Alan Weiss (comics)

Alan Weiss
A black-and-white photo of Weiss looking off-camera
Weiss in 1984
BornAlan Lee Weiss
(1948-03-07) March 7, 1948 (age 76)
Chicago, Illinois, US
Area(s)Writer, Penciller, Inker
Notable works
Warlock, The Avengers, KISS, Captain America and Spider-Man
Spouse(s)Pauline Bigornia Weiss

Alan Weiss (born March 7, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois)[1] is an American comics artist and writer known for his work for DC Comics and Marvel Comics.

Career

Alan Weiss began his professional comics career at Warren Publishing by drawing the story "Gunsmoke Charly!" in Creepy #35 (Sept. 1970).[2] The following year, he began working for Marvel Comics as well where he drew The Avengers, Captain America, Daredevil, Sub-Mariner, and The Amazing Spider-Man.[2][3]

Weiss recalled in a 2006 interview there was a "lost" Adam Warlock story, which if completed would have been reminiscent of the Jonathan Swift novel Gulliver's Travels.[4] Portions of it were printed in the second volume of Marvel Masterworks: Warlock. The remainder of the artwork was lost in a New York City taxicab in 1976.[5]

In 1977, Weiss was one of the artists on the first issue of Marvel Comics Super Special which featured the rock band Kiss in a 40-page fictional adventure written by Steve Gerber.[6][7] Kiss reappeared in an occult adventure in issue #5 (1978) which was co-written by Weiss. In April 1978, Weiss and writer E. Nelson Bridwell revamped the Captain Marvel character for DC with Weiss providing more realistic art for the series.[8] Dennis O'Neil and Weiss created the character Calypso in The Amazing Spider-Man #209 (Oct. 1980).[9]

Weiss created the Steelgrip Starkey and the All-Purpose Power Tool limited series for Marvel Comics' Epic Comics comics line in 1986 and War Dancer for Defiant Comics in 1994. Weiss has worked on DC Comics' alternate universe series Elseworlds, co-writing and pencilling the Batman graphic novel The Blue, the Grey and the Bat as well as Paradox Press' The Big Book Of series, doing many pages on a variety of historical topics. From 2002 to 2005, he contributed work to Tom Strong's Terrific Tales published by America's Best Comics.[2]

His work has appeared in the comic books The Human Drama, Big Apple Comix, The Twilight Zone, Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery, and Our Love Story; in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazines Creepy and Eerie; and the satirical magazines National Lampoon and Blast.[2]

Inker Joe Rubinstein called Weiss "the most difficult guy in the business to ink, without exception." He added that this also made him one of his favorite artists to ink, because Weiss's work was so intricate that he couldn't tell what the final art would look like until he had finished inking it.[10]

Bibliography

Archie Comics

Atlas/Seaboard Comics

  • Brute #3 (1975)

Big Apple Productions

DC Comics

America's Best Comics

  • Tom Strong #8 (2000) cover and "Riders of the Lost Mesa" pencils and inks
  • Tom Strong's Terrific Tales #1–12 (2002–2005) "Young Tom Strong" series: pencils and inks #1–7, 12; pencils #8–12, covers #3, #11

Paradox Press

  • The Big Book of Urban Legends (1994) "The Bullet Through the Balls" pencils and inks
  • The Big Book of Freaks (1996) "Omi the Great" pencils and inks
  • The Big Book of Little Criminals (1996) "The Royal Moll" pencils and inks
  • The Big Book of Losers (1997) "The Dalton Gang's Last Raid" pencils and inks
  • The Big Book of Scandal (1997) "Death of a Mystery Man" pencils and inks
  • The Big Book of the Weird Wild West (1998) "Ned Buntline: King of the Dime Novelists" pencils and inks

Defiant

  • Defiant Genesis #1 (1993) cover pencil and ink
  • War Dancer #1–6 (1994–1995) creator, writer #1–6; pencils #1–3, #5–6, covers #1–6

Gold Key Comics

Marvel Comics

Epic Comics

  • Steelgrip Starkey #1–6 (1986–1987) creator, writer; pencils #1–2, #6, covers #1–6
  • Video Jack #5 (1988) "Wipeout Wipeout Wipeout" pencils

Image Comics

  • Daring Escapes featuring Houdini #1–4 (1998–1999) pencils, covers #1–4
  • Next Issue Project: Silver Streak Comics #24" (2009) "Captain Battle" pencils and inks
  • Next Issue Project: Crack Comics #63" (2011) "Captain Triumph" writer and pencils, alternate cover
  • Spawn #75 (1998) "Daring Escapes Preview" pencils

National Lampoon

Warrant Publishing

  • The Creeps #4 (2015) "Off to Feed the Wizard" writer, pencils and inks

Warren Publishing

  • Creepy #35 (1970) "Gunsmoke Charly" writer, pencils and inks
  • Eerie #34 (1971) "Lair of the Horned Men" writer, pencils and inks

References

  1. ^ Miller, John Jackson (June 10, 2005). "Comics Industry Birthdays". Comics Buyer's Guide. Iola, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on February 18, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d Alan Weiss at the Grand Comics Database
  3. ^ "Alan Weiss". Lambiek Comiclopedia. 2014. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012.
  4. ^ Best, Daniel (2007). "The Legendary 'Lost' Warlock". Adelaide Comics and Books. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  5. ^ Manner, Jim (February 2011). "Whatever Happened to Warlock Number 16?". Back Issue! (46). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 8–12.
  6. ^ Sanderson, Peter; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2008). "1970s". Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 180. ISBN 978-0756641238. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Lamar, Cyriaque (December 11, 2010). "KISS vs. Doctor Doom is the best and/or worst comic you'll read today". io9. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  8. ^ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1970s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. In April [1978]'s Shazam! #34 the World's Mightiest Mortal took on a new art style, more sophisticated storytelling, and Captain Nazi, thanks to writer E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Alan Weiss. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2012). "1980s". Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 115. ISBN 978-0756692360. [Dennis] O'Neil's third issue (with penciler Alan Weiss) introduced another new character – the mysterious Calypso. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Henderson, Chris (July 1986). "Joe Rubinstein". Comics Interview. No. 36. Fictioneer Books. pp. 40–51.