Alan Kupperberg
Encyclopedia
Alan Kupperberg is an American
comic artist
known for working in both comic books and newspaper
strips.
Kupperberg began writing and drawing for Marvel Comics
in 1974, mostly doing fill-ins and one-shots. Eventually, he had runs on team books like The Invaders and The Defenders
; and drew a number of issues of What If
.
Occasionally working as a writer
, Kupperberg created the 1983 one-shot comic Obnoxio the Clown
vs. The X-Men as a one-man band, handling everything from writing and illustrating to lettering. In 1987, Kupperberg worked on both Spectacular Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man
. From 1988–1991, Kupperberg drew Spider-Ham
back-up stories in Marvel Tales
.
He also worked for Marvel Custom Comics, for clients such as Campbell Soup Company
, the U.S. Department of Energy
, the Sylvan Learning Center
, and The Dallas Times Herald
.
From the mid-1980s into the early 1990s, Kupperberg illustrated such DC Comics
titles as Justice League of America
, Warlord
, The Fury of Firestorm
, DC Comics Presents
, COPS, Dragonlance
, and Blue Devil
.
In 1978 Kupperberg and writer Marv Wolfman
took over the Howard the Duck
weekly newspaper strip with; Kupperberg also worked on the short-lived Incredible Hulk
strip and Little Orphan Annie
.
Kupperberg has done illustrations for Archie Comics
, National Lampoon, Cracked magazine, Spy
, and McClannahan Books.
' 1994 animated feature Thumbelina
. From 1994, he worked with Nickelodeon
/Viacom on the Tom Terrific
animated project.
He has also done design work and scripting for numerous advertising and production agencies. His autobiographical strips have appeared in Comic Art and in the Streetwise book.
, also works in the comic book field as a writer, editor
and executive, primarily at DC Comics
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
known for working in both comic books and newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
strips.
Career
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
in 1974, mostly doing fill-ins and one-shots. Eventually, he had runs on team books like The Invaders and The Defenders
Defenders (comics)
The Defenders is the name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups which are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders," each known for following their own agendas...
; and drew a number of issues of What If
What If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
.
Occasionally working as a writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, Kupperberg created the 1983 one-shot comic Obnoxio the Clown
Obnoxio the Clown
Obnoxio the Clown was the mascot of the Marvel Comics humor magazine Crazy.- Character :Obnoxio was portrayed as a slovenly, vulgar, cigar-puffing middle-aged man in a torn and dirty clown suit, with a dyspeptic and cynical attitude.- Comic book :...
vs. The X-Men as a one-man band, handling everything from writing and illustrating to lettering. In 1987, Kupperberg worked on both Spectacular Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
. From 1988–1991, Kupperberg drew Spider-Ham
Spider-Ham
Spider-Ham is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic funny animal parody of Marvel Comics' Spider-Man, created by Tom DeFalco and Mark Armstrong....
back-up stories in Marvel Tales
Marvel Tales
Marvel Tales is the title of three American comic-book series published by Marvel Comics, the first of them from the company's 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics...
.
He also worked for Marvel Custom Comics, for clients such as Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company , also known as Campbell's, is an American producer of canned soups and related products. Campbell's products are sold in 120 countries around the world. It is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey...
, the U.S. Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
, the Sylvan Learning Center
Sylvan Learning
Sylvan Learning consists of franchised and corporate supplemental learning centers which provide personalized instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills, homework support, and test preparation for college entrance and state exams...
, and The Dallas Times Herald
Dallas Times Herald
The Dallas Times Herald, founded in 1888 by a merger of the Dallas Times and the Dallas Herald, was once one of two major daily newspapers serving the Dallas, Texas area. It won three Pulitzer Prizes, all for photography, and two George Polk Awards, for local and regional reporting...
.
From the mid-1980s into the early 1990s, Kupperberg illustrated such DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
titles as Justice League of America
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
, Warlord
Warlord (comics)
The Warlord is a sword and sorcery comic book published by DC Comics. The series and titular character debuted in 1st Issue Special #8 , and was created by Mike Grell.-Publication history:...
, The Fury of Firestorm
Firestorm (comics)
Firestorm is the name of several comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein, the first Firestorm, debuted in Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #1 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom. Martin Stein, by himself as Firestorm, debuted in Firestorm the Nuclear...
, DC Comics Presents
DC Comics Presents
DC Comics Presents was a comic book published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 featuring team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters of the DC Universe...
, COPS, Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
, and Blue Devil
Blue Devil
Blue Devil is a superhero featured in material published by DC Comics. He first appeared in a special insert published in Fury of Firestorm #24 . That story led directly into Blue Devil #1, also cover dated June 1984...
.
In 1978 Kupperberg and writer Marv Wolfman
Marv Wolfman
Marvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.-1960s:...
took over the Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
weekly newspaper strip with; Kupperberg also worked on the short-lived Incredible Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
strip and Little Orphan Annie
Little Orphan Annie
Little Orphan Annie was a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray and syndicated by Tribune Media Services. The strip took its name from the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, and made its debut on August 5, 1924 in the New York Daily News...
.
Kupperberg has done illustrations for Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
, National Lampoon, Cracked magazine, Spy
Spy (magazine)
Spy was a satirical monthly magazine founded in 1986 by Kurt Andersen and E. Graydon Carter, who served as its first editors, and Thomas L. Phillips, Jr., its first publisher. After one folding and a rebirth, it ceased publication in 1998...
, and McClannahan Books.
Outside of comics
Kupperberg worked on script development and character design for Sullivan Bluth StudiosDon Bluth
Donald Virgil "Don" Bluth is an American animator and independent studio owner. He is best known for his departure from The Walt Disney Company in 1979 and his subsequent directing of animated films such as The Secret of NIMH , An American Tail ,The Land Before Time , and All Dogs Go to Heaven ,...
' 1994 animated feature Thumbelina
Thumbelina (1994 film)
Thumbelina is a 1994 American animated film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman from a screenplay by Bluth based on Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina. The film was produced by Don Bluth Entertainment and was released to movie theaters by Warner Bros...
. From 1994, he worked with Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
/Viacom on the Tom Terrific
Tom Terrific
Tom Terrific was an early animated series on American television, presented as part of the Captain Kangaroo children's television show....
animated project.
He has also done design work and scripting for numerous advertising and production agencies. His autobiographical strips have appeared in Comic Art and in the Streetwise book.
Personal life
Kupperberg's brother, Paul KupperbergPaul Kupperberg
Paul Kupperberg is a former editor for DC Comics, and a prolific writer of comic books and newspaper strips.-Biography:Kupperberg entered the comics field from comics fandom, as had his brother, writer/artist Alan Kupperberg...
, also works in the comic book field as a writer, editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and executive, primarily at DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.