William Tucci
Encyclopedia
William Tucci (born 13 August 1966, New York, New York) is an illustrator
, writer
and filmmaker best known among American comic book
audiences for his creator-owned title and character, Shi
.
and David Mack
’s Kabuki
, actually debuted in Shi.
Shi
has been featured on Fox
, NBC
, and E!
television while also gaining recognition in The New York Times
, Wall Street Journal and USA Today
. The character has also crossed over with many comic book icons including Daredevil
, Witchblade
, Vampirella
and Wolverine
. For more than two years Shi: The Way of the Warrior #1 remained atop Wizard Magazines Top Ten Comics list, a record for any single issue that still stands to this day. Billy is also one of the few comic book creators recognized by Wizard on both their Top Ten Artists and Writers list.
In 2006 Tucci began doing work for the "Big Two" in the American comic book industry, pencilling Marvel Comics
' Heroes for Hire
, and DC
's VS cards. He also released the 576 page Definitive Shi, the Illustrated Warrior novel and penned Zombie-sama! with illustrator John Broglia.
In 2007, on Shis 13th anniversary, Tucci's newest miniseries The Ring of Fire was released. Shi also had a crossover
with Brian Pulido
's Lady Death
/Shi through Avatar Press
and with Peter David
's Fallen Angel
through IDW Publishing
. Dark Horse Comics
is also producing a 200-page hardbound Art of Shi coffee table book showcasing several artists' take on the character. Other Shi projects include a full color Zombie-sama! TPB with John Broglia and Definitive Shi Vol. 2.
Tucci is writing the screenplay of the Shi movie with Kevin Bernhardt
and will serve as executive producer. Tia Carrere
will play the titular role of Shi.
He also wrote, produced and directed his own award-winning short film, some trouble of a SeRRious nature.
Tucci produced a six-part miniseries for DC
, Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion, which premiered in Nov. 2008. The final part was released in June 2009. Describing the series, as a "labor of love", Tucci spent time at a large reenactment with over 2,000 World War II
reenactors in Pennsylvania
as part of his research for the story. In the reenactment, Tuccci acted out the part of a war correspondent, interviewed several veterans of the campaign, and visited the grounds where battles took place.
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, 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....
and filmmaker best known among American 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...
audiences for his creator-owned title and character, Shi
Shi (comics)
Shi is a fictional comic book character created by writer/illustrator William Tucci. She first appeared in Razor Annual #1 , and has since appeared in books by a variety of publishers, most notably, Tucci's company, Crusade Comics...
.
Career
Tucci created his own publishing company, Crusade Comics, through which he publishes both his personal projects, as well as work from other up and coming creators. Several comic characters, including Top Cow’s WitchbladeWitchblade
Witchblade is an American comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, from 1995 until present. The series was created by Top Cow editors Marc Silvestri and David Wohl, writers Brian Haberlin and Christina Z, and artist Michael Turner.The series follows Sara...
and David Mack
David W. Mack
David W. Mack is an American comic book artist and writer, best known for his creator-owned series Kabuki. Mack is known for his unique painted and collage-like work...
’s Kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
, actually debuted in Shi.
Shi
Shi (comics)
Shi is a fictional comic book character created by writer/illustrator William Tucci. She first appeared in Razor Annual #1 , and has since appeared in books by a variety of publishers, most notably, Tucci's company, Crusade Comics...
has been featured on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, and E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
television while also gaining recognition in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Wall Street Journal and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
. The character has also crossed over with many comic book icons including Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
, Witchblade
Witchblade
Witchblade is an American comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, from 1995 until present. The series was created by Top Cow editors Marc Silvestri and David Wohl, writers Brian Haberlin and Christina Z, and artist Michael Turner.The series follows Sara...
, Vampirella
Vampirella
Vampirella is a fictional character, a comic book vampire heroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and costume designer Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine Vampirella #1 . Writer-editor Archie Goodwin later developed the character from horror-story hostess, in...
and Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
. For more than two years Shi: The Way of the Warrior #1 remained atop Wizard Magazines Top Ten Comics list, a record for any single issue that still stands to this day. Billy is also one of the few comic book creators recognized by Wizard on both their Top Ten Artists and Writers list.
In 2006 Tucci began doing work for the "Big Two" in the American comic book industry, pencilling 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...
' Heroes for Hire
Heroes For Hire
Heroes for Hire is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #54 , and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias.-Publication history and original concept:...
, and DC
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...
's VS cards. He also released the 576 page Definitive Shi, the Illustrated Warrior novel and penned Zombie-sama! with illustrator John Broglia.
In 2007, on Shis 13th anniversary, Tucci's newest miniseries The Ring of Fire was released. Shi also had a crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
with Brian Pulido
Brian Pulido
Brian Pulido is a creator, writer and producer of comic books and films.-Early life:Growing up in Long Branch, New Jersey, Pulido first developed an interest in the horror genre after the release of Night of the Living Dead when he was a child.-Comic book career:Pulido has created, written or...
's Lady Death
Lady Death
Lady Death is a fictional character, a comic book goddess created by Brian Pulido and Steven Hughes. Lady Death first appeared in Evil Ernie #1 by Eternity Comics in December 1991. Lady Death then reappeared in the Evil Ernie: The Resurrection mini-series published by Pulido under his now defunct...
/Shi through Avatar Press
Avatar Press
Avatar Press is an independent American publisher of comic books, founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois.Avatar initially published only mini-series; however, they have since begun to branch out...
and with Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
's Fallen Angel
Fallen Angel (comics)
Fallen Angel is an American fictional comic book heroine created and owned by writer Peter David and artist David Lopez, who appears in her self-titled monthly series. It was published by DC Comics from July 2003 until it was canceled with issue #20 in May 2005 because of low sales. It resumed...
through IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
. 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...
is also producing a 200-page hardbound Art of Shi coffee table book showcasing several artists' take on the character. Other Shi projects include a full color Zombie-sama! TPB with John Broglia and Definitive Shi Vol. 2.
Tucci is writing the screenplay of the Shi movie with Kevin Bernhardt
Kevin Bernhardt
Kevin Bernhardt is an American film writer, film actor, television actor, and producer. Bernhardt is presently best known as a screenwriter, with over 20 screenplays produced since the mid-nineties. His dozen lead actor/film roles before that included J.P...
and will serve as executive producer. Tia Carrere
Tia Carrere
Tia Carrere is an American actress, model, voice artist, and singer, perhaps most widely known for her role as Cassandra Wong in the feature films Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2, Queen Tyr'ahnee in Duck Dodgers, and as Sydney Fox in the TV series Relic Hunter.-Early life:Carrere was born in...
will play the titular role of Shi.
He also wrote, produced and directed his own award-winning short film, some trouble of a SeRRious nature.
Tucci produced a six-part miniseries for DC
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...
, Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion, which premiered in Nov. 2008. The final part was released in June 2009. Describing the series, as a "labor of love", Tucci spent time at a large reenactment with over 2,000 World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
reenactors in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
as part of his research for the story. In the reenactment, Tuccci acted out the part of a war correspondent, interviewed several veterans of the campaign, and visited the grounds where battles took place.