Greg Theakston

Greg Theakston

Greg Theakston at the Big Apple Con in 2008.
Born Greg Allen Theakston
November 21, 1953
Nationality American
Area(s) Painter
Colorist
Inker
Penciller
Historian
Publisher
Pseudonym(s) Earl P. Wooten
Notable works
 Mad magazine,
Super Powers
Awards Shel Dorf Torch Bearer's Award, 2010

Greg Allen Theakston (born November 21, 1953)[1] is an American comics artist and illustrator who has worked for numerous publishers. He is known for his independent publications as a comics historian under his Pure Imagination imprint,[2] as well as for developing the Theakstonizing process used in comics restoration.[3] He has used the pseudonym Earl P. Wooten.

Early career

Greg Theakston became involved in the Detroit area fandom community and helped organize the Detroit Triple Fan Fair from 1970 to 1978,[3] credited as one of the first conventions in the United States dedicated to comic books,[4] eventually owning it after working on a dozen shows.[3] He contributed to Detroit's Fantasy Fans and Comic-collector's Group on their fanzine The Fan Informer (1968–71), as well as his own publication, The Aardvark Annual (1968), and Titan, He inked samples of Jim Starlin's early pencils which helped Starlin gain his first work for Marvel Comics.[3][5]

After graduating from Redford High School in 1971, Theakston worked with artist Jim Steranko at his Supergraphics publishing company in Reading, Pennsylvania. He moved with partner Carl Lundgren to upstate New York in 1972, where he began illustrating for men's magazines,[3] including Gent, Dude and Nugget.

Illustration and comics

Theakston built his portfolio and expanded to paperbacks and magazines, including Berkley Books, Dell, Ace, DAW, Zebra, Tor, St. Martin's Press, Warner, Ballantine Books, Belmont-Tower, If and Galaxy Science Fiction.[6] He was an original member of the Crusty Bunkers, and worked closely with Neal Adams at Continuity Associates between 1972 and 1979, producing animatics, storyboards, comic art and various commercial advertising assignments.[7][8]

Among other various assignments were jobs for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, Warren Comics, New York Daily News, Archie Comics, as well as periodicals magazines including National Lampoon, The New York Times, Kitchen Sink, Playboy, TV Guide and Rolling Stone. He was a Mad illustrator for ten years and has worked regularly with numerous comics publishers on projects such as Omega Men, Super Powers, DC Comics Presents, DC's Who's Who and Planet of the Apes.[9][10]

Posters and publishing

Theakston's movie poster work includes Invaders From Mars, Silk Stockings, B'Wani Junction, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Jungle Book and Mogambo. He has seven lithographs in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art.

Theakston founded and operated Pure Imagination,[11] a comic book and magazine publisher since 1975. His biographical work includes an estimated 200,000 words on Jack Kirby, his long-time friend and work associate, 250,000 words on Bettie Page, numerous pieces on great comic book artists, and pop culture figures for Pure Imagination and other publishers including, Mad, Penthouse and Playboy.

Comics restoration

His name has been given to a process called "Theakstonizing", a term coined by DC editor-in-chief, Dick Giordano, which bleaches color from old comics pages, used in the restoration for reprinting.[3] To date, he has reconstructed over 12,000 pages of classic comic art, including work on Superman, Batman, Captain America, Green Lantern, The Flash, Porky Pig, The Spirit, The Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Archie, Dick Tracy, Torchy, Pogo and numerous collections of popular comics artists, including Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, Basil Wolverton, Steve Ditko, Frank Frazetta, Jack Cole, Lou Fine, Wallace Wood, and many others.

Awards

Theakston received the Shel Dorf Torch Bearer's Award in 2010 - "For Preserving the Flame of the Spirit of Comics and Carrying the Torch Forward in the Comic Industry."[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Greg Theakston". Comics Buyer's Guide (F+W Media) (1636): 135. December 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  2. ↑ Heer, Bob (24 February 2011). "Upcoming Kirby – Theakston biography". The Jack Kirby Comic Weblog. The Jack Kirby Museum. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Morrow, John (2004). Collected Jack Kirby Collector, Vol. 4. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 97–103. ISBN 978-1-893905-32-0. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Henrickson, Eric (7 Jul 2010). "New comic convention, Detroit Fanfare, coming this fall". Geek Watch. The Detroit News. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  5. ↑ "Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection". Michigan State University Libraries. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  6. ↑ "Greg Theakston SF book covers at ISFDB". ISFDB. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Stroud, Bryan D. (October 2010). "Theakston Interview: Part 1". The Silver Age Sage. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  8. ↑ Stroud, Bryan D. (November 2010). "Theakston Interview: Part 2". The Silver Age Sage. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  9. ↑ "Theakston bibliography at Comic Book Database". Comic Book Database. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  10. ↑ "Theakston bibliography at The Grand Comics Data base". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  11. ↑ Keane, Maribeth; Quinn, Brad (18 February 2010). "Golden Age Comics: The Pages Where Captain America Could Punch Out Hitler". Pop culture interview. Collectors Weekly. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  12. ↑ "Past Winners". Shel Dorf Awards at the Detroit Fanfare. Retrieved 1 February 2012.

Bibliography

External links