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Paul Smith (comics)
Encyclopedia
Paul Smith is an American
comic book
artist
.
, but only lived there three days. His father was a U.S. Naval aviator, and the family moved several times during his childhood. As a young comics fan, Smith particularly admired the work of Steve Ditko
on The Amazing Spider-Man
and Neal Adams
on Batman
.
Smith had no formal art training aside from some course in airbrush
ing. Before becoming a professional comic book artist, Smith worked as an animator
. In 1977, he began work on the animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings
produced and directed by Ralph Bakshi
. He also worked on Bakshi's film American Pop
.
He first came to attention at Marvel Comics
in the early 1980s, where he filled in on a variety of Marvel titles, including Marvel Fanfare
#4, cover dated September 1982, doing the final chapter of an X-Men story, and Doctor Strange
#56, cover dated December 1982, pencilling a re-telling of his origin. The following month began his run on Uncanny X-Men
, then the biggest selling US comic. He drew the X-Men from #165 - #175 (with the exception of #171), replacing Dave Cockrum
. A few months after leaving the X-Men, he returned as the regular artist on Doctor Strange. He worked on that series from #65 - #73, drawing 7 of those issues. Smith's brief run on X-Men left a large impact, and most of it was later reprinted in the From The Ashes trade paperback. Eventually his entire X-Men run was reprinted in Essential X-Men Vol. 4. He bookended the Marvel Fanfare
series, pencilling a short Daredevil story in issue #1, and writing, drawing and lettering a sequel to that Daredevil tale in #60, the final issue of the book. Smith would briefly revisit the X-Men, drawing the X-Men / Alpha Flight limited series
as well as a brief stint on the X-Men spin-off X-Factor
. Since the mid 1980s Smith has worked as an artist on a range of comics titles, including work for the X-Men
stable.
Perhaps his best-known work outside of the X-Men are The Golden Age
and the young adults comic Leave It to Chance
, both collaborations with writer James Robinson
. Smith has also contributed art to a number of First Comics
titles including American Flagg!
, Nexus
, and GrimJack
.
Among Smith's most recent work is the Kitty Pride: Shadow and Flame limited series
written by Akira Yoshida.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
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...
.
Early life
Smith was born in Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, but only lived there three days. His father was a U.S. Naval aviator, and the family moved several times during his childhood. As a young comics fan, Smith particularly admired the work of Steve Ditko
Steve Ditko
Stephen J. "Steve" Ditko is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the artist co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange....
on 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...
and Neal Adams
Neal Adams
Neal Adams is an American comic book and commercial artist known for helping to create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow; as the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates; and as a creators-rights advocate who...
on Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
.
Career
Airbrush
An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that sprays various media including ink and dye, but most often paint by a process of nebulization. Spray guns developed from the airbrush and are still considered a type of airbrush.-History:...
ing. Before becoming a professional comic book artist, Smith worked as an animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
. In 1977, he began work on the animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 American fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi. It contains both animation and live action footage which is rotoscoped to give it a more consistent look throughout the length of the movie. It is an adaptation of the first half of the high fantasy...
produced and directed by Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...
. He also worked on Bakshi's film American Pop
American Pop
American Pop is a 1981 American animated musical drama film produced and directed by Ralph Bakshi. The film tells the story of four generations of a Russian Jewish immigrant family of musicians whose careers parallel the history of American popular music....
.
He first came to attention at Marvel Comics
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 the early 1980s, where he filled in on a variety of Marvel titles, including Marvel Fanfare
Marvel Fanfare
Marvel Fanfare is the title of two comic book series published by Marvel Comics. Both versions of Marvel Fanfare were anthology, showcase titles featuring a variety of characters from the Marvel universe.-Volume One:...
#4, cover dated September 1982, doing the final chapter of an X-Men story, and Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
#56, cover dated December 1982, pencilling a re-telling of his origin. The following month began his run on Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
, then the biggest selling US comic. He drew the X-Men from #165 - #175 (with the exception of #171), replacing Dave Cockrum
Dave Cockrum
David Emmett Cockrum was an American comic book artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus...
. A few months after leaving the X-Men, he returned as the regular artist on Doctor Strange. He worked on that series from #65 - #73, drawing 7 of those issues. Smith's brief run on X-Men left a large impact, and most of it was later reprinted in the From The Ashes trade paperback. Eventually his entire X-Men run was reprinted in Essential X-Men Vol. 4. He bookended the Marvel Fanfare
Marvel Fanfare
Marvel Fanfare is the title of two comic book series published by Marvel Comics. Both versions of Marvel Fanfare were anthology, showcase titles featuring a variety of characters from the Marvel universe.-Volume One:...
series, pencilling a short Daredevil story in issue #1, and writing, drawing and lettering a sequel to that Daredevil tale in #60, the final issue of the book. Smith would briefly revisit the X-Men, drawing the X-Men / Alpha Flight limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
as well as a brief stint on the X-Men spin-off X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
. Since the mid 1980s Smith has worked as an artist on a range of comics titles, including work for the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
stable.
Perhaps his best-known work outside of the X-Men are The Golden Age
The Golden Age (comics)
The Golden Age is a 1993 four-issue Elseworlds comic book mini-series by writer James Robinson and artist Paul Smith. It concerns the Golden Age DC Comics superheroes entering the 1950s and facing the advent of McCarthyism.-Plot:...
and the young adults comic Leave It to Chance
Leave It to Chance
Leave it to Chance is an American comic book series written by James Robinson, illustrated by penciler Paul Smith and published by Image Comics. It features the adventures of Chance Falconer, the 14-year old daughter of famed paranormal investigator Lucas Falconer, and her pet dragon, St...
, both collaborations with writer James Robinson
James Dale Robinson
James Dale Robinson is a British writer of comic books and screenplays who is also known for his interest in vintage collectibles and memorabilia. His style is described as smart and energetic, built upon his vast knowledge of obscure continuity from the period known to fans and historians as the...
. Smith has also contributed art to a number of First Comics
First Comics
First Comics was an American comic-book publisher that was active from 1983–1991, known for titles like American Flagg!, Grimjack, Nexus, Badger, Dreadstar, and Jon Sable...
titles including American Flagg!
American Flagg!
American Flagg! is an American comic book series created by writer-artist Howard Chaykin, published by First Comics from 1983 to 1989. A science fiction series and political satire, it and was set in the U.S., particularly Chicago, Illinois, in the early 2030s. Writers besides Chaykin included...
, Nexus
Nexus (comics)
Nexus is an American comic book series created by writer Mike Baron and penciler Steve Rude in 1981. The series is a combination of the superhero and science fiction genres, set 500 years in the future.-Publication history:...
, and GrimJack
GrimJack
Grimjack is the main character of a comic book originally published by First Comics. John Ostrander and Timothy Truman are credited as co-creators of the character, although Ostrander had been developing Grimjack with artist Lenin Delsol before Truman's arrival on the project...
.
Among Smith's most recent work is the Kitty Pride: Shadow and Flame limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
written by Akira Yoshida.
Interiors
- Amazing High Adventure 2 (Marvel Comics)
- American Flagg!American Flagg!American Flagg! is an American comic book series created by writer-artist Howard Chaykin, published by First Comics from 1983 to 1989. A science fiction series and political satire, it and was set in the U.S., particularly Chicago, Illinois, in the early 2030s. Writers besides Chaykin included...
47, 48 (First Comics) - BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
Annual 9 (DC Comics) - Bizarre Adventures 34 (Marvel Comics)
- Buck RogersBuck RogersAnthony Rogers is a fictional character that first appeared in Armageddon 2419 A.D. by Philip Francis Nowlan in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine Amazing Stories. A sequel, The Airlords of Han, was published in the March 1929 issue....
1 (TSR) - Code Name: Danger 3
- Doctor StrangeDoctor StrangeDoctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
54, 56, 65, 66, 68, 69, 71-73 (Marvel Comics) - The FalconFalcon (comics)The Falcon is a fictional comic book superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics.Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, and introduced in Captain America #117 , the character is mainstream comics' first African-American superhero...
1 (Marvel Comics) - The Golden AgeThe Golden Age (comics)The Golden Age is a 1993 four-issue Elseworlds comic book mini-series by writer James Robinson and artist Paul Smith. It concerns the Golden Age DC Comics superheroes entering the 1950s and facing the advent of McCarthyism.-Plot:...
1-4 (DC Comics) - GrimJackGrimJackGrimjack is the main character of a comic book originally published by First Comics. John Ostrander and Timothy Truman are credited as co-creators of the character, although Ostrander had been developing Grimjack with artist Lenin Delsol before Truman's arrival on the project...
24 (First Comics) - Hero AllianceHero AllianceThe Hero Alliance is a fictional American team of comic book superheroes in an eponymous series published by different companies. It was created by writer Kevin Juaire.-Publication history:...
Annual 1 (Innovation) - Howard The DuckHoward the DuckHoward 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...
32 (Marvel Comics) - Iron Lantern 1 (Amalgam Comics)
- Iron ManIron ManIron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
145, 159, Annual 10 (Marvel Comics) - Leave It To ChanceLeave It to ChanceLeave it to Chance is an American comic book series written by James Robinson, illustrated by penciler Paul Smith and published by Image Comics. It features the adventures of Chance Falconer, the 14-year old daughter of famed paranormal investigator Lucas Falconer, and her pet dragon, St...
1-13 (Image Comics) - Magnus Robot Fighter Yearbook 1 (Valiant)
- Marvels Comics Fantastic Four 1 (Marvel Comics)
- Marvel FanfareMarvel FanfareMarvel Fanfare is the title of two comic book series published by Marvel Comics. Both versions of Marvel Fanfare were anthology, showcase titles featuring a variety of characters from the Marvel universe.-Volume One:...
1, 4, 32, 45, 60 (Marvel Comics) - NexusNexus (comics)Nexus is an American comic book series created by writer Mike Baron and penciler Steve Rude in 1981. The series is a combination of the superhero and science fiction genres, set 500 years in the future.-Publication history:...
37, 38, 43, 44, 49, 51-55 - The SpiritThe SpiritThe Spirit is a crime-fighting fictional character created by writer-artist Will Eisner. He first appeared June 2, 1940 in "The Spirit Section", the colloquial name given to a 16-page Sunday supplement, distributed to 20 newspapers by the Register and Tribune Syndicate and reaching five million...
17-21 (DC Comics) - StarmanStarman (comics)Starman is a name used by several different fictional DC Comics superheroes, most prominently Ted Knight and his sons David and Jack.Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Jack Burnley, the original Starman, Ted Knight, first appeared in Adventure Comics #61...
69 (DC Comics) - Sun Runners 2-4 (Eclipse Comics)
- Uncanny X-MenUncanny X-MenUncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
165-170, 172-175, 278 (Marvel Comics) - Wild Times; Grifter 1 (Wildstorm )
- X-FactorX-Factor (comics)X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
43-46, 48, 49 (Marvel Comics) - X-Men And Alpha Flight 1, 2 (Marvel Comics)
- X-Men ForeverX-Men ForeverX-Men Forever is the name of three comic book series published by Marvel Comics based on the mutant superhero group The X-Men. The first is a 2001 miniseries, unrelated to the others. The second and third are the work of writer Chris Claremont....
6, 10 (Marvel Comics)