| Joe Jusko | |
|---|---|
 Jusko at Paris Manga 2012 | |
| Born | (1959-09-01)September 1, 1959 (age 66) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Area | Artist |
Notable works | Marvel Masterpieces Savage Sword of Conan |
| Awards | Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award (1992, 1993) Wizard Fan Award (1993, 1994) |
| http://www.joejusko.com | |
Joe Jusko (/ˈdʒʌskoʊ/; born September 1, 1959)[1] is an Americanartist known for his realistic, highly detailed paintedfantasy,pin-up, and coverillustrations, mainly in thecomic book industry. Jusko painted the 1992Marvel Masterpiecestrading cards, the popularity of which has been credited with initiating the painted trading card boom of the 1990s.[2]
Joe Jusko was born in Manhattan'sLower East Side and grew up in New York City, the son of a construction worker and a homemaker. He attended theHigh School of Art and Design, where his instructors includedBernard Krigstein.[1] He graduated in 1977 with theDC Comics Award of Excellence in Cartooning.[2]
After graduating, Jusko worked as an assistant for five months forHoward Chaykin, which led to Jusko selling his first cover forHeavy Metal magazine at the age of 18.[3] Forgoing college, Jusko went straight into commercial illustration.
Jusko has worked for almost every major comic-book publisher, producing hundreds of images for both covers and interiors. In addition to his long stint as one of the main cover artists forThe Savage Sword of Conan, Jusko has painted every majorMarvel Comics character, including theHulk and thePunisher.
Jusko has also produced covers and interior art for many other comics companies and characters, includingDC Comics,Crusade Comics,Innovation Comics,Harris Comics,Wildstorm Comics,Top Cow Productions, andByron Preiss Visual Publications.
Besides the 1992 Marvel Masterpieces trading card set, Jusko painted the 1995 Art ofEdgar Rice Burroughs trading cards. His work is featured in the 1996 card setFleer's Ultra X-Men Wolverine Cards, 2016 Marvel Masterpieces, as well asConan the Barbarian andVampirella trading card sets.
Jusko produced the collection,The Art of Joe Jusko (Desperado Publishing, 2009), as well as a graphic novel adaptation ofSteve Niles's supernatural detective Cal MacDonald.
Upper Deck announced a new Marvel Masterpiece series to go along with their 25th anniversary. Scheduled for the end of this year, Jusko, just like the original will be completing all new 135 base card images (1992's base card series contained 100 cards).[4]
Jusko has also produced storyboards for ad agencies, for such notable clients as theWorld Wrestling Federation. Jusko provided the promotional poster artwork for WrestleMania VII in 1991.[5][6]
In 2016 Jusko provided interior illustrations for therole-playing gameConan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of forModiphius Entertainment.
In April 2022, Jusko was reported among the more than three dozen comics creators[7] who contributed toOperation USA's benefit anthology book,Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds, a project spearheaded by editorScott Dunbier, whose profits would be donated to relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees resulting from the February2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[8][9] Jusko, who joined the project in its second week, produced the art for the book's title page, commenting, "As a third generationUkrainian American whose grandmother had her entire lineage erased during WWII, I am honored to contribute to this most important endeavor."[7]
At one point in his career, Jusko became "disillusioned with the lack of work . . . and became a [New York City]police officer. After several years I realized art was my main passion and went back to it full time. Luckily, the second time was a charm and my career took off."[3] After theSeptember 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Jusko created thePolice and Firefighter Heroes of September 11 lithograph, all proceeds of which went to the New York City Police and Fire Department Widows' and Orphans' Fund.[10]
Jusko won theComics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Painter in 1992 and 1993, and theWizard Fan Award for Favorite Painter in 1993 and 1994. His fully painted graphic novelTomb Raider: The Greatest Treasure of All won a Certificate of Merit from theSociety of Illustrators (which accepted Jusko as a member in 2007).[2]
Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds to which Joe Jusko contributed a major painted work, won the 2024 Eisner Award for Best Anthology.[11]
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