Klaus Janson (born January 23, 1952) 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 comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literar ...

, working regularly for

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 ...

and

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 ...

and sporadically for independent companies. While he is best known as an

inker The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production. After the penciller creates a drawing with pencil, the inker interprets this drawing by outlining and embellishing ...

, Janson has frequently worked as a penciller and colorist.

Early life

Klaus Janson was born in

Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. He emigrated to the United States in 1957, settling with his family in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, where he lived in

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Is ...

from 1957 to 1972. When he was young, his

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

collection was thrown away by his mother. Janson then became interested in the premiering character Daredevil, who wasn't popular among Janson's friends.

Career

After a short stint as assistant to

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Ear ...

in the early 1970s, Janson's first credited comics artwork was published by

in '' Jungle Action'' #6 (Sept. 1973). Janson came to prominence as the inker over

Sal Buscema Sal Buscema ( ; born Silvio Buscema, , on January 26, 1936) is an American comics artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he had a ten-year run as artist of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk'' and an eight-year run as art ...

's pencils on '' The Defenders''. Since then he has freelanced on most of the major titles at Marvel and DC. In 1975 he began a long run as inker on '' Daredevil'', running from #124 (Aug. 1975) to #196 (July 1983). With #171 the series went from bi-monthly to monthly; unable to handle the increased workload, then-writer/penciler Frank Miller began increasingly relying on Janson for the artwork, sending him looser and looser pencils beginning with #173. By issue #185, Miller had virtually relinquished his role as Daredevil's artist, and was providing only rough layouts for Janson to pencil, ink, and color. After Miller's departure, Janson drew the series by himself for four issues. Janson began working for

in the early 1980s and inked

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the Social Security Death Index via ...

's pencils on ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...

'' and ''

Jemm Jemm is a fictional Extraterrestrial life, alien character appearing in various comic book series published by DC Comics. He is an analogue of and occasional ally of Martian Manhunter. Publication history Jemm was created by Greg Potter and Gene C ...

, Son of Saturn''. Janson was one of the artists on ''

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

'' #400 (Oct. 1984) and was one of the contributors to the '' DC Challenge'' limited series. His collaboration with Miller on ''Daredevil'' would soon be eclipsed by a second collaboration between them, on '' Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'' in 1986. Janson has frequently pencilled and inked for various Batman titles, including the first ''

Annual'' with writer

Dennis O'Neil Dennis "Denny" Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until h ...

, " Gothic" with

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...

, and " Knightfall" with

Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer of comics, novels, short stories, newspaper feature articles, weekly newspaper comic strips, film screenplays and teleplays. He is notable for his ''Batman'' wo ...

. In 1994, Janson drew the ''Batman-Spawn: War Devil''

intercompany crossover A crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders (known as intercompany ...

which was written by Moench,

Chuck Dixon Charles Dixon (born April 14, 1954) is an American comic book writer, best known for his work on the Marvel Comics character the Punisher and on the DC Comics characters Batman, Nightwing, and Robin in the 1990s and early 2000s. Early life D ...

, and Alan Grant. Janson wrote a short story in the

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' Batman: Black and White'' #3 (August 1996). Janson drew part of the " Cataclysm" crossover as well. Janson and writer

Mike Baron Mike Baron (born July 1, 1949) is an American comic book writer and novelist. He is the creator of ''Badger (comics), Badger'' and the co-creator of ''Nexus (comics), Nexus'' with Steve Rude. He is also well known as the first writer on Marvel Co ...

introduced the character

Microchip An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a set of electronic circuits, consisting of various electronic components (such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors) and their interconnections. These components a ...

as an ally of the Punisher in '' The Punisher'' #4 (November 1987). In 1993, Janson drew a three-part story featuring Electro for ''

'' #38–40. Janson inked the early issues of ''

The Sensational Spider-Man ''The Sensational Spider-Man'' is a comic book series starring Spider-Man (Ben Reilly) published by Marvel Comics for 35 issues (#0–33, with #−1 published in July 1997 between #17 and 18), from January 1996 until November 1998. Publication ...

'' which had been written and penciled by

Dan Jurgens Dan Jurgens (; born June 27, 1959) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC Comics, DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday (DC Comics), Doomsday, Hank H ...

. Janson's work as an inker and occasional penciler at Marvel Comics includes collaborations with John Romita Jr. on ''

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 ...

'', ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...

'' and ''

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, 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 Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

''. His other work includes ''Batman: Death and the Maidens'', '' World War Hulk'', ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...

'', '' Logan's Run'', and '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''. In 2010, he inked Romita Jr.'s pencils on ''The Avengers''. and in 2014 the two artists collaborated on ''Superman''. Janson was one of the artists on '' The Dark Knight III: The Master Race'' which was co-written by Frank Miller and

Brian Azzarello Brian Azzarello (born August 11, 1962) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter who first came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series ''100 Bullets'', published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo. ...

. Janson has taught sequential storytelling at the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Silas ...

in New York City since the 1990s and has written both ''The DC Comics Guide to Pencilling Comics'' and ''The DC Comics Guide to Inking Comics.'' Janson also holds annual seminars at Marvel for the editorial staff and their up-and-coming artists, and taught short courses on comics storytelling for the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. In 2015, Janson was the Guest of Honor at the 2015 Inkwell Awards Awards Ceremony at HeroesCon.

Awards

* 1987 Kirby Award: ** Best Art Team (with Frank Miller) for '' Daredevil'' ** Best Single Issue for '' Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'' #1 * 1989 Golden Apple Award for Best Artist (Anglo-Saxon Comics Festival) * 2000 Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards for Favorite Reprint Graphic Album for '' Manhunter: The Special Edition'' * 2004

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

for Best Graphic Album — Reprint for ''

The Batman Adventures ''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman, set in the universe of Batman: The Animated Series and its successors. Overview ''The Batman Adventures'' was created to tie-in with the '' Batman: The Animated Series' ...

: Dangerous Dames & Demons'' * 2010

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...

for Best Inker for ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' * 2010 Inkwell Award The Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award * 2011 Shel Dorf Awards for Inker of the Year * 2012

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 Comic-Con Internati ...

* 2013 Harvey Award for Best Inker for ''Captain America'' * 2013 Inkwell Award for Favorite Inker * 2015 Inkwell Awards Guest of Honor * 2016 Harvey Award for Best Inker for '' The Dark Knight III: The Master Race''

Bibliography

Image

* ''Sacred Creatures'' #1–8 (2018)

Atlas/Seaboard Comics

* ''Wulf the Barbarian'' #1–2 (1975)

DC Comics

*'' 9-11 – The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember'' Volume 2 (2002) *''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' #447, 800 (1975, 2003) *'' The Adventures of Superman'' #458, 526, 539 (1989–1996) *'' Atari Force'' #14 (1985) *''

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

'' #30 (2002) *''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

'' #343–345, 348, 553–554, ''80-Page Giant'' #1 (1982–1998) *''

Annual'' #1 (1994) *'' Batman Black and White'' #3 (1996) *'' The Batman Chronicles'' #12 (1998) *''Batman: Death and the Maidens'' #1–9 (2003–2004) *''Batman: Gordon of Gotham'' #1–4 (1998) *''Batman: Gordon's Law'' #1–4 (1996) *'' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #6–10 (1990) *'' Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' #55 (1996) *'' Batman-Spawn: War Devil'' #1 (1994) *'' Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure'' #1 (2002) *'' Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'' #1–4 (1986) *''Batman 3-D Graphic Novel'' #1 (1990, one page) *''Batman: Toyman'' #1 (1998) *'' Big Book of Little Criminals'' (1996, one page) *'' Convergence Batman and Robin'' #1–2 (2015) *''Dark Days: The Casting'' #1 (2017) *''Dark Days: The Forge'' #1 (2017) *'' The Dark Knight III: The Master Race'' #1–9 (2016–2017) *'' DC Challenge'' #4 (1986) *''

DC Comics Presents ''DC Comics Presents'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the DC Universe. A recurring bac ...

'' #82 (

and Adam Strange) (1985) *'' DC Science Fiction Graphic Novel'' #3 (1985) (adaptation of

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury ( ; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, Horror fiction, horr ...

's " Frost and Fire") *''DCU Holiday Bash III'' (1999) *''

'' (Batman) #510, 512, 528, 547, 553–554, 568, 681, 685–686, 720–721, 783, ''Annual'' #1, 10; (

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

) #446; (

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...

) #549–550 (1975–2003) *''

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

'' #1 (1978) *''

'' #123, 137 (1997–1998) *'' Heroes Against Hunger'' #1 (1986, two pages) *''

, Son of Saturn'' #1–5, 7 (1984–1985) *'' JLA: Classified'' #16–18 (2006) *'' Justice League Dark Annual'' #2 (2014) *'' Just Imagine Stan Lee With Scott McDaniel Creating Aquaman'' (2002) *'' The Kamandi Challenge'' #7 (2017) *''Legends of the DC Universe'' #20–21, 28–29, 37–38, ''80-Page Giant'' #2 (1999–2001) *'' Legion Worlds'' #5 (2001) *'' Lobo: A Contract On Gawd'' #1 (1994) *'' New Challengers'' #1–3 (2018) *'' Orion'' #18 (2001) *''

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 ...

'' vol. 2 #33 (1988) *'' Showcase '93'' #7–8 (1993) *'' Silverblade'' #1 (1987) *'' Spectre'' vol. 3 #53 (1997) *'' Strange Adventures'' vol. 2 #2 (1999) *''

'' #400 (1984) *''Superman'' vol. 3 #32–38, 40–41, 44 (2014–2015) *''Superman Forever'' #1 (1998) *''Superman Lex 2000'' #1 (2001) *'' Superman: The Man of Steel'' #41 (1995) *'' Tangent Comics/The Batman'' #1 (1998) *''Who's Who in Star Trek'' #2 (1987) *''

Who's Who in the DC Universe ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' (1985–87), usually referred to simply as ''Who's Who'', is the umbrella title for a number of comic book series which DC Comics published to catalogue the wide variety of fictional ch ...

Update 1993'' #1 (1992) *''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' #2, 5, 7 (1985) *''World's Finest Comics'' #300 (1984)

Marvel Comics

*''Amazing Adventures'' #25 (1974) *''

'' #209, 244, 250–251, 546, 568–573, 600, 663–664, 674–675, 680–681, 688–691, ''Annual'' #15, ''Annual 2000'' (1980–2012) *''Astonishing Tales'' #31, 33–35 (1974–1976) *''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #172–173, 182–184, 382, ''Annual'' #15 (1978–1995) *''The Avengers'' vol. 4 #1–12, 14, 16–17 (2010–2011) *''Avengers: The Ultron Imperative'' #1 (2001) *''

'' #4–9, 11–15, 17–23 (1979–1981) *''Marvel Preview, Bizarre Adventures'' #27 (1981) *''

'' vol. 2 #36 (2001) *''Black Panther'' vol. 3 #1–6, 10–18 (2005–2006) *''Blood and Glory: Punisher/Captain America'' #1–3 (1992) *''Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Captain Marvel #33, 37–39 (1974–1975) *''Creatures on the Loose'' #33 (1975) *'' Daredevil'' #124–132, 140, 147–152, 156–161, 163–197, 234, 500, ''Annual'' #5 (1975–1986, 2009) *''Daredevil'' vol. 2 #50 (2003) *''Daredevil: End of Days'' #1–7 (2012–2013) *''Defenders (comics), Defenders'' #13, 15, 19, 35–47, 51, 55–56, 58, ''Giant-Size'' #2, ''Annual'' #1 (1974–1978) *''Defenders'' vol. 2 #1–3 (2001) *''Doctor Strange (comic book), Doctor Strange'' vol. 2 #6 (1975) *''Elektra (comics), Elektra Saga'' #1–4 (1984) *''Fall of the Hulks: Gamma'' #1 (2010) *''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' #296 (1986) *''Fantastic Four Roast'' #1 (1982) *''Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix'' #1–2 (1996) *''Gambit (Marvel Comics), Gambit'' #1–4 (1993–1994) *''Gambit'' vol. 2 #1–4 (1997) *''Ghost Rider, Wolverine, Punisher: Hearts of Darkness'' #1 (1991) *''Heroes for Hope'' #1 (1985, two pages) *''Howard the Duck'' #14–21, 25–27 (1977–1978) *''Howard the Duck'' (black and white magazine) #1–2, 4 (1979–1980) *''The Rampaging Hulk, The Hulk'' #17–18 (Moon Knight backup stories) (1979) *''Hulk Smash'' #1–2 (2001) *''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk'' #227 (1978) *'' Jungle Action'' #6–12 (1973–1974) *''Kingpin (comics), Kingpin'' #1–7 (2003–2004) *''Kull of Atlantis, Kull the Conqueror'' #3, 5–6 (1983–1984) *'' Logan's Run'' #1–5, 7 (1977) *''Man-Thing'' #12 (1974) *''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #42 (1992) *''Marvel Age Annual'' #4 (1988) *''Marvel Comics Presents'' #1–10, 165 (1988–1994) *''Marvel Double-Shot'' #4 (2003) *''Marvel Holiday Special'' #1 (1992) *''Marvel Knights'' #1–6 (2000) *''Marvel Premiere'' #31 (1976) *''Marvel Preview'' #13 (1978) *''Marvel Spotlight'' #33 (1977) *''Marvel Comics Super Special, Marvel Super Special'' #3–4, 15, 18 (1978–1981) *''Marvel Treasury Edition'' #12 (1977) *''Marvel Two-in-One'' #10 (1975) *''Master of Kung Fu (comics), Master of Kung Fu'' #23 (1974) *''Midnight Sons Unlimited'' #1 (1993) *''The Mighty Avengers'' #15 (2008) *''Monsters Unleashed (comics), Monsters Unleashed'' #3 (1973) *''Moon Knight'' #4–7 (1981) *''Nova (Richard Rider), Nova'' #25 (1979) *''Power Man and Iron Fist, Power Man'' #39 (1977) *'' The Punisher'' vol. 2 #1–5 (1987–1988) *''The Punisher War Journal (1988 series), The Punisher War Journal'' #11 (1989) *''The Punisher War Zone (1992 series), The Punisher War Zone'' #1–7 (1992) *''Savage Sword of Conan'' #48 (1980) *''

'' #0, 1–6 (1996) *''Silver Surfer (comic book), Silver Surfer Annual '97'' #1 (1997) *''

'' #26, 38–40, 49 (1992–1994) *''Spider-Man Unlimited (comics), Spider-Man Unlimited'' vol. 2 #15 (2006) *''Spider-Man: The Lost Years'' #1–3 (1995) *''Shadowline (Epic Comics), St. George'' #1–6 (1988–1989) *''Star Trek (comics), Star Trek'' #4–7, 10 (1980–1981) *''Star Wars (1977 comic book), Star Wars Annual'' #3 (1983) *''Supernatural Thrillers'' #12 (1975) *''Hyperion (comics), Supreme Power: Hyperion'' #1–5 (2005–2006) *''Tales of the Marvel Universe'' #1 (1997) *''Tarzan in comics, Tarzan'' #14–19 (1978) *'' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' #1 (1991) *''Thor (Marvel Comics), Thor'' #240, ''Annual'' #6 (1975–1977) *''Thor'' vol. 2 #1–8, 10–13, 15–17, 19–22, 26–27, ''Annual 1999'' (1998–2000) *''The Tomb of Dracula'' vol. 2 #4 (1980) *''Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction'' #3 (1975) *''Vampire Tales'' #2–3 (1973–1974) *''What If (comics), What If...?'' #3, 28 (1977–1981) *''What If...?'' vol. 2 #100 (1997) *''

'' vol. 2 #2, 17–22 (1988–1990) *''Wolverine'' vol. 3 #20–31 (2004–2005) *'' World War Hulk'' #1–5 (2007–2008) *''X-Men Chronicles'' #1 (1995) *''X-Men: Legacy'' #208 (2008)

References

External links

*
Klaus Janson
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{DEFAULTSORT:Janson, Klaus 1952 births American comics artists American art educators Artists from Bridgeport, Connecticut Comics inkers Emigrants from West Germany to the United States Inkpot Award winners Living people Marvel Comics people Artists from Coburg School of Visual Arts faculty DC Comics people