Sean Phillips (born 27 January 1965) is a British comic book artist, best known for his collaborations with

Ed Brubaker Ed Brubaker (; born November 17, 1966) is an American comic book writer, cartoonist and screenwriter who works primarily in the crime fiction genre. He began his career with the semi-autobiographical series '' Lowlife'' and a number of serials i ...

on comics including '' Sleeper'', ''

Incognito Incognito is an English adjective meaning "in disguise", "having taken steps to conceal one's identity". Incognito may also refer to: Film and television * ''Incognito'' (1937 film), a Danish film * ''Incognito'' (1997 film), an American crime ...

'', the '' Criminal'' series of comics, '' Fatale'', '' The Fade Out'', and '' Kill or Be Killed''. He has also worked 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 '' WildC.A.T.s'' and ''

Hellblazer ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introduced. Its central character is ...

''.

Early life

Phillips grew up in the U.K. fascinated by American comics, particularly those published by

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 ...

. As he got older, his influences included Jim Baikie, Simon Bisley,

Jamie Hewlett Jamie Christopher Hewlett (born 3 April 1968) is an English comic book creator, illustrator, music video director, and songwriter. He is the co-creator of the comic book '' Tank Girl'' with Alan Martin and co-creator of the virtual band Gorilla ...

Duncan Fegredo Duncan Fegredo (; born 1964) is a British comic book artist. Career Born in Leicester, Fegredo first managed to get into comics after showing his portfolio around UKCAC in 1987 and meeting Dave Thorpe. Together they worked on a strip for a sh ...

Bill Sienkiewicz Boleslav William Felix Robert Sienkiewicz ( ; born May 3, 1958) is an American artist known for his work in comic books—particularly for Marvel Comics' ''New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and '' Elektra: Assassin''. Sienkiewicz's work in the 1980 ...

, Dave McKean, and

Jaime Hernandez Jaime (sometimes spelled Xaime) Hernandez (born 1959) is the co-creator of the Alternative comics, alternative comic book ''Love and Rockets (comics), Love and Rockets'' with his brothers Gilbert Hernandez, Gilbert and Mario Hernandez (comics), M ...

.Thomas, Ian
“We Get to Do Whatever We Want!”: An Interview with Sean Phillips,"
''The Comics Journal'' (Jan. 26, 2022).

Career

Phillips began his career in 1980 in

British girls' comics British girls' comics flourished in the United Kingdom from the 1950s through the 1970s, before beginning to decline in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. Publishers known for their girls' comics included DC Thomson and Fleetway/ IPC. Most titles a ...

such as ''

Bunty ''Bunty'' was a British comic for girls published by D. C. Thomson & Co. from 1958 to 2001.Gibson (2003)p. 91/ref> It consisted of a collection of many small strips, the stories typically being three to five pages long. In contrast to earlier ...

'', '' Judy'' and ''

Nikki Nikki may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Nikki (Barbie), a fashion doll in the Barbie toy line * Nikki (comics), a Marvel Comics character * Nikki and Paulo, from the TV series ''Lost'' * Nikki, the mascot of Swapnote * N ...

'' while still at school. After graduating art college (Lowestoft Polytechnic) in 1988 he started working with John Smith on '' New Statesmen'' and ''Straitgate'', as well as

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 ...

on ''

Third World War World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...

'', both at ''

Crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

''. He was part of the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on ...

, getting work on ''

'' before returning to the UK. There worked on ''Devlin Waugh'' for the ''

Judge Dredd Megazine ''Judge Dredd: The Megazine'' is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in September 1990. It is a sister publication to '' 2000 AD''. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Judge Dredd's locale Mega-City One. Content Li ...

'', and also provided the art on a number of series for '' 2000 AD'', including ''

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'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running ...

''. In 1990, he illustrated the cover for the Stereo MC's album '' Supernatural''. He returned to the American comic book industry in 2000 when he inked '' Scene of the Crime'' written by

, a writer he would collaborate with a number of times over the following years. He moved on to

Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wild ...

for a long run on '' WildC.A.T.s'' with

Joe Casey Joe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as '' Wildcats 3.0'', ''Uncanny X-Men'', '' The Intimates'', '' Adventures of Superman'', and '' G.I. Joe: America's Elite'' among others. As part of the comics creator grou ...

before teaming up Brubaker on '' Sleeper''. In 2001, Phillips and

John Bolton John Robert Bolton (born November 20, 1948) is an American attorney, diplomat, Republican consultant, and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, and as the 26th United Sta ...

illustrated a three-issue miniseries called ''User'', written by Devin Grayson, and published by DC's

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 ...

imprint. The series explores "sexual identity and online role-playing in the text-based MUDs of the nineties." ''User'' was re-released as a hardcover by Image in 2017. Phillips went over to

in 2005 where he co-created '' Criminal'' with Brubaker at the Marvel imprint

Icon Comics Icon Comics is an imprint of Marvel Comics for creator-owned titles, designed to keep select "A-list" creators producing for Marvel rather than seeing them take creator-owned work to other publishers. History It was launched in 2004 with Mic ...

. He was also the main artist on the first two instalments of the Marvel Zombies series with Robert Kirkman. Subsequent work includes ''

'', another series with Brubaker at Icon and a US reprint of '' 7 Psychopaths'' at

Boom! Studios Boom! Studios (styled BOOM! Studios) is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Origins In the early 2000s, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in Ho ...

. Phillips provided the art for

The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home video, home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scho ...

release of the 1961 noir film '' Blast of Silence'', as well as the art for the Criterion release of the 1957 legal drama ''

12 Angry Men ''Twelve Angry Men'' is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a ...

'', based on a design by Eric Skillman. On 9 April 2011 Phillips was one of 62 comics creators who appeared at the

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

stage at the Kapow! Comic Convention in London to set two

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

, the Fastest Production of a Comic Book, and Most Contributors to a Comic Book. With Guinness officials on hand to monitor their progress, writer Mark Millar began work at 9 a.m. scripting a 20-page black and white '' Superior'' comic book, with Phillips and the other artists — including

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story "For the Man ...

Frank Quitely Vincent Patrick Deighan (born 1968), better known by the pen name Frank Quitely, is a Scottish comic book artist. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with Grant Morrison on titles such as '' New X-Men'', ''We3'', ''All-Star Superma ...

John Romita Jr. John Salvatore Romita (; born August 17, 1956), known professionally as John Romita Jr., is an American comics artist best known for his extensive work for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the 2010s. He is the son of artist John Romita Sr. Early ...

, Jock,"Kapow! '11: Comic History Rewritten On The IGN Stage"

. 14 April 2011

Doug Braithwaite Doug Braithwaite is a British comic book artist. Career Braithwaite started out working on British comics, like '' 2000 AD'' and '' A1'', but is best known for his Marvel Comics work on the ''Earth X'' sequels, ''Universe X'' and ''Paradise X ...

Ian Churchill Ian Churchill is a British comic book artist, who has mostly worked in the American comic book industry. Career Churchill's early work included stints on ''Supergirl'', ''Uncanny X-Men'' as well as the ''Deadpool: Sins of the Past'' limited seri ...

Olivier Coipel Olivier Coipel (; November 7, 1969) is a French comic book artist, known for his work on books such as ''House of M'', ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Thor''. Career Olivier Coipel started as a movie animator, working as an assistant on '' Balt ...

Simon Furman Simon Christopher Francis Furman (born 22 March 1961) is a British comic book writer who is best known for his work on Hasbro's ''Transformers'' franchise, starting with writing Marvel's initial comic book to promote the toyline worldwide, a ...

David Lafuente David Lafuente is a Spanish-born comic book artist known for his work on books such as '' Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man''. He currently resides in London.John McCrea, and

Liam Sharp Liam Roger Sharp (born 2 May 1968) is a British comic book artist, writer, publisher, and co-founder/CCO of Madefire Inc. Early life Liam Sharp was born in Derby. He went to School at Brackensdale Junior then infants school, before moving to ...

— all drawing a panel each, appearing on stage throughout the day to work on the pencils, inks, and lettering, with regular ''Superior'' artist

Leinil Yu Leinil Francis Yu (born 1977) is a Filipino comic book artist, who began working for the American market through Wildstorm Productions. Career Leinil Francis Yu was first recognized after winning the '' Wizard''s Drawing Board Contest, his fir ...

creating the book's front cover. The book was completed in 11 hours, 19 minutes, and 38 seconds, and was published through Icon on 23 November 2011, with all royalties being donated to Yorkhill Children's Foundation. In 2012, Phillips was one of several artists to illustrate a variant cover for Robert Kirkman's '' The Walking Dead'' No. 100, which was released 11 July at the

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 ...

. Phillips and Ed Brubaker launched their '' Fatale'' series at Image Comics in January 2012. The series was initially announced as a twelve-issue maxi-series but was upgraded to an ongoing title in November 2012. Jesse Schedeen of

stated that "You can't go wrong with a Brubaker/Phillips collaboration. Even so, ''Fatale'' is making a strong case for being the best of their projects." In October 2013, Phillips and Brubaker signed a five-year contract to produce comics exclusively for Image. Under the terms of the deal, Image will publish any comic they bring to them without having to pitch it to them first. In 2019, Brubaker and Phillips signed another five-year contract with Image to produce comics exclusively for that publisher. As Phillips explained, " /nowiki>W/nowiki>e get to do whatever we want! We don’t have to pitch projects to Image, we don’t have an editor or designer, we can make as many or few books as we want. We get to choose format, paper stock, and everything else to do with our books."

Personal life

Phillips' son Jacob Phillips is also a professional comics creator, having worked as a

colorist In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates. Since the late 20th century it is ...

on his father's comics and branching out into illustrating his own series.

Art style

Phillips is known for the different art styles he has employed over the years, from clean-line superhero work, to scratchy, noir-inspired black-and-line work, to painted comics.Keilly, Karl
"CCI: Spotlight On Sean Phillips: Best-selling artist Sean Phillips sat down with long time friend, "Hellboy" artist Duncan Fegredo, and discussed his three decades in the comics industry and how it took 25 years to break into the mainstream,"
''CBR'' (AUG 03, 2010).

Bibliography

*'' New Statesmen'' (with John Smith): ** "Downtime" (in ''

'', No. 5, 1988) ** "Holding the fist" (in ''Crisis'', No. 6, 1988) ** "White Death" (in ''Crisis'', #13–14, 1989) *''

'' (with

): ** "Symphony of splintered wood" (in ''Crisis'' #22–23, 1989) ** "Remembering Zion" (in ''Crisis'' No. 24, 1989) ** "Book of Babylon" (in ''Crisis'' No. 27, 1989) ** "The calling" (in ''Crisis'' No. 31, 1989) ** "The man with the child in his eyes" (in ''Crisis'' #33–34, 1989) *''Straitgate'' (with John Smith, in ''Crisis'', 1990) *''

'' (

): ** No. 31, 34–36 (with

Jamie Delano Jamie Delano (; born 1954) is an English comic book writer. He was part of the first post-Alan Moore "British Invasion" of writers which started to feature in American comics in the 1980s. He is best known as the first writer of the comic book s ...

, 1990) ** "Counting To Ten" (with John Smith, ''Hellblazer'' No. 51, 1992) ** "In Another Part of Hell" (with Jamie Delano, ''Hellblazer'' No. 84, 1994, collected in ''Rare Cuts'', ) ** #84–88 (with

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 ...

, 1995) ** #89–100, 102–107, 109-114, 116-120 (with Paul Jenkins, 1994–1997) * '' Danzig's Inferno'' (with John Smith, in '' 2000 AD'' #718–719, 1991) *'' Strange Cases'': ** "Feed Me" (with

Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ( ...

, in ''

'' (vol. 1) No. 7, 1991) ** "Magic" (with

Ian Edginton Ian Edginton is a British comic book writer, known for his work on such titles as ''X-Force'', '' Scarlet Traces'', '' H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds'' and ''Leviathan''. Career Ian Edginton is known for his steampunk/ alternate history wor ...

, in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' (vol. 1) No. 8, 1991) *''

Armitage Armitage is a village in Staffordshire, England on the south side of the Trent and Mersey Canal south just outside of the market town of Rugeley and north of the city of Lichfield, and noteworthy for the Armitage Shanks sanitary porcelain factor ...

'' (with

Dave Stone Dave Stone (born 12 June 1964) is a British science fiction writer. Biography Stone has written many spin off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and '' Judge Dredd''. Stone also contributed a number of c ...

): ** "Armitage" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' (vol. 1) #9–14, 1991) ** "The Case of the Detonating Dowager" (in ''Judge Dredd Yearbook 1993'', 1992) *''Devlin Waugh'' (with John Smith, tpb, ''Swimming in Blood'', 224 pages, 2004, DC, , Rebellion, ): ** "Swimming in Blood" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' (vol. 2) #1–9, 1992) ** "A Love like Blood" (illustrated text story, in ''Judge Dredd Mega-Special 1993'', 1993) ** "Brief Encounter" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' (vol. 2) No. 26, 1993) ** "Body and Soul" (illustrated text story, in ''Judge Dredd Yearbook 1994'', 1993) *''

'': ** "The Marshal" (with

Garth Ennis Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970) is a Northern Irish–American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise, and '' The Boys'' with artist Dar ...

, in ''2000 AD'' #800–803, 1992) ** "The Hunting Party" (with

John Wagner John Wagner (born 1949) is an American-born British comics writer. Alongside Pat Mills, he helped revitalise British comics in the 1970s, and continues to be active in the British comics industry, occasionally also working in American comics. ...

, in ''2000 AD'' #1033, 1997) ** "A Death in the Family" (with John Wagner, in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' (vol.3) No. 45, 1998) *'' Harmony'' (in ''Judge Dredd Yearbook'', 1994) *'' Vector 13'': ** "Case Six: Marion" (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 ...

, in ''2000 AD'' No. 956, 1995) ** "Case Two: It's Good to Talk" (with Nick Abadzis, in ''2000 AD'' #1025, 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 ...

'': "Sucker Punch" (with Dan Abnett, in ''2000 AD'' #1115, 1998) *'' Downlode Tales'': "Tough Tushy" (with Dan Abnett, in ''2000 AD'' #1126, 1999) *'' Scene of the Crime'' #2–4 (inks, with

and pencils by

Michael Lark Michael Lark (born 1966) is an American comics artist and colorist. Lark has provided pencils for DC Comics' ''Batman'', '' Terminal City'', '' Gotham Central'' and '' Legend of the Hawkman''. His work for Marvel Comics includes '' The Pulse'' a ...

, Vertigo, 1999, collected in ''A Little Piece of Goodnight'', 2000, ) *'' WildC.A.T.s'' (with

and Steve Dillon, Volume 2 #8–28,

) collected as: **''Vicious Circles'' (collects #8–13, 144 pages, 2001, ) **''Serial Boxes'' (collects #14–19, 144 pages, 2001, ) **''Battery Park'' (collects #20–28, 224 pages, 2004, ) *'' The Brotherhood'' #7–9 (with writer attributed as "X" and inks by Kent Williams, Marvel Comics, 2002) *'' Sleeper'' (with Ed Brubaker,

, two 12-issue

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 ...

collected into four

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

): ** ''Out in the Cold'' (2003, ) ** ''All False Moves'' (2004, ) ** ''A Crooked Line'' (2005, ) ** ''The Long Way Home'' (2005, ) *'' Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her'' (with Richard Morgan, 6-issue miniseries, Marvel, 2005–2006) *'' Marvel Zombies'' (with Robert Kirkman, 5-issue limited series, Marvel Comics, 2006, tpb, 2006, ) *'' Criminal'' (with Ed Brubaker, ongoing series,

Icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

, 2006-ongoing) collected as: **''Coward'' (2007, ) **''Lawless'' (2007, ) **''The Dead and the Dying'' (2008, ) **''Bad Night'' (2009, ) **''The Sinners'' (2010, ) *'' 7 Psychopaths'' (with

Fabien Vehlmann Fabien Vehlmann (born 30 January 1972) is a French comics writer best known for ''Green Manor'' and ''Seuls''. Yvan Delporte dubbed him "The René Goscinny of the third millennium". Biography Fabien Vehlmann, born in 1972 in Mont-de-Marsan, gre ...

, Delcourt, 2007, 88 pages,

, December 2010, ) *''

Marvel Zombies 2 ''Marvel Zombies 2'' is a five-issue limited series published from October 2007 - February 2008 by comics publisher Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and Arthur Suydam. It is part of the '' Marve ...

'' (with Robert Kirkman, 5-issue limited series, Marvel Comics, 2007–2008, hardcover, June 2008, ) *''

'' (with Ed Brubaker, 6-issue limited series, Icon, 2008–2009, tpb, November 2009, ) *''Incognito: Bad Influences'' (with Ed Brubaker, 6-issue limited series, Icon, 2010–2011, tpb, 2011, *'' Fatale'' (with Ed Brubaker, limited series, Image Comics, 2012-2014) *'' The Fade Out'' (with Ed Brubaker, limited series, Image Comics, 2014-2015) *'' Kill or Be Killed'' (with Ed Brubaker, Image Comics, 2016-2018) *''Pulp'' (with Ed Brubaker, Image Comics, 2020)

Awards

Eisner Awards

Best Cover Artist

* 2017 nominated for '' Criminal 10th Anniversary Special'', '' Kill or Be Killed''

Best Limited Series or Story Arc

* 2016 Winner for ''The Fade Out'' (with Ed Brubaker)

Best Graphic Album—New

* 2018 Winner for ''My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies'' (with Ed Brubaker)

Other awards

* 1993 nominated for the

UK Comic Art Award The UK Comic Art Award was a British awards for achievement in comic books. Winners were selected by an open vote among British comic book professionals (creators, editors, and retailers); the awards were given out on an annual basis from 1990 to 1 ...

for Best Artist * 2006 Winner of the Spike TV Scream Award for Best Artist for '' Marvel Zombies'' * 2012 nominated for the Eagle Award for Favourite Artist: Fully Painted Artwork * 2021 Nominated for the Dragon Award for Best Graphic Novel for ''Pulp'' (with Ed Brubaker and Jacob Phillips)

References

External links

* * *
Sean Phillips
at the

Big Comic Book DataBase The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows, and cartoon shorts. The BCDB project began in 1997 as a list of Disney animated feat ...

Sean Phillips
at Barney
Sean Phillips
at Marvel.com
Sean Phillips's blog
(archived)
Studio Tours: Sean Phillips

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

, 27 February 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Sean 1965 births British comics artists Eisner Award winners Living people