| John Totleben | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Thomas Totleben (1958-02-16)February 16, 1958 (age 67) Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Area | Penciller,Inker |
Notable works | Miracleman Swamp Thing 1963 |
| Awards | Inkpot Award 2004 Inkwell Awards 2024 SASRA |
John Thomas Totleben[1] (born February 16, 1958[2]) is an American illustrator working mostly in comic books.
After studying art at Tech Memorial in Erie, Totleben attendedThe Kubert School for one year. He then spent several years working for comics editorHarry "A" Chesler, producing illustrations for theRubaiyat of Omar Khayyam; which never saw print.[3] His first published work appeared inHeavy Metal in January 1979.[4]
His first success in American comics, and still his best-known work, was as theinker of pencilled art byStephen R. Bissette for theDC Comics titleThe Saga of The Swamp Thing, when the series was being written and reinvented byAlan Moore. Totleben and Bissette joined the series in 1983[4] shortly before Moore. Totleben's style was unusual for the time, and is still distinctive among U.S. comics artists, for its fluid layouts and heavily detailed rendering using a combination ofstippling andhatching. He also painted covers for the series inoils andacrylic. Totleben inked the story inSwamp Thing #37 (June 1985) which introduced theJohn Constantine character.[5]
Beginning in 1988, Bissette and Totleben co-created and edited thehorror anthologyTaboo. It showcased a wide range of writers and artists, from mainstream to semi-underground, and is best known as the original venue for the acclaimed graphic novelFrom Hell.[6]
Totleben's most ambitious comics project was with Moore again, on the third volume ofMiracleman, which he pencilled and inked. Response to his art was so strong thatEclipse Comics retained him as the series' sole artist after changing artists several times in the previous volume despite delays caused by his newly diagnosed eye disease,retinitis pigmentosa.[7] Totleben's art was praised as "one of the premier exemplars of the entire superhero genre."[8]
Though Totleben's eye condition has made himlegally blind, it has left his central vision clear enough for him to continue working in his usual style, but much more slowly. He has illustrated a number of titles for DC andMarvel Comics,[4] and worked on Moore's satiricalImage Comics series1963, in which he was described as "'Jaunty' John", the blind "inker without fear".
John Constantine, the master magician and future star of Vertigo'sJohn Constantine: Hellblazer, was introduced in a Swamp Thing story from writer Alan Moore, with art by Rick Veitch and John Totleben.
Winners of the SASRA, in alphabetical order, are Graham Ingels, George Klein and John Totleben.
| Preceded by | The Saga of the Swamp Thing / Swamp Thing inker 1983–1986 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Miracleman artist 1987–1989 | Succeeded by |
