| Marc Silvestri | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Silvestri in 2014 | |
| Born | (1958-03-29)March 29, 1958 (age 67) Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Writer, artist, publisher |
Notable works | Cyberforce The Darkness Uncanny X-Men Strykeforce Witchblade Wolverine |
| Official website | |
Marc Silvestri (born March 29, 1958) is an Americancomic book artist, creator and publisher. He isCEO ofTop Cow Productions[1] andImage Comics.[2]
Marc Silvestri was born on March 29, 1958, inPalm Beach, Florida.[3][4][5] Silvestri first discovered comics through his cousin, who was an avid collector. It was during visits to his cousin's house that Silvestri would become familiar with artists such asJack Kirby,Bernie Wrightson, andJohn Buscema. Silvestri names Wrightson, Buscema, andFrank Frazetta as his biggest influences.[6]
Silvestri began his career drawing issues forDC Comics andFirst Comics. He joined Marvel Comics in the mid-1980s (having earlier guest pencilled for Marvel as early as 1982 on Master of Kung Fu issue 119), and became the penciller onUncanny X-Men from 1987 to 1990.[4] He subsequently spent two years pencilling its spin-off titleWolverine.Larry Hama, who wrote the series throughout those two years, later said of working with Silvestri, "It was like magic. I would hand in a script and his visualization of it was always better than what I saw. He would expand on the ideas. He's just a brilliant draftsman and storyteller, and I was really lucky to get to work with him."[7]
In 1992, Silvestri became one of the original seven artists (along withJim Lee,Whilce Portacio,Rob Liefeld,Erik Larsen,Todd McFarlane, andJim Valentino) to form the breakaway comics companyImage Comics. Silvestri's stable of titles was published under the imprintTop Cow with the first title released beingCyberforce. Besides his art, Silvestri was also scripter (and co-plotter) on the Top Cow titleCodename: Stryke Force. Many of Silvestri's stories were scripted by his brother,Eric Silvestri.
Disputes among the Image partners led to Silvestri briefly leaving the publisher in 1996, but he returned after Liefeld severed his own ties with Image.[8]
Top Cow's successes include the titlesWitchblade,The Darkness,Inferno Hellbound (publication of which was interrupted for unknown reasons), andFathom.[citation needed]
Silvestri produced the story and preliminary character sketches for the 1997video gameFighting Force.[9]
In 2004, Silvestri made a brief return to Marvel to pencil several issues ofX-Men, collaborating with writerGrant Morrison. Later in the year, he launched a new Top Cow title,Hunter-Killer with writerMark Waid. He provided covers for the Marvel Comics mini-series,X-Men: Deadly Genesis byEd Brubaker andTrevor Hairsine.
In June 2006, Top Cow releasedCyberforce #0 featuring art by Silvestri.
In late 2007 (cover date December), he pencilled theX-Men: Messiah Complex one-shot, as well as many covers in the crossover of the same name that followed.
Silvestri executive produced theanime adaptation ofWitchblade.[citation needed]
He continued his work onX-Men, penciling the first installment, in the form of the Uncanny X-Men/Dark Avengers one-shot crossoverUtopia in 2009. That same year, he contributed to the crossover miniseriesImage United, penciling all the characters he created during his run at Image that featured in the story.
In 2012, Silvestri was one of several artists to illustrate a variant cover forRobert Kirkman'sThe Walking Dead #100, which was released July 11 atSan Diego Comic-Con.[10]
In November 2022, DC Comics published the limited seriesBatman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo, written and drawn by Silvestri.[11]
Silvestri is married to Bridget Silvestri.[6]
| Preceded by | Uncanny X-Men artist 1987–1990 | Succeeded by |
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