Michael Zulli is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

artist known for his work as an animal and wildlife illustrator and as a

comic book illustrator 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 ...

Career

Michael Zulli's career in the comics industry began in October 1986 with ''

The Puma Blues ''The Puma Blues'' was a comic book written by Stephen Murphy and drawn by Michael Zulli. It ran from June 1986 to early 1989, stretching over 23 regular issues and a single "half-issue" minicomic. In 2015 it was re-issued in a collected edition b ...

'', on which he collaborated with writer Stephen Murphy. The monthly title was published by

Dave Sim Dave Sim (born 17 May 1956) is a Canadian cartoonist and publisher, best known for his comic book '' Cerebus'', his artistic experimentation, his advocacy of self-publishing and creators' rights, and his controversial political and philosophical ...

's Aardvark One International and later by

Mirage Studios Mirage Studios was an American comic book company founded in 1983 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in Dover, New Hampshire. The company was best known for the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') comic book series and the subsequent franc ...

. Zulli illustrated the characters, wildlife and natural landscapes in the polluted post-industrial environment of the story's not-too-distant future. The ecological warnings of the series put forward an argument for natural conservation and against the abuse and pollution of the natural environment. The series was published for 23 issues and a mini-comic half issue, ending in 1989. Between 1990 and 1991, Zulli created three issues of the ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...

:'' #31 ("Soul's Winter") #35 ("Soul's Withering"), and #36 ("Soul's End"). His dark and uniquely realistic interpretation of the TMNT entitled the "Soul's Trilogy" was a polarizing one among fans of the series. Zulli wrote, drew, and painted the covers for the 3 issues. The work has been viewed as a classic series in hindsight and collected by IDW as "Soul's Winter." He drew a never-published issue of

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 ...

' ''

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 ...

'' in which the title character meets

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. In the 1990s another unfinished and unpublished story, ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial ''The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London urban legend, legend. A barber fr ...

'', written by

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 ...

and illustrated by Zulli for Stephen R. Bissette's publication ''

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 ...

'' was stopped when the anthology itself was discontinued. By this time, Zulli had received the attention of many writers, editors and artists in the comics industry. In 1990 he guest pencilled issue #13 of DC Comics' nascent

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

series '' The Sandman'' written by Gaiman. This story introduced the

Hob Gadling Hob Gadling, also known as Robert, Robbie, or Bobby, is a fictional character from the '' Sandman'' comic book series by Neil Gaiman. Gadling first appears in issue #13, "Men of Good Fortune". A soldier who has recently fought in the Hundred Years ...

character. Zulli would illustrate seven ''Sandman'' issues including the final Sandman story arc " The Wake". Zulli and Gaiman collaborated on a comics adaptation of

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

's '' The Last Temptation'' in 1994. After ''The Sandman'' series ended, he had a gallery show called "Visions of the Wake" in New York City. He also began illustrating for several newer Vertigo imprint titles including '' Winter's Edge'', '' Witchcraft: La Terreur'' and '' Sandman Presents: Love Street''. He was one of the artists on the '' Shade'' limited series which spun off from the ''

Starman ''StarMan'' is a 1996 fantasy novel by Australian writer Sara Douglass. It follows the second book in the series, '' Enchanter'', with Axis marching north with his army to confront a formidable enemy. Background ''StarMan'' was first published ...

'' series.

Comics bibliography

*1986–1988: ''

'' #1–19 – penciller/inker ( Aardvark One International) *1988–1989: ''The Puma Blues'' #20–23, mini-comic - penciller/inker (

) *1988: ''

'' #31, 35–36 - writer/penciller/inker (Mirage Studios) *1989: ''

'' #2 – writer/penciller/inker (

Spiderbaby Grafix Stephen R. Bissette (born March 14, 1955) is an American comic book artist, editor, and publisher with a focus on the Horror comics, horror genre. He is known for working with writer Alan Moore and inker John Totleben on the DC Comics series ''Sw ...

) *1990: '' The Sandman'' #13 – penciller (

) *1990: ''Taboo'' #4 – penciller/inker (Spiderbaby Grafix) *1991: ''Taboo'' #5 – writer/penciller (Spiderbaby Grafix) *1991: ''Tundra Sketchbook Series'' #3 – penciller (

Tundra Publishing Tundra Publishing was a Northampton, Massachusetts-based comic book publisher founded by Kevin Eastman in 1990. The company was founded to provide a venue for adventurous, creator-owned work by talented cartoonists and illustrators. Its publicat ...

) *1992: '' Legends of Arzach'' #2 – penciller (Tundra Publishing, Ltd.) *1992: ''Taboo'' #6 – penciller (Spiderbaby Grafix) *1992: ''Taboo'' #7 – penciller/inker (Spiderbaby Grafix) *1993: ''

Angels and Visitations ''Angels and Visitations'' is a collection of short fiction and nonfiction by Neil Gaiman. It was first published in the United States in 1993 by DreamHaven Books. It is illustrated by Steve Bissette, Randy Broecker, Dave McKean, P. Craig Russell, ...

'' – penciller/inker (

) *1993: '' Guest of Honor'' – penciller (no publisher) *1994: '' A Death Gallery'' #1 – penciller/inker (Vertigo) *1994: ''The Sandman'' #50 – penciller/inker (Vertigo) *1994: '' Roarin' Rick's Rarebit Friends'' #8–9 – penciller/inker ( King Hell) *1994: ''

'' #3 – penciller/inker (DC Comics) *1994: '' Alice Cooper: The Last Temptation'' #1–3 – penciller/inker (

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 ...

/ Marvel Music) *1994: '' The Staros Report'' #2 – penciller ( Star House) *1994: ''

Witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

'' #4 – penciller/inker (Vertigo) *1994: ''

Turtle Soup Turtle soup, also known as Terrapin soup, is a soup or stew made from the meat of turtles. Differing versions of the soup exist in some cultures and are viewed as a delicacy. Versions China In China, and in several countries in Southeast A ...

'' #4 – penciller/inker (Mirage Studios) *1995: ''The Sandman'' #53 – penciller (Vertigo) *1995: ''

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 ...

'' #47 - penciller/inker (

Top Cow Productions Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, an imprint of Image Comics founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992. History During the early years of Image Comics, which was founded in 1992, co-founder Marc Silvestri shared a studio with Jim L ...

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 ...

) *1996: ''

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 ...

'' #8 – penciller/inker (Vertigo) *1996: ''The Sandman'' #70–72 – penciller (issues were not inked) (Vertigo) *1996: '' Seekers into the Mystery'' #6–9 – penciller/inker (Vertigo) *1997: '' Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold'' #1 – penciller/inker (Vertigo) *1997: '' The Shade'' #4 – penciller/inker (DC Comics) *1998: '' Vertigo: Winter's Edge'' #3 – penciller/inker (Vertigo) *1998: '' Witchcraft: La Terreur'' #1–3 – penciller/inker (Vertigo) *1998: '' Longshot: Fools'' – penciller (

) *1999: '' Batman: No Man's Land'' #1 – penciller (DC Comics) *1999: ''

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'' ...

'' #13 – penciller/inker (

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 ...

) *1999: '' Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man'' #1–3 – penciller/inker (

) *2000: '' The Quotable Sandman'' – penciller (Vertigo) *2000: '' The Sandman Presents: Love Street'' #1–3 – penciller (Vertigo) *2000: '' Vertigo Secret Files and Origins: Swamp Thing'' #1 – penciller/inker (Vertigo) *2000–2001: ''

Legends of the DC Universe A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief. Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to: Narrative * Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth * A fictitious identity used in espionage Books, co ...

'' #33–36 – penciller (DC Comics) *2001: '' Delicate Creatures'' – penciller/inker (Image Comics/

) *2002: '' 9-11: The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember, Volume Two'' – penciller/inker (DC Comics) *2002: '' Grendel: Red, White and Black'' #4 - penciller (Vertigo) *2004: ''

Creatures of the Night ''Creatures of the Night'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1982. It was the band's last for Casablanca Records, the only label for which Kiss had recorded up to that point. The album was dedicated to the memor ...

'' – penciller/inker/painter (Dark Horse Comics) *2007: '' The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch'' – penciller/inker/painter (Dark Horse Comics) *2011: '' The Fracture of the Universal Boy'' – writer/penciller/inker *2015: ''The Puma Blues: The Complete Saga in One Volume'' collects ''The Puma Blues'' #1–23 with a new 40-page conclusion – penciller/inker (

Dover Publications Dover Publications, also known as Dover Books, is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward and Blanche Cirker. It primarily reissues books that are out of print from their original publishers. These are often, but not always, books ...

)

Awards and nominations

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 ...

**1996 Nominated for Best Serialized Story (with Neil Gaiman for " The Wake", in ''The Sandman'' #70–72) ** 1996 Nominated for Best Best Penciller/Inker (for "The Wake") ** 1996 Nominated for Best Comics-Related Item (for ''Sandman: The Wake'' poster)

References

External links

* *
Michael Zulli
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{DEFAULTSORT:Zulli, Michael Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists American comics artists American comics writers American people of Italian descent Comics inkers DC Comics people Living people Marvel Comics people Mirage Studios