Stephen R. Bissette (born March 14, 1955) is an American comic book artist, editor, and publisher with a focus on the horror genre. He is known for working with writer

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' ...

and inker

John Totleben John Thomas Totleben (born February 16, 1958 in Erie, Pennsylvania) is an American illustrator working mostly in comic books. Biography After studying art at Tech Memorial in Erie, Totleben attended The Kubert School for one year. He then spent se ...

on 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 ...

series ''

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 the 1980s.

Biography

Early work and education

Bissette was born and raised in Vermont, where he still lives, and was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Shortly after the publication of his first work, ''Abyss'' (1976), Bissette enrolled in the first class of

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 and ...

. Before his first year was completed, his work was being published professionally in the pages of ''Sojourn'', ''

Sgt. Rock Sgt. Franklin John Rock is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Sgt. Rock first appeared in ''Our Army at War'' #83 (June 1959), and was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. The character is a W ...

'', and '' Heavy Metal''. In 1978, Bissette was among the Kubert School's first graduating class, along with classmates

Rick Veitch Richard Veitch (born May 7, 1951) is an American comics artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics. Early life Rick Veitch is a native of the small town of Bellows Falls, Vermont. One of six children, he w ...

Tom Yeates Thomas Yeates (born January 19, 1955) is an American comic strip and comic book artist best known for illustrating the comic strips ''Prince Valiant'' and ''Zorro'' and for working on characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Career Thomas Yea ...

, and others. While still enrolled at The Kubert School, Bissette executed the logo for early New Jersey synth-pop band WKGB and drew the cover for the band's 1979 single "Non-Stop/Ultramarine" on

Fetish Records Fetish Records was a British independent record label. Its artist roster consisted of largely early industrial, experimental, and post-punk groups. It was also a home to the early works of graphic designer Neville Brody, who created artwork for r ...

(UK Fetish 002). His early work appeared in the pages of ''Heavy Metal'', ''

Epic Illustrated ''Epic Illustrated'' was a comics anthology in magazine format published in the United States by Marvel Comics. Similar to the US-licensed comic book magazine '' Heavy Metal'', it allowed explicit content to be featured, unlike the traditional Am ...

'', ''Bizarre Adventures'',

Scholastic Corporation Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

's ''Weird Worlds'' and ''Bananas'' illustrating stories written by ''Goosebumps'' founder and author

R. L. Stine Robert Lawrence Stine (; born October 8, 1943), sometimes known as Jovial Bob Stine and Eric Affabee, is an American novelist, short story writer, television producer, screenwriter, and executive editor. Stine has been referred to as the "St ...

, and he worked with Rick Veitch on the graphic novelization of Steven Spielberg's motion picture ''

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

''.

Horror master

Bissette is best known for his multiple award-winning collaboration with writer

and inker

' ''

Saga of the Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations in v ...

'' (1983–1987). Under the company name of Spiderbaby Grafix, he later published the horror

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

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 ...

'', the original home of Moore and

Eddie Campbell Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Chicago. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of ''From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), Campbell is also the creator of the semi-au ...

's ''

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 ...

'' and

Tim Lucas Tim Lucas (born May 30, 1956) is a film critic, biographer, novelist, screenwriter, blogger, and publisher and editor of the video review magazine ''Video Watchdog''. Biography and early career Lucas, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, was the only chil ...

' ''Throat Sprockets'' illustrated by Mike Hoffman and David Lloyd. He created ''

Tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to rep ...

'', a comic book biography of a ''

Tyrannosaurus rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...

'', which lasted four issues. During this period, he edited the horror anthology ''

Gore Shriek Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitoulin ...

'', published by

FantaCo Enterprises FantaCo Enterprises was an American comic book store and publishing company founded and created by Thomas Skulan and based in Albany, New York. As a publisher, FantaCo was known for its idiosyncratic line-up of mostly black-and-white titles, inc ...

. Since 1991, Bissette has presented a lecture series on horror comics called "Journeys into Fear". Having since grown in scope into a five-part series, "Journeys into Fear" identifies 12th century Japanese ghost scrolls and the 16th century

Mixtec codices The Mixtec Group is the designation given by scholars to a number of mostly pre-Columbian documents from the Mixtec people of the state of Oaxaca in the southern part of the Republic of Mexico. They are distinguished by their principally historical ...

as early ancestors, and traces the genre from its roots in

Winsor McCay Zenas Winsor McCay ( – July 26, 1934) was an American cartoonist and animator. He is best known for the comic strip ''Little Nemo'' (1905–14; 1924–26) and the animated film ''Gertie the Dinosaur'' (1914). For contractual reasons, he worke ...

's work such as ''

Dream of the Rarebit Fiend ''Dream of the Rarebit Fiend'' is a newspaper comic strip by American cartoonist Winsor McCay, begun September 10, 1904. It was McCay's second successful strip, after ''Little Sammy Sneeze'' secured him a position on the cartoon staff of the '' ...

''. In 1996–1997, Bissette contributed five covers for a comic book series about another

swamp monster A swamp monster (also variously called a swamp creature, swamp man, swamp thing, or muck monster) is a fictional or mythological creature imagined to lurk in a swamp. Description Some swamp monsters resemble aquatic creatures, while other swamp ...

Hall of Heroes ''Hall of Heroes'' was an American independent comic book company that existed in the mid-to-late 1990s. Based in Elkhart, Indiana, Hall of Heroes operated from 1993 to 1999. The company's longest-running titles were two volumes of the antholog ...

' ''

Bog Swamp Demon A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

''.

Other work

Bissette subsequently worked with Moore, Totleben, and Rick Veitch on the

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 ...

' limited 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 ...

'', their final creative collaborative effort. From ''1963'', Bissette owns the characters Hypernaut, N-Man, and the Fury.

Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. He is best known for his non-fiction books about comics: ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and ''Making Comics'' (200 ...

24-hour comic A 24-hour comic is a 24-page comic book written, drawn, and completed in 24 hours. Cartoonist Scott McCloud came up with the challenge in 1990 as a creative exercise for himself and fellow comics artist Stephen R. Bissette. Beginning in 2004, writ ...

project began as a dare to Bissette in 1990. Each created a 24-page comic in 24 hours. The 24-hour comics project evolved into a challenge taken up by numerous hopeful contributors, with several published collections, and inspired other time-limited creative projects. Bissette published the story ''A Life in black and white'' in his own comic book anthology ''SpiderBaby Comix'' #2 (SpiderBaby Graphix, 1997). In 1993, Bissette and Stanley Wiater co-edited ''Comic Book Rebels: Conversations with the Creators of the New Comics'' (Dutton, ), which featured interviews with such notable comics creators as Scott McCloud,

Harvey Pekar Harvey Lawrence Pekar (; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010) was an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality, best known for his autobiographical ''American Splendor'' comic series. In 2003, the series inspired a ...

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 b ...

Howard Cruse Howard Cruse (May 2, 1944 – November 26, 2019) was an American alternative cartoonist known for the exploration of gay themes in his comics. First coming to attention in the 1970s during the underground comix movement with ''Barefootz'', he wa ...

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series ''The Spirit'' (1940–1952) was no ...

Peter Laird Peter Alan Laird (born January 27, 1954) is an American script (comics), comic book writer and comics artist, artist best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with writer and artist Kevin Eastman. Early life and career Laird wa ...

Kevin Eastman Kevin Brooks Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comics artist, comic book artist and writer best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird. Eastman was also formerly the editor and publisher of the magazine ...

, and

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...

Retirement and teaching

Bissette retired from the comics industry in 1999, alluding to what he termed a "generational shift." He teaches courses in Comic Art History, Drawing, and Film at the

Center for Cartoon Studies The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) is a two-year institution focusing on sequential art, specifically comics and graphic novelsWhite River Junction, Vermont White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the New England town, town of Hartford, Vermont, Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2 ...

Since 2005, Bissette has also edited and published ''Green Mountain Cinema'', a trade paperback journal devoted to the independent cinema scene in his home state of Vermont, as well as five volumes of ''Blur'', collecting his film reviews and criticism. The Stephen R. Bissette Collection at

Henderson State University Henderson State University (HSU) is a public university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, it is Arkansas's only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Henderson has an undergraduate enrol ...

Arkadelphia, Arkansas Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,714. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderson ...

, houses Bissette's works and memorabilia.

Awards

Bissette's work with

and

earned the 1985 "Best Single Issue"

Jack 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 ...

for '' Swamp Thing Annual'' #2, and the 1985, 1986, and 1987 Jack Kirby Awards for "Best Continuing Series" for ''Swamp Thing''. His work with John Totleben earned them the 1985 "Best Art Team" Jack Kirby Award for ''Swamp Thing''. ''Taboo'' won the "Best Anthology"

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 ...

in 1993. His work with Alan Moore and John Totleben earned a nomination for the 1985 "Best Single Issue" Jack Kirby Award for ''Swamp Thing'' #34. Bissette and Totleben earned nominations for the 1986 and 1987 Jack Kirby Awards for "Best Art Team" for their work on ''Swamp Thing''. Bissette and Moore were nominated for the 1986 Jack Kirby Award for "Best Writer/Artist (Single or Team)". Bissette was nominated for the "Best Editor" Eisner Award in 1993 for ''Taboo'' and received 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 c ...

in 1997.

Bibliography

Aardvark-Vanaheim

* ''

Cerebus ''Cerebus'' (; also ''Cerebus the Aardvark'') is a comic book series created by Canadian cartoonist Dave Sim, which ran from December 1977 until March 2004. The title character of the 300-issue series is an anthropomorphic aardvark who takes on ...

'' #116 (text article), 139, 159, 184–185 (1988–1994)

Archie Comics

* ''

Mighty Crusaders The Mighty Crusaders is a fictional superhero team published by Archie Comics. The team originally appeared in ''Fly-Man'' No. 31, #32 and No. 33 before being launched in its own title, ''Mighty Crusaders''. Written by Superman co-creator Jerry ...

'' #10 (1984)

Atomeka Press

* ''A1 Bojeffries Terror Tome'' #1 (letterer) (2005)

Comico Comics

* '' Elementals'' #9 (1986)

Dark Horse Comics

* '' Aliens: Havoc'' #2 (1997) * ''

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 ...

'' #37, 143 (1990–1999) * '' Godzilla, King of the Monsters Special'' #1 (1987)

DC Comics

* ''

G.I. Combat ''G.I. Combat'' was an American comics anthology featuring war stories. It was published from 1952 until 1956 by Quality Comics, followed by DC Comics until its final issue in 1987. In 2012 it was briefly revived. Publication history The focu ...

'' #218 (1980) * ''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets''. It is also the name of the titular setting of the series. First serie ...

'' #299, 310 (1981–1982) * ''

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) * ''

'' #16–17, 19, 21–27, 29–30, 34–36 (1983–1985) * ''

Secrets of Haunted House ''Secrets of Haunted House'' was a horror-suspense comics anthology series published by American company DC Comics from 1975 to 1978 and 1979 to 1982. Publication history The series began in April–May 1975. Like its predecessor ''Secrets of S ...

'' #46 (1982) * ''

'' #311 ("A Song for Saigon Sally"), #321 ("Live by the Sword... Die by the Sword!", script; art by

Thomas Yeates Thomas Yeates (born January 19, 1955) is an American comic strip and comics artist, comic book artist best known for illustrating the comic strips ''Prince Valiant'' and ''Zorro'' and for working on characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Ca ...

), #323 ("Dead Shot", script by

Robert Kanigher Robert "Bob" Kanigher (; June 18, 1915 – May 7, 2002)Social Security Death Index, social security #116-07-5117. was an American comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for ...

), #335, 343, 345–346 (1977–1980) * ''Swamp Thing'' #39–42, 44, 46, 50, 59, 64, 78, ''Annual'' #2, 4 (1985–1988) * '' The Unexpected'' #191, 214 (1979–1981)

Eclipse Comics

* ''Bedlam'' #1–2 (1985) * ''Fearbook'' #1 (1986) * '' Real War Stories'' #1 (1987)

FantaCo Enterprises

* ''

Alien Encounters In ufology, a close encounter is an event in which a person witnesses an unidentified flying object. This terminology and the system of classification behind it were first suggested in astronomer and UFO researcher J. Allen Hynek's 1972 book ''Th ...

'' #1 (1981) * ''Gore Shriek'' #1, 4–6 (1986–1990) * ''Gore Shriek Delectus'' #1 (1989)

HM Communications

* '' Heavy Metal'' #v2 #5–7, #v3 #6, 9–10, #v4 #2, #v5 #5, #v7 #3 (1978–1983)

Image Comics

* ''

'' #2–4 (1993)

Kitchen Sink Press

* ''Taboo'' #8–9 (1995)

Mad Love Publishing

* '' AARGH (Artists Against Rampant Government Homophobia)'' #1 (1988)

Marvel Comics

* '' Amazing High Adventure'' #4 (1986) * ''

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 ...

'' #31, 33 (1982) * ''

'' #2, 6 (1980–1981) * ''

Marvel Preview ''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 ...

'' #18, 23 (1979–1980) * ''

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 pointe ...

'' #4 (1985)

Spiderbaby Grafix

* ''SpiderBaby Comix'' #1-2 (1996–1997) * ''

'' #1–7 (1988–1992) * ''Taboo Especial'' #1 (1991) * ''

'' #1–4 (1994–1996)

References

External links

*
Bissette's previous blog
*
Stephen R. Bissette
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Art Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bissette, Stephen R. 1955 births American comics artists American comics writers American art educators Artists from Vermont Comic book editors Comic book publishers (people) Inkpot Award winners Living people Role-playing game artists The Kubert School alumni Writers from Vermont Comics critics