Richard Veitch (born May 7, 1951) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and

alternative comics Alternative comics cover a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to mainstream superhero comics which ...

Early life

Rick Veitch is a native of the small town of

Bellows Falls, Vermont Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,747 at the 2020 census. Bellows Falls is home to the Green Mountain Railroad, a heritage railroad; th ...

. One of six children, he 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 ...

. One of his elder brothers was the writer

Tom Veitch Tom Veitch (September 26, 1941 – February 14, 2022) was an American writer, known for his work in the comic book industry. He was also a novelist and a poet. He was the brother of comics writer and artist Rick Veitch. Early life Veitch was ...

Career

Early career

While still in high school, Veitch and his brother Tom created the comic strip ''Crazymouse'', which ran regularly in '' The Vermont Cynic''. He made his professional debut in 1972, illustrating the

underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority ...

horror parody ''Two-Fisted Zombies'' published by Last Gasp and written by Tom. This one-shot was excerpted in Mark James Estren's 1974 study, ''A History of Underground Comix''. According to Veitch, it also proved to be his ticket to admission to Joe Kubert School. In 1976, Veitch enrolled in

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 a ...

,. Studying under veteran cartoonists Joe Kubert, Ric Estrada and Dick Giordano, he was part of the school's first graduating class in 1978, along with his future long-time collaborators

Stephen R. Bissette 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 and inker John Totleben on the DC Comics series ''Swamp Thing'' in ...

and John Totleben. While still at school Veitch began his professional career in mainstream comics, contributing over a dozen short stories to DC’s combat title, '' Our Army at War''. Out of school, Veitch contributed to '' Heavy Metal''. next major project was an adaptation of the

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

film ''

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 E ...

'' with Bissette. During the 1980s, Veitch became known as a distinctive

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 ...

artist and writer for Marvel's

Epic Comics Epic Comics (also known as the Epic Comics Group)Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins: The Truth About the Epic Comics Group!" Marvel comics cover-dated November 1982. was an imprint of Marvel Comics from 1982 to 1996. A spin-off of the publisher's ...

line, for which he created three graphic novels, ''Abraxas and the Earthman'' serialized in ''

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 A ...

''; '' Heartburst'' published as a standalone graphic novel; and '' The One'' originally published as a six-issue comic book limited series. ''Heartburst'' was straightforward

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 ...

, while ''The One'' was an ambitious and bizarre fantasy-adventure involving monstrous

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

es, the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

, and spiritual evolution. During this period Veitch also contributed numerous self-contained comics short stories to ''Epic Illustrated''.

''Swamp Thing''

Veitch's highest-profile title was

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 the ...

' '' Swamp Thing''. His friends Totleben and Bissette had both illustrated the series since

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 He ...

took over as writer. Veitch joined the team for issue #37 (cover dated June 1985), in which Moore's popular character

John Constantine John Constantine () is a fictional character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Constantine first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985), and was created by Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, Rick Veitch, and John To ...

was introduced, and appeared regularly after issue #50. He also worked with Moore on ''Miracleman'', illustrating the story that graphically depicted the birth of Miracleman's child published by Eclipse Comics in ''Miracleman'' #9 (July 1986). When Moore left the ''Swamp Thing'' series after issue #64, Veitch took over as writer, dividing art duties between himself and

Alfredo Alcala Alfredo P. Alcala (August 23, 1925 – April 4, 2000) was a Filipino comics artist, born in Talisay, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the ''Alcala Komix Magazine''. His 1963 cr ...

. His ''Swamp Thing'' stories took a similar approach to Moore's, combining horror-fantasy, ecological concerns, and an encyclopedic knowledge of DC Comics fantasy characters; he gradually turned his attention from the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green L ...

to history and mythology, using

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...

to introduce his hero to a variety of legendary figures. This was to conclude in issue #91. Difficulties arose after Veitch's plan for issue #88, a story in which Swamp Thing met

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

, was scrapped by DC President

Jenette Kahn Jenette Kahn (; born May 16, 1947) is an American comic book editor and executive. She joined DC Comics in 1976 as publisher, and five years later was promoted to president. In 1989, she stepped down as publisher and assumed the title of edito ...

. Although DC had approved Veitch's initial script for the Jesus story, the topic was later deemed too inflammatory and was cancelled at the last minute. The publisher and writer were unable to reach a compromise; Veitch quit, and vowed never to work for DC until the story saw print. Though the story arc has still never been printed, Veitch eventually did return to DC.

Later work

After leaving DC, Veitch turned to the

field, where the success of the

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...

had provided the impetus for a black-and-white independent comics boom. After doing a ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' storyline for Mirage Studios, "The River", he began creating his own titles again, published by the Mirage spin-off Tundra Publishing. During this period, he produced the graphic novels '' Bratpack'' and ''The Maximortal'', which were to be part of a planned cycle of books called ''The King Hell Heroica''. After Tundra went out of business, Veitch chose to emulate the successful self-published artist

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 ...

by creating his own publishing imprint, King Hell Press. King Hell has reprinted black-and-white editions of all of his original graphic novels. Veitch was reunited with Alan Moore on two titles for

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-o ...

, ''

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 Co ...

'' and '' Supreme''. He then became a regular artist on Moore's

America's Best Comics America's Best Comics (ABC) is a comic book publishing brand. It was set up by Alan Moore in 1999 as an imprint of WildStorm, an idea proposed to Moore by WildStorm founder Jim Lee when it was still under Image Comics. History ''America's Best ...

line published by

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 ...

, co-creating and then illustrating the graphically innovative " Greyshirt" serial, a Spirit homage, in ''

Tomorrow Stories ''Tomorrow Stories'' was an American comic book series created by Alan Moore for his America's Best Comics (ABC) line, published by Wildstorm (now a subsidiary of DC Comics). Overview ''Tomorrow Stories'' started in August 1999 as a collection o ...

'', and later writing a spin-off ''Greyshirt'' series. When Wildstorm was sold, both Veitch and Moore found themselves working indirectly for DC again, despite both having long-standing conflicts with the publisher. Veitch has since begun working directly for DC again, notably on its relaunch of ''

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in '' More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially a ...

'' and on a mini-series reimagining DC-owned Charlton Comics character ''The

Question A question is an utterance which serves as a request for information. Questions are sometimes distinguished from interrogatives, which are the grammatical forms typically used to express them. Rhetorical questions, for instance, are interroga ...

'' as a self-trained urban shaman. In 2006,

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 ...

published his 352-page graphic novel, '' Can't Get No'', a psychedelic 'road' narrative about a failed businessman finding himself after the World Trade Center attacks told without word balloons but embellished in captions with stream-of-consciousness free verse poetry loosely relating to plot developments. During the 1990s, Veitch became interested in the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

as an alternative to traditional comics distribution. In 1998, with Steve Conley, he created the "online convention" site Comicon.com, a combination message board, news portal, and web host for comics creators. He continues to run the site, and is a vocal advocate of self-publishing in both print and digital media. He wrote and penciled the satirical '' Army@Love'' for Vertigo in 2007–2009. In September 2011, he wrote and penciled ''The Big Lie'', a comic book in which the protagonist – a physicist widowed on September 11, 2001 – travels back in time to attempt to save her husband. The book takes the position that the towers' destruction was a controlled demolition.

Dream art

Veitch created a series of strips titled ''Roarin' Rick's Rare Bit Fiends'', a reference to

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 w ...

's ''

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 '' ...

'', which first appeared as backup features in his self-published titles. In 1994 he began a full-sized ''Rare Bit Fiends'' series. King Hell published 21 issues of ''Rare Bit Fiends'' and has collected the first 20 in three paperback volumes, which also include essays by Veitch speculating about the nature of

dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

ing. The original series also reproduced dream comics submitted by readers. Veitch had a cameo in the '' Cerebus the Aardvark'' story arc '' Guys'' as "Roaring Rick" where Cerebus is dreaming, and Roaring Rick appears to him and gives a surreal monologue on the nature of dreams, lucid dreaming, etc.

Bibliography

Aardvark-Vanaheim

* '' Cerebus'' #126, 137, 180–182 (writer/artist) (1989–1994)

Awesome Comics

* '' Supreme'' #49–51, 52a, 52b, 54, 56 (1997–1998) * ''Supreme: The Return'' #3–6 (1999–2000)

Clifford Neal

* ''Dr. Wirtham's Comix & Stories'' #2 (1976)

DC Comics

* '' 9-11: The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember, Volume Two'' (writer) (2002) * ''

'' vol. 6 #1–12 (writer) (2003–2004) ** ''Aquaman: The Waterbearer'' collected edition * ''Aquaman Secret Files and Origins 2003'' #1 (writer) (2003) * '' DC Comics Presents'' #85 (

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

and Swamp Thing), #97 (Superman and the Phantom Zone criminals) (penciller) (1985–1986) * '' DC Special Series'' #13 (writer/artist) (1978) * '' G.I. Combat'' #218 (inker) (1980) * '' JLA'' #77 (writer) (2003) * ''JLA/JSA Secret Files and Origins'' #1 (writer) (2003) * '' Jonah Hex'' #53–54 (penciller) (1981) * '' Mystery in Space'' #117 (penciller) (1981) * ''

'' vol. 2 #1–6 (writer) (2005) * ''

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 ...

'' #31, 37 (penciller) (1984–1985) * ''

Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the Origin story, origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a One-shot ( ...

'' vol. 2 #23 (writer) (1988) * ''

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 ...

'' #311, 316, 320–321, 329–330, 332–335, 338–339, 347, 355–356 (artist); #320, 330, 332–333 (writer/artist) (1977–1981) * ''Swamp Thing'' vol. 2 #50–52, 54–59, 61, 63–64 (penciller); #62, 65–76, 79–82, ''Annual'' #3 (writer/penciller); #83–87 (writer) (1986–1989) ** ''Swamp Thing: Regenesis'' collected edition ** ''Swamp Thing: Spontaneous Generation'' collected edition ** ''Swamp Thing: Infernal Triangles'' collected edition * '' Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' #18 (

Phantom Zone The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created ...

entry) (artist) (1986)

America's Best Comics

* ''ABC: A-Z, Greyshirt and Cobweb'' #1 (writer/artist) (2006) * ''ABC: A-Z, Top 10 and Teams'' #1 (artist) (2006) * '' Greyshirt: Indigo Sunset'' #1–6 (writer/artist) (2001–2002) ** collected edition * ''

'' #1–12 (artist) (1999–2002) * ''Tomorrow Stories Special'' #1–2 (artist) (2006)

Vertigo

* '' Army@Love'' #1–12 (writer/penciller) (2007–2008) ** ''Army@Love Vol. 1: The Hot Zone Club'' collected edition ** ''Army@Love Vol. 2: Generation Pwned'' collected edition * ''Army@Love'' vol. 2 #1–6 (writer/penciller) (2008–2009) * '' Can't Get No'' graphic novel (writer/artist) (2006) * '' Unknown Soldier'' vol. 4 #21 (artist) (2010)

Eclipse Comics

* ''Bedlam'' #1–2 (writer/artist) (1985) * '' Miracleman'' #9–10 (artist) (1986) * ''

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, secti ...

'' #10 (one page) (1986)

HM Communications

* '' 1941, the Illustrated Story'' graphic novel (artist) (1979) * '' Heavy Metal'' #v3 #1, 9; #v4 #4–5, 8–9, 11; #v7 #3 (writer/artist) (1979–1983)

Image Comics

* ''

'' #1, 3, 5–6 (artist) (1993) * ''The Big Lie'' #1 (2011)

King Hell Press

* ''Abraxas and the Earthman'' graphic novel (writer/artist) (2006) * '' Bratpack'' #1–5 (writer/artist) (1990–1991) ** collected edition * ''Bratpack / Maximortal Super Special'' #1–2 (writer/artist) (1996–1997) * ''The Dream Art of Rick Veitch'' ** ''Volume 1: Rabid Eye'' graphic novel (writer/artist) (1996) ** ''Volume 2: Pocket Universe'' graphic novel (writer/artist) (1996) ** ''Volume 3: Crypto Zoo'' graphic novel (writer/artist) (2004) * ''The Maximortal'' #1–7 (writer/artist) (1992–1993) ** collected edition * '' The One: The Last Word In Superheroics'' graphic novel (writer/artist) (2003) * ''Roarin' Rick's Rare Bit Fiends'' #1–21 (writer/artist) (1994–1996) * ''Shiny Beasts'' graphic novel (writer/artist) (2007)

Kitchen Sink Press

* ''50's Funnies'' #1 (1980)

Last Gasp

* ''Two-Fisted Zombies'' #1 (1973) (writer/artist) (first published work)

Marvel Comics

* '' Amazing Adventure'' #1 (artist) (1988) * ''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

'' vol. 3 #50 (penciller) (2002) * ''

'' #1 (colorist), #2 (writer), #4–6, 8, 10–17, 19, 25, 28–29 (writer/artist), #34 (artist) (1980–1986) * '' Marvel Graphic Novel'' #10 "Heartburst" (writer/artist) (1984) * '' Marvel Preview'' #18 (inker) (1979) * '' Marvel Super Special'' #16 (letterer) (1980) * '' The One'' #1–6 (writer/artist) (1985–1986) * ''

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 poi ...

'' #4 (artist) (1985) * ''

What If What If may refer to: Film * ''What If'', a 2006 TV film starring Niall Buggy * ''What If...'' (2010 film), an American film * ''What If...'' (2012 film), a Greek film * ''What If'' (2013 film) or ''The F Word'', a Canadian-Irish film Telev ...

Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superhero ...

'' #1 (writer) (2006)

Maximum Press

* ''Supreme'' #43–48 (artist) (1996–1997)

Mirage Studios

* ''

'' #24–26, 30 (writer/artist) (1989–1990)

Spiderbaby Grafix & Publications

* ''

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 ...

'' #3 (1989)

References

External links

* *
Rick Veitch
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
''Army@Love'' by Veitch and Erskine
at The Daily Cross Hatch (March 28, 2007) {{DEFAULTSORT:Veitch, Rick 1951 births American comics artists American comics writers American Roman Catholics Artists from Vermont Comic book letterers Comic book publishers (people) Comics colorists Living people People from Bellows Falls, Vermont The Kubert School alumni Underground cartoonists Writers from Vermont