Keith Giffen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Keith Giffen
Born Keith Ian Giffen
November 30, 1952 (1952-11-30) (age 59)
Queens, New York City
Nationality American
Area(s) Writer, Penciller
Notable works Annihilation
Legion of Super-Heroes
Lobo
Justice League
Ambush Bug
Blue Beetle
Doom Patrol

Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952[1]) is an American comic book illustrator and writer.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Giffen was born in Queens, New York City.[2]

He is best-known for his long runs illustrating and later writing the Legion of Super-Heroes title in the 1980s and 1990s. Giffen and writer Paul Levitz crafted "The Great Darkness Saga" in Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 2, #290-294 in 1982.[3] In August 1984, a new Legion of Super-Heroes series was launched by Levitz and Giffen.[4]

In addition, Giffen co-created the humorous Justice League International series in 1987 with J. M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire.[5] The success of that series led to a spinoff in 1989 titled Justice League Europe also co-written with DeMatteis and featuring art by Bart Sears.[6] The Giffen/DeMatteis team worked on Justice League for five years and closed out their run with the "Breakdowns" storyline in 1991 and 1992.[7] The two writers and Maguire reunited in 2003 for the Formerly Known as the Justice League miniseries[8] and its 2005 sequel, "I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League" published in JLA Classified.

Giffen created the alien mercenary character Lobo (with Roger Slifer), and the irreverent "want-to-be" hero, Ambush Bug. He plotted and was breakdown artist for an Aquaman limited series and one-shot special in 1989 with writer Robert Loren Fleming and artist Curt Swan for DC Comics.

Giffen's first published work was "The Sword and The Star", a black-and-white series featured in Marvel Preview, with writer Bill Mantlo. He has worked on titles (owned by several different companies) including Woodgod, All Star Comics, Doctor Fate, Drax the Destroyer, Heckler, Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, Reign of the Zodiac, Suicide Squad, Trencher (to be re-released in a collected edition by Boom! Studios)., T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Vext. He was responsible for the English adaptation of the Battle Royale and Ikki Tousen manga, as well as creating "I Luv Halloween" for Tokyopop. He worked for Dark Horse from 1994-95 on their Comics Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes line, as the writer of two short lived series, Division 13 and co-author, with Lovern Kindzierski, of Agents of Law. For Valiant Comics, Giffen wrote XO-Manowar, Magnus, Robot Fighter, Punx and the final issue of Solar, Man of the Atom.

He took a break from the comic industry for several years, working on storyboards for television and film, including shows such as The Real Ghostbusters and Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy.

Giffen and his Justice League colleagues (J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire) have applied their humorous brand of storytelling to a title that he had drawn in the 1970s, Marvel Comics' The Defenders. The same trio produced the Metal Men backup feature that appeared in Doom Patrol.

Keith Giffen collaborated with J.M. DeMatteis on the creator owned title, Hero Squared for Boom! Studios, along with artist Joe Abraham. The 2-issue mini-series Planetary Brigade chronicled the adventures of characters originating from this series.

Keith Giffen was the breakdown artist on the DC Comic book 52, a weekly series following in the wake of the Infinite Crisis crossover (written by Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid and Grant Morrison).[9] He continued in that role with the follow-up weekly series Countdown to Final Crisis. He was the lead writer for Marvel Comics's Annihilation event,[10][11] having written the one-shot prologue, the lead-in stories in Thanos[12] and Drax,[13][14] the Silver Surfer[15] as well as the main six issues mini-series.[16][17] He wrote the Star-Lord mini-series for the follow-up story Annihilation: Conquest.[18]

Between 2005 and 2007 he co-created and often authored or co-authored independent comics such as 10, Tag and Hero Squared for Boom! Studios for Zapt! and I Luv Halloween for Tokyopop, Common Foe and Tabula Rasa for Desperado Publishing/Image Comics and Grunts for Arcana. Many of these were co-authored with his collaborator at the time Shannon Denton.

In November 2007 Giffen signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics.[19] He currently co-writes OMAC for the company. As of October 2011, he became writer of Green Arrow from Issue 4, (as part of the New 52 DC Comics).[20]

[edit] Artwork

Giffen's art has taken on many styles over the years. His early work tended towards a heavy influence from Jack Kirby.[21] After an early stint at Marvel, he began doing layouts for artist Wally Wood during the late 1970s revival of the Justice Society of America.

When he returned to comics after a hiatus, his style was more precise and reminiscent of George Pérez and Jim Starlin, and helped make Legion of Super-Heroes DC's second most popular comic after Pérez's New Teen Titans. It was his work on the Legion that rocketed him to comic book artist fame and gave him a creative control with the national companies that few artists achieved. He peppered his artwork with in-jokes such as upside down Superman logos, hidden Marvel characters, eyeball creatures, and scrawled humorous messages on signs in the background of his panels in the alternate futuristic alphabet Interlac.

As Giffen's style loosened up, he found himself drawn to the work of José Muñoz (see Controversy). Soon thereafter he developed a scratchier, more impressionistic style, using a highly stlylized method of drawing directly with ink, on titles such as Trencher, Lobo Infanticide and Images Of Shadowhawk.

After his lengthy sabbatical from comics work, Giffen returned with a style that some said was influenced by his Justice League artist Kevin Maguire that was mid-way between the tight, controlled pencils of his early Legion days and the freer but less anatomically correct style he had later adopted.

[edit] Writing

For many years, Giffen would co-write comics, but only as a plotter. He relied on others such as Robert Loren Fleming, and Tom and Mary Bierbaum, to supply dialogue, even when he was basically the author of the work. He co-wrote the Freak Force series with Erik Larsen, and also co-wrote two SuperPatriot mini-series. Beginning with Trencher, Giffen started writing comics fully by himself, although he still collaborates when the project calls for it.

Giffen is known for having an unorthodox writing style, often using characters in ways not seen before. His dialogue is usually characterized by a biting wit that is seen as much less zany than dialogue provided by longtime collaborators DeMatteis and Robert Loren Fleming. That approach has brought him both criticism and admiration,[citation needed] as perhaps best illustrated by the mixed (although commercially successful) response to his work in DC Comics' Justice League International.[citation needed] He is also known for his humorous takes on existing characters, often focusing on their personality clashes. He also has a tendency to poke fun at trends in comic books or character archetypes. His Ambush Bug miniseries is especially noted for its in-jokes such as Villian (sic) the Villain, Cheeks the Toy Wonder, and the use of DC editor Julius Schwartz as a character.

He is also known for sudden plot twists and abrupt often tragic turns of fate. During his late 1980s-early 1990s run on the Legion of Super-Heroes, light comical issues were often followed by darker ones where popular characters were maimed or killed.

Work since 2007 includes writing The Programme #3, Dreamwar a DC/Wildstorm crossover[22][23] and Reign in Hell, an eight-issue limited series, with artist Tom Derenick, about various DC Comics magical characters in Hell.[24][25] On February 7, 2009, it was announced at the New York Comic Con that he would be spearheading a revival of Doom Patrol, a title which he has long said he wanted to write.[26][27] He is also finishing Grant Morrison's run on The Authority[28] and writing a Magog ongoing series.[29] Giffen co-wrote the 26-issue biweekly Justice League: Generation Lost with Judd Winick, which saw the return of Justice League International, and wrote an arc of Booster Gold with DeMatteis and artist Chris Batista.[30] As of 2012, he is co-writing and drawing OMAC with Dan DiDio.

[edit] Controversy

In February 1986 The Comics Journal published "The Trouble With Keith Giffen," an examination of recent dramatic changes in Giffen's drawing style. The article pointed out that Giffen had changed from a slick, clean Jim Starlin-esque style to an avant garde, heavily inked one. The article displayed several panels side-by-side to illustrate the magazine's allegation that Giffen was copying, or "swiping" the work of Argentinian cartoonist Jose Muñoz.[31][32]

In response, Giffen alluded to the controversy by drawing Ambush Bug with the Peanuts character Snoopy in Son of Ambush Bug #5 (November 1986). (Giffen's frequent collaborator Robert Loren Fleming wrote the dialogue for the scene.) The controversy continued, however, when Giffen was accused of swiping Muñoz again in the anthology Taboo.[33]

Giffen has acknowledged Muñoz's influence, and in 2000 referred to the controversy this way:

“ I had a bad incident with studying somebody's work very closely at one point, and I resolved never, ever to do it again. I can get so immersed in somebody's work that I start turning into a Xerox machine and it's not good. . . . There was no time I was sitting there tracing or copying, no. Duplicating, pulling out of memory and putting down on paper after intense study, absolutely.[2] ”


At that point in his career, Giffen was one of the most popular comic book artists in the industry. The ensuing controversy hurt Giffen's reputation.[21][34]

Giffen returned to drawing full-time two years later while continuing to plot the Justice League and its numerous spin-offs.

This period also marked Ambush Bug's demise as a popular major character at DC. According to Giffen, it had to do with editorial discomfort with the series' humorous approach to the DC Universe: "DC was just too uncomfortable with the (admittedly nicely selling) bully pulpit they'd provided the loose cannons on the creative team".[35]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Comics Buyer's Guide #1636 (December 2007); Page 135
  2. ^ a b Jon B., Cooke (August 2000). "Keith Giffen Interview". Jack Kirby Collector #29. TwoMorrows Publishing. http://www.twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/29giffen.html. Retrieved February 16, 2012. 
  3. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. "When [Levitz] wrote "The Great Darkness Saga", a five-issue epic that pitted the Legion against one of the most notorious villains of DC's long history, he and artist Keith Giffen crafted the most famous Legion story of all time and became fast fan favorites." 
  4. ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 208: "As DC began to toy with the idea of relaunching some of their more popular titles using high-quality Baxter paper, the Legion of Super-Heroes was an obvious chioice. Utilizing the talents of writer Paul Levitz and artist Keith Giffen...the Legion was off and running in their own new title with a major new storyline...the Legion's other monthly comic changed its moniker to Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes with issue #314."
  5. ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 228: "It was clear that the [Justice League] needed a major overhaul. But no one quite expected how drastic the transformation would truly be in the hands of writers Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis and artist Kevin Maguire."
  6. ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 239: "Spinning out of the pages of Justice League International, an offshoot of the Justice League set up camp in Paris. Written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis with art by Bart Sears."
  7. ^ Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 251: "The lauded Giffen/DeMatteis era of the Justice League came to a dramatic close with "Breakdowns", a sixteen-part storyline that crossed through the pages of both Justice Leaue America and Justice League Europe."
  8. ^ Cowsill, Alan "2000s" in Dolan, p. 311: "In 2003, writers J. M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen and original artist Kevin Maguire worked on a six-part series reuniting [their version of] the team."
  9. ^ Talking With Keith Giffen II: 52, Blue Beetle & More..., Newsarama, August 10, 2006
  10. ^ Star War: Giffen talks "Annihilation", Comic Book Resources, December 14, 2005
  11. ^ Keith Giffen on Annihilation, Newsarama, December 19, 2005
  12. ^ A Walking Tour of Annihilation: Prologue With Andy Schmidt, Newsarama, March 16, 2006
  13. ^ Monsters, Merlin, and Mentally Challenged Alien Avengers: Giffen talks "Howling Commandos" and "Drax the Destroyer", Comic Book Resources, August 29, 2005
  14. ^ Keith Giffen on Drax The Destroyer, Newsarama, September 8, 2005
  15. ^ Surfing Safari: Giffen talks "Silver Surfer", Comic Book Resources, January 5, 2006
  16. ^ Let Slip the Dogs of Cosmic War: Giffen talks "Annihilation", Comic Book Resources, July 31, 2006
  17. ^ Talking With Keith Giffen I: Annihilation, Newsarama, August 9, 2006
  18. ^ Quill's Heroes: Giffen talks "Annihilation: Conquest - Star-Lord", Comic Book Resources, April 17, 2007
  19. ^ Keith Giffen/DC Agree To Exclusive Contract, Tales from the Longbox, November 15, 2007
  20. ^ http://uk.comics.ign.com/articles/119/1195564p1.html
  21. ^ a b Best, Daniel. "A Rose By Any Other Name," 20th Century Danny Boy (June 26, 2006).
  22. ^ Keith Giffen on DC/Wildstorm's Dreamwar, Newsarama, January 17, 2008
  23. ^ DC/Wildstorm's Dreamwar #1, Newsarama, February 6, 2008
  24. ^ "Better to Reign in Hell - Keith Giffen Talks", Newsarama, June 20, 2008.
  25. ^ "Keith Giffen Reigns In Hell!", Comic Book Resources, July 17, 2008.
  26. ^ NYCC: Giffen New Chief of “Doom Patrol”, Comic Book Resources, February 7, 2009
  27. ^ Dr. Doom Patrol - Keith Giffen Looks to Healthy New Era, Newsarama, February 26, 2009
  28. ^ Keith Giffen on Finishing Morrison's Authority, Newsarama, March 24, 2009
  29. ^ Why Magog? - Keith Giffen on the New Series, Newsarama, May 29, 2009
  30. ^ Rogers, Vaneta (January 12, 2010). "JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL Returns in "GENERATION LOST"". Newsarama. http://www.newsarama.com/comics/justice-league-international-returns-011012.html. Retrieved January 12, 2010. 
  31. ^ Burbey, Mark. "The Trouble With Keith Giffen," The Comics Journal #105 (February 1986), pp. 9–14.
  32. ^ "The Official Keith Giffen Swipe List," The Comics Journal #105 (Feb. 1986), p. 15.
  33. ^ "More Giffen Swipes in Taboo," The Comics Journal #125 (October 1988), pp. 20-21.
  34. ^ Jozic, Mike. "Meanwhile Interviews Keith Giffen" Part 3," Meanwhile... The Web's Snappiest E'Zine (1999).
  35. ^ Yarbrough, Beau. "A. Bug's Life: Keith Giffen's Ambush Bug is Back", Comic Book Resources, June 8, 2003.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Interviews

 This section includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2009)
Writers
Artists
Main series
Related articles
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Keith_Giffen&oldid=477313735"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages