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Carl Potts

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Carl Potts
Born (1952-11-26) November 26, 1952 (age 72)
Oakland, California
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Writer, Penciller, Editor
Notable works
Alien Legion
Epic Comics

Carl Potts (born November 12, 1952[1]) is an American comic-book writer, artist, teacher and editor best known for creating the series Alien Legion for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics.

Early life

Born in Oakland, California, and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Hawaii, Potts received an Associate's degree in commercial art from Chabot College in Hayward, California.[2] He received his Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and Editing from SUNY, Empire State.

Career

After contributing to such comics fanzines as the anthology Venture,[3] Potts drew backgrounds and some secondary figures for a late fill-in issue of DC Comics' Richard Dragon: Kung Fu Fighter, being drawn by Bay Area comics artists Jim Starlin and Alan Weiss.[2] Potts began his comics career in 1975.[4]

Relocating to New York City, he freelanced briefly until joining Neal Adams' commercial-art company and comic-book packager Continuity Studios. As he explained in a 2000 interview: "Continuity was gearing up to produce black-and-white magazines based on several TV series: The Six Million Dollar Man, Space: 1999 and Emergency!. I got involved with storyboard and comp art for major New York ad agencies. I also produced finished-illustration for magazines and books for several years before joining Marvel's editorial staff in 1983".[2]

Marvel Comics

At Marvel as an editor, Potts discovered and/or mentored many top comics creators including Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, Arthur Adams, Mike Mignola, June Brigman, Larry Stroman, Jon Bogdanove, Scott Williams, Chris Warner, Terry Shoemaker, Sal Velutto, Steve Skroce, and Mike Okamoto. He oversaw the development of The Punisher from guest star to franchise character, and edited such titles as The Incredible Hulk, Doctor Strange, The Defenders, The Thing,[5] and Alpha Flight and Moon Knight, as well as the newly created Power Pack , What The - ?!, Amazing High Adventure and Strikeforce: Morituri. He was the editor who produced the first Rocket Raccoon miniseries. Potts' editorship was humorously characterized in 1988 as "a remarkable feat considering [his] legendary spelling disability."[4][6][7][8]

After hours, Potts continued to write and produce occasional art for Marvel, and in 1983 teamed with Alan Zelenetz and Frank Cirocco to co-create the series Alien Legion, conceived as "the French Foreign Legion in space." Two ongoing series and several miniseries and one-shots were produced.[2][9] In 2007, Potts' Alien Legion screenplay was optioned by producer Jerry Bruckheimer and The Walt Disney Company.[10] Bruckheimer exercised the option and bought the script in 2010, hiring Game of Thrones show runner David Benioff to do a rewrite. Potts wrote and, for the early issues, did layouts for the launch of the "Punisher War Journal" title with Jim Lee doing the finished art.

In 1989, Potts was named executive editor in charge of the Epic imprint, and about a third of the mainstream Marvel titles. Five years later, he became editor-in-chief of the "General Entertainment" and Epic Comics divisions.[2]

Later career

After 13 years at Marvel, Potts left to become Creative Director at VR-1, a massively multiplayer online game company.[2] He then worked with Gary Winnick and Cirocco's Lightsource Studios,[2] and served as Senior Creative Director in Agency.com's New York City office[citation needed] before freelancing. He has taught at the School of Visual Arts,[11] the Academy of Art University[citation needed] and the State University of New York, Purchase.[citation needed]

Personal life

Potts and his wife Cathy have two children.[12]

Bibliography

  • Potts, Carl (2013). The DC Comics Guide to Creating Comics: Inside the Art of Visual Storytelling. Watson-Guptill. ISBN 978-0385344722.

References

  1. ^ Comics Buyer's Guide #1636 (December 2007); Page 135
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Ellis, Jonathan (May 2000). "Interview: Carl Potts". PopImage.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Carl Potts at the Lambiek Comiclopedia. WebCitation archive.
  4. ^ a b Punisher: War Journal #1 (1988). Reprinted in The Punisher War Journal: Classic, (Marvel Comics, 2008) ISBN 978-0-7851-3118-2, p. 33
  5. ^ Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins," Marvel comics cover-dated November 1983.
  6. ^ Cooke, Jon B. (November 15, 2001) "The Art of Arthur Adams", Reprinted from Comic Book Artist #17
  7. ^ George Khoury and Eric Nolen-Weathington. Modern Masters Volume Six: Arthur Adams, 2006, TwoMorrows Publishing.
  8. ^ Jim Lee and Bill Baker (2010). Icons: The DC Comics & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee Titan Books, pp 8 and 10
  9. ^ "Lists" at Alien Legion official site. WebCitation archive.
  10. ^ Geddes, John. "'Alien Legion' Prepares for Blast-off", USA Today, November 16, 2009. WebCitation archive.
  11. ^ "Our Faculty: Carl Potts". School of Visual Arts. Archived from the original on April 24, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; July 5, 2014 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Bullpen Bulletins", Marvel Comics (July 1992).
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carl Potts.
Preceded by Marvel Comics Group Editor-in-Chiefs, Epic & general entertainment

Mark Gruenwald Universe (Avengers & Cosmic) titles; Bob Harras, mutant titles; Bob Budiansky, Spider-Man titles; Bobbie Chase, Marvel Edge titles;
1994–1995

Succeeded by
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