Jill Thompson began her comics career working for such publishers asFirst Comics andNow Comics in the 1980s.[3] She became the artist ofDC Comics'Wonder Woman series in 1990.[4] Her work on the "Chalk Drawings" story inWonder Woman #46 (Sept. 1990) drew praise from writerGeorge Pérez who stated "It was a good, quiet story, and I think Jill and I worked really well together on that one."[5] Thompson illustrated theBrief Lives story arc inThe Sandman issues #41–49,[6] and the story "The Parliament of Rooks" in issue #40 (part of theFables and Reflections collection).[7] Within this tale she created the characters Li'lDeath and Li'lMorpheus, childlike versions of two of theEndless based on classic comic charactersSugar and Spike.
She has since written and illustrated several stories featuring the Sandman characters. These include themanga-style bookDeath: At Death's Door, one of DC's best selling books of 2003,[8] set during the events ofSeason of Mists, andThe Little Endless Storybook, a children's book using childlike versions of the Endless.[9] In 2005 Thompson wrote and illustratedThe Dead Boy Detectives,[4] an original graphic novel based on two characters introduced inSeason of Mists and subsequently portrayed by various creators.
Thompson created the comic book seriesScary Godmother, originally published bySirius Entertainment and later byDark Horse Comics. The books spawned two television specials:Scary Godmother Halloween Spooktacular, which aired in foreign countries in 2003 before being picked up byCartoon Network in 2004.[11] This was followed byScary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy in 2005. Both were animated using CGI. Thompson did scripting for the project and maintained a measure of creative control. In 2003, the merchandising rights to Scary Godmother reverted to Thompson, allowing her to proceed with plans to create a Scary Godmother fashion doll for which she promoted a successful Kickstarter campaign.[12]
Thompson was a body model for other comics artists, and uses herself as the basis for several characters in her work, most notably as the original model for Scary Godmother.[13] Her likeness has been used byP. Craig Russell in his graphic novelThe Magic Flute,[14] and many other works by Russell. In a 2012 interview, she said, "For hisBatman: Legends of the Dark Knight story "Hothouse", I was this evil doctor, or someone who was manipulating Poison Ivy...He used me for operas and things, like Brunhilda andRing of the Nibelung."[15]Alex Ross used her likeness for the character Duela Dent inKingdom Come.[16][17]
Thompson is a featured interview in the filmRingers: Lord of the Fans, a documentary aboutThe Lord of the Rings fandom.[18] She was also interviewed for the filmShe Makes Comics, a documentary about the history of women in the comics industry.[19]
In 2015, Thompson was ranked fourth in the "Top 50 Female Comic Book Artists" poll conducted byComic Book Resources.[20]
In April 2022, Thompson was among the more than three dozen comics creators 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.[21][22]
InThe Sandman: Act III audiobook adaptation of the graphic novel series, Jill Thompson performed the role of Etain, a character she drew in the comic book series.[23]
^Arnold, Andrew D. (February 16, 2004). "Drawing In the Gals; Move over, guys. Graphics for girls are the hot new genre in Japanese comics".Time. p. 97
^Cowsill, Alan (2010).DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. DK. p. 300.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.The Little Endless Storybook, written and lovingly illustrated by Jill Thompson in the style of a young children's picture book, told the story of the Endless's Delirium and her dog, Barnabas.
^Waters, Luis (December 13, 2011)."Jill Thompson dresses an "American Dragon"". Archived fromthe original on January 7, 2012. RetrievedJune 24, 2012.Legendary comic artist Jill Thompson has been busy designing ring attire for WWE superstar, Daniel Bryan.
^abCronin, Brian (April 17, 2008)."Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #151". Comic Book Resources.Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. RetrievedAugust 31, 2013.InKingdom Come, Alex Ross DID specifically use [Jill] Thompson as the model for Joker's Daughter (and her husband, Brian Azzarello, as the basis for another character, the villain 666).
^Cronin, Brian (March 21, 2015)."Top 50 Female Comic Book Writers and Artists Master List". Comic Book Resources.Archived from the original on June 26, 2019.What's absolutely fascinating to me about Jill Thompson is that she is one of the few artists who have become a star artist using two fairly dramatically different art styles.
