Thomas Fleming (born June 11, 1966) is an artist who has worked on comic books, the
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
/
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
genre, and gaming. Fleming has been recognized with multiple awards throughout his career including four nominations for the
Chesley Award. In 2012, a federal court awarded him damages due by
HomeGoods
HomeGoods is a chain of home furnishing stores headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts. It was founded as a small chain in 1992, and grew to include hundreds of locations throughout the United States. HomeGoods sells furniture, linens, cooking ...
, which sold unauthorized reproductions of two of his paintings.
Early life
Born and raised in Putnam Valley, New York, Fleming knew he wanted to be an artist at a young age. Fleming's high school art teacher Jay Palefsky played a crucial role in Fleming's early development as an artist, introducing him to more advanced and unconventional artistic concepts. He is a graduate of
Syracuse University.
There, he earned a BFA and graduated at the top of his class in 1988.
Career
Fleming's professional career began with freelance work from ''
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
''Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine'' (AHMM) is a bi-monthly digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime and detective fiction. ''AHMM'' is named for Alfred Hitchcock, the famed director of suspense films and television.
History
''AHM ...
'' upon graduation doing black and white illustrations.
In 1991 Fleming landed a full-time position at
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
(known at the time as the WWF) as a costume designer, logo designer, prop creator, and Illustrator. Fleming's artwork for WWE appeared on
Wrestlemania
WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, mos ...
T-shirts, VHS covers, and other merchandise items. Fleming made his first impact on pop culture by creating and designing characters for the WWE including
Papa Shango,
Crush,
Adam Bomb,
1-2-3 Kid
Sean Michael Waltman (born July 13, 1972) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his appearances for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under the ring names 1–2–3 ...
, and Hall of Famer
Razor Ramon
Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and under the ring name the Diamond Studd and with the ...
. Fleming also designed and created the scepter for the first pay-per-view "
King of the Ring
King of the Ring was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The PPV event was held annually in June and was established in 1993 when the promotion ...
" event in 1993.
Fleming returned to freelance in the mid-1990s and has painted trading cards, comic book covers, paperback covers, magazine covers, and posters for companies such as
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Heavy Metal Magazine,
Image Comics,
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 know ...
,
World of Warcraft
''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. Set in the ''Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of Warcraft'' takes place within the world of Azeroth ...
,
Magic the Gathering
''Magic: The Gathering'' (colloquially known as ''Magic'' or ''MTG'') is a Tabletop game, tabletop and Digital collectible card game, digital Collectible card game, collectable card game created by Richard Garfield. Released in 1993 by Wizards ...
,
White Wolf Publishing
White Wolf Publishing was an American roleplaying game and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant ,
Cracked magazine
''Cracked'' was an American humor magazine. Founded in 1958, ''Cracked'' proved to be the most durable of the many publications to be launched in the wake of ''Mad'' magazine.
In print, ''Cracked'' conspicuously copied ''Mad''s layouts and s ...
, and others.
Fleming was chosen by Skybox/DC Comics to paint the "
Doomsday" and "Funeral for a Friend" trading card during the legendary "
Death of Superman
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
" story line in the 1990s. He produced covers for Marvel featuring
Elektra.
Fleming is known for
Art Nouveau drawings and paintings that have won awards and
Chesley Award nominations.
Fleming is the author of ''Draw & Paint Fantasy Females'', published by Impact, an imprint of
F+W. It has been translated in three languages (Chinese, Spanish, and German).
Fleming also has done artwork for the film & TV industry including: "
Stay Alive
''Stay Alive'' is a 2006 American supernatural horror film directed by William Brent Bell, who co-wrote it with Matthew Peterman. The film was produced by Joseph McGinty Nichol, and released on March 24, 2006 in the United States.
It was the first ...
" starring
Frankie Muniz
Francisco Muniz IV (; born December 5, 1985) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2006), which earned him an Emmy Award nomination and two Golden Globe Award ...
, "
Stateside (film)" starring
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with ''Top Secret!'' (1984) and ''Real Genius'' (1985), as well as the military action film ...
, "
Surface
A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of the object that can first be perceived by an observer using the senses of sight and touch, and is ...
", and "
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
". Fleming was also official artist for The
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the hono ...
movie "
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys"
HomeGoods lawsuit
In 2010, Fleming, who lives in North Carolina, discovered that
HomeGoods
HomeGoods is a chain of home furnishing stores headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts. It was founded as a small chain in 1992, and grew to include hundreds of locations throughout the United States. HomeGoods sells furniture, linens, cooking ...
stores in California were selling unauthorized full-size reproductions of two of his six-foot tall pieces. HomeGoods had paid ATI Industries, a painting reproductions wholesaler, $45 each for 120 pieces, which it then sold for $99 each in its stores. In 2012, in the outcome of a non-jury trial, a federal judge found HomeGoods and co-defendant ATI Industries liable for copyright infringement, with an award set at $10,800. Fleming later settled for an undisclosed amount.
Awards and recognition
*2006 DragonCon Art Show:
**Artist Choice Award: "Golden Moon"
**Best 2-D: "Spring"
*2007 Chesley Awards: Nomination for Monochrome Work, Unpublished: "Spring"
*2007 DragonCon Art Show: Best 2-D Piece: "Eve"
*2008 Chesley Awards:
**Nomination for Monochrome Work, Unpublished: "Summer" (pencil)
**Nomination for Color Work, Unpublished: "Spirit & Life" (watercolor)
*2008 DragonCon Art Show: Second Place: "Summer"
*2009 Chesley Awards: Nomination for Gaming-related Illustration: "Firestorm"
*2009 DragonCon Art Show:
**Artist Choice Award: "Reverie"
**Best Black & White: "Summer"
*2010 Artexpo Artist Challenge: Top 10 Finalist: "Spirit & Life"
*2014 Infected by Art Season 2 competition
**1st Place - Grand Prize Winner (Internet voting prize): "Ophelia"
**2nd Place - Grand Prize Winner (Internet voting prize): "Soul Harvest"
*Spectrum 5: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art Annual, 1998 Spectrum Design, Underwood Books pg. 151 #4
*Spectrum 20: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art Annual, 2013 Spectrum Design, Underwood Books pg. 183
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Tom
American comics artists
Syracuse University alumni
American contemporary artists
People from Mount Kisco, New York
1966 births
Living people