Rick Leonardi (born August 9, 1957) is an American

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

who has worked on various series for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...

and

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

, including ''

Cloak and Dagger "Cloak and dagger" was a fighting style common in the Renaissance involving a knife hidden beneath a cloak. The term later came into use as a metaphor, referring to situations involving intrigue, secrecy, espionage, or mystery. Overview In "The ...

'', ''The

Uncanny X-Men ''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the X- ...

'', ''The

New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, subs ...

'', '' Spider-Man 2099'', ''

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character has appeared in various incarnations; the identity was adopted by Dick Grayson when he left his role as Batman's vigilante partner Robin. Although ...

'', ''

Batgirl Batgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. Although the character Betty Kane was introduced into publication in ...

'', '' Green Lantern Versus Aliens'' and ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

''. He has worked on feature film tie-in comics such as ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

: General Grievous'' and ''

Superman Returns ''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the sixth and fina ...

Prequel'' #3.

Early life

Rick Leonardi was born August 9, 1957 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, and grew up in

Haverhill, Massachusetts Haverhill ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located 35 miles north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about 17 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States Cen ...

. Leonardi's interest in becoming an artist was inspired by the work of

Joe Kubert Joseph Kubert (; September 18, 1926 – August 12, 2012) was a Polish-born American comic book artist, art teacher, and founder of The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. He is also kno ...

, which he discovered in the second grade when he read ''

Star Spangled War Stories ''Star Spangled War Stories'' was the title of a comics anthology published by DC Comics that featured war-themed characters and stories. Among the features published in this series were writer-editor Robert Kanigher and artist Jerry Grandenetti ...

'' #139 (July 1968). Leonardi commented in a 2017 interview, "Top of page 8 is still one of the best-designed panels I've ever seen." Leonardi graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

in 1979, and started drawing for

the following year.

Career

Rick Leonardi's first published comics artwork appeared in ''

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, ...

'' #303 (Jan. 1981). He collaborated with writer

Bill Mantlo William Timothy Mantlo (born November 9, 1951) is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: ''Micronauts'' and ''Ro ...

on two limited series: '' The Vision and the Scarlet Witch'' (Nov. 1982–Feb. 1983) and ''

'' (Oct. 1983–Jan. 1984). Leonardi's works in the 1980s include various fill-in issues of ''The

'' and ''The

''. He is credited, along with fellow illustrator Mike Zeck, of designing the black-and-white costume to which

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

switched during the 1984 ''

Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'' for short, is a twelve-issue American comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter, with ...

'' miniseries, and later wore for a time. According to writer

Peter David Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...

, the costume began as a design by Zeck that Leonardi embellished. The plot that developed as a result of Spider-Man's acquisition of the costume led to the creation of the Spider-Man villain known as

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...

David, Peter. "The Wacko Theory"; ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' June 4, 1993; Reprinted in the collection ''But I Digress'' (1994); pp. 104–106 although in a 2007

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

story, fan Randy Schueller claims to have devised a version of a black costume for Spider-Man in a story idea that he was paid for. Leonardi and writer

Tom DeFalco Tom DeFalco (born June 26, 1950) is an American comic book writer and editor well known for his association with Marvel Comics, with long runs on ''Amazing Spider-Man'', '' Thor'', and ''Fantastic Four''. Career While in college, DeFalco "wrote f ...

created the

Rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

in ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...

'' #253 (June 1984). For

, Leonardi was one of the artists on ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

'' #400 (Oct. 1986) and he drew the

story in ''

Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the Origin story, origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a One-shot ( ...

'' vol. 2 #20 (Nov. 1987). Back at Marvel,

Chris Claremont Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is a British-born American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on '' Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Claremont, Chris. ''Marve ...

and Leonardi introduced the fictional country of

Genosha Genosha ( or ) is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is an island nation that exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as "Earth 616" in the Marvel Universe and a prominent place in the X-M ...

in ''

'' #235 (Oct. 1988). From 1992 to 1994, Leonardi was the regular penciler for the first 25 issues of '' Spider-Man 2099'' with writer

. Leonardi later launched the ''

Fantastic Four 2099 ''Fantastic Four 2099'' was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the Fantastic Four in the alternate future of Marvel 2099 (Earth-928). It ran for eight issues in 1996. Plot In the year 2099, Mister Fantast ...

'' series with Karl Kesel. Leonardi drew the 2000 intercompany crossover miniseries '' Green Lantern Versus Aliens''. He drew one of the tie-in one-shots for the ''

Sentry Sentry or The Sentry may refer to: Comics *Sentry (Kree) *Sentry (Curtis Elkins) * Sentry (Robert Reynolds) *Senator Ward (comics) or Sentry Vehicles *Sentry (AUV), an autonomous underwater vehicle used to measure deep-ocean data *E-3 Sentry AWAC ...

'' limited series in 2001. His subsequent series work includes ''

'', on which he was the regular penciler for issues #71-84 from 2002 to 2003 and ''

'', of which he drew issues #45–52 from 2003 to 2004. Subsequent miniseries he drew include ''

: General Grievous'' in 2005, and the 2006 movie tie-in, ''

Prequel'' #3. He followed up that with other superhero titles such as ''

'' #665 and #668 (2007), '' JLA: Classified'' #43 (November 2007), '' Witchblade'' #112 (January 2008), and the 2008 miniseries ''DC Universe: Decisions''. Leonardi drew the ''

Vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

'' series that debuted from DC in December 2008. Leonardi and inker

Ande Parks Ande Parks (born October 1, 1964) is an American professional comic book artist, known for his work as an inker and writer in the industry. His best known work has come from his stint with fellow artist Phil Hester on DC Comics' Green Arrow seri ...

are the illustrators on the 2019 ''

Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaborati ...

'' arc written by Dan Jurgens which debuted with issue #31 in April 2019. Although Leonardi had worked on Batman before, this assignment is his first time working on the future-based Batman Beyond, whose concept is similar to ''Spider-Man 2099'', which Leonardi co-created.

Bibliography

Dark Horse Comics

*''Dark Horse Comics'' #1–2 (1992) *'' Green Lantern Versus Aliens'' #1–4 (2000) *''

'' #8, 10 (1999) *''Star Wars:

Darth Vader Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...

and the Lost Command'' #1–5 (2011) *''Star Wars: General Grievous'' #1–4 (2005) *''

Star Wars Tales ''Star Wars Tales'' is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics, beginning on September 29, 1999, and completing its run on July 13, 2005. Each issue is 64 pages and features a few unrelated stories from various eras of the ''Star Wars'' ...

'' #3, 9 (2000–2001)

DC Comics

*'' Adam Strange Special'' #1 (2008) *'' Astro City'' vol. 3 #44 (2017) *''

'' #45–47, 49–50, 52, 54 (2003–2004) *''

'' #400 (1986) *''

'' vol. 6 #31–36 (2019) *''

Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...

'' #39–41 (2002) *''

Booster Gold Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in '' Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has been a member of the Justice League. ...

'' vol. 2 #47 (2011) *''Booster Gold / The Flintstones Special'' #1 (2017) *'' Convergence Batgirl'' #1–2 (2015) *''Convergence Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' #2 (2015) *''DC Universe: Decisions'' #1, 3 (2008) *'' Fables'' #113 (2012) *''

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...

'' #7 (2017) *''

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

/ Huckleberry Hound Special'' #1 (2018) *''JLA: Classified'' #42–46 (2007–2008) *''

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived b ...

Giant'' #1 (2018) *''

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st cent ...

'' vol. 5 #47 (2008) *''Legion Worlds'' #4 (2001) *''New

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to ...

'' vol. 2 #22 (1986) *''

'' #57, 59, 71–75, 78–81, 83–84 (2001–2003) *''Nightwing:

Our Worlds at War "Our Worlds at War" was a comic book storyline, published by DC Comics in mid-2001. OWAW was a crossover storyline that spanned several different books, including several books starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, ...

'' #1 (2001) *'' Sandman Special'' #1 (2017) *'' Scooby Apocalypse'' #17 (2017) *''

'' vol. 2 #20 (

) (1987) *'' Showcase '96'' #7 (1996) *''

Sovereign Seven ''Sovereign Seven'' is a creator-owned American comic book series, created by Chris Claremont and Dwayne Turner, and published by DC Comics. Publication history Launched in April 1995, ''Sovereign Seven'' was created by writer Chris Claremont ...

Annual'' #2 (1996) *''

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

'' vol. 3 #23 (2013) *''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...

'' vol. 5 #27 (2008) *''

'' #665, 668–670, 712 (2007–2011) *''

Prequel'' #3 (2006) *''

'' vol. 2 #1–4, 7–10, 12 (2009–2010) *'' Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' #14 (1986) *''Who's Who: Update '87'' #1 (1987)

Event Comics

*''

Painkiller Jane Painkiller Jane is a fictional superhero created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada for Event Comics in 1995. Originally a five-issue mini-series, the character went on to star in numerous crossover titles with the likes of the Punisher, Vampirel ...

'' #1–5 (1997) *''Painkiller Jane/Hellboy'' #1 (1998)

Marvel Comics

*''

'' # 228, 253–254, 279, 282 (1982–1986) *'' Cable/

Machine Man Machine Man (also known as Aaron Stack, Mister Machine and serial number Z2P45-9-X-51 or X-51 for short) is an android superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Jack Kirby for '' 2001: ...

'98'' #1 (1998) *'' Classic X-Men'' #37 (1989) *''

'' #1–4 (1983) *''Cloak and Dagger'' vol. 2 #1–4, 6 (1985–1986) *''Cloak and Dagger'' vol. 3 #12–16 (1990–1991) *''

Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superhero ...

'' #248–249, 277 (1987–1990) *''

Excalibur Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...

'' #19 (1990) *''Excalibur: Air Apparent'' #1 (1992) *''Excalibur: XX Crossing'' #1 (1992) *''

'' #1 (1996) *''

Generation X Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western demographic cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years and the late 1970s to early 1980s ...

'' #24 (1997) *'' Giant-Size X-Men'' #4 (2005) *'' Impossible Man'' #2 (1991) *'' The Incredible Hulk Annual'' #10 (1981) *''

Marvel Comics Presents ''Marvel Comics Presents'' was an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics originally from 1988 to 1995. It returned for a second volume in 2007–2008, and a third volume that started in 2019. Volume 1 The first volume ...

'' #10–17 (

Colossus Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to: Statues * Any exceptionally large statue ** List of tallest statues ** :Colossal statues * ''Colossus of Barletta'', a bronze statue of an unidentified Roman emperor * ''Col ...

); #101–106 (

Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider. The first s ...

Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...

) (1989–1992) *''

Marvel Fanfare ''Marvel Fanfare'' was an anthology comic book series published by American company Marvel Comics. It was a showcase title featuring a variety of characters from the Marvel universe. Volume one ''Marvel Fanfare'' featured characters and settings ...

'' #14, 19 (1984–1985) *''Marvel Holiday Special'' #4–5 (1995–1997) *''

'' #38, 52–53, 78 (1986–1989) *'' New Thunderbolts'' #96–97 (2006) *'' Phoenix Resurrection: Revelations'' #1 (1995) *''

The Rampaging Hulk ''The Rampaging Hulk'' is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The first volume was a black and white magazine published by Curtis Magazines (an imprint of Marvel) from 1977–1978. With issue #10, it changed its format to color and its ...

'' vol. 2 #1–3, 5–6 (1998–1999) *''

/Spider-Man'' #1 (2001) *'' Sleepwalker'' #4 (1991) *''

The Spectacular Spider-Man ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics. Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Marvel felt the character could support ...

'' # 52, 71 (1981–1982) *''

'' #17 (1991) *'' Spider-Man 2099'' #1–8, 10–13, 15–17, 19–20, 22–25 (1992–1994) *''Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2099'' #1 (1996) *''Tales of the Marvel Universe'' #1 (1997) *''

'' #303, 309 (1981) *''

'' #201, 212, 228, 231, 235, 237, 252 (1986–1989) *'' The Vision and the Scarlet Witch'' #1–4 (1982–1983) *'' Warlock and the Infinity Watch'' #3–4 (1992) *''

X-Man Nathaniel Grey (X-Man) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Steve Skroce, the character first appeared in ''X-Man'' ...

'' #31 (1997) *'' X-Men '99 Annual'' #1 (1999) *''X-Men: True Friends'' #1–3 (1999)

New Paradigm Studios

*''

Watson Watson may refer to: Companies * Actavis, a pharmaceutical company formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals * A.S. Watson Group, retail division of Hutchison Whampoa * Thomas J. Watson Research Center, IBM research center * Watson Systems, make ...

and

Holmes Holmes may refer to: Name * Holmes (surname) * Holmes (given name) * Baron Holmes, noble title created twice in the Peerage of Ireland * Chris Holmes, Baron Holmes of Richmond (born 1971), British former swimmer and life peer Places In the Uni ...

'' #1 (2013)

References

External links

*
Rick Leonardi
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{DEFAULTSORT:Leonardi, Rick 1957 births 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists American comics artists Artists from Philadelphia Dartmouth College alumni DC Comics people Living people Marvel Comics people People from Haverhill, Massachusetts