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| Paul Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1953-09-04)September 4, 1953 (age 72) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Area | Penciller,Inker |
Notable works | Uncanny X-Men Doctor Strange Leave It to Chance |
Paul Smith (born September 4, 1953) is an Americancomic bookartist, known for his work onThe Uncanny X-Men,X-Factor,American Flagg!,Nexus,GrimJack and his creator-owned book,Leave It to Chance.
During his 1983 run onThe Uncanny X-Men, Smith's work on issue 173 of that series would prove influential in two ways: It featured the debut of thepunk look for the X-Men leaderStorm,[1][2] and Smith's cover of that issue would influence both a latter comic book cover and a best-selling poster and retailer standee by artistArthur Adams.[3][4][5]
Smith was born inKansas City, Missouri, 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 ofSteve Ditko onThe Amazing Spider-Man andNeal Adams onBatman.[citation needed]
Smith had no formal art training aside from some courses inairbrushing.[citation needed] He began his career as an animation artist onRalph Bakshi'sThe Lord of the Rings.[6] In the early 1980s, he filled in on a variety ofMarvel Comics titles, includingMarvel Fanfare #4, cover dated September 1982, doing the final chapter of an X-Men story.[6] He became the regular artist onDoctor Strange starting with issue #56, cover dated December 1982, but left after just two issues so that he could work onThe Uncanny X-Men.[6]
Marvel entered into an agreement with Smith for him to take over the art duties fromDave Cockrum onThe Uncanny X-Men, then the biggest selling US comics series, for one year. Smith had emigrated to the East Coast with dreams of drawingSpider-Man andConan, and realized that his performance onX-Men would determine the future of his career. During his run on the series, which lasted from issue #165 – #175, he designed thepunk look, complete with black leather outfit andmohawk, for the X-Men leaderStorm that debuted inUncanny X-Men #173 (October 1983). The change in appearance was inspired by the decision of colleagueWalt Simonson to shave off his beard and mustache while on vacation with his wife,X-Men editorLouise Simonson. Upon their return, Simonson's daughter, Julie, upset at her father's new appearance, ran from the room, a reaction that would be mirrored in X-ManKitty Pryde's reaction to Storm's new appearance.[1] When the book's editors decided to change Storm's appearance, Smith submitted a number of designs to them, explaining in a 2008 interview:
I did a number of portraits, all quite lovely and feminine. As a joke, I included a shot of her as Mr. T. You know, the kind of shot where they HAVE to go the other way. Weezie [X-Men editorLouise Simonson]'s response? 'They’re going to hang us whichever way we go. Let's commit the murder.' I argued it was a joke and a monstrously bad idea but, given my departure following 175 was set prior to beginning my run, my vote didn’t count. So I did what I could with what I had left... So we went with the Mohawk ...But once you get into the whole leather and stud thing it was a bad joke that got way out of hand.[2]
Smith's cover for issue #173 would prove influential. When editing the 1985 anthology bookHeroes for Hope, which was intended to benefitfamine relief in Africa, editorAnn Nocenti asked artistArthur Adams to pattern his cover of that book after Smith's illustration. This in turn promptedBob Budiansky to have Adams produce a Wolverine poster with the same type of pose. The image, inked byTerry Austin, became not only a bestselling poster, but an iconic life-sizestandee for comics shops.[3][4][5] Smith's splash page for issue #168, of Kitty Pryde in a ski jacket sharply turning towards the reader while yelling, "Professor Xavier is a jerk!", has been the subject of numerous homages and imitations.[7][8][6]
Smith's brief run onX-Men was distinguished by its smooth rendering and minimum of line,[6] and most of it was later reprinted in theFrom the Ashes trade paperback. Eventually his entireX-Men run was reprinted inEssential X-Men Vol. 4. He bookended theMarvel 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 had a brief stint on the X-Men spin-offX-Factor. Over the subsequent years Smith would return numerous times to work on various books of theX-Men franchise.
A few months after leavingThe Uncanny X-Men, Smith returned as the regular artist onDoctor Strange. He worked on that series from #65 to #73, drawing seven of those issues. He also drew theX-Men and Alpha Flightlimited series during the final months of this run.[9] Both issues of the series were 48 pages long and featured wraparound covers drawn by Smith. He was scheduled to pencil a Spider-Man graphic novel, a collaboration withBob Layton, once his run onDoctor Strange concluded,[9] but it was never completed.
His other works includeThe Golden Age and the young adults comicLeave It to Chance, both collaborations with writerJames Robinson. Smith has also contributed art to a number ofFirst Comics titles includingAmerican Flagg!,Nexus, andGrimJack.
In 2005 Smith drew theKitty Pryde: Shadow and Flamelimited series written byAkira Yoshida.
Thompson, Kim (June 1982). "Maidens, Mutants, and Mages: Paul Smith Climbs the Stairway to Stardom . . . Ten Steps at a Time!"Amazing Heroes #12
| Preceded by | Uncanny X-Men artist 1982–1983 | Succeeded by |
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| Other | |
