Simon Bisley is a British

comic book 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 literary ...

best known for his

1990s File:1990s decade montage.png, From top left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth after it was launched in 1990; American jets fly over burning oil fields in the 1991 Gulf War; the Oslo Accords on 13 September 1993; the World ...

work on ''

ABC Warriors ''ABC Warriors'' is a feature in the UK comic-book series ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' written by Pat Mills. It first appeared in program (issue) 119 in 1979 and continues to run as of 2018. Art for the opening episodes was by Kevin O'Neill ( ...

'', '' Lobo'' and ''

Sláine Sláine (sometimes anglicized as Slaine) is an Irish language, Irish given name. People Notable people with this name include: * Slaine (rapper), hiphop MC from Boston * Sláine ingen Briain (fl. 1014), daughter of Brian Boru and wife of Sigtryg ...

''.

Early life

Simon Bisley began drawing when he was six years old. He is self-taught, with only a short one-year stay at an art college, saying "I found it very difficult to get any kind of feedback from the art teachers. They weren't interested at all in what I was doing, so I became kind of very introverted with regard to my artwork and yeah, I was just all self-taught."

Career

Bisley started his career doing magazine and album covers, his first work being a T-shirt design for heavy metal magazine ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' Eventually, even though he had no experience in comics strip drawing at the time, he was hired by the magazine '' 2000 AD'' after they saw his interpretations of their magazine characters. According to the Comic Book Database, "while still a student, Bisley did a painting of a robot holding a baby that he sent to the offices of 2000 AD. The image was seen by

Pat Mills Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfath ...

and inspired him to relaunch the ABC Warriors strip, with Bisley as artist, in 1987". He started with work on

in 1987, later moving to

and

Judge Dredd Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of the British weekly anthology Comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' (1977). He is the magazi ...

. Simon Bisley significantly contributed to the visual and conceptual development of the character

Lobo (DC Comics) Lobo is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen, and first appeared in ''Omega Men'' #3 (June 1983). He is an alien from the utopian planet of Czarnia, and works as an ...

in the comic book universe. Alan Grant and

Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (November 30, 1952 – October 9, 2023) was an American comics artist and writer. He was known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of ...

initially contacted Bisley to rework Lobo's appearance. Bisley added distinctive elements such as big biker boots, skull knee guards, a hook and chain around Lobo's arm, and made the character much more muscular, transforming him into an impressive space biker. He also created Lobo's dog, “Dawg”, incorporating the character into the story despite it not being in the original script. Bisley's tendency to add more than what was written in the script sometimes led Grant to rewrite sections of the book. Bisley distorted and surreal artistic style, combined with garish colors and crude language, emphasized the character's violent and absurd nature. He illustrated the 1990 4 issues mini-series ''Lobo: The Last Czarnian'', written by Keith Giffen and Alan Grant, where Lobo, the intergalactic bounty hunter, escorts a mysterious prisoner. Simon Bisley also illustrated the 1992 four-issue mini-series ''Lobo's Back'', where Lobo is killed and sent to both heaven and hell, only to fight his way back to life. The series is filled with dark humor, over-the-top violence, and Lobo's characteristic irreverence. In addition to his interior artwork, Bisley also produced iconic painted covers that became closely associated with Lobo's brutal and offbeat image. Originally a minor character, Bisley significantly contributed to the reinvention of Lobo with an anarchic touch that left a lasting impact, making it one of his most iconic contributions to the comic book world. The original painting for'' Lobo'' #1 sold for $192,000 at auction in 2021. Since 1997, Bisley has been a regular contributor to the comics magazine '' Heavy Metal''. Bisley has done design work for several music videos, including

Chippendales Chippendales is a touring dance troupe best known for its male striptease performances and for its dancers' distinctive upper body costume of a bow tie, collar, and shirt cuffs worn on an otherwise bare torso with jeans and undergarment. Est ...

' "Room Service". In the early 2000s, Bisley was commissioned to create artwork for the

drum kit A drum kit or drum set (also known as a trap set, or simply drums in popular music and jazz contexts) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and sometimes other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one p ...

used by System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan, an avid comic book collector and vendor. Dolmayan commissioned Bisley to illustrate the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

and Thing on one drum, while the art for other drums in the kit, which depicted other characters and scenes, were produced by

Kevin Eastman Kevin Brooks Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comic book writer and artist best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird. Eastman was also formerly the editor and publisher of the magazine ''Heavy Metal ...

Tim Vigil Timothy B. Vigil () is an American Comic book creator, comic book artist known for horror comics, horror works, including the series ''Faust (comics), Faust'', which Vigil co-created with writer David Quinn (writer), David Quinn. The book's main ...

, and Arthur Adams.

Influences

Bisley's style is strongly influenced by

Frank Frazetta Frank Frazetta (born Frank Frazzetta ; February 9, 1928 – May 10, 2010) was an American artist known for themes of Fantasy art, fantasy and science fiction, noted for comic books, mass market paperback, paperback book covers, paintings, p ...

Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt (14 July 1862 – 6 February 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement. His work helped define the Art Nouveau style in Europe. Klimt is known for his paintings, murals, sket ...

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

, and Richard Corben,

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' ''The New Mutants (comic book), The New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and ''Elektra: Assassi ...

, and

Egon Schiele Egon Leo Adolf Ludwig Schiele (; 12 June 1890 – 31 October 1918) was an Austrian Expressionist painters, painter. His work is noted for its intensity and its raw sexuality, and for the many self-portraits the artist produced, including nude sel ...

. He also took inspiration from rock album covers and graffiti as well as traditional comics art. Bisley's work influenced the Beast in the 2006 ''

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 ...

'' episode " The Satan Pit","Artist Biography", "The Tick's 20th Anniversary Special Edition #1", May 2007, New England Comics Press and

Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. He and Wright co-wrote the ...

's character graphic artist Tim Bisley on the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

Spaced ''Spaced'' is a British television sitcom created, written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright, about the comedic, and sometimes surreal and action-packed, misadventures of Daisy Steiner and Tim Bi ...

''.''Spaced'' Series 2 DVD Homage-o-meter (Alternative subtitles)

Bibliography

Comics

DC

*'' The Authority/Lobo'' (with co-writers

and Alan Grant): **''Jingle Hell'' (2004) **''Spring Break Massacre'' (2005) *'' Batman: Black & White'', miniseries, #2 (with

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

, 1996) *''

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 ...

: Judgement on Gotham'' (with John Wagner and Alan Grant, 1991) *'' Batman/Lobo'' One-Shot (April 2000) *'' Global Frequency'' #7 (with

Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is an English 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'' ...

, 2003) *''

Hellblazer ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary Horror fiction, horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo Comics, Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introd ...

'' #259-260, 265–266, 282 (full art); #271-274 (along with Giuseppe Camuncoli) (2009–11) *'' Lobo'': ** ''The Last Czarnian'' (with co-writers Keith Giffen and Alan Grant, 96 pages, 1992) ** ''Lobo's Back'' (with Keith Giffen, 96 pages, 1993) ** ''Paramilitary Christmas Special'' (with Keith Giffen and Alan Grant, 1991)

Fleetway

*'' 2000 AD'' (

): ##555-558, 563–568, 577-581 (1988); (

): #626-635, 650–656, 662–664, 688-698 (1989–90); (

) #1068 (1997) *''

Judge Dredd Megazine ''Judge Dredd: The Megazine'' is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in September 1990. It is a sister publication to '' 2000 AD''. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Judge Dredd's locale Mega-City One. Content L ...

'' #1.14, 1.16, 1.17, 1.19, 2.61, 2.62, 3.15, 3.17 (1991–96)

Full Circle

*''Full Cirkle'', vol. 1 (with Simon Reed, 2003) *''Full Cirkle'', vol. 2 (with Simon Reed, 2007) *''Thicker Than Blood'' (colours, with Simon Reed and art by Mike Ploog, 2007)

Marvel

*'' X-Men Unlimited'' #46 (with Ian Edginton, 2003) *'' Halo Graphic Novel'', (with Lee Hammock, 2006) *'' Incredible Hulk'' #620 (with Brandon Montclare, 2011)

Verotik

* ''Verotika'' #1 (with Glenn Danzig (w), 1994) * ''Verotika'' #2 (cover, 1995) * ''Death Dealer'' #1 (with Glenn Danzig (w) and

(cover), 1995) * ''Satanika'' (Vol 1) #0 (with Glenn Danzig (w) and Frank Frazetta (cover), 1995) * ''Satanika'' (Vol 1) #1-2 (covers, 1995) * ''Jaguar God'' #0 (with Glenn Danzig (w), 1996) * ''Verotik Illustrated'' (with Bill Oakley, 1997) * ''Ge Rouge'' #1/2 (with Glenn Danzig (w), 1998) * ''Dalkiel'' The Prophecy (with Glenn Danzig (w), 1998) * ''The Darker Horror of Morella (with Glenn Danzig (w), 2001) * ''Inquisitor'' (cover, 2002) * ''Hidden Lyrics of the Left Hand '' (with Glenn Danzig (w), 2010) * ''Jaguar God'' Snake Brothers Revenge (with Glenn Danzig (w), 2012) * ''Satanika'' 18th Anniversary Issue (with Glenn Danzig (w), 2013) * ''Verotika Returns'' (Vol 1) #2-3 (with Glenn Danzig (w), 2014) * ''The Infernals'' (with Glenn Danzig (w), 2017) * ''Lyrics of the Left Hand, Volume II'' (with Glenn Danzig (w), 2018) * ''Satanika Versus Morella's Demon'' #1-2 (with Glenn Danzig (w), 2019 * ''Verotika Revenge'' (with Glenn Danzig (w), 2021)

Other publishers

* "Once Upon A Time in the West" (with Alan Grant, in '' Toxic!'' #1, 1991) * "Reapers" (with

John Arcudi John Arcudi is an American comic book writer, best known for his work on '' The Mask'' and '' B.P.R.D.'' and his series '' Major Bummer''. Early life Arcudi grew up in Buffalo, New York. He attended Columbia University as an English major and ...

, in ''

Dark Horse Presents ''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1986 in comics, 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 in comics, 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was publishe ...

: Aliens'',

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 ...

, 1992, collected in '' Aliens Omnibus'' #3, 2008, ) * '' The Terminator: The Enemy Within'' #1-4 (Dark Horse Comics, 1991–1992, covers) * ''Bisley's Scrapbook'' ( Atomeka Press, 1993) *''

Melting Pot A melting pot is a Monoculturalism, monocultural metaphor for a wiktionary:heterogeneous, heterogeneous society becoming more wiktionary:homogeneous, homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" with a common culture; an alternative bei ...

'' (with

/ Eric Talbot,

Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hardcov ...

, 1995, ) *''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...

: Bodycount'' (with Kevin Eastman, 4-issue mini-series, tpb,

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

, 1996, tpb, ) *''

Mutant Chronicles ''Mutant Chronicles'' is a pen-and-paper role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic world, originally published in 1993. It has spawned a franchise of collectible card games, miniature wargames, video games, novels, comic books, and a film ...

: Golgotha'' (illustration by Bisley, Acclaim Comics, 1996) *'' Bad Boy'' (with Frank Miller, one-shot, Oni Press,

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...

, 1997) *'' Fistful of Blood'' (with script and layouts by Kevin Eastman, in '' Heavy Metal'' #192-202, May 2001 - January 2003, hardcover, 64 pages, February 2003, ) * ''The Dead'' (with Alan Grant, Berserker Comics, 2008–2009) * ''Church of Hell'' #1-3 (Berserker Comics, 2009, covers) *''The Lost Pages'' (Zaid Comics, 2020, cover) *''The Lost Pages 3'' (Zaid Comics, 2023, cover) *''SOS: Onslaught'' (Chimera Comics, 2020, cover)

Collected editions

*'' The Authority/Lobo: Holiday Hell'' (160 pages, 2006) *''Global Frequency, Volume 2: Detonation Radio'', * '' Heavy Metal Dredd'' (with John Wagner/ Alan Grant, reprinted from '' Rock Power'', collected in ''Heavy Metal Dredd'' ): ** "A Mega-City Primer" (in ''

'' #1.14, 1991 and ''2000 AD'' #1068, 1997) ** "Rock On, Tommy Who?!" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #1.16, 1992) ** "Chicken Run" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #1.17, 1992) ** "The Legend of Johnny Biker" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #1.19, 1992) ** "Ironfist" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #2.61, 1994) ** "Night Before Christmas" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #2.62, 1994) ** "The Great Arsoli" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #3.15, 1996) ** "Bimba" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #3.17, 1996)

Music album covers

* ''Mayhemic Destruction'' (1987), by

Mortal Sin A mortal sin (), in Christian theology, is a gravely sinful act which can lead to damnation if a person does not repent of the sin before death. It is alternatively called deadly, grave, and serious; the concept of mortal sin is found in both ...

* ''Created in Hate '' (1988) by Annihilated * ''First Offence'' (1988), by First Offence * ''Kilt by Death'' (1990), by Drunken State * '' Thrall-Demonsweatlive'' (1993), by Danzig * '' 6:66 Satan's Child'' (1999), by Danzig * ''Gorgeous Frankenstein'' (2007), by Gorgeous Frankenstein * '' Lost Tracks of Danzig'' (2007), by Danzig * ''Among Flies'' (2008), by Last House on The Left * '' Black Laden Crown'' (2017) by Danzig * '' The Blood of Gods'' (2017), by Gwar

Computer game box

* ''

Gods A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

'' (1991), by

The Bitmap Brothers The Bitmap Brothers is a British video game developer founded in 1987 by Mike Montgomery, Eric Matthews, and Steve Kelly. The company released its first title, the scrolling shooter ''Xenon (video game), Xenon'', in 1988. Shortly thereafter, i ...

* '' Weaponlord'' (1995), by

Visual Concepts Visual Concepts Entertainment is an American video game developer based in Novato, California. Founded in May 1988, the company is best known for developing Sports video game, sports games in the ''2K'' franchise, most recently ''NBA 2K'' and ' ...

* '' Fur Fighters'' (2000), by

Bizarre Creations Bizarre Creations Limited was a British video game development studio based in Liverpool, best known for their racing video game, racing titles ''Metropolis Street Racer'' (Dreamcast) and the follow-up Project Gotham Racing, ''Project Gotham Rac ...

(''Viggo's Revenge'' release) * ''

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'' is a 2011 fighting game, the eighth installment in the ''Tekken'' fighting game series and the sequel to ''Tekken Tag Tournament''. It was released for the arcade game, arcades in September 2011. It received an updat ...

'' (2012), by

Namco Bandai Games is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...

(

Heihachi Mishima is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists of Bandai Namco Entertainment, Bandai Namco's ''Tekken'' series. Introduced as a boss character in the first ''Tekken (video game), Tekken'' game from 1994, Heihachi is depicted as the Chi ...

's second costume.)

Role-playing games

* '' Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of'' (2017, Modiphius Entertainment, inner pages illustrations by Simon Bisley, among others)

Movie posters

* ''

Centurion In the Roman army during classical antiquity, a centurion (; , . ; , or ), was a commander, nominally of a century (), a military unit originally consisting of 100 legionaries. The size of the century changed over time; from the 1st century BC ...

'' (2010) (Possibly in error, also attributed to Simon Bowles and Pathe productions.) * ''

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

'' (2010)

Books

*''Biz: The Intense Art of Simon Bisley'' ( Verotik Pub Inc, August 1997) *''Fakk 2'' (80 pages, Heavy Metal Magazine, June 1999) *''The Art of Simon Bisley Redux'' (132 pages, Heavy Metal Magazine, June 2007, ) *''Simon Bisley's Illustrations from the Bible: A Work in Progress'' (Heavy Metal Magazine, July 2007, ) *''Simon Bisley Calendar 2010'' (Heavy Metal Magazine, August 2009, )

Awards

* 1990: Won "Favourite Artist UK" Eagle Award * 1992: ** Won "Best Artist"

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 '' Judgement on Gotham'' ** Won "Best Artist" UK Comic Art Award ** Won "Best Original Graphic Novel" UK Comic Art Award for ''Judgment on Gotham'' (with John Wagner and Alan Grant) ** Nominated for "Best Cover Artist" Eisner Award, for ''Judgement on Gotham'' and ''Doom Patrol'' ** Nominated for "Best Graphic Album: New/First US Publication" Eisner Award, for ''Judgement on Gotham'' (with Alan Grant and John Wagner) * 1993: ** Nominated for "Best Cover Artist" Eisner Award, for ''Grendel: War Child'', ''Terminator'', and ''Enemy Within'' ** Nominated for "Best Painter (Interior)" Eisner Award, for "Lair of the Lizard Ladies" in '' Mr. Monster Attacks'' #3 ** Nominated for "Best Artist" UK Comic Art Award * 2002: Nominated for "Best Artist Ever" National Comics Award * 2024: Inducted into the

London Film and Comic Con London Film and Comic Con is a fan convention held annually in London that focuses on films, cult television, gaming, anime, cosplay and comics. It is organised by Showmasters Ltd. History and organization London Film & Comic Con began in 20 ...

's Hall Of Fame.

References

External links

* * *
Simon Bisley - Lambiek Comiclopedia

Simon Bisley - 2000adonline.com credits list
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bisley, Simon British graphic novelists Living people Eisner Award winners for Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team Year of birth missing (living people)