Rafael Kayanan
Encyclopedia
Rafael Kayanan is a Filipino
-born naturalised American
comic book artist
and Filipino Martial Arts
master in the Sayoc Kali
system.
publisher. His most notable work has been on Marvel Comics
' Conan
, Acclaim Comics' Turok
and DC Comics
' Firestorm
. He also inked the Eisner
-nominated series Chiaroscuro: The Life and Times of Leonardo Da Vinci for Vertigo Comics.
Kayanan has illustrated and developed concept designs for comic book, film and game companies. During the late 1990s, he was the creator and art director
for Cross Plains Comics featuring the Pulp magazine
characters created by Robert E. Howard
. Kayanan also developed concept designs for Nintendo
's hugely popular Turok: Dinosaur Hunter II
video game. He currently continues to do work for Topps Cards
on licenses such as Star Wars
and The Lord of the Rings
.
Other titles he has worked on include: Conan, Spider-Man
, Elektra
, Star Wars, R. A. Salvatore's Drizzt, Magic: The Gathering
, Turok, Firestorm and Batman
.
Kayanan's art is known for its rapid tempo, storytelling pace and layered depth. Much thought is evident in the choreography of dynamic action on every page. His slick and precise usage of shadows to define anatomy and emotion is as proficient as any of the longtime masters of the craft.
Kayanan is also a master-level edged weapons (knife, sword, tomahawk
) expert and instructor in Sayoc Kali
. This rare combination of a visual and martial artist, has led to projects which utilize both skills to illustrate fight storyboards for a film. Kayanan choreographed and trained the actors, in William Friedkin
's The Hunted, starring Benicio del Toro
and Tommy Lee Jones
. He also trained actor Sam Rockwell
for director George Clooney
's film, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
. Kayanan was a development artist, fight trainer and weapons consultant for Paramount Pictures
adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs
John Carter of Mars.
Additional comic book work can be found in issue 39 of Dark Horse Comics
' Conan
, Annihilation
, and Drizzt, Worlds of Dungeons & Dragons from Devil's Due Publishing
.
Rafael Kayanan was a set illustrator and story board artist for the Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Broadway show, directed by Julie Taymor
with music created by Bono
and the Edge
.
Most recently, Kayanan worked on concept illustration for the films Immortals.and The Brother's Grimm, Snow White both directed by Tarsem Singh
from Relativity Media
and the related graphic novel anthology Immortals: Gods and Heroes published by Archaia.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
-born naturalised American
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
comic book artist
Comic Book Artist
Comic Book Artist was an American magazine founded by Jon B. Cooke devoted to anecdotal histories of American comic books, with emphasis on comics published since the 1960s...
and Filipino Martial Arts
Filipino martial arts
Filipino Martial Arts refers to ancient and newer fighting methods devised in the Philippines, the most popular of which are known as Arnis/Eskrima/Kali. The intrinsic need for self-preservation was the genesis of these systems. Throughout the ages, invaders and evolving local conflict imposed new...
master in the Sayoc Kali
Sayoc Kali
Sayoc Kali is an edged weapon based style of Filipino Martial Arts, founded and created by Christopher Sayoc, Sr. The motto of the style is, "All Blade, All the Time".The Sayoc family lineage links back to General Licerio Topacio, of Cavite...
system.
Biography
Since 1983, Kayanan has illustrated for every major comic bookComic 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...
publisher. His most notable work has been on 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...
' Conan
Conan (comics)
Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard was first adapted into comics published Marvel Comics beginning with the series Conan the Barbarian in 1970...
, Acclaim Comics' Turok
Turok
Turok is a fictional American comic book character initially in comics from Western Publishing published through licensee Dell Comics. He first appeared in Four Color Comics #596 , then graduated to his own title, Turok, Son of Stone...
and 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...
' 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...
. He also inked the Eisner
Eisner
The surname Eisner could mean any of the following people:* Alexey Eisner - Russian poet, translator and writer.* Breck Eisner - son of Michael Eisner and film director.* Clara Eissner, see Clara Zetkin...
-nominated series Chiaroscuro: The Life and Times of Leonardo Da Vinci for Vertigo Comics.
Kayanan has illustrated and developed concept designs for comic book, film and game companies. During the late 1990s, he was the creator and art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
for Cross Plains Comics featuring the Pulp magazine
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
characters created by Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
. Kayanan also developed concept designs for Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's hugely popular Turok: Dinosaur Hunter II
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is a first-person shooter video game developed by Iguana Entertainment and published by Acclaim for the Nintendo 64 console and personal computer platforms. It was released in 1997 in North America and Europe. Turok is an adaptation of the Acclaim Comics comic book series of...
video game. He currently continues to do work for Topps Cards
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
on licenses such as Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
and The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
.
Other titles he has worked on include: Conan, Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Elektra
Elektra (comics)
Elektra Natchios, usually referred to only by her first name Elektra, is a fictional character in publications from Marvel Comics.Elektra is a kunoichi – female ninja assassin – of Greek descent. She wields a pair of bladed sai as her trademark weapon. She is a love interest of the superhero...
, Star Wars, R. A. Salvatore's Drizzt, Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
, Turok, Firestorm and 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...
.
Kayanan's art is known for its rapid tempo, storytelling pace and layered depth. Much thought is evident in the choreography of dynamic action on every page. His slick and precise usage of shadows to define anatomy and emotion is as proficient as any of the longtime masters of the craft.
Kayanan is also a master-level edged weapons (knife, sword, tomahawk
Tomahawk (axe)
A tomahawk is a type of axe native to North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft. The name came into the English language in the 17th century as a transliteration of the Powhatan word.Tomahawks were general purpose tools used by Native Americans and European Colonials...
) expert and instructor in Sayoc Kali
Sayoc Kali
Sayoc Kali is an edged weapon based style of Filipino Martial Arts, founded and created by Christopher Sayoc, Sr. The motto of the style is, "All Blade, All the Time".The Sayoc family lineage links back to General Licerio Topacio, of Cavite...
. This rare combination of a visual and martial artist, has led to projects which utilize both skills to illustrate fight storyboards for a film. Kayanan choreographed and trained the actors, in William Friedkin
William Friedkin
William Friedkin is an American film director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing The French Connection in 1971 and The Exorcist in 1973; for the former, he won the Academy Award for Best Director...
's The Hunted, starring Benicio del Toro
Benicio del Toro
Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez is a Puerto Rican and Spanish actor and film producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role as Javier Rodríguez in Traffic . He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual...
and Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
. He also trained actor Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell is an American actor known for his leading roles in Lawn Dogs, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke and Moon, as well as for his supporting roles in The Green Mile, Iron Man 2, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Frost/Nixon, Galaxy Quest, Matchstick Men, The Assassination of...
for director George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
's film, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a 2002 biographical spy film depicting the life of popular game show host and producer Chuck Barris, who claimed to have also been an assassin for the Central Intelligence Agency...
. Kayanan was a development artist, fight trainer and weapons consultant for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
John Carter of Mars.
Additional comic book work can be found in issue 39 of Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
' Conan
Conan (Dark Horse Comics)
Conan, the sword-and-sorcery character created by Robert E. Howard, is the protagonist of four major comic series published by Dark Horse Comics...
, Annihilation
Annihilation (comics)
"Annihilation" was a 2006 crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics, highlighting several outer space-related characters in the Marvel Universe. The central miniseries was written by Keith Giffen, with editor Andy Schmidt.-Publication History:...
, and Drizzt, Worlds of Dungeons & Dragons from Devil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing is an independent comic book publishers in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned properties that populate its monthly comic book series and graphic novels.Though...
.
Rafael Kayanan was a set illustrator and story board artist for the Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is a rock musical with music and lyrics by U2's Bono and The Edge and a book by Julie Taymor, Glen Berger, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The musical is based on the Spider-Man comics created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, published by Marvel Comics, as well as the 2002...
Broadway show, directed by Julie Taymor
Julie Taymor
Julie Taymor is an American director of theater, opera and film. Taymor's work has received many accolades from critics, and she has earned two Tony Awards out of four nominations, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, an Emmy Award and an Academy Award nomination for Original Song...
with music created by Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
and the Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
.
Most recently, Kayanan worked on concept illustration for the films Immortals.and The Brother's Grimm, Snow White both directed by Tarsem Singh
Tarsem Singh
Tarsem Dhandwar Singh , known professionally as Tarsem, is an Indian director who has worked on films, music videos, and commercials.- Life and career :...
from Relativity Media
Relativity Media
Relativity Media is an American independent motion picture production and investment company based in West Hollywood, California.- Company :...
and the related graphic novel anthology Immortals: Gods and Heroes published by Archaia.
Acclaim/Valiant
- TurokTurokTurok is a fictional American comic book character initially in comics from Western Publishing published through licensee Dell Comics. He first appeared in Four Color Comics #596 , then graduated to his own title, Turok, Son of Stone...
(1998 as artist) - Turok: Tales of the Lost Land (1998 as artist)
- Ice Age on the World of Magic: The Gathering (1995 as artist)
Cross Plains Comics
- Robert E. Howard: A Short Biography (1999 artist)
- Robert E. Howard: Myth Maker (1999 artist)
DC Comics
- America vs. The Justice League (1985 as artist)
- Babylon 5: In Valen's Name (1998 as cover artist)
- Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight (1999 as artist)
- Fury of Firestorm (1982-1984 as artist)
Marvel Comics
- The Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-ManThe 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...
(1999-2000 as artist) - Conan the AdventurerConan the Adventurer (comics)Conan the Adventurer was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics for 14 issues from 1994 to 1995. Written by Roy Thomas and illustrated in most cases by Rafael Kayanan, it follows the travels of a young Conan the Barbarian, seeing the world for the first time...
(1993-1995 as artist) - Savage Sword of ConanSavage Sword of ConanThe Savage Sword of Conan was a black-and-white magazine-format comic book series published beginning in 1974 by Curtis Magazines, an imprint of Marvel Comics, and then later by Marvel itself. Savage Sword of Conan starred Robert E...
(1993 as artist) - Moment of Silence #1 (2001 as artist)
- AnnihilationAnnihilation (comics)"Annihilation" was a 2006 crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics, highlighting several outer space-related characters in the Marvel Universe. The central miniseries was written by Keith Giffen, with editor Andy Schmidt.-Publication History:...
, January 2008, collected in What If?: Civil War, April 2008, ISBN 0-7851-3036-5 - What If?, December 2009
Topps
- Jurassic ParkJurassic Park (franchise)The Jurassic Park franchise is a series of books, films, comics, and videos centering on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs...
(1994 as sketch card artist) - FrankensteinFrankensteinFrankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
(1994 as sketch card artist) - Star Wars Clone WarsStar Wars Trading CardsA Star Wars trading card is a nonsport, collectible trading card, sticker, wrapper, or cap based on the Star Wars movies and television shows. Both screen stills and original art are featured in the cards and other items. An avid collecting and trading community of these cards and sets exists...
(2004 as sketch card artist) - Star Wars Heritage (2005 as sketch card artist)
- Lord of the Rings Evolution (2005 as sketch card artist)
- Lord of the Rings Masterpieces (2006 as sketch card artist)
- Star Wars 30th Anniversary (2007 as sketch card artist)
Filmography
- The Hunted (2003)
- Confessions of a Dangerous MindConfessions of a Dangerous MindConfessions of a Dangerous Mind is a 2002 biographical spy film depicting the life of popular game show host and producer Chuck Barris, who claimed to have also been an assassin for the Central Intelligence Agency...
(2004) - Immortals (2011 film)
External links
- Rafael Kayanan at AFN.org. Retrieved March 28, 2006.
- Rafael Kayanan at Maarte.org. Retrieved March 28, 2006.. Retrieved March 28, 2006.
- Rafael Kayanan at Sayoc Combat Choreography. Retrieved March 28, 2006.