Amanda Conner is an American comics artist and

commercial art Commercial art is the art of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. Commercial art uses a variety of platforms (magazines, websites, apps, television, etc.) for viewers with the intent of pr ...

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

. She began her career in the late 1980s for

Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.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 19 ...

, before moving on to contribute work for Claypool Comics' '' Soulsearchers and Company'' and Harris Comics' ''

Vampirella Vampirella () is a fictional vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of '' Creep ...

'' in the 1990s. Her 2000s work includes '' Mad'' magazine, and such

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 their f ...

characters as

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker in '' Batman: The Animated Series'', and debuted in it ...

, Power Girl, Atlee. Her other published work includes illustrations for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and ''Revolver'' magazine, advertising work for products such as Arm & Hammer, Playskool, design work for ABC's '' Nightline'', and commercials for A&E's ''Biography'' magazine.

Early life

Amanda Conner studied at The Kubert School in

Dover, New Jersey Dover is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Located on the Rockaway River, Dover is about west of New York City and about west of Newark, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 18,157,

. She names as influences Joe Kubert, for teaching his students to compose pages as if they were to be devoid of any dialogue or word balloons, and Frank Miller for his pacing and his ability to create tension and intense action and reactions.''Creator-Owned Heroes'' #5

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-o ...

. October 2012.

Career

Conner worked at a color separation company, which handled comics coloring prior to the industry adoption of computer programs such as

Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Windows and macOS. It was originally created in 1988 by Thomas and John Knoll. Since then, the software has become the industry standard not only in ras ...

. She subsequently worked in a comic book store. At the time she lived a little over an hour from New York City, and on her days off, would travel to New York City with her father, and use his office at the advertising industry where he worked as a home base from which to call editors at

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 19 ...

and

to request a portfolio review. When granted these interviews, she was told that she had potential, but needed to work on her art more. At this same time she became acquainted with professional artists through her work at the comic shop, and answered an advertisement by artist

Bill Sienkiewicz Boleslav William Felix Robert Sienkiewicz ( ; born May 3, 1958) is an American artist known for his work in comic books—particularly for Marvel Comics' ''New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and ''Elektra: Assassin''. Sienkiewicz's work in the 1980s ...

, who was seeking an assistant. She took the job, which became her first comics work, while continuing to show her portfolio to editors at Marvel and DC. She also illustrated storyboards for the advertising industry.Salavetz, Judith; Drate, Spencer. ''Creating Comics!'', 2010, Rockport Publishers, pp, 34 and 35 After about her sixth or seventh time showing her portfolio, Marvel editor Greg Wright gave Conner her first illustration assignment, an 11-page Yellowjacket back-up story in '' Solo Avengers'' #12 (November 1988). Her other early work includes ''

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 t ...

'' and ''Suburban Jersey Ninja She-Devils'' for Marvel, '' Strip AIDS U.S.A.'' for Last Gasp in 1988, and ''Archie'' and ''

The Adventures of Bayou Billy ''The Adventures of Bayou Billy'' is an action game released by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in 1989 and in the PAL region in 1991. It is a revised version of the 1988 Family Computer game , which has been modified ...

'' stories for

Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York. During this time, she worked with Marvel editor and artist Jimmy Palmiotti (now her husband), who often inks over Conner's pencils. From 1993–1994 she penciled issues #1–10 of

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 ...

and

Richard Howell Richard Howell (October 25, 1754April 28, 1802) was the third governor of New Jersey from 1794 to 1801. Early life and military career Howell was born in Newark in the Colony of Delaware. He was a lawyer and soldier of the early United Stat ...

's creator-owned series, '' Soulsearchers and Company'', which was published by Claypool Comics. In 1994 she penciled '' Barbie Fashion'' #43, a Marvel Comics title that was licensed from the Mattel doll. That same year she did her first

work with ''Vengeance of Vampirella'', a mini-comic that was bundled with an issue of '' Wizard'' magazine. The following year she pencilled issues 2 - 11 of Marvel's '' Gargoyles'', which was based on the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

animated television series of the same name. In 1996 she pencilled ''Kid Death & Fluffy Spring Break Special'' #1 for Topps Comics and ''Tomoe'' #3 for Billy Tucci's Crusade Comics. She also returned to Vampirella with Harris' ''Vampirella Lives'' #1–3, which teamed her with writer

Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including '' Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), '' Global Frequency'' ...

. In 1997 she illustrated the intercompany crossover ''

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 ...

vs.

The Darkness Darkness is the absence of light. Darkness or The Darkness may also refer to: Film and television * ''Dark'' (TV series), a 2017 German-language TV series produced by Netflix * Darknss, a character from the film ''Legend'' (1985) * ''Darkne ...

'' for Event Comics. It was in working on this book that Conner says that she found her niche in the industry, explaining that the licensed characters she had previously worked on, particularly Barbie and Vampirella (the latter of which she stresses she nonetheless enjoyed for the writers she worked with) had narrow emotional ranges, which limited the facial expressions she was able to render. On ''PKJ v. the Darkness'' she discovered that it was possible to render material of a dark tone that incorporated black humor. Conner returned to ''Painkiller Jane'' with a #0 issue, which recounted the character's origin.

Her other comic book credits include ''

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1 (June 1938). Lois ...

'', '' Codename: Knockout'', and ''

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 predato ...

'' for DC Comics, as well as '' Two-Step'' with writer

for the Cliffhanger! imprint of WildStorm Comics (owned by

); '' X-Men Unlimited'' for Marvel; ''Gatecrasher'', which she co-created for

Black Bull Comics Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as GoEnergy and Wizard World, is a producer of multi-genre fan conventions across North America. The company started as the holding company for Strato Malmas' interests in the energy business. Gareb Shamu ...

; and '' The Pro'', a creator-owned book for

with Palmiotti and Garth Ennis. In 2005, she illustrated the origin of Power Girl in ''JSA Classified'' #1-4. She also penciled a '' Blade'' comic to go with the special DVD edition. Her art has appeared on ABC'S '' Nightline'', and in ''

'' and '' MAD'' magazine. She has also done promotional artwork for the

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series '' Who Wants to Be a Superhero?'' and the 2007 feature film '' Underdog''. She does spot illustrations in ''Revolver'' magazine each month. Her commercial art work includes illustrations for the New York City

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

agencies Kornhauser & Calene, and Kidvertisers, for such accounts as Arm & Hammer, Playskool, and

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

. Nike, Inc. commissioned Conner and fellow comics artist Jan Duursema to design the ''Make Yourself: A Super Power''

advertising campaign An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it att ...

in 2011. Conner did modeling/art reference work for the Marvel

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

'' Elektra: Assassin'' in the 1980s, and for artist Joe Jusko's '' Punisher /

'' in 2000. Conner, Palmiotti, and writer Justin Gray work together via their multimedia entertainment company PaperFilms. They collaborated on the '' Terra'' miniseries, which premiered in November 2008, and the first 12 issues of the '' Power Girl''

ongoing series In comics, an ongoing series is a series that runs indefinitely. This is in contrast to limited series (a series intended to end after a certain number of issues thus limited), a one shot (a comic book which is not a part of an ongoing series), ...

, which were published between 2009 and 2010, both of which Conner penciled. in 2009, Conner drew the Supergirl story in '' Wednesday Comics'' which also featured appearance by Krypto and Streaky the Supercat. Following her departure from ''Power Girl'', Conner wrote and pencilled a story published in ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as being ...

'' #600, which featured a team-up between Power Girl, Wonder Woman, and

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 19 ...

. IDW Publishing released ''The Art of Amanda Conner'' in April 2012 while DC Comics published ''DC Comics: The Sequential Art of Amanda Conner'' the following November. In 2012–2013, Conner drew the '' Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre'' limited series which she co-wrote with Darwyn Cooke. Cooke had insisted on having Conner as a collaborator on the series, stating that "I knew I had something to say about Laurie, and I needed somebody to collaborate with who could help realize it. The only person I know alive that could do that was Amanda. So I kind of made it a fuck-or-walk situation, you know? aughs.'We get Amanda, or I can’t do this.' So that made it incumbent upon C co-publisherDan iDioto bring Amanda into it." Conner and Palmiotti launched a ''

'' ongoing series in November 2013. She provided the design concepts for the DC Universe streaming ''Harley Quinn'' animated series. Many of the story line ideas and dialog have been used for source material on the episodes. These concepts have also been launching points for both the Birds of Prey and Suicide Squad feature movies. Conner's art was featured in "

The Perspiration Implementation The ninth season of the American sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'' premiered on CBS on Monday, September 21, 2015. The series returned to its regular Thursday night time slot on November 5, 2015 beginning with the season's seventh episode. The season ...

", the October 19, 2015, episode of the American sitcom '' The Big Bang Theory''. In the episode, comic book store owner

Stuart Bloom The American television sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'', created and executive produced by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007, while the American comedy spin-off prequel television series ''Young Sheldon'', creat ...

asks the women for ideas on how to attract more women to his shop, and Amy Farrah Fowler ( Mayim Bialik) points out that an illustration hanging on one of the shop's walls, "Girl on a Leash", may not be conducive to attracting female customers. The image, which was illustrated by Conner and colored by Paul Mounts, depicts a scantily-clad woman being held on a chain leash by a muscular, whip-wielding masked man. The piece was custom-drawn for the show by Conner. In 2015, Conner was voted as the #2 top female comics artist of all time. On May 18, 2019, at the Comic Con Revolution event in

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan are ...

, Conner was named the 2019 recipient of the Joe Kubert Distinguished Storyteller Award, which is given to "outstanding comic book creators who exemplify both Joe Kubert's artistic talent and his commitment to nurturing the comic book community."

Technique and materials

While reading each page of a script, Conner does tiny thumbnail sketches with stick figures corresponding to the story indicated on each page, in order to help her design the page's layout. She then does tighter, more elaborate sketches, though still fairly small compared with the finished artwork, approximately , and then blows those up on a

photocopier A photocopier (also called copier or copy machine, and formerly Xerox machine, the generic trademark) is a machine that makes copies of documents and other visual images onto paper or plastic film quickly and cheaply. Most modern photocopiers u ...

to the proper original comic art size, which is 10 inches x 15 inches. She then uses "very tight pencils" to light-box it onto Bristol board, if she intends to have it inked by her husband and collaborator, Jimmy Palmiotti, but will do the pencils "lighter and looser" if she intends to ink it herself, as she already knows how she wants the artwork rendered. Conner has created her own paper stock and blue line format on her drawing paper, because, she explains, she likes having those configurations pre-printed on the page, and feels that "sometimes the rough is too toothy and the smooth is too slick." The stock she uses is the Strathmore 500 series, but she also orders a custom stock because she sometimes finds those dimensions more comfortable and easier to work on more quickly. She also finds the Strathmore 300 series "pretty good", in that she appreciates its texture and greater affordability, but says that she must occasionally contend with getting a "bleedy batch". Conner uses mechanical pencils with .03 lead because she finds it easier to use than regular pencils that require her to stop and sharpen them frequently. When working on one of her own projects, such as ''The Pro'', she prefers to letter the art herself, before the inking stage, as she appreciates the handmade, organic look and feel of hand lettering, in contrast to the computer lettering with which most books are currently produced. To ink her own artwork, she uses Staedtler .03, .01 and .005 technical pen, and will sometimes use a Copic .005 for extremely fine work, as these implements feel better in her hands than crowquills and brushes. As her artwork is open and lacks much shading, Conner feels that Paul Mounts is a compatible colorist for her work, as he achieves "the right amount of bounciness or moodiness, depending on what's needed." Conner has stated that her favorite things to draw are facial expressions and body language.

Personal life

Conner has lived in Los Angeles;

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

; and Connecticut. She and her husband and frequent collaborator Jimmy Palmiotti lived in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

, New York City but as of 2010 live in Florida, which Palmiotti referred to in an interview as the "sixth borough of New York."

Awards

* 2010 Inkwell Awards All-in-One Award"2010 Inkwell Awards Winners"
/ref> * 2014

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual co ...

."2014 Inkpot Award Winners Photo Gallery"
Comic-Con International: San Diego. October 15, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2019. * 2019 Joe Kubert Distinguished Storyteller Award

Bibliography

Archie Comics

*''

'' # 1–4 (1989–1990)

Black Bull Entertainment

*''Gatecrasher'' #1-6 (2000–2001) *''Gatecrasher: Ring of Fire'' #1-4 (2000)

Claypool Comics

* '' Soulsearchers and Company'' #1–10 (1993–1995)

DC Comics

*'' 9-11: The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember, Volume Two'' (2002) *''Ame-Comi Girls Featuring Wonder Woman'' #1 (2012) *''

'' #65–66 *'' Before Watchmen'': Silk Spectre #1–4 (2012) *''

'' #47–49 (2002–2003) *'' Codename: Knockout'' #6, 9, 13–14 (2001–2002) *'' Green Arrow/

Black Canary The Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics: Dinah Drake and her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance. The original version was created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and ...

Wedding Special'' #1 (2007) *''

'' vol. 2 #0, 1–30, ''Annual'' #1 (2014–2016) *''Harley Quinn'' vol. 3 #1–26, 28-34 (2016-2018) *''Harley Quinn and Power Girl'' #1–6 (2015–2016) *''Harley Quinn: Futures End'' #1 (2014) *''Harley Quinn Holiday Special'' #1 (2015) *''Harley Quinn Invades Comic-Con International: San Diego'' #1 (2014) *''Harley Quinn: Our Worlds at War'' #1 (2001) *''Harley Quinn: Road Trip Special'' #1 (2015) *''Harley Quinn Valentine's Day Special'' #1 (2015) *''Harley's Little Black Book'' #1–5 (2016–2017) *'' Joker: Last Laugh Secret Files'' #1 (2001) *''

JSA Classified The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...

''#1–4 (2005) *'' Legion of Super-Heroes'' vol. 5 #13–14 (2006) *''Looney Tunes'' #100 (2003) *'' Power Girl'' #1–12 (2009–2010) *''

Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...

80-Page Giant'' #1 (1998) *'' Starman'' #14 (1995) *'' Supergirl'' vol. 5 #12 (2007) *'' Superman: Lois Lane'' #1 ( GirlFrenzy) (1998) *'' Terra'' #1–4 (2009) *''Two-Step'' #1–3 (2003–2004) *'' Wednesday Comics'' #1–12 (Supergirl) (2009) *''

'' #600 ("Fuzzy Logic" short story) (2010)

Event Comics

*''Kid Death & Fluffy Spring Break Special'' #1 (1996) *''Legends of Kid Death & Fluffy'' #1 (1997) *''

'' #0 (1999) *''Painkiller Jane/ Darkchylde'' #1 *''Painkiller Jane vs. The Darkness: "Stripper"'' #1 (1997)

Harris Comics

*''Vampirella Death and Destruction'' #1-3 (1996) *''Vampirella:

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. ...

Trick & Treat'' #1 (2004) *''Vampirella Lives'' #1–3 (1996–1997) *''Vampirella Monthly'' #1–3 ("Ascending Evil") and #7–9 ("Queen's Gambit," (with Billy

Tucci Tucci is a surname of Italian origin, and may refer to: * Carmine Tucci (born 1933), Italian ice hockey player * Christine Tucci (born 1967), American actress * Davide Tucci (born 1987), Italian-Maltese actor and model * Debara L. Tucci, America ...

's SHI) (1997) *''

25th anniversary special'' (1996) *'' Vengeance of Vampirella'' (1996) ''Wizard'' #55 supplemental mini-comic *'' Vengeance of Vampirella'' (1996) #25

Image Comics

*'' The Pro'' #1 (2002)

Marvel Comics

*'' Avengers West Coast Annual'' #4 (1989) *'' Barbie'' #3–4 (1991) *''

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been ...

'' vol. 2 #8 (1999) *''

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 superher ...

'' vol. 2 #½ *''

'' #80 (1994) *''Gargoyles'' #1–6, 9–11 (1995) *'' Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man'' #14 *'' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #3 ( Wasp) (1990) *''Marvel Romance Redux: Guys & Dolls ''#1 *'' Nick Fury's Howling Commandos'' #3 (2006) *'' She-Hulk'' vol. 2 #3 *'' Solo Avengers'' #12 ( Yellowjacket) (1988) *''

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 ...

'' #1 (variant cover) (2015) *''Suburban Jersey Ninja She-Devils'' #1 (1992) *'' X-Men Unlimited'' #35 (2002)

References

External links

PaperFilms: Amanda Conner
*
Amanda Conner
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{DEFAULTSORT:Conner, Amanda 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists American female comics artists American comics writers DC Comics people Female comics writers Inkpot Award winners Living people Marvel Comics people The Kubert School alumni Year of birth missing (living people)