Kyle John Baker
(born 1965)
is an American
cartoonist,
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
writer-artist, and
animator known for his
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 ...
s and for a 2000s revival of the series ''
Plastic Man
Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole (artist), Jack Cole, Plastic Man was one of the fi ...
''.
Baker has won numerous
Eisner Awards
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 ...
and
Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...
for his work in the comics field.
Biography
Early life and career
Kyle Baker was born in the
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
,
[Nolen-Weathington, Eric. ''Modern Masters Volume 20: Kyle Baker'' (]TwoMorrows Publishing
TwoMorrows Publishing is a publisher of magazines about comic books, founded in 1994 by John and Pam Morrow out of their small advertising agency in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Its products also include books and DVDs.
List of magaz ...
, 2008), p. 6. the son of
art director John M. Baker and high-school audiovisual-department manager Eleanor L. Baker.
He has a brother and a sister.
Their parents had both attended
Pratt Institute in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York, and their father, who, Baker said, "worked in advertising
ndmade junk mail", would "draw pictures for us and entertain us."
Aside from this exposure to art, Baker has said, his early artistic influences included
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
artist
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...
,
caricaturist
A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures.
List of caricaturists
* Abed Abdi (born 1942)
* Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003)
* Alex Gard (1900–1948)
* Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977)
* Alfred Grévin (1827–1892)
* Alf ...
Jack Davis, and painter and magazine illustrator
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...
. He noted:
Other influences included the
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T.W.O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton ...
artwork of
Jim Aparo
James N. Aparo (August 24, 1932 – July 19, 2005) was an American comic book artist, best known for his DC Comics work from the late 1960s through the 1990s, including on the characters Batman, Aquaman, and the Spectre, along with famous stories ...
and
Steve Ditko
Stephen John Ditko Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular act ...
.
Breaking into comics
In his senior year of
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
, Baker became an intern at
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 ...
, making photocopies and filing fan mail.
"I sort of fell into Marvel because I happened to know somebody there," he said. "But I always thought I was going to do funny stuff" rather than
superhero comics.
He became background assistant to Marvel
inker Josef Rubinstein
Josef "Joe" Rubinstein (born 4 June 1958) is a comic book artist and inker, most associated with inking Marvel Comics' '' The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' and the 1982 four-issue ''Wolverine'' miniseries by Chris Claremont and Frank ...
, and later also assisted
Vince Colletta
Vincenzo CollettaColletta, Vince, in (October 15, 1923 – June 3, 1991) was an American Comic book creator, comic book artist and art director best known as one of Jack Kirby's frequent inkers during the 1950s-1960s period called the Silver Age ...
and
Andy Mushynski.
He cited Marvel artists
Walt Simonson
Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned w ...
,
Al Milgrom
Allen L. Milgrom (born March 6, 1950) is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of ''Marvel Fanfare''; his long involvement as writer, penciler, and inker ...
and
Larry Hama
Larry Hama (; born June 7, 1949) is an American comic-book writer, artist, actor, and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s.
During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles on the TV shows ''M*A*S*H'' ...
and writer and editor-in-chief
Jim Shooter
James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor and publisher for various comic books. He started professionally in the medium at the age of 14, and he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comic ...
as providing him art and storytelling advice.
[Nolen-Weathington, p. 9] Part of his duties involved
photocopying
A photocopier (also called copier or copy machine, and formerly Xerox machine, the generic trademark) is a machine that makes copies of documents and other visual images onto paper or plastic film quickly and cheaply. Most modern photocopiers ...
, and he would take copies of
John Buscema penciling
A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...
home on which to practice
inking Inking may refer to:
*Inking (attack), act of throwing ink on other person
*Inking, a defensive activity of certain cephalopods and sea hares
* Inking (comic book production)
*Pen computing
Pen computing refers to any computer user-interface using ...
.
While working for Marvel, Baker attended the
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
History
This school was started by ...
, in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, studying
graphic design and
printmaking,
[Nolen-Weathington, p. 11] but dropped out after two years.
Through that connection, however, he began freelancing with famed graphic designer
Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser (June 26, 1929June 26, 2020) was an American graphic designer. His most notable designs include the I Love New York logo, a 1966 poster for Bob Dylan, and the logos for DC Comics, Stony Brook University and Brooklyn Brewery. In 195 ...
, an SVA instructor, assisting him on a set of
children's books
A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...
.
Baker's first credited work at Marvel is
penciling
A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...
the half-page entry "Kid Commandos" in ''
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications. The original 15-volume series was published in comic book format in 1982, followed by sporadic u ...
'' #13 (February1984).
After a handful of inking assignments on issues of ''
Transformers
''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms ...
'', ''
The Avengers Annual'' #14 (1985) and elsewhere, Baker made his professional story-illustration debut as penciler and inker of the publisher Lodestone Comics' ''Codename: Danger'' #2 (October 1985), with a 23-page story written by Brian Marshall,
Mike Harris
Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. During his time ...
, and
Robert Loren Fleming
Robert Loren Fleming (born November 5, 1956) is an American comic book writer. He is best known as the co-creator of ''Thriller'' with Trevor Von Eeden and for his collaborations with Keith Giffen.
Career
Robert Loren Fleming worked for DC Comics ...
. Cover penciling and more interior inking for Marvel and occasionally DC followed. His first story penciling for one of the two major comics companies was the three-issue ''
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck first appeared in ''Adventure into F ...
: The Movie'' (December 1986 - February 1987), adapting the 1986 film ''
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck first appeared in ''Adventure into F ...
'', and which he self-inked.
During this time, Baker also attempted to sell humor spot illustrations, but was rejected by the major
newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...
syndicates
A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies, corporations or entities formed to transact some specific business, to pursue or promote a shared interest.
Etymology
The word ''syndicate'' comes from the French word ''syndicat ...
.
Jim Salicrup
Jim Salicrup (; born May 29, 1957) is an American comic book editor, known for his tenures at Marvel Comics and Topps Comics. At Marvel, where he worked for twenty years, he edited books such as '' The Uncanny X-Men'', ''Fantastic Four'', '' Aven ...
, a Marvel editor, did commission him "to write a few one-panel gags about
he superhero teamthe
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
",
titled "It's Genetic" and appearing in the Marvel-produced fan magazine ''
Marvel Age
''Marvel Age'' was a promotional comic book-sized magazine from Marvel Comics published from 1983 to 1994. Basically a comic-length edition of the Bullpen Bulletins page, ''Marvel Age'' contained previews of upcoming Marvel comics, as well as in ...
''.
[Nolen-Weathington, pp. 106-107]
First graphic novel
At the recommendation of freelance artist
Ron Fontes, an editor at the Dolphin
imprint of the publishing house
Doubleday expressed interest in Baker's sample strips of the character Cowboy Wally, "and asked if I had any more. I lied and said I did."
This led to the 128-page
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 ...
''Cowboy Wally''.
"The character of Noel was pretty much based on me," Baker said in 1999. "I lie all the time.
The first part of the books is the collected strips, and the other three chapters were written for the book.
"It didn't sell many copies," Baker said, "but at least it convinced
DC ">omicsI should be allowed to draw, not just ink."
Baker went on to draw DC's 1980s comics revival of the
pulp fiction
''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Vin ...
hero ''
The Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...
'', beginning with ''The Shadow Annual'' #2 (1988), followed by the monthly series from issue #7 to the final issue, #19 (February 1988 - January 1989). He did assorted other DC work including ''
Justice, Inc.'' In 1990, Baker and writer
Len Wein produced three issues of ''
Dick Tracy'' for
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...
's
Hollywood Comics
Jean-Marc Lofficier (; born June 22, 1954) is a French author of books about films and television programs, as well as numerous comics and translations of a number of animation screenplays. He usually collaborates with his wife, Randy Lofficier ( ...
, the first two issues containing original stories, the third an adaption the 1990 ''
Dick Tracy'' film.
He began scripting comics around this time: Baker penciled and inked
First Comics
First Comics was an American comic book publisher that was active from 1983 to 1991, known for titles like '' American Flagg!'', ''Grimjack'', ''Nexus'', ''Badger'', '' Dreadstar'', and '' Jon Sable''. Along with competitors like Pacific Comics ...
' ''
Classics Illustrated
''Classics Illustrated'' is an American comic book/magazine series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as ''Les Misérables'', '' Moby-Dick'', ''Hamlet'', and '' The Iliad''. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication ...
'' #3 & 21 (February 1990 & March 1991), adapting, respectively, ''
Through the Looking Glass
''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'' (also known as ''Alice Through the Looking-Glass'' or simply ''Through the Looking-Glass'') is a novel published on 27 December 1871 (though indicated as 1872) by Lewis Carroll and the ...
'' and ''
Cyrano de Bergerac
Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist.
A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...
''. While
Peter David
Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...
scripted the latter, Baker himself wrote the adaptation of the
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...
work.
"I'd never planned to become a writer," Baker said in 1999. "I wrote short gags, like the kind you see in the newspapers and Cowboy Wally, but not stories. I only learned to write stories because people kept paying me to write them. In the years 1991-1994, 90 percent of my income was from writing, and I received very few offers to draw. I figured I should learn to write."
''Why I Hate Saturn'', commercial illustration
Baker achieved recognition and won an
Eisner Award for his 1990 graphic novel ''Why I Hate Saturn'', published by the DC Comics
imprint Piranha Press
Piranha Press, an imprint of DC Comics from 1989 to 1994, was a response by DC to the growing interest in alternative comics. The imprint was edited by Mark Nevelow, who instead of developing comics with the established names in the alternative co ...
. Baker said in 1999 of his breakthrough work,
Baker's cartoons and
caricatures
A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...
began appearing in ''
BusinessWeek
''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
,
Details,
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
,
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
,
Esquire,
Guitar World,
Mad,
National Lampoon,
New York,
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
,
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
,
Spin,
Us,
Vibe
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...
'', and ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...
''. He spent three years illustrating the weekly strip "Bad Publicity" for ''
New York'' magazine.
[
]
Animation
Baker's animation has appeared on BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
and MTV, and in animated '' Looney Tunes'' projects, including the animated feature '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action''. Baker was "guest art director" for Cartoon Network's '' Class of 3000'', and storyboarded the ''Class of 3000'' Christmas special.
in 1994, Baker directed an animated video featuring the hip hop singer KRS-One, called "Break The Chain". Marvel Comics had published ''Break the Chain'' as a comic book packaged with a read-along hip-hop audiocassette
The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Otten ...
. That same year and next, he contributed to the four-issue 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 ...
humor anthology ''Instant Piano'' (December 1994 - June 1995), including drawing the cover of the premiere. For another anthology, DC's '' Elseworlds 80-Page Giant'' #1 (August 1999), Baker drew, colored
''Colored'' (or ''coloured'') is a racial descriptor historically used in the United States during the Jim Crow Era to refer to an African American. In many places, it may be considered a slur, though it has taken on a special meaning in Sout ...
, lettered
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
and with his wife, teacher Elizabeth Glass, whom he married July 18, 1998, wrote the 10-page parallel universe story "Letitia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter
"Letitia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter" is a comic book story by Kyle Baker, co-written with Liz Glass.
Publication history
The story originally appeared in DC Comics' parallel universe anthology ''Elseworlds 80-Page Giant'' #1 (June 1999). Bake ...
". It would win a "Best Short Story" Eisner Award despite DC destroying all copies intended for the North American
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...
market after deeming some of the content unsuitable, though copies were still distributed in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
.
Baker said in 1999 he was writing a Christmas movie
Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media, the topic first appeared in in literature and Christmas music. Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth of material, with both adaptatio ...
for Paramount Pictures, titled ''U Betta Watch Out'', and was animating a TV-movie
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
title ''Corey Q. Jeeters, I'm Telling on You''.
At this point in his career, Baker stated in an interview, "Nobody tells me what to write or how to draw. Only an idiot would dare tell Kyle Baker how to make a good cartoon. Hollywood and the magazine world are full of idiots. They water my stuff down and make it unfunny."[ English-language version of interview from Italian web magazine ''Rorscharch''.]
He is credited with writing and storyboarding on the "Phineas and Ferb" television episodes "Candace Loses Her Head" and "Are You My Mummy?".
2000s
Baker drew writer Robert Morales' Marvel Comics miniseries ''Truth
Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as belie ...
'' #1-7 (January–July 2003), a Captain America storyline with parallels to the Tuskegee experiment. He also wrote and drew all but two issues (#7 and #12) of the 20-issue comedic adventure series ''Plastic Man
Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole (artist), Jack Cole, Plastic Man was one of the fi ...
'' vol. 4 (February 2004 - March 2006), starring the Golden Age of Comic Books superhero created by Jack Cole for Quality Comics
Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company which operated from 1937 to 1956 and was a creative, influential force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books.
Notable, long-running titles published by Qualit ...
. Baker contributed to the 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 ...
series '' The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist'', a spin-off of Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon ( ;
born May 24, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, DC, he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, gr ...
's novel, ''The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
''The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay'' is a 2000 novel by American author Michael Chabon that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001. The novel follows the lives of two Jewish cousins, Czech artist Joe Kavalier and Brooklyn-born write ...
''.
In 2006, his company, Kyle Baker Publishing, serialized a four-part comic book series about Nat Turner
Nat Turner's Rebellion, historically known as the Southampton Insurrection, was a rebellion of enslaved Virginians that took place in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831.Schwarz, Frederic D.1831 Nat Turner's Rebellion" ''American Heri ...
, and published the series ''The Bakers'', based on his family life, in two anthologies, ''Cartoonist'' and ''Cartoonist Vol. 2: Now with More Bakers''. He has also continued to provide comics material sporadically to Marvel, DC and Image Comics through at least 2010. In 2007 and 2008, Image Comics published Baker's six-issue Image Comics miniseries ''Special Forces'', a teen-soldier military satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
that criticizes the exhortation of felons and disabled Americans into military service. ''The New York Times'' reviewed the 2009 trade-paperback collection of the first four issues, calling it "the harshest, most serrated satire of the Iraq War yet published."
In 2008, Watson-Guptill published ''How to Draw Stupid and Other Essentials of Cartooning'', Baker's art instruction book. That same year, Baker hosted the comics industry's Harvey Awards. In 2010, he became regular artist on 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 ...
' mature-audience MAX (comics), MAX- imprint series, ''Deadpool, Deadpool Max''.
Bibliography
Early work
*''Codename: Danger'' #2: "From the Halls of Montezuma ..." (a, with Robert Loren Fleming
Robert Loren Fleming (born November 5, 1956) is an American comic book writer. He is best known as the co-creator of ''Thriller'' with Trevor Von Eeden and for his collaborations with Keith Giffen.
Career
Robert Loren Fleming worked for DC Comics ...
, Mike Harris
Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. During his time ...
and Brian Marshall (comics), Brian Marshall, Deluxe Comics#Lodestone Comics, Lodestone, 1985)
*''The Cowboy Wally Show'' (w/a, 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 ...
, 128 pages, Doubleday, 1988, )
*''Asylum (New Comics Group), Asylum'' #2: "Death Disenchanted" (a, with Fred Schiller, New Comics Group, 1989)
*'' Dick Tracy'' #1-3 (a, with John Francis Moore (comics), John Francis Moore and Len Wein, Walt Disney Company, 1990)
*''Classics Illustrated
''Classics Illustrated'' is an American comic book/magazine series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as ''Les Misérables'', '' Moby-Dick'', ''Hamlet'', and '' The Iliad''. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication ...
'' (Berkley Publishing):
**''Through the Looking-Glass, Lewis Carroll: Through the Looking-Glass'' (w/a, in #3, tpb, 48 pages, 1990, )
**''Cyrano de Bergerac (play), Edmond Rostand: Cyrano De Bergerac'' (a, with Peter David
Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...
, in #21, tpb, 48 pages, 1991, )
Marvel Comics
*''Marvel Comics Super Special, Marvel Super Special'' #41: "Howard the Duck: The Movie" (a, with Danny Fingeroth, 1986)
*''Nightmask'' #11: "Nightmare in New Orleans" (a, with Roy Thomas, Roy and Dann Thomas, 1986)
*''What The--?!'' #3-4: "Mutant Beach Party!" (a, with Kurt Busiek, 1988)
*''Classic X-Men'' #38: "Strangers on a Lift" (a, with Ann Nocenti, 1989)
*''Critical Mass (comics), Critical Mass'' #2: "St. George: A Knight without Armor" (a, with D. G. Chichester and Margaret Clark (comics), Margaret Clark, Epic Comics, Epic, 1990)
*''Clive Barker's Hellraiser'' #7: "Clowning Around" (a, with D. G. Chichester, Epic, 1991)
*''Damage Control (comics), Damage Control'' #1: "The Sure Thing" (a, with Dwayne McDuffie, 1991)
*''Epic Lite'' #1: "Al Space" (w/a, Epic, 1991)
*''Break the Chain (comics), Break the Chain'' (a, with KRS-One, one-shot (comics), one-shot, Marvel Music, 1994)
*''Truth: Red, White & Black'' #1-7 (a, with Robert Morales, 2003)
*''Marvel Romance Redux, Marvel Romance Redux: Restraining Orders are for Other Girls'': "My Magical Centaur!" (w, with Don Heck, 2006)
*''X-Men, X-Men Fairy Tales'' #2: "The Friendship of the Tortoise and the Eagle" (a, with C. B. Cebulski, 2006)
*Deadpool:
**''Deadpool'' #900: "One Down" (a, with Charlie Huston, 2009)
**''Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth'' (a, with Victor Gischler):
*** ''Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth'' (hc, 328 pages, 2010, ; tpb, 2011, ) incl
**''Deadpool Corps, Prelude to Deadpool Corps'' #5 (a, with Victor Gischler, 2010)
**''Max (comics), DeadpoolMAX'' (a, with David Lapham and Shawn Crystal, 2010–2012)
DC Comics
*''The Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...
'' #8-19, ''Annual'' #2 (a, with Andrew Helfer, 1988–1989)
*''Action Comics'' #610: "Phantom Stranger: Kenny and the Demon!" (a, with Paul Kupperberg, 1988)
*''Justice, Inc.'' #1-2 (a, with Andrew Helfer, 1989)
*''Why I Hate Saturn'' (w/a, graphic novel, 200 pages, Piranha Press
Piranha Press, an imprint of DC Comics from 1989 to 1994, was a response by DC to the growing interest in alternative comics. The imprint was edited by Mark Nevelow, who instead of developing comics with the established names in the alternative co ...
, 1990, )
*''Justice League America'' #50: "Ktrrogarrx!" (w/a, 1991)
*''Fast Forward (comics), Fast Forward'' #2: "Lester Fenton & the Walking Dead" (w/a, Piranha Press, 1992)
*''Elseworlds, Elseworlds 80 Page Giant'': "Letitia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter" (w/a, with Liz Glass, 1999)
*''Batman: Gotham Knights'' #11: "Snow Job!" (a, with Bob Kanigher, 2001)
*''Just Imagine..., Just Imagine Stan Lee with John Buscema Superman, Creating Superman'': "On the Street" (a, with Stan Lee and Michael Uslan, co-feature, 2001) collected in ''Just Imagine Stan Lee Creating the DC Universe Volume 1'' (tpb, 216 pages, 2002, )
*''9-11 (comics), 9-11 Volume 2'' (graphic novel, 224 pages, 2002, ):
** "Still Life" (a, with Ed Brubaker)
** "The Call" (a, with Eddie Berganza)
** "What We Learned Today" (a, with Eddie Berganza)
*''Plastic Man
Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole (artist), Jack Cole, Plastic Man was one of the fi ...
'' vol. 4, #1-6, 8-11, 13-20 (2004-2006) (w/a)
*''Spirit (comics), The Spirit'': #7 (2007); vol. 2, #2 (2010)
**"N.I.M.B.Y" (a, with Harlan Ellison)
*''Countdown to Final Crisis, Countdown'' #23: "The Origin of Mr. Mxyzptlk" (a, with Scott Beatty, co-feature, 2007)
*''Wednesday Comics'' #1-12: "Hawkman" (w/a, 2009)
* ''Mad (magazine), MAD'': "The All-Time Pantheon of Oddball Music Fans" (a, with Mike Snider, in #343, 1996)
* ''Mad (magazine), MAD'': "Joey Buttafuoco's Guide to Chivalry" (a, with C. J. Burke (comics), C. J. Burke, in #356, 1997)
*''Gen¹³, Gen¹³: Carny Folk'': "Sideshow on the Edge of Forever" (a, with John Arcudi, one-shot, Wildstorm, 2000)
*''America's Best Comics, ABC Special'': "Spectors from Projectors" (a, with Alan Moore, 2001)
*''Tom Strong'' #13: "The Family Strong and the Tower at Time's End!" (a, with Alan Moore, Chris Sprouse, Russ Heath Jr. and Peter Poplaski, 2001)
Vertigo
*''You are Here (comics), You are Here'' (w/a, graphic novel, 160 pages, 1998, )
*''I Die at Midnight, V2K: I Die at Midnight'' (w/a, one-shot, 2000)
*''King David (comics), King David'' (w/a, graphic novel, 104 pages, 2002, )
*''Undercover Genie: The Irreverent Conjurings of an Illustrative Aladdin, Undercover Genie'' (w/a, a collection of short strips and illustrations from non-comics publications, 128 pages, 2003, )
*''House of Mystery'' #10: "Fig's Adventure in Stuffytown" (a, with Peter Keele, Peter and Bethany Keele, 2010)
*''Mystery in Space'': "The Dream Pool" (a, with Kevin McCarthy (comic books), Kevin McCarthy, one-shot, 2012)
Kyle Baker Publishing
*''The New Baker'': "The Cartoon Issue" (w/a, one-shot, 2003)
*''The Bakers, The Bakers: Do These Toys Belong Somewhere?'' (hc, 96 pages, 2006, ) collects:
**''Cartoonist'' (w/a):
*** ''Volume 1'' (tpb, 128 pages, 2004, )
*** ''Volume 2: Now with More Bakers'' (tpb, 128 pages, 2005, )
**''The Bakers'' (w/a, one-shot, 2005)
*''Nat Turner (comics), Nat Turner'' #1-4 (w/a, 2005)
Other publishers
Dark Horse Comics, Dark Horse:
*''The Residents: Freak Show'': "Everyone Comes Here, Nobody Laughs When They Leave" (w/a, graphic novel, 80 pages, 1992, )
*''Instant Piano'' #1-4 (w/a, 1994–1995)
*''The Escapist (character), Michael Chabon Presents: The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist'' #1: "Sequestered" (a, with Kevin McCarthy, 2004)
*''Jingle Belle, The Bakers Meet Jingle Belle'' (a, with Paul Dini, one-shot, 2006)
*''Creepy (comics), Creepy'' #8: "Loathsome Lore" (a, with Dan Braun, 2012)
*''Birth of a Nation: A Comic Novel'' (a, with Reginald Hudlin and Aaron McGruder, graphic novel, 144 pages, Crown Publishing Group, Crown, 2004, )
*''Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror'' #12: "Blood Curse of the Evil Fairies!" (w/a, Bongo Comics, Bongo, 2006)
*''Goosebumps Volume 3'': "The Horror at Camp Jellyjam" (w/a, graphic novel, 144 pages, Graphix, 2007, )
Image Comics, Image:
*''Special Forces (comics), Special Forces'' #1-4 (w/a, 2007–2009)
*''The Bakers, The Bakers: Babies and Kittens'' (w/a, hc, 96 pages, 2008, )
*''Rocketeer, Rocketeer Adventures 2'' #3: "Butchy Saves Betty" (w/a, IDW Publishing, 2012)
Covers only
*''Web of Spider-Man'' #9 (Marvel Comics, Marvel, 1985)
*''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #112 (Marvel, 1986)
*''Marvel Age
''Marvel Age'' was a promotional comic book-sized magazine from Marvel Comics published from 1983 to 1994. Basically a comic-length edition of the Bullpen Bulletins page, ''Marvel Age'' contained previews of upcoming Marvel comics, as well as in ...
'' #43, 83 (Marvel, 1986–1990)
*''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #287 (Marvel, 1987)
*''Joker (comics), The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told'' hc (DC Comics, 1988)
*''Action Comics'' #603 (DC Comics, 1988)
*''Critical Mass (comics), Critical Mass'' #1, 4 (Epic Comics, Epic, 1990)
*''Challengers of the Unknown'' #3 (DC Comics, 1991)
*''Monster Menace'' #1 (Marvel, 1993)
*''Marvel Tales (comics), Marvel Tales'' #282 (Marvel, 1994)
*''Doom Patrol'' #76-87 (Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo, 1994–1995)
*''Doctor Strange, Dr. Strange vs. Dracula (Marvel Comics), Dracula'' #1 (Marvel, 1994)
*''Showcase (comics), Showcase '94'' #4 (DC Comics, 1994)
*''Marvel 2099, 2099 Unlimited'' #5-6 (Marvel, 1994)
*''Gen¹³'' #40 (Wildstorm, 1999)
*''The Comics Journal'' #219 (Fantagraphics Books, 2000)
*''Peter Parker: Spider-Man'' #42-43 (Marvel, 2002)
*''Back Issue'' #8 (TwoMorrows Publishing, TwoMorrows, 2005)
*''Tales from the Crypt (comics), Tales from the Crypt'' #1 (Papercutz (publisher), Papercutz, 2007)
Awards
* Eisner Award, List of Eisner Award winners#Best Writer/Artist: Humor, Best Writer/Artist: Humor:
**1999 - Kyle Baker, ''You Are Here'' (DC Comics/Vertigo (comics), Vertigo)
**2000 - Kyle Baker, ''I Die at Midnight'' (DC/Vertigo); "Letitia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter
"Letitia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter" is a comic book story by Kyle Baker, co-written with Liz Glass.
Publication history
The story originally appeared in DC Comics' parallel universe anthology ''Elseworlds 80-Page Giant'' #1 (June 1999). Bake ...
" in '' Elseworlds 80-Page Giant'' #1 (DC)
**2004 - Kyle Baker, ''Plastic Man
Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole (artist), Jack Cole, Plastic Man was one of the fi ...
'' (DC); ''The New Baker'' (Kyle Baker Publishing)
**2005 - Kyle Baker, ''Plastic Man'' (DC); ''Kyle Baker, Cartoonist'' (Kyle Baker Publishing)
**2006 - Kyle Baker, ''Plastic Man'' (DC); ''The Bakers'' (Kyle Baker Publishing)
*Eisner Award, List of Eisner Award winners#Best Short Story, Best Short Story:
**2000 - "Letitia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter" by Kyle Baker in ''Elseworlds 80-Page Giant'' (DC)
*Eisner Award, List of Eisner Award winners#Best New Series, Best New Series:
**2004 - ''Plastic Man'', by Kyle Baker (DC)
*Eisner Award, List of Eisner Award winners#Best Title for Younger Readers/Best Comics Publication for a Younger Audience, Best Title for Younger Readers/Best Comics Publication for a Younger Audience:
**2005 - ''Plastic Man'', by Kyle Baker and Scott Morse (DC)
*Harvey Award, List of Harvey Award winners#Best Graphic Album of Original Work, Best Graphic Album of Original Work:
**1991 - ''Why I Hate Saturn'' by Kyle Baker (Piranha Press
Piranha Press, an imprint of DC Comics from 1989 to 1994, was a response by DC to the growing interest in alternative comics. The imprint was edited by Mark Nevelow, who instead of developing comics with the established names in the alternative co ...
)
**1999 - ''You Are Here'' by Kyle Baker (Paradox Press)
**2014 - ''The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story'', with Vivek Tiwary & Andrew C. Robinson (Dark Horse)
*Harvey Award, List of Harvey Award winners#Best New Series, Best New Series:
**2005 - ''Plastic Man'', by Kyle Baker (DC)
*Harvey Award, List of Harvey Award winners#Special Award for Humor, Special Award for Humor:
**2005 - ''Plastic Man'', by Kyle Baker (DC)
**2006 - ''Plastic Man'', by Kyle Baker (DC)
*Harvey Award, Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work
**2009 - ''Nat Turner'' (Abram Books)
*2006 Glyph Comics Awards
**Glyph Comics Awards#2006 Glyph Comics Awards winners, Story of the Year - ''Nat Turner
Nat Turner's Rebellion, historically known as the Southampton Insurrection, was a rebellion of enslaved Virginians that took place in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831.Schwarz, Frederic D.1831 Nat Turner's Rebellion" ''American Heri ...
'', Kyle Baker, writer and artist
**Glyph Comics Awards#2006 Glyph Comics Awards winners, Best Artist: Kyle Baker, ''Nat Turner''
**Glyph Comics Awards#2006 Glyph Comics Awards winners, Best Cover: ''Nat Turner'' #1, Kyle Baker, illustrator
*2007 Glyph Comics Awards
**Glyph Comics Awards#2007 Glyph Comics Awards winners, Best Artist: Kyle Baker, ''The Bakers''
*2008 Glyph Comics Awards
**Glyph Comics Awards#List of Glyph Comics Awards winners, Best Artist: Kyle Baker, ''Nat Turner: Revolution''
References
External links
*
*
QualityJollity.com
(official site)
Archived
from the original July 15, 2011.
Luxury Cartooning
(official blog)
Archived
from the original July 22, 2011.
*Archive o
KyleBaker.com
(former official site)
*
at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Kyle
African-American writers
Eisner Award winners for Best Writer/Artist
Harvey Award winners
Living people
1965 births
Artists from New York City
African-American graphic designers
American graphic designers
American comics writers
African-American comics creators
Inkpot Award winners
20th-century American writers
21st-century American writers
20th-century American artists
21st-century American artists
Comics inkers