Mike Grell

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Mike Grell 2007

Mike Grell (born September 13, 1947 ) is an American comic book author and illustrator. His most famous works include the Warlord series and the reinterpretation of the Green Arrow .

Life and work

After studying art at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the Chicago Academy of Fine Art, Grell began working in the comic industry in 1972. He found his first engagement as an assistant to Dale Messick with whom he worked on the newspaper comic strip Brenda Starr . In 1973 Grell moved to New York City , where he first found work for the comic book publisher DC Comics . There he was initially assigned as a draftsman for the series Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes written by Cary Bates , for which he remained active until the late 1970s.

In 1976, Grell created the character of the American Air Force pilot Travis Morgan, who, in a plane crash, is thrown through a hidden portal in the Arctic into the inner world of Skartaris. There, in a mixture of Stone Age, knightly Middle Ages and a future reminiscent of the Flash Gordon stories, he now experiences adventures under the name of Warlord . The Warlord concept was for a test story in First Issue Special # 8 of November 1975 in the center of its own eponymous series, Warlord , provided that Grell until the mid-eighties supervised. The series was at times one of the best-selling titles in DC's publishing program, in Germany three volumes of the Warlord series have been published by Cross Cult .

At the same time Grell also worked on series such as Aquaman , Batman and Phantom Stranger , as well as together with Dennis O'Neil on the 1976 re-started series Green Lantern / Green Arrow . From July 19, 1981 to February 27, 1983, Grell also wrote and drew a Tarzan comic strip that appeared in various daily newspapers in 2004 and 2005.

Grell's most personal work is the Jon Sable Freelance and Starslayer series , which he created for First Comics , but retained the rights to it. The series is about a former Olympic athlete and big game hunter who is hired as a mercenary. Started in 1983, the series saw a television adaptation and in 2000 a novel adaptation that was written by Grell himself.

In 1987 Grell wrote and drew the miniseries Green Arrow : The Longbow Hunters , which adapted the character to the tastes of more mature readers: The superhero no longer used humorous trick arrows, but rather normal, pointed arrows. In addition, Green Arrow no longer fought against overdrawn super villains, but against criminals such as drug dealers, serial killers or arms smugglers, and the hero was ready to kill his opponents if necessary. The name Green Arrow, silly in Grell's opinion, was only used on the covers of the series, while it was never mentioned in the plot. Finally, Grell was entrusted with the design of the monthly Green Arrow series, which was restarted in 1988 and which he oversaw until 1993.

Other works by Grell were the James Bond miniseries Permission to Die , as well as the authorship of the comic adaptation for the movie License to Kill . From 2002 to 2003 he worked on Iron Man for Marvel Comics . From 2009 he continued Warlord for another 16 issues, followed by graphic contributions to X-Men Forever and Green Arrow . In late 2010 he became editor-in-chief at Arden Entertainment.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Today's Comics Guide: September 13, 2011. CBGXtra , September 13, 2011, accessed November 19, 2014 .
  2. ↑ a b Mike Grell. lambiek.net, accessed November 19, 2014 .
  3. ^ Brian Cronin: Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed # 150. Comic Book Resources , April 10, 2010; archived from the original on May 9, 2013 ; Retrieved November 19, 2014 .
  4. ^ Mike Grell Named Editor-in-Chief of Arden Entertainment. Hybergeek.ca, December 9, 2010, archived from the original on April 1, 2012 ; Retrieved November 19, 2014 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Grell, Mike
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American comic book writer and illustrator
DATE OF BIRTH September 13, 1947