, 34–38 (1983–1985) * ''Swamp Thing'' vol. 2 #39–40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 53, 55, 60, ''Annual'' #2 (1985–1987) * '' Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' #1 (

Arcane Arcane may refer to: Books and comics * Anton Arcane, a DC Comics character * Arcane Jill Watson, a character in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' * Arcane literature, such as in Cthulhu Mythos Gaming * Arcane magic (''Dungeons & Drago ...

and

Arkham Asylum The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane (), commonly referred to as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital/prison, named after the city of Arkham which appeared first in the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, and later appear ...

entries), #22 (

entry) (1985–1986)

America's Best Comics

* ''

America's Best Comics America's Best Comics (ABC) is a comic book publishing brand. It was set up by Alan Moore in 1999 as an imprint of WildStorm, an idea proposed to Moore by WildStorm founder Jim Lee when it was still under Image Comics. History ''America's Best ...

Special'' #1 (2001)

Helix

* ''

Vermillion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It is v ...

'' #8, 12 (1997)

Vertigo

* ''

The Books of Magic ''The Books of Magic'' is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo. Since its original publication, the mini-series has ...

Annual'' #3 (1999) * ''

The Dreaming The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his co ...

'' #33, 50 (1999–2000) * ''

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

's Midnight Days'' TPB (2000) * '' Strange Adventures'' vol. 2 #3 (2000) * ''The Vertigo Gallery: Dreams and Nightmares'' #1 (1995)

Eclipse Comics

* '' Miracleman'' #11–16 (1987–1989) * '' Real War Stories'' #1 (1987) * '' Scout'' #10 (one page) (1986)

First Comics

* ''

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 ...

'' #14 (1985)

HM Communications, Inc.

* '' Heavy Metal'' #v2#9, #v5#6 (1979–1981)

Image Comics

* ''

'' #4–5 (1993)

Kitchen Sink Press

* ''50's Funnies'' #1 (1980)

Marvel Comics

* ''

Bizarre Adventures ''Marvel Preview'' is a black-and-white comics magazine published by Magazine Management for fourteen issues and the affiliated Marvel Comics Group for ten issues. The final issue additionally carried the imprint Marvel Magazines Group. Publica ...

'' #33 (1982) * '' Epic Illustrated'' #33 (1985) * '' Savage Sword of Conan'' #80 (one page) (1982) * ''

Timespirits ''Timespirits'' was an eight-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics as part of its Epic Comics imprint in 1984. It was created by writer Stephen Perry and Tom Yeates. In a report published by Folha de S.Paulo, many have poi ...

'' #4 (1985) * ''

Ultimate Marvel Team-Up ''Ultimate Marvel Team-Up'' is a comic book series, published by Marvel Comics which ran for 16 issues, including a concluding ''Ultimate Spider-Man Super Special''. It is set in one of Marvel's shared universes, the Ultimate Universe and is base ...

'' #10 (2002) * ''

Universe X The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. Accor ...

Cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

'' #1 (2001) * ''

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 ...

'' #36 (2002)

Pacific Comics

* '' Twisted Tales'' #6 (1984)

Spiderbaby Grafix & Publications

* ''

'' #2, 4 (1989–1990)

References

External links

*
John Totleben
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{DEFAULTSORT:Totleben, John 1958 births American comics artists Artists from Erie, Pennsylvania Blind people from the United States Comic book editors Comics inkers Inkpot Award winners Living people The Kubert School alumni