Joe Phillips is an American artist, known for his gay-themed illustration, erotic animation, and his earlier work on superhero comic books.

Early life

Phillips was born in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Georgia in 1969. He attended Northside School of the Arts, where he learned skills such as set design and designing costumes. Upon graduation he traveled to Europe where he took part in projects such as guerrilla street art.

Career

Comic books

Upon his return to the United States, he worked on the comic book series '' Southern Knights''. His first major comic book job was penciling eight issues of the comic book '' Speed Racer'' for

NOW Comics NOW Comics was a comic book publisher founded in late 1985 by Tony C. Caputo as a sole-proprietorship. During the four years after its founding, NOW grew from a one-man operation to operating in 12 countries, and published almost 1,000 comic bo ...

, starting in 1988. In 1989 he took over penciling interiors and covers for

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

' ''

Mister Miracle Mister Miracle is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first and third are humans Thaddeus Brown and Shilo Norman, while the second is New God Scott Free. The Scott Free incarnat ...

'' with issue #7, continuing until the series ended in 1991. He then penciled two issues of ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

'', filling in between retiring artist

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (c ...

and new regular artist Jill Thompson, and went on to produce art for DC and

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

titles including ''

Justice League of America The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...

'', ''

Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...

'', ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

'', ''

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a 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 centuries of t ...

'', '' The Incredible Hulk'', and '' Lobo''.Joe Phillips - Comic Book Database
Retrieved September 16, 2007. Phillips was one of the founding members of Gai-Jin Studios, a comic book studio whose past members include artists such as

Adam Hughes Adam Hughes (born May 5, 1967) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known to American comic book readers for his renderings of pinup-style female characters, and his cover work on titles such as ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Catwoman''. ...

and Brian Stelfreeze. In late 1992, Phillips penciled a story arc featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes character Timber Wolf, written and inked by Al Gordon. In 1996 he created a new comic book character, Heretic, published by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

. Other later work included ''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

'', ''

Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...

'', ''

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, ...

'', and ''

Superboy Superboy is an identity used by several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series ...

''. In 2008, Phillips worked on the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' comic book.

LGBT-themed work

In his art for the ''Superboy'' comic ''Superboy & Risk: Double Shot'', Phillips dropped "

easter eggs Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are Egg decorating, decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter ...

" hinting at his homosexuality.Joe Phillips Autobiography
Retrieved September 16, 2007. Eriq Chang, art director of gay-youth-focused '' XY Magazine'', noticed and hired Phillips to draw a comic strip that would become known as "Joe Boy". In September 1999, Phillips co- founded Xodus USA, through which he designed sold clothing and gay-themed accessories, which were carried by online clothing retailer International Male. After that partnership was dissolved in August 2000, Phillips produced calendars and other print materials for 10% Productions. It was during this period that Phillips was engaged by Ska Killers, Toasters, USA. Phillips was approached by the hardcore porn website Karas Adult Playground to produce adult animation, his first – ''Cumquest'' – was a spoof on the popular sci-fi series ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

''. Another animation job followed for the gay porn website Absolutely Male for which Phillips created the animation '' The House of Morecock'', a story about a gay

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

investigator. ''Morecock'' proved to be very popular and a set of 10 episodes was released on DVD by 10% Productions in 2001. In 2002 ''Morecock'' won a GayVN award in the category "Best Alternative Release". A series of comic strip books followed alongside sets of postcard books. TLA Video lists ''Morecock'' as one of their all-time bestselling titles. In 2001 Phillips released "Boys Will Be Boys" - a calendar featuring original gay-themed art. In 2003 a book of the same title was released; it featured the art from the 2002 and 2003 calendars and incorporated some new original pieces. ''Boys'' was the first gay-themed comic book that

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

Bruno Gmunder released. Due to its success, in 2007 the book was re-released as an "Extended Edition" containing nearly double the amount of art. The calendar continues to be released annually. In 2003 Phillips helped launch ''Xodus Magazine'', with former Xodus USA co-founder and current publisher Nicholas Reedy. The magazine was created for the gay community and featured covers, a cartoon series and spot illustration by Phillips as well as a wrap-up column at the end of each issue. The magazine featured an

advice column An advice column is a column in a question and answer format. Typically, a (usually anonymous) reader writes to the media outlet with a problem in the form of a question, and the media outlet provides an answer or response. The responses are w ...

from mothers of gay people. After three years of successful distribution, the magazine ended publication after a long legal battle eventually drained its resources. Other clients who commissioned Phillips for gay work include ID Lube, Elbow Grease, Inside Pride, Jocko Underwear, ''Odyssey Magazine'', ''Gloss Magazine'', '' Gay and Lesbian Times San Diego'', '' Freshmen'', All Boy, Cyber Socket, and Prism Comics plus singers Ari Gold, Justus Boys, Alan Gnuo and Levi Kreis. He also created the art for the comic book character Rage, which featured in the second season of the Showtime series '' Queer as Folk''. In 2004 he was the Artist Guest of Honor at Gaylaxicon, the annual national

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

, horror,

comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

and gaming convention. In 2006 with Adult Visual Animation, Phillips released his second adult-themed animated film, ''Stonewall & Riot: The Ultimate Orgasm''. The film was a cross-over of the two genres Phillips was known for - superheroes and work for the gay community. The film was created entirely in

3D graphics 3D computer graphics, sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics, are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for the purposes of perfor ...

. As with his previous film, ''Stonewall & Riot'' was nominated for a GayVN award.

Other work

Phillips worked for BudLight, for which he created unique art for a nationwide year-long ad campaign featuring his signature "Joe Boys". He also created the artwork for the front cover of multiple "Masterbeat" compilation CD's by DJ Brett Hendricson. He was one of four finalists for a MySpace competition in which Dashboard Confessional searched for their next music video and he was also a finalist in a nationwide advertising campaign by

Kraft Foods Kraft Foods Group, Inc. was an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate (company), conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. on October 1, 2012, and was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz on July ...

. A music video for singer Ari Gold which he directed and animated won

LOGOs ''Logos'' (, ; ) is a term used in Western philosophy, psychology and rhetoric, as well as religion (notably Logos (Christianity), Christianity); among its connotations is that of a rationality, rational form of discourse that relies on inducti ...

"Music Video of The Year 2007".LOGO Online: The Click List - 2007 Top 10 Music Videos
Retrieved December 14, 2007. In late 2008 his comic book creation ''The Heretic'' was re-released in a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

format. He has also worked with gay porn producer Chi Chi LaRue to create promotional art for Channel 1 Releasing. In June 2009, Phillips won a Nicky award for "Outstanding Community Artist". In 2013, Phillips animated and directed the official music video for UK Rock singer/songwriter Matt Fishel's single " When Boy Meets Boy"."Matt Fishel - When Boy Meets Boy (Official Music Video)"
YouTube. 02 June 2013. Retrieved on 14 June 2013."Watch: Matt Fishel's When Boy Meets Boy"
'' Out Magazine'', United States, 03 June 2013. Retrieved on 17 June 2013. Described by '' Out Magazine'' as a "cute (and sexy)" love story "with a superhero twist", it shows an animated version of Fishel meeting a mysterious skater boy in a bar and concludes with a superhero fight and rescue sequence. British magazine The Gay UK called it "one of the best music videos we've seen in a long time." On 30 October 2013, the video for " When Boy Meets Boy" won the 2013 RightOutTV Music & Video Award for Best Pop/Rock Video. Phillips created the artwork for Matt Fishel's debut album '' Not Thinking Straight'', which was released in April 2013 on Young Lust Records. The album booklet comprises 18 original illustrations by Phillips, each representing a different song's lyrics and portraying themes and issues surrounding young gay life, relationships, and experiences.Hopps, Gordon
"Songs In The Key Of Gay - Matt Fishel"
'' Bent Magazine'', UK, 15 March 2013. Retrieved on 13 June 2013. Phillips created the artwork for Matt Fishel's 2013 singles " Radio-Friendly Pop Song", " When Boy Meets Boy", and " Oh Santa!".

Bibliography

Movies

*''Stonewall & Riot: The Ultimate Orgasm'' (October 2006) *'' The House of Morecock'' (September 2001)

Art books and illustration

*''Boys Will Be Boys – Extended Edition'' (April 2007) *''Chasing Adonis: Gay Men And the Pursuit of Perfection'' (Illustration Only) (January 2007) *''Cali Boys'' (April 2006) *''Ari Gold'' (Illustrations only) (October 2005) *''Tales From The House Of Morecock, Vol 2'' (September 2005) *''The House Of Morecock'' (Postcard Book) (August 2005) *''Tales From The House Of Morecock'' (June 2005) *''The Joy Of Gay Sex'' (Illustrations Only) (May 2004) *''For The Boys'' (Postcard Book) (April 2004) *''For The Boys'' (April 2004) *''The Adventures of a Joe Boy! Volume One'' (March 2004) *''Reeling in the Years: Gay Men's Perspectives on Age and Ageism'' (Illustrations only) (January 2004) *''Boys Will Be Boys (Postcard Book)'' (March 2003) *''Boys Will Be Boys'' (March 2003) *''Sissyphobia: Gay Men and Effeminate Behaviour'' (Illustrations Only) (June 2001)

Comic books

*''

'' #1-#2 (January 2008 - February 2008) (penciller) *'' Midnighter'' #3 (March 2007) (penciller) *'' 10th Muse'' #13 (September 2006) (cover artist) *'' Prism Comics: Your LGBT Guide To Comics'' #3 (2005) (cover artist) *'' Thundercats: Reclaiming Thundera'' #5 (February 2003) (penciller & inker) *'' Body Doubles'' #4 (January 2000) (cover artist & penciller) *'' Jokers Wild'' #1 (September 1998) (cover artist & penciller) *''Superboy & Risk: Double Shot'' #1 (February 1998) (cover artist & penciller) *''The Heretic'' #1 - #4 (November 1996 - March 1997) (writer, cover artist & penciller) *''

'' #97 - #100 (October 1994 - January 1995) (cover artist) *'' Aliens: Colonial Marines'' #4-#6, #8-#10 (April 1993 - July 1994) (cover artist) *'' Timber Wolf'' #1 - #5 (November 1992 - February 1993) (cover artist & penciller) *''

'' #56, #60 (July 1991, November 1991) (penciller) *''

'' #7 - #28 (August 1989 - July 1991) (cover artist & penciller) *'' Speed Racer'' #12 - #19 (August 1988 - April 1989) (penciller)

Video games

*''My Ex-Boyfriend the Space Tyrant'' (2012) (character artist) *''Escape from Pleasure Planet'' (2016) (character artist) *''OscarWildeCard'' (2023) (character artist)

References

External links

Official WebsiteMySpace Page
*
Joe Phillips at Bruno Gmuender
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Joe 1969 births 20th-century African-American artists 21st-century African-American artists African-American comics writers African-American comics artists African-American LGBTQ people African-American male writers American comics artists American comics writers American erotic artists American gay artists American gay writers American LGBTQ screenwriters DC Comics people Flash artists Hentai creators Inkpot Award winners LGBTQ comics creators LGBTQ people from Georgia (U.S. state) Living people