Mark Bodé

Mark Bodē (() born February 18, 1963) is an American cartoonist. The son of underground comics legend Vaughn Bodē, Mark shares the Bodē family style and perpetuates many of his late father's creations as well as his own works . He is best known for his work on ''Cobalt-60'', '' Miami Mice'', and '' The Lizard of Oz''. Bodē has also worked for '' Heavy Metal'' magazine and on '' The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''.

Bodē is also a tattoo and graffiti artist, spending many years working around Northampton, Massachusetts, although he now lives in California.

Early life

Mark Bodē was born February 18, 1963, in Utica, New York, the son of the cartoonist Vaughn Bodē and Barbara Falcon. He began drawing at age three, and was encouraged to draw throughout his childhood.

When Bodē was 12 years old and visiting his divorced father Vaughn in San Francisco, he discovered the dead body of his father after the latter had died as the result of autoerotic asphyxiation.

Bodē attended art school in Oakland, California. He also studied animation at San Francisco State University. In 1982, he attended the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City as a fine arts major.

While attending SVA, Bodē met Marvel Comics editor Archie Goodwin, who was starting up a new magazine called ''Epic Illustrated''. Bodē became a contributor from 1983 to 1986.

Career

Comics

Bodē has completed and expanded upon many of his father's works. As a 15-year-old, he colored the unfinished work ''Zooks, the First Lizard in Orbit'' for '' Heavy Metal''. In 1984, he expanded and illustrated '' Cobalt 60'', originally created as a short story by his father in 1968. Written by Larry Todd and fully painted by Mark Bodē, the story was serialized in ''Epic Illustrated'', and later collected by The Donning Company/Starblaze Graphics and re-published as a four-issue limited series by Tundra Publishing.

Bodē was the creator of black-and-white comic '' Miami Mice'', published by Rip Off Press in 1986. Bodē and Todd collaborated again on Rip Off Press' 1987 comic ''Gyro Force''.

From 1988 to 1995, Bodē wrote and drew comics with ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' co-creator Kevin Eastman. The two collaborated on several issues for Mirage Studios, including issues #18 & #32. Bodē was also the solo creator on the special edition ''Times Pipeline'' of ''TMNT''. The ''Cobalt 60'' saga was completed and was published as four graphic novels with Eastman's company Tundra Publishing''.

In 2004, Fantagraphics published Bodē's ''The Lizard of Oz'', a send-up of ''The Wizard of Oz'', starring his father's iconic creation, Cheech Wizard.

Bodē's anthology work includes ''Subway Art'', ''Spray Can Art'', ''Mugs and Mascots'', ''Burning New York'', ''Broken Windows'', '' Dondi White'', ''Aerosol Kingdom'', ''Picturing the Modern Amazon'' (by New Museum books), ''Jack Kirby's Heroes and Villains'', ''15 Years of Heavy Metal'', ''20 Years of Heavy Metal'', and ''Comic Book Superstars''.

Tattooing and spray can art

Bodē took up the art of tattooing in 1994. He trained under the guidance of tattoo artists Al Valenta, from western Massachusetts, and Myke Maldonado, from New York.

Bodē also took up spray can art, and has done many mural tributes to his father's characters over the years. In his career as a spraycan artist, he has done mural work globally in London, Spain, Italy, and Germany as well as locally in his hometown of San Francisco.

Personal life

Bodē lives in Daly City, California, with his wife, Molly; they have a daughter named Zara.

Publications

Comics

Mark Bodē has contributed cover illustrations and interior artwork to numerous magazines, including '' Penthouse'', '' Hustler'' and ''Gauntlet''. He also designed the covers for some of those magazines. In addition to this the following comics have been published:

Comic books

* 1986 ''Miami Mice #1'' (Rip Off Press, San Francisco.)
* 1986 ''Mark Bodē's Miami Mice #2'' (Rip Off Press, San Francisco.)
* 1986 ''Mark Bodē's Miami Mice #3'' (Rip Off Press, San Francisco.)
* 1987 ''Mark Bodē's Miami Mice #4'' (Rip Off Press, San Francisco.)
* 1987 ''Gyro Force'' (Rip Off Press, San Francisco.) Mit Larry Todd.
* 1987 ''Gyrotropolis'' (Rip Off Press, San Francisco.)
* 1988 ''GyroBotics'' (Rip Off Press, San Francisco.)
* 1988 ''Cobalt 60'' (Starblaze Graphics, Virginia Beach.) With Vaughn Bodē and Larry Todd.
* 1989 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #18'' (Mirage Studios, Northampton.) With Kevin Eastman.
* 1989 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #32'' (Mirage Studios, Northampton.) With Kevin Eastman.
* 1992 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Times Pipeline (Mirage Studios, Northampton.) With Larry Todd.
* 1992 ''Cobalt 60 Book One'' (Tundra Publishing, Northampton.) With Vaughn Bodē and Larry Todd.
* 1992 ''Cobalt 60 Book Two'' (Tundra Publishing, Northampton.) With Larry Todd.
* 1992 ''Cobalt 60 Book Three'' (Tundra Publishing, Northampton.) With Larry Todd.
* 1992 ''Cobalt 60 Book Four'' (Tundra Publishing, Northampton.) With Larry Todd.
* 2004 ''The Lizard of Oz'' (Fantagraphics Books, Seattle.)
* 2008 ''Cheech Wizard goes to Berlin'' (Overkill, Berlin.)
* 2014 ''Miami Mice – The Complete Collection'' (Golden Frog Press.)
* 2015 ''Cobalt 60: The Rise of Lithium Pt.1'' (Infzone Publications, Bristol.)
* 2015 ''Cheech Wizard's Book of Me'' (Fantagraphics Books, Seattle.) With Vaughn Bodē.
* 2018 ''Cobalt 60 Episode Zero'' (Butler Digital.)
* 2019 ''Cobalt 60: The Death of Cobalt'' (Mark Bodē self-published.)

Contributions to anthologies and comic magazines

* 1978 ''Zalone 1''. In: ''The Best of Cosmic Circus'' (Cosmic Brain Trust, Berkeley.) With John Burnham.
* 1980 ''Zooks.'' In: ''Heavy Metal'' (January, March, April 1980). (HM Communications, Easthampton.) Drawn and written by Vaughn Bodē, colorized by Mark Bodē.
* 1983 ''The Yellow Hat''. In: ''Epic Illustrated'' ''#19'' (Marvel Comics, New York.)
* 1984 ''Cheech Wizard is the greatest smartest wizard who ever lived''. In: ''Epic Illustrated'' ''#23'' (Marvel Comics, New York.)
* 1984 ''Gee, Cheech Wizard, I is real glad I'm your assistant''. In: ''Epic Illustrated'' ''#23'' (Marvel Comics, New York.)
* 1984 ''Oh, Cheech Wizard, I can't find tha mushrooms you want me to pick''. In: ''Epic Illustrated'' ''#23'' (Marvel Comics, New York.)
* 1984 ''Once upon a time at 2:30 in the afternoon''. In: ''Epic Illustrated'' ''#23'' (Marvel Comics, New York.)
* 1984–1985 ''Cobalt 60. In: Epic Illustrated #27–31'' (Marvel Comics, New York.)
* 1985 ''Snickers That's Entertainment''. In: ''Epic Illustrated'' ''#33'' (Marvel Comics, New York.)
* 1987 ''Battle of the Sexes''. In: ''Rip Off Comix #16'' (Rip Off Press, San Francisco.)
* 1987 ''Turtle Troop''. In: ''Grunts #1'' (Mirage Studios, Northampon.)
* 1989 ''Machines: Big Serious Survey of Advanced Mechanical Moving Mechanisms''. In: Fire Sale (Rip Off Press, San Francisco.)
* 1989 ''Alien Sex''. In: Fire Sale (Rip Off Press, San Francisco.)
* 1990 ''Cherry Does Zara Tungi''. In: ''Cherry #9'' (Last Gasp, San Francisco.)
* 1990 ''Rebel Without a Hardon''. In: ''Cherry #10'' (Last Gasp, San Francisco.)
* 1991 ''The Codex of Good Head''. In: ''Cherry #12'' (Last Gasp, San Francisco.)
* 1991 ''I'm thinking of wonderful creative excitements''... In: ''Tundra Mini Comic #1'' (Tundra Publishing, Northampton.)
* 1991 ''I Have A Dream''. In: Taboo Especial (Spiderbaby Grafix & Publications.)
* 1992 ''Elect Cherry, Tungi for President '92''. In: ''Cherry's Jubilee #2'' (Last Gasp, San Francisco.)
* 1994 ''Ninjara vs. Mondo Dog Catcher''. In: ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Giant Size Special #8'' (Archie Comics, Mamaroneck.)
* 1994 ''E = MC Zip Lock.'' In: ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Giant Size Special #11'' (Archie Comics, Mamaroneck.)
* 1994: ''Russian Girl with Red Star''. In: ''Heavy Metal Special Editions: Pin Up'' (Metal Mammoth Inc., Easthampton.)
* 1995 ''Cobalt 60: Da' Dust Devil''. In: ''Heavy Metal Special Editions: Overdrive'' (Metal Mammoth Inc., Easthampton.)
* 1995 ''Young Genetically-Altered Samurai Lizards''. In: ''Cherry #17'' (Kitchen Sink Press, Northampton.)
* 1995 ''The Story of Chicken Licken''. In: ''Negative Burn #21'' (Caliber Comics.)
* 1996 ''The Moorish Lady's Story''. In: ''A Night in a Moorish Harem #1'' (NBM, New York)
* 1998 ''The Pied Piperess''. In: ''Hustler Comix Vol. 1 No. 4 (Winter 1998)'' (L.F.P. Inc., Beverly Hills)
* 1999 ''The Codex of Strange Body Piercing''. In: ''Cherry #21'' (Cherry Comics, Albuquerque.)
* 2000 ''I Think I'm Going to Vomit''. In: ''Cherry #22'' (Cherry Comics, Albuquerque.)
* 2007 ''The Lone Lizard: Hang Um' When They're High.'' In: ''Heavy Metal'' (September 2007). (Metal Mammoth Inc., Easthampton.)
* 2020 ''Sunpot: Dr. Electric Meets Da Repo Man.'' In: ''Heavy Metal #300-301'' (Heavy Metal, LLC.)
* 2020 ''Cobalt-19.'' In: ''Heavy Metal #302'' (Heavy Metal, LLC.)
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Other

* 2013 ''The Big Book of Bodē Tattoos'' (Last Gasp, San Francisco.) . Contains mostly tattoo designs and drawings by Mark Bodē and some works by his father Vaughn.

Exhibits

* November 2013 — West Bank Gallery, London
* October 2013 — Warfield Theater mural, San Francisco (with Osgemeos)
* May 2013 — Montana Gallery, Barcelona
* 2013 — Yard Five, Berlin, Germany
* August 2012 — 1AM Gallery, San Francisco
* July 2012 — Arctic Gallery, Amsterdam
* 2010 — 1AM Gallery, San Francisco: ''Wizards, Lizards and Broads''
* 2008 — Berghain Club, Berlin
* 2005 — Oaklandish Gallery, Oakland, California
* 2004 — The Upper Playground Gallery, San Francisco
* 1999 — New Museum: ''Picturing the Modern Amazon''
* 1993 — The Psychedelic Solution Gallery, New York City

References

External links

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Bodē entry
Lambiek's Comiclopedia
Sacred Rose Tattoo
the San Francisco tattoo parlor where Bodē works

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodē, Mark
American comics artists
American comics writers
1963 births
Living people
School of Visual Arts alumni
San Francisco State University alumni
Underground cartoonists
People from Utica, New York