Jim Steranko

James "Jim" Steranko (born November 5, 1938) is an American illusionist and escape artist, magician, musician, graphic artist, comic book writer, artist, and historian, publisher, and movie-storyboard illustrator. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States.

Related Topics:
November 5 - 1938 - Illusionist - Escape artist - Magician - Musician - Graphic artist - Comic book - Publisher - Movie - Storyboard - Reading - Pennsylvania - United States

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His most famous comic-book work was with the 1960s superspy series "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." in the Marvel Comics' Strange Tales and in the subsequent eponymous comic series. Steranko earned lasting acclaim for his innovations in sequential art in the Silver Age of comic books, particularly his infusion of surrealism into the medium. His work was published in many countries and his influence on the field continues to be strong.

Related Topics:
Marvel Comics - Strange Tales - Sequential art - Silver Age of comic books - Surrealism

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Steranko also had short runs on Captain America and The Uncanny X-Men before ending regular work in the comics industry. During the early 1970s he returned as a regular cover artist for Marvel, and has from time to time contributed individual pages or covers to various comics projects.

Related Topics:
Captain America - The Uncanny X-Men - 1970s

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Steranko was unable to produce comics work that met his own standards at a pace sufficient to sustain himself economically. He worked as a cover artist for paperback book publishers, most notably illustrating the Pyramid Books reissues of the original pulp novels of The Shadow, and produced an illustrated novel, Chandler, in collaboration with Byron Preiss.

Related Topics:
Pyramid Books - Pulp novel - The Shadow - Byron Preiss

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In the 1970s he published two popular oversized volumes in a planned multi-volume history of the American comics industry, but no further editions have appeared. Steranko's most widely circulated comics project has been the magazine Comixscene / Mediascene / Prevue, which began as an oversized newsprint magazine reporting on the comics field and evolved in several stages (represented by its changing title) into a general-interest, standard format popular-culture magazine. The magazine ran from 1972 through 1994, and in its later years was criticized for doing double duty as a catalog for Steranko's retailing business, particularly its erotica.

Related Topics:
1972 - 1994

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Steranko is also responsible for the comic-book adaptation of the 1981 film Outland, which was serialized in Heavy Metal magazine.

Related Topics:
1981 - Outland - Heavy Metal

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Steranko's youthful career as an escape artist has been said to be an inspiration for the Jack Kirby character Mister Miracle, as well as Joe Kavalier in the novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.

Related Topics:
Jack Kirby - Mister Miracle - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

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