Steve Lieber (born May 19, 1967) is an Americancomic book illustrator known for his work on books such asDetective Comics andHawkman, and the critically acclaimed miniseriesWhiteout, which was adapted into a2009 feature film starringKate Beckinsale. His other works include theEisner Award-winning sequelWhiteout: Melt, and the thrillersShooters andUnderground. With writerNat Gertler, he co-authoredThe Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel.
Lieber has described his career as being about "telling your own unified stories with finality."[1]
In 1993 Lieber drewHawkman Annual #1. He subsequently drew 20 issues of the monthlyHawkman series from 1994 to 1995, beginning with issue #5 and ending with issue #27, and at one point, releasing a #0 (which happened between #13 and #14) as a stunt.
Lieber'sHawkman artwork brought him to the attention of Hollywood, where he began doing sketches for the showBatman.[citation needed] He said:
A big company that owns the characters offers a lot of visibility and the ability to play with extremely well-known icons ... Working for a big company, you have to be able to leave the character and ideas behind [after departing the project] in exactly the same place as when you came in.
Lieber attributes his success to persistence, and described himself coming out of school as "averagely skilled", but that he "stayed working in comics longer than some of my contemporaries because I didn't want to do anything else."[1] In addition, Lieber exchanged information and tips from comics creators such asDwayne McDuffie.[9] Lieber'sgraphic novelUnderground, a story about a park ranger trapped in a cavern, was described as a "spelunking thriller" byTime magazine.[10]
In February 2008, Lieber drew a series of illustrations in which characters from the TV showThe Wire were rendered in the style of the TV showThe Simpsons,[12] one of which was named by Alan Sepinwall ofThe Star-Ledger andNJ.com as the "coolest link of the day".[13]
Beginning in September 2009 Lieber illustrated the five-issue miniseriesUnderground with writer Jeff Parker forImage Comics. The series, about a spelunking park ranger trapped in a cave,[10] was later collected into trade paperback from in early May 2010.[14]
In April 2012DC/Vertigo published writers Brandon Jerwa and Eric Stephen Trautmann's military thriller graphic novel,Shooters, which was illustrated by Lieber.[15][16]
In July 2013 Lieber began drawingSuperior Foes of Spider-Man forMarvel Comics.[17] The series follows a team of hapless, lesser-known villains from the Spider-Man universe. Lieber has received extensive praise for his work on the series, including a nod onComicsAlliance's "Best of 2013" list. ComicsAlliance reviewer Dylan Todd says "Lieber’s at the top of his game here, with a mixture of traditional cape comics styling and a more humane point-of-view that reminds you that these are really just people in suits doing dumb, dangerous things and that they can get hurt at any moment."[18]
Hawkman #0 "Eyes of the Hawk, Prologue: Old Scores", (Writer:William Messner-Loebs, inker: Curt Shoultz; colorist: Buzz Setzer; letterer: Albert T. DeGuzman), DC Comics, 1994
Hawkman #5 "A Rage of Hawks", (writer:John Ostrander; inker: Rick Magyar; colorists: Matt Webb; letterer: Albert T. DeGuzman) DC Comics, 1994
Hawkman #6 "War Cry", (writer:John Ostrander; inker: Rick Magyar; colorists: Buzz Setzer; letterer: Albert T. DeGuzman) DC Comics, 1994
Hawkman #14-17 "Eyes of the Hawk", (writer:William Messner-Loebs; inker: Curt Shoultz; colorists: Buzz Setzer; letterer: Albert T. DeGuzman), DC Comics, 1994–1995
"Roadways" (writer: Jeffrey Lang; inked by Steve Lieber; additional artists:Ted Slampyak, John Drury, Tommy Berg; edited by Katherine Fritz), Cult Press, 1994.
"Sgt. Desmond Doss: The Bible Tells Me So" (writer: Doug Murray) inMedal of Honor Special, Dark Horse Comics, 1994
Hawkman #20 "Clash of Wings", (writer:William Messner-Loebs; inker: Curt Shoultz; colorists: Buzz Setzer), DC Comics, 1995
Hawkman #22 "Storm Over Thanagar: The Way of the Warrior Part 3", (writer:William Messner-Loebs; inker: Curt Shoultz; letterer: Bob Pinaha), DC Comics, 1995
Hawkman #23 "Essential Warfare: The Way of the Warrior Part 6", (writer:William Messner-Loebs; inker: Curt Shoultz; colorist: Trish Mulvihill, letterer: Bob Pinaha), DC Comics, 1995
Hawkman #24-25 "Hunting the Lion", (writer:William Messner-Loebs; inker: Curt Shoultz; letterer: Bob Pinaha), DC Comics, 1995
Hawkman #26 "Fear Visits", (writer:William Messner-Loebs; inker: Curt Shoultz; letterer: Bob Pinaha), DC Comics, 1995
Batman: Turning Points #1 (writer:Greg Rucka, pencil & ink: Steve Lieber, letters, colors and edits: Willie Schubert, Tom McCraw, Matt Idleson), DC Comics, 2001
"Another Survivors' Tale : The Harvey Pekar Interview". Interview conducted byJim Ottaviani and Steve Lieber. p. 117-125 inHogan's Alley, v. 1, no. 4, 1997
"The Authoritative Frank Stack, or, Foolbert Sturgeon on Jesus, Crumb, and Cancer". Interview conducted byJim Ottaviani and Steve Lieber. p. 92-110 inThe Comics Journal, no. 189, Aug. 1996
