Timothy Truman (born February 9, 1956)[1] is an American writer, artist and musician. He is best known for his stories and Wild West-style comic book art, and in particular, for his work on Grimjack (with John Ostrander), Scout, and the reinvention of Jonah Hex, with Joe R. Lansdale.
After graduation, he moved to New York City and worked in the fantasy role-playing game industry for a few years providing illustrations for various companies, including working for TSR, Inc. as a staff illustrator.[citation needed]
Along with Flint Henry, Truman co-authored Rifts Dimension Book 1: Wormwood (1993), which author Shannon Appelcline states was "critically acclaimed for the vibrant backgrounds".[5]
Truman's first professional comics work was a series of backup stories in DC Comics' Sgt. Rock title published from 1981 to 1983.[6][7] His first major work was Grimjack with writer John Ostrander,[8] for the independent comics company First Comics. Grimjack first appeared in Starslayer #10 (November 1983), before moving to his own series after issue #18 (July 1984), and continued for 81 issues.
At DC Comics he created Hawkworld, a reinvention of Hawkman in 1989.[10] An ongoing series with the same name was launched the following year.[11] With author Joe R. Lansdale, he reinterpreted Jonah Hex as a horror western. In it, their creation of villain Edgar Autumn elicited a lawsuit from musician Edgar Winter.[12]
In 2018 Truman launched a successful Kickstarter campaign, Scout Marauder, to expand on the storyline of his character Scout. The promotion was a success, raising over $44,000.00 from supporters. The campaign was projected to be completed in February 2019. As of July 2024, the project is still in production.[15][16][17][18]
West Virginia
Truman's work, Wilderness: The True Story of Simon Girty, Renegade was a two-volume black and white graphic novel depicting the American settler's western frontier.
Tecumseh! a graphic novel based on the Chillicothe Ohio Outdoor Theater Production is a colored graphic novel that shows the play from beginning to end. It renewed interest in the warrior in Appalachia.
Music
A longtime fan and musician, Truman has integrated his love of music into comics and illustration. While working for Eclipse Comics, Truman included a Flexi disc recording inside Scout #19 (May 1987) that provided a soundtrack to one of the scenes in the comic. He also released an album through Eclipse Records with his band The Dixie Pistols entitled Marauder. The album included a short comic book featuring the wedding of Emanuel Santanna that took place between the first series Scout and the second series Scout: War Shaman.
While writing the biography of one of his favorite guitarists, Carlos Santana, for Rock-It Comics, Truman found out that the musician had been a longtime fan of his comic, Scout, whose main character, Emanuel Santanna, is the namesake of the famous guitarist. Naming the characters after favorite musicians was a common convention that Truman used throughout the Scout series.
Truman has also had a long relationship with the band the Grateful Dead creating artwork for CD covers, tour posters, limited-edition T-shirts and a color comics page in each issue of the Grateful Dead Almanac.
Truman built a recording studio in his home and while producing recording sessions for Cherokee singer/songwriter Terry Strongheart, they decided to form a new band with some of Truman's friends and Strongheart's daughter called the Terry Strongheart Band. Two CDs have been recorded, the first entitled Tears and the follow-up Indian School.
Truman provided illustrations for the posthumous Rory Gallagher release Kickback City (2013).[19][20] Truman said he first heard Gallagher's music in 1973 while a junior in high school.[21]
Timothy Truman is often confused with the music composer Tim Truman[22] who wrote the theme to Melrose Place and composed the score to Miami Vice's final season among other important contributions to the music industry in movies and television.
The Blood-Stained Crown and Other Stories (tpb, 144 pages, 2008, ISBN1-59307-886-2) collects:
"Seeds of Empire" (a, with Kurt Busiek, in #26, 2006)
"The Blood-Stained Crown" (a, with Kurt Busiek, in #27, 2006)
The Hall of the Dead and Other Stories (tpb, 200 pages, 2007, ISBN1-59307-775-0) collects:
"Dogs of the Hills" (w, with Cary Nord, in #33, 2006)
"The Sons of Bel" (w, with Cary Nord, in #34, 2006)
The Spear and Other stories (tpb, 120 pages, 2010, ISBN1-59582-523-1) collects:
"Conan: The Spear" (w, with Paul Lee, in Star Wars/Conan FCBD 2006, 2006)
"They Shall Be Lords Again" (w, with Paul Lee, in #35, 2006)
"Silent to the Sea" (w, with Paul Lee, in #36, 2007)
"Two Wizards and a Funeral" (w, with Paul Lee, in #40, 2007)
"The Sorrow of Akivasha" (w, with Paul Lee, in Conan the Cimmerian #14, 2009)
Rogues in the House and other stories (hc, 160 pages, 2008, ISBN1-59307-941-9) collects:
"Rogues in the House Part 1: Rogues at the Door" (w, with Cary Nord, in #41, 2007)
"Rogues in the House Part 2: Red House, Red Priest" (w, with Cary Nord, in #42, 2007)
"Rogues in the House Part 3: The Pits of Refuge" (w, with Tomás Giorello, in #43, 2007)
"Rogues in the House Part 4: Man vs. Beast" (w, with Cary Nord, in #44, 2007)
The Hand of Nergal (hc, 152 pages, 2008, ISBN1-59582-179-1) collects:
"The Spawn of Nergal" (w, with Tomás Giorello, in #47, 2007)
"Darkness Over Yaralet" (w, with Tomás Giorello, in #48, 2008)
"Flesh for the Gods of the Night" (w, with Tomás Giorello, in #49, 2008)
"The Hand of Nergal" (w, with Tomás Giorello, in #50, 2008)
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, one-shot, "The Road of Kings" (w, with Cary Nord, July 2006) collected in Conan and the Midnight God (tpb, 136 pages, 2007, ISBN1-59307-852-8)
Conan and the Songs of the Dead (limited series) (July 2006–November 2006) (a)
Conan and the Songs of the Dead (tpb, 136 pages, 2007, ISBN1-59307-718-1) collects:
"The Root of all Evil" (with Joe R. Lansdale, in #1, 2006)
"The Ring of Fire" (with Joe R. Lansdale, in #2, 2006)
"The Eye of the Demon" (with Joe R. Lansdale, in #3, 2006)
"Lair of the Worm" (with Joe R. Lansdale, in #4, 2006)
"Home For the Hunt" (with Joe Kubert, in #14, 2009)
"Free Companions" (with Tomás Giorello, in #16–18, 2009–2010)
"Kozaki" (with Tomás Giorello, in #19–21, 2010)
Iron Shadows in the Moon and Other Stories (hc, 144 pages, 2011, ISBN1-59582-712-9) collects:
"Iron Shadows in the Moon" (with Tomás Giorello and Paul Lee, in #22–25)
King Conan: The Scarlet Citadel (w, four-issue limited series with Tomás Giorello, February–May 2011, collected in King Conan: The Scarlet Citadel, tpb, 112 pages, 2012, ISBN1-59582-838-9)
King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword (w, four-issue limited series with Tomás Giorello, January–April 2012, collected in King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword, tpb, 112 pages, 2013, ISBN1-61655-029-5)
King Conan: Hour of the Dragon (W, six-issue limited series with Tomás Giorello, May–October 2013, collected in King Conan: Hour of the Dragon, tpb, 160 pages, 2014, ISBN1-61655-307-3)
King Conan: The Conqueror (W, six-issue limited series with Tomás Giorello, February–July 2014, collected in King Conan: The Conqueror, tpb, 160 pages, 2015, ISBN1-61655-514-9)
"On Wings of Death: Phoenix" (also artist, with Chuck Dixon, in #1, 1986)
"The Wolf and the Phoenix" (also artist, with Chuck Dixon, in #2, 1986)
"Misery Loves Company" (with Chuck Dixon and Stan Woch, in #3, 1986)
"Assault On Villa Miserio" (with Chuck Dixon and Stan Woch, in #4, 1986)
"I Am Birdie" (with Ben Dunn, in #11, 1986)
The Prowler (limited series) (July 1987–October 1987) (w)
Leo Kragg: Prowler (tpb, 180 pages, 2013, ISBN1-47938-388-0) collects:
"Blood and Magic" (with John K. Snyder III, in #1, 1987)
"Blood and Evil" (with John K. Snyder III, in #2, 1987)
"The Official Account" (with Michael Price and Graham Nolan, in #2–3, 1987)
"Blood and Darkness" (with John K. Snyder III, in #3, 1987)
"Blood and Sacrifice" (with John K. Snyder III, in #4, 1987)
"Emulation of Life" (with Michael Price and Graham Nolan, in #4, 1987)
Revenge of the Prowler (limited series) (February 1988–May 1988) (w)
Leo Kragg: Prowler (tpb, 180 pages, 2013, ISBN1-47938-388-0) collects:
"Slow Burn" (with John K. Snyder III, in #1, 1988)
"Search and Destroy" (with John K. Snyder III, in #2, 1988)
"If I Should Die... Before I Wake" (with John K. Snyder III, in #3–4, 1988)
Airboy Meets the Prowler, one-shot, "Confidential Inquirer" (w, with Chuck Dixon, Michael Price, John K. Snyder III and Graham Nolan, December 1987) collected in Airboy Archives Volume 3 (tpb, 308 pages, 2015, ISBN1-63140-216-1)
"Decaying Orbit" (with John Ostrander, in #14, 1985)
"The Bargain" (only writer, with John Totleben, in #14, 1984)
"This Wheel's On Fire" (with John Ostrander, in #15, 1985)
"Wolfpac" (with John Ostrander, in #16–17, 1985)
"Trade Wars: Inferno" (with John Ostrander, in #18, 1986)
"Trade Wars: Maelstrom" (with John Ostrander and Steve Erwin, in #19, 1986)
"Mortal Gods" (with John Ostrander, in #24, 1986)
"You Say it's Your Birthday" (with John Ostrander, in #24, 1986)
Time Beavers (First Comics Graphic Novel, May 1985)
Starslayer (#14-19 - full interior art, #20-25 - page layouts only, March 1984 to February 1985)
IDW Publishing
GrimJack: Killer Instinct (a, six-issue limited series with John Ostrander, January–June 2005, collected in GrimJack: Killer Instinct, tpb, 144 pages, 2005, ISBN1-93323-915-8)
GrimJack: The Manx Cat (a, six-issue limited series with John Ostrander, August 2009–January 2010, collected in Grimjack: The Manx Cat, tpb, 160 pages, 2010, ISBN1-60010-625-0)
Hawken (w/a, six-issue limited series with Benjamin Truman, November 2011–September 2012, collected in A Man Named Hawken, tpb, 104 pages, 2012, ISBN1-61377-409-5)
Thor Annual vol. 4 #1, "King Thor" (a, with Jason Aaron, February 2015) collected in Volume 2: Who Holds the Hammer? (hc, 136 pages, 2015, ISBN0-7851-9784-2)
Epic Comics
Wild Cards #3, "Welcome to the Club" (a, with among other artists, September 1990)
Topps Comics
The Lone Ranger and Tonto (a, four-issue limited series, with Joe R. Lansdale, August–November 1994, collected in The Lone Ranger and Tonto, tpb, 1995, ISBN1-88331-305-8)
^Fox, Margalit (August 23, 2012). "Joe Kubert Sept. 18, 1926 – Aug. 12, 2012: Comic-book artist explored war and violence", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, p. D5.
^"Timothy Truman". Lambiek Comiclopedia. 2016. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. A 1981 Kubert School graduate, Timothy Truman is an original artist of both mainstream and independent comic books. He began his career doing backup stories in DC's Sgt. Rock.
^Kapalka, Jeff (March 13, 2005). "Second-string heroes get second chance", The Post-Standard, p. 27.
^Markstein, Don (2010). "Airboy". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. In 1986, Eclipse Enterprises...acquired Hillman's characters and brought out a new Airboy series. The character was brought up to date (including moving him out of his original time frame) by scripter Chuck Dixon...and artist Tim Truman.
^Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 240. ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9. Writer/artist Timothy Truman fashioned the three-issue prestige format limited series Hawkworld in a quest to revamp Hawkman.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 247: "In June [1990], Timothy Truman's Hawkworld was expanded into an ongoing series, featuring the scripts of John Ostrander and the art of Graham Nolan."
^Brady, Matt (January 25, 2003). "The Winter Brothers vs. Jonah Hex Goes Supreme". Newsarama. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. The matter began in 1996, when the Winter Brothers filed suit against Lansdale, Truman and Glanzman, writer, penciller, and inker, respectively, of DC's Jonah Hex: Riders of the Worm and Such.
^Cowsill, Alan "2000s" in Dolan, p. 295: "The Creature Commandos returned to service thanks to writer Timothy Truman and artist Scot Eaton."
^Seaman, Duncan (November 29, 2013). "Album review: Kickback City by Rory Gallagher". Yorkshire Evening Post. Leeds, United Kingdom: Yorkshire Post Newspapers. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Drawing on Gallagher's passion from crime novels, this triple CD comes housed in a hardback book that includes The Lie Factory, a new novella by bestselling author Ian Rankin, illustrations by DC Comics graphic artist Timothy Truman and audio book version narrated by Hollywood actor Aidan Quinn.
^(November 24, 2013). "Rebus author in tribute to legend Rory", Belfast Telegraph, p. 33.
^Dex, Robert (September 11, 2013). "Rankin writes novella inspired by icon Rory's music ", Irish Independent, p. 2.
^Scout: War Shaman #14 (June 1989), where the letters page shows several examples of this