Rick Leonardi (born August 9, 1957) is an American comics artist 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 19 ...

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 their f ...

, including '' Cloak and Dagger'', ''The Uncanny X-Men'', ''The New Mutants'', '' Spider-Man 2099'', '' Nightwing'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Green Lantern Versus Aliens ''Green Lantern versus Aliens'' is a four-issue comic book intercompany crossover mini-series published jointly by DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics monthly from September to December 2000. It is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by penciller Ric ...

'' and '' Superman''. He has worked on feature film tie-in comics such as '' Star Wars: General Grievous'' and '' Superman Returns 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. Sinc ...

, 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 Ce ...

. Leonardi's interest in becoming an artist was inspired by the work of Joe Kubert, 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 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 on two limited series: '' The Vision and the Scarlet Witch'' (Nov. 1982–Feb. 1983) and '' Cloak and Dagger'' (Oct. 1983–Jan. 1984). Leonardi's works in the 1980s include various fill-in issues of ''The Uncanny X-Men '' and ''The New Mutants''. He is credited, along with fellow illustrator Mike Zeck, of designing the black-and-white costume to which Spider-Man switched during the 1984 '' Secret Wars'' miniseries, and later wore for a time. According to writer Peter David, 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 VenomDavid, 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 ...

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 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 b ...

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 Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...

'' #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 ...

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

story in '' Secret Origins'' vol. 2 #20 (Nov. 1987). Back at Marvel, Chris Claremont and Leonardi introduced the fictional country of Genosha in '' Uncanny X-Men'' #235 (Oct. 1988). From 1992 to 1994, Leonardi was the regular penciler for the first 25 issues of '' Spider-Man 2099'' with writer Peter David. Leonardi later launched the '' Fantastic Four 2099'' series with

Karl Kesel Karl Kesel (born January 7, 1959, Victor, New York) is an American comics writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics. He is a member of Periscope Studio and is best known for his collaborations with fellow ar ...

. Leonardi drew the 2000 intercompany crossover miniseries ''

''. He drew one of the tie-in one-shots for the '' Sentry'' limited series in 2001. His subsequent series work includes '' Nightwing'', 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 '' Star Wars: General Grievous'' in 2005, and the 2006 movie tie-in, '' Superman Returns Prequel'' #3. He followed up that with other superhero titles such as '' Superman'' #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 are the illustrators on the 2019 '' Batman Beyond'' 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) *''

'' #1–4 (2000) *'' Star Wars'' #8, 10 (1999) *''Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command'' #1–5 (2011) *''Star Wars: General Grievous'' #1–4 (2005) *'' Star Wars Tales'' #3, 9 (2000–2001)

DC Comics

*'' Adam Strange Special'' #1 (2008) *''

Astro City ''Kurt Busiek's Astro City'' is an American superhero anthology comic book series centered on a fictional American city of that name. Created and written by Kurt Busiek, the series is mostly illustrated by Brent Anderson, with character designs ...

'' vol. 3 #44 (2017) *''

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

'' #400 (1986) *'' Batman Beyond'' vol. 6 #31–36 (2019) *'' Birds of Prey'' #39–41 (2002) *'' Booster Gold'' 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 Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that illustrat ...

'' #113 (2012) *'' The Flintstones'' #7 (2017) *'' Green Lantern/ 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 ...

Giant'' #1 (2018) *'' Legion of Super-Heroes'' 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) *'' Nightwing'' #57, 59, 71–75, 78–81, 83–84 (2001–2003) *''Nightwing: Our Worlds at War'' #1 (2001) *'' Sandman Special'' #1 (2017) *'' Scooby Apocalypse'' #17 (2017) *'' Secret Origins'' 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 a ...

Annual'' #2 (1996) *'' Suicide Squad'' vol. 3 #23 (2013) *'' Supergirl'' vol. 5 #27 (2008) *'' Superman'' #665, 668–670, 712 (2007–2011) *'' Superman Returns 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: A ...

'98'' #1 (1998) *'' Classic X-Men'' #37 (1989) *'' Cloak and Dagger'' #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 superher ...

'' #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 t ...

'' #19 (1990) *''Excalibur: Air Apparent'' #1 (1992) *''Excalibur: XX Crossing'' #1 (1992) *'' Fantastic Four 2099'' #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'' #10–17 ( Colossus); #101–106 ( Ghost Rider/ Doctor Strange) (1989–1992) *'' Marvel Fanfare'' #14, 19 (1984–1985) *''Marvel Holiday Special'' #4–5 (1995–1997) *'' New Mutants'' #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) *'' Sentry/Spider-Man'' #1 (2001) *'' Sleepwalker'' #4 (1991) *'' The Spectacular Spider-Man'' # 52, 71 (1981–1982) *'' Spider-Man'' #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) *'' Uncanny X-Men'' #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'' #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'' #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