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John Stokes (artist)
Encyclopedia
John Stokes is a British comics artist who has largely worked for IPC
and Marvel UK
and is best known for his work on Fishboy
.
which launched around the same time.
This sparked a lifelong interest in comics and he moved from drawing comics in his spare time at school, to trying not to draw comics at art school (where they discouraged his interest), to doing it professionally, starting in the early 1960s. He worked, largely uncredited (as was the way at the time), for IPC
for 16 years where, among other things, he drew all 360 installments of Fishboy
as well as a number of other Buster
titles. From 1964 to 1967, he also drew the strip 'Britain in Chains' (later editions were entitled 'The Battle for Britain') for Lion; the strip was later reprinted (with a truncated ending) in Smash! between 1969 and 1971.
Then, in the late seventies, he was recruited by Dez Skinn
to go and work for Marvel UK
, initially on The House of Hammer and then on to Black Knight
and Doctor Who
. In the early to mid-eighties he also worked for other British comics like Warrior and 2000 AD
.
Following the success of the British Invasion he got more work with DC Comics
and Marvel in the early to mid-nineties. In more recent years he has done inking work for DC's imprint
Vertigo on The Invisibles
with Grant Morrison
, who he had worked with previously at Marvel and 2000 AD. He has also returned to 2000 AD after a 15 year hiatus to do more inking work.
Influences include Frank Hampson and Frank Bellamy
.
IPC Media
IPC Media , a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.- Origins :...
and Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
and is best known for his work on Fishboy
Fishboy
Fishboy: Denizen of the Deep was a black and white comic strip appearing in the British comic book Buster between 1968 and 1975, written by Scott Goodall and drawn by John Stokes and others...
.
Biography
Stokes got into the comics industry thanks to his brother George Stokes who already worked for IPC. He lived in India until the age of 8 or 9 and when he returned to England the first comic work he saw was that of his brother and colleagues, as well the EagleEagle (comic)
Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
which launched around the same time.
This sparked a lifelong interest in comics and he moved from drawing comics in his spare time at school, to trying not to draw comics at art school (where they discouraged his interest), to doing it professionally, starting in the early 1960s. He worked, largely uncredited (as was the way at the time), for IPC
IPC Media
IPC Media , a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.- Origins :...
for 16 years where, among other things, he drew all 360 installments of Fishboy
Fishboy
Fishboy: Denizen of the Deep was a black and white comic strip appearing in the British comic book Buster between 1968 and 1975, written by Scott Goodall and drawn by John Stokes and others...
as well as a number of other Buster
Buster (comic)
Buster was a long-running British comic which carried a mixture of humour and adventure strips, although the former increasingly replaced the latter...
titles. From 1964 to 1967, he also drew the strip 'Britain in Chains' (later editions were entitled 'The Battle for Britain') for Lion; the strip was later reprinted (with a truncated ending) in Smash! between 1969 and 1971.
Then, in the late seventies, he was recruited by Dez Skinn
Dez Skinn
Derek "Dez" Skinn is a British comic and magazine editor, and author of a number of books on comics. As head of Marvel Comics' operations in England in the late 1970s, Skinn reformatted existing titles, launched new ones, and acquired the BBC license for Doctor Who Weekly...
to go and work for Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
, initially on The House of Hammer and then on to Black Knight
Black Knight (Dane Whitman)
Dane Whitman is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, the company's third person to bear the name Black Knight. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, he first appeared in The Avengers #47 Dane Whitman is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics...
and Doctor Who
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. In the early to mid-eighties he also worked for other British comics like Warrior and 2000 AD
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
.
Following the success of the British Invasion he got more work with 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...
and Marvel in the early to mid-nineties. In more recent years he has done inking work for DC's imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
Vertigo on The Invisibles
The Invisibles
The Invisibles is a comic book series that was published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics from 1994 to 2000. It was created and scripted by Scottish writer Grant Morrison, and drawn by various artists throughout its publication....
with Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
, who he had worked with previously at Marvel and 2000 AD. He has also returned to 2000 AD after a 15 year hiatus to do more inking work.
Influences include Frank Hampson and Frank Bellamy
Frank Bellamy
Frank Bellamy was a British comics artist, best known for his work on the Eagle comic, for which he illustrated Heros the Spartan and Fraser of Africa. He reworked its flagship Dan Dare strip....
.