Paul Johnson (born 13 October 1958) is a British

comic book 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 ...

Biography

Paul Johnson orbited the peripheries of the British comic book industry in the early 1980s, self-publishing and appearing in short-lived publications such as ''

Pssst! ''Pssst!'' (styled as ''pssst!'') was a short-lived British comics magazine published by Never–Artpool in 1982. ''Pssst!'', which lasted ten monthly issues, was an attempt to publish a British equivalent of the lavish French bande dessinée ma ...

'' and ''

Escape Escape or Escaping may refer to: Computing * Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation ** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some so ...

''. His first major comics work was the

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

''London's Dark'' but he came to international attention when he painted the art on ''The Road to Nowhere'', the fourth and final chapter of ''

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 ...

'' mini-series, 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 released by DC/Vertigo in 1993. Johnson worked abroad 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 ...

(''Interface'', ''Hellraiser'', ''Children of the Voyager''),

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 ...

(''Mercy'', ''Invisibles'', ''Legends of the Dark Knight'') and

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 ...

(''Aliens'') before working in Britain's home-grown industry for ''Crisis'', '' 2000 AD'', and the Eaglemoss publication ''Spinechillers''. In 2000 Johnson was awarded a grant by the Arts Council of Great Britain to run a series of comic book workshops with

Ed Hillyer Ilya, Iliya, Ilia, Ilja, or Ilija (russian: Илья́, Il'ja, , or russian: Илия́, Ilija, ; uk, Ілля́, Illia, ; be, Ілья́, Iĺja ) is the East Slavic form of the male Hebrew name Eliyahu (Eliahu), meaning "My God is Yahu/ Jah. ...

(also known as Ilya) at Great Ormond Street Hospital, resulting in the publication of ''Hospitales'', which was distributed free of charge in hospitals across the UK. In addition to his interest in comics, Johnson wrote regularly for the IPC music magazine ''Uncut'' from 1999 to 2004. Influenced by the work of European comics artists such as Moebius (

Jean Giraud Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (; 8 May 1938 – 10 March 2012) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer who worked in the Bandes dessinées, Franco-Belgian ''bandes dessinées'' (BD) tradition. Giraud garnered worldwide acclaim under the pseu ...

Hugo Pratt Ugo Eugenio Prat, better known as Hugo Pratt (15 June 1927 – 20 August 1995), was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as ''Corto Maltese''. He was indu ...

Alberto Breccia Alberto Breccia (April 15, 1919 – November 10, 1993) was an Uruguayan-born Argentina, Argentine artist and cartoonist. A gifted penciller and inker, Breccia is one of the most celebrated and famous comics/Historieta creators in the world, and sp ...

and

Lorenzo Mattotti Lorenzo Mattotti (born 24 January 1954) is an Italian comics artist as well as an illustrator. His illustrations have been published in magazines such as ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'', ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'', ''The New Yorker'', ...

, Johnson struggled to find work that interested him as most commercial publishers failed to make the jump from producing superhero comics to the more esoteric genres of their continental counterparts. Disillusioned with the opportunities available to him, Johnson retrained as an

acupuncturist Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientifi ...

and

herbalist Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...

. He is now in private practice and lectures regularly at LCTA, England's largest college dedicated to teaching Traditional Chinese Medicine. He is the chief presenter on ''How To Locate Acupuncture Points - The Definitive DVD'', released in 2008.

Bibliography

Comics work includes:

Escape Publishing

*''London's Dark'' (with

James Dale Robinson James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, 50 pages,

Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and co ...

, 1989, ) * "Bomber's Tears" (with

, in ''

Escape Magazine ''Escape'' magazine was a British comic strip magazine founded and edited by Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury. Nineteen issues were published between 1983 and 1989. Eddie Campbell, Phil Elliott and Glenn Dakin were amongst the many cartoonists ...

'' #19, Autumn 1989)

Marvel Comics

*''Interface'' #1-#6 (with

James D. Hudnall James David Hudnall (April 10, 1957 – April 9, 2019) was an American writer who began his career in the comic book field in 1986 with the series '' Espers'', published by Eclipse Comics. He later worked for Marvel and DC on such titles as ''Alp ...

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

, December 1989 – October 1990, tpb collects the 6 issue mini-series as ''Espers/ Interface'',

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 ...

, 1998 ) *''Jihad'' #1-#2 (with D. G. Chichester, 48 pages per issue,

, December 1991) * End paper illustrations in ''Clive Barker's Hellraiser'' #13,

1992 * "Death, Where is Thy Sting?" (with Malcolm Smith, in ''Clive Barker's Hellraiser'' #19,

1992) *''Children of the Voyager'' #1-#4 (with

Nick Abadzis Nick Abadzis ( el, Νικ Αμπατζής; born 1965)
Lambiek's ''Comiclopedia''. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2020. i ...

, September 1993 – December 1993) *''"Children of the Voyager: Epilog"'' in ''Marvel Frontier Comics Special'' #1 (with

Nick Abadzis Nick Abadzis ( el, Νικ Αμπατζής; born 1965)
Lambiek's ''Comiclopedia''. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2020. i ...

, January 1994) *''Behold, The Man Thing'' Parts 1-4 (with

Simon Jowett Simon Jowett is a British author and scriptwriter. Biography His early work was in comics, as the writer of the James Bond stories ''Silent Armageddon'' (1993, drawn by John M. Burns) and ''Shattered Helix'' (1994, drawn by David Jackson, ove ...

, in ''Marvel Comics Presents'' #164-#167, October–November 1994) * ''The Birth of Him'' illustration in

''Portraits of a Universe Book 2'', April 1995 * ''Death of Electra'' illustration in

''Portraits of a Universe Book 3'', May 1995

DC Comics

*''

'': "The Road to Nowhere" (with

, 1990, tpb collects the 4 issue mini-series, DC, 1993 ) *''

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...

'' (with

J. M. DeMatteis John Marc DeMatteis (; born December 15, 1953) is an American writer of comic books, television and novels. Biography Early career J. M. DeMatteis's earliest aspirations were to be a rock musician and comic book artist. He began playing in ban ...

, 62-page one shot,

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 ...

, 1993) *''

The Invisibles ''The Invisibles'' is a comic book series published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics from 1994 to 2000. It was created and scripted by Scottish writer Grant Morrison, and drawn by various artists throughout its publication. The series loosel ...

'' #16: "London" (with

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 ...

, January 1996, tpb ''The Invisibles: Apocalipstick'' collects Vol. I issues #9-#16, DC, 2001 ) *''

'' #21: "Liverpool" (with

, June 1996, tpb ''The Invisibles: Entropy in the UK'' collects Vol. I issues #17-#25, DC, 2001 ) *'' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #102: "Spook: Part I" (with

, January 1998) *'' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #103: "Spook: Part II" (with

, February 1998) *'' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #104: "Spook: Part III" (with

, March 1998) *''Batman Cover to Cover'' hardback includes the cover to '' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #104: "Spook: Part III", 2005 )

Dark Horse Comics

*''

Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...

: Sacrifice'' (with

Peter Milligan Peter Milligan (born 24 June 1961) is a British comic book writer who has written extensively for both British and American comic book industries. In the UK, Milligan has contributed to numerous anthology titles including '' 2000 AD'', ''Revolv ...

, May 1993, collected in tpb

''Aliens: Salvation/ Sacrifice'', 2001, )

Fleetway

*''

Tharg's Future Shocks ''Tharg's Future Shocks'' is a long-running series of short strips in the British weekly comic '' 2000 AD'' in 1977. The name originates from the fictional editor of 2000 AD and the book titled ''Future Shock'', written by Alvin Toffler, publi ...

'': "Red Giant" (with

Peter Hogan Peter Hogan is an English writer and comics writer, best known for ''Resident Alien'', which he co-created with artist Steve Parkhouse. Hogan began his comics career as editor of cult British comic ''Revolver'' in 1990–1991, before workin ...

, in ''2000 AD'' #892, 1994) *'' Tharg's Terror Tales'': ** "The Succubus" (with

Alan McKenzie Alan McKenzie is a British comics writer and editor known for his work at '' 2000 AD''. Biography McKenzie worked for Marvel UK during the early 1980s, editing '' Starburst'', ''Cinema'' and '' Doctor Who Monthly'' magazines. After leaving the ...

, in ''2000 AD'' #894, 1994) ** "The Operatives" (with

Nick Abadzis Nick Abadzis ( el, Νικ Αμπατζής; born 1965)
Lambiek's ''Comiclopedia''. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2020. i ...

, in ''2000 AD Winter Special'', 1994) ** "The Devil you know" (with

Nick Abadzis Nick Abadzis ( el, Νικ Αμπατζής; born 1965)
Lambiek's ''Comiclopedia''. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2020. i ...

, in ''2000 AD'' #936, 1995) *''

Judge Dredd Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology Comic book, comic. He is the ...

'': ** "Flashback 2099: The Return of

Rico The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was en ...

" (with

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 o ...

, in ''2000 AD'' #950-952, 1995) ** "Family Feud" (with

Chris Standley Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), Nig ...

, in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #3.01, 1995) *'' Janus: Psi Division'': ** "House of Sighs" (with

, in ''2000 AD'' #953, 1995) ** "A New Star" (with

Mark Millar Mark Millar (; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer and television producer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series '' The Authority'', published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written ex ...

, in ''2000 AD'' #980-984, 1996) ** "Faustus" (with

and

, in ''2000 AD'' #1024-1031, 1997) *''

Vector 13 ''Vector 13'' is a comic strip published in the British magazine '' 2000 AD''. It featured the eponymous agency set up to investigate anomalous phenomena and conspiracy theories. It was influenced by American TV drama ''The X-Files'' (which was at t ...

'': ** "Case One: Extraction Point" (with

, in ''2000 AD'' #988, 1996) ** "Case Eleven: Imaginary Friend" (with

Nick Abadzis Nick Abadzis ( el, Νικ Αμπατζής; born 1965)
Lambiek's ''Comiclopedia''. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2020. i ...

, in ''2000 AD'' #998-999, 1996) ** "Case Eight: Midnight Rambler" (with

Gordon Rennie Gordon Rennie is a Scottish comics writer, responsible for ''White Trash: Moronic Inferno'', as well as several comic strips for '' 2000 AD'' and novels for ''Warhammer Fantasy''. In May 2008, he announced he was leaving comics to concentrate f ...

, in ''2000 AD'' #1069, 1997) *''

Witch World Witch World is a speculative fiction project of American writer Andre Norton, inaugurated by her 1963 novel '' Witch World'' and continuing more than four decades. Beginning in the mid-1980s, when she was about 75 years old, Norton recruited othe ...

'': "Wolfshead" (with

, in ''2000 AD'' #1053-1054, 1997) *''

Sinister Dexter ''Sinister Dexter'' is a long-running comic series in British comics anthology '' 2000 AD'', created by Dan Abnett and David Millgate. Set in the near future, it features the exploits of gun sharks (hitmen) Finnigan "Finny" Sinister and Ramone ...

'' (with

Dan Abnett Dan Abnett (born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, sinc ...

): ** "Luck of the Irish" (in ''2000 AD'' #1062, 1997) ** "60 Seconds" (in ''2000 AD'' #1064, 1997) ** "Long to rain over us" (in ''2000 AD'' #1072, 1997) ** "Tan Lines" (in ''2000 AD'' #1097, 1998) ** "Slay Per View" (in ''2000 AD'' # 1102, 1998) ** "Death is a Lonely Donegan" (in ''2000 AD'' #1111, 1998) ** "Observations" (in ''2000 AD'' #1181, 2000) ** "Fear and Clothing" (in ''2000 AD'' #1265, 2001)Free online version of "Fear and Clothing"
(may require registration) *'' Downlode Tales'': "The Ass Kickers" (with

, in ''2000 AD'' #1145-1148, 1999) *''

Tales of Telguuth Tales may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Tales'' (album), a 1995 album by Marcus Miller * ''Tales'' (film), a 2014 Iranian film * ''Tales'' (TV series), an American television series * ''Tales'' (video game), a 2016 point-and-click adventure ...

'' (with Steve Moore): ** "Talking Heads" (in ''2000 AD'' #1192, 2000) ** "To Become a God" (in ''2000 AD'' #1195, 2000) ** "The Conqueror Wummb" (in ''2000 AD'' #1199, 2000) * ''2000 AD'' covers **''Finn'' #927 **''Brigand Doom'' #932, 1995 **''Judge Dredd'' #939, 1995 **''Rico Dredd'' #951, 1995 **''Janus: Psi Division'' #984, 1996 **''Black Light'' #1005, 1996 **''Vector 13'' #1023, 1997 **''Janus Psi Division'' #1027, 1997 **''Witchworld'' #1060, 1997 **''Character Montage Wraparound'' Winter Special, 1994

Eaglemoss Publications

*''The Spinechiller Collection'' #1 (illustrations to ''Horror in the Centre Ring'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #2 (spot illustration to ''Glowing Ghost'') *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #3 (illustrations to ''The Cave Dwellers'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #5 (illustrations to ''A Dead Man’s Chest'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #7 (spot illustration to ''Spooky Submarine'') *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #8 (illustration to ''Circus Puzzle'', 3 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #10 (illustrations to ''Bugged!'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #12 (illustrations to'' Nature’s Way'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #15 (spot illustration to ''Tunnel Spooks Taxis''; illustration to ''Ley Lines'', 2 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #16 (illustrations to ''What’s The Matter With Martin?'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #18 (spot illustration to ''The Booya Stones'') *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #20 (illustration to ''Nazca Lines'', 2 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #21 (illustrations to ''The House on Sparrow Lane'', 7 pages; ''The Roswell Incident'', 2 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #23 (illustrations to ''The Storm'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #24 (illustration to ''Sitting Bull'', 2 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #26 (illustration to ''Atlantis'', 2 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #27 (illustrations to ''All The Time in the World'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #31 (illustrations to ''Spiderbites'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #35 (illustrations to'' Bungalow 14'', 7 pages; spot illustration to ''Spectral Samurai'') *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #46 (illustrations to ''Grim Reaper'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #49 (spot illustration to ''Things That Go Bump''; ''The Money Pit'', 2 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #50 (illustrations to ''Night Cries'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #51 (illustration to ''Dreamtime'', 2 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #53 (spot illustration to ''The Death’s Head/ Hill of Demons'') *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #54 (illustration to ''Face on Mars'', 2 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #55 (illustrations to ''Monster Bait'', 7 pages; ''Amelia Earhart'', 2 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #57 (illustrations to ''Night of the Wolf'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #59 (illustrations to ''In The Flesh'', 7 pages) *''The Spinechiller Collection'' #60 (spot illustration to ''Herne The Hunter'')

Card games

Paul Johnson was one of the contributing artists for ''Dredd: The Card Game'', a collectible card game released by Round Table Productions back in 1999. He created the art for the following cards: * Fellow Judge * I Know My Duty * Judge Egmont * Judge Souster * Kevin O'Neill * Ricochet Rounds * Shuggy Hall * Spot Check * Umpty Bagging Other trading card sets by Johnson include: *''Aliens'' (

, 1994; card 10) *''Vertigo'' ( DC/Vertigo; Skybox; ''Mercy'' card)

Notes

References

* *
Paul Johnson
at Barney

External links

Dredd: The Card game details
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Paul British comics artists Living people 1958 births