Scott Kolins

Scott Kolins
Born	1968 Seville, Spain
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Penciller, Inker, Colourist
Notable works	Star Wars: The Essential Guide 9-11 (comics) #2 The Freak Show of The Thing 2002 The Flash 2001-2003
Awards	2003 nominee of the Wizard Fan Awards 'Favorite Breakout Talent'

Scott Kolins is an American illustrator, writer and creator for multiple different superhero and science fiction comic books. His main credits are as a penciler but he is an established inker as well as colorist and has some credits as a writer.

Early life

Kolins' interest in drawing and comics began when he was around 10 years old as an avid comic book reader in the late 1970s. He studied at The Joe Kubert School in Dover, New Jersey^[1] for two years, beginning in 1991.^[2]

Kolins other influences include Barry Windsor-Smith, Michael Golden, Jack Kirby, Mike Mignola, and Frank Miller. "These five are the core artists who teach me something almost every day when I look at their work and 'listen' to their 'storytelling voices'. They each have a pronounced style of conveying a story. Something about how they do it works for me and informs me on how I want to do it." The day Jack Kirby died he took his (namesake) dog for a walk because, "It felt like something huge had ended."^[3] Other artists Kolins names as influences include Frank Frazetta, Bill Watterson, Alphonse Mucha, Patrick Nagel, Bev Doolittle, J.W. Waterhouse and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema.^[4]

Career

In the 1980s, he worked under Dennis Jensen, and then under Kim DeMulder and Bart Sears.

After studying at the Kubert school, Kolins got a job with Valiant Comics. He was then hired as a Romita Raider (in house art corrections under John Romita Sr.) at Marvel Comics.^[2]

Kolins announced his move from Marvel in 2007 and that he had been talking to Geoff Johns about a future project.^[5][6]

Style and approach

Kolins has a strong reputation of combining speed and consistent attention to detail as a penciller. He has often worked on multiple titles at the same time. His secret is to "just put down the TV remote and the Gameboy".^[7] He states that he can produce an entire average comic book in a month, with cover, with a little time to spare. Most of Kolins' credits are as penciller and he follows the modern tradition of "tight penciling" in that the pencil work is nearly finished art in its own right. Since his work on The Flash, he has a tendency to do fewer shadows and varying of the weight and width of lines—-the impact is also partly to shift some of the content of the page from the responsibilities of penciller to that or inker or colorist (fewer lines and definition by line and more by color contrasts). This tends to make the art very "clean." To help fill out the page more Kolins developed a compensating quality of adding extra detail to the background. The whole pattern of emphasis has been the subject of discussion.^[8]

In addition to his penciling and inking work, Kolins has studied comic book coloring.^[9] Each comic book has its own particular qualities and Kolins seeks some nuanced approach in his art to each comic book. He has drawn over two dozen different titles and develops some variation organically with the demands of the story and the history of the character or freedom from that history sometimes.^[10]

Scott Kolins was a 2003 nominee of the Wizard Fan Awards 'Favorite Breakout Talent' for his work on The Flash and rave reviews from fans.^[11]

Characters created

• Peek-a-Boo is a DC Comics supervillain and a member of Wally West's Rogue's Gallery. She first appeared in Flash v.2 #180, January (2002), co-created with Geoff Johns.
• Iron Maniac is a Marvel Comics villain co-created with writer Robert Kirkman, who is an evil alternate universe version of the regular Marvel Universe character Tony Stark. He first appeared in Marvel Team-Up (Vol. 3) #2 in 2006, wearing armor resembling that of Doctor Doom except with the mask design looking more like the traditional Iron Man style.
• Gear, (I.Z.O.R.) is a DC Comics superhero, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. He is a Linsnarian, a race whose members are composed of organic machinery beneath humanoid shells. He was co-created with Tom Peyer and Tom McCraw.
• The third Crimson Avenger is a DC character and like the original El Diablo, serves as a minor Spirit of Vengeance. She possessing the power of teleportation and intangibility, is an African American woman who might be called Jill Carlyle. This incarnation was co-created with Geoff Johns in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E..
• Tar Pit is a DC Comics supervillain in the DC comics. While serving time in prison for armed robbery, he discovered he had the metahuman ability to inhabit inanimate objects. Co-created with Geoff Johns.

Selected bibliography

Marvel Comics

• Excalibur (Vol. 1) #59-60 (artist, with writer Scott Lobdell, 1992–1993)
• Amazing Spiderman Annual #26-27 (artist, amongst others, with writer Eric Fein, 1992–1993)
• Namor the Sub-Mariner #40 (artist, with writer Bob Harris, 1993)
• Avengers: West Coast Annual #8 (artist, amongst others, with writer Roy Thomas, 1993)
• Hawkeye (Vol. 2) #1 (artist, with writer Chuck Dixon, 1994)
• The Amazing Spider-Man #438 (artist, with writer Tom DeFalco, 1998)
• The Thing: Freakshow #1-4 (artist, with writer Geoff Johns, 2002)
• Hulk/Wolverine: Six Hours #1-3 (artist, with writer Bruce Jones, 2003)
• The Avengers (Vol. 3) #72-75, 81-84 (artist, with writers Geoff Johns and Chuck Austen, 2003–2004)
• Spider-Man Unlimited (Vol. 3) #3 (artist, with writers Tom McLaughlin and Brandon Thomas, 2004)
• Marvel Team-Up (Vol. 3) #1-7, 9-10 (artist, with writer Robert Kirkman, 2005)
• Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes #8 (artist, with writer Mike Carey, 2005)
• Thor: Blood Oath #1-6 (artist, with writer Michael Avon Oeming, 2005–2006)
• She-Hulk (Vol. 2) #4 (artist, with writer Dan Slott, 2006)
• Annihilation: Prologue #1 (artist, with writer Keith Giffen, 2006)
• Stan Lee Meets The Thing #1 (artist, with writers Stan Lee and Roy Thomas, 2006)
• Beyond! #106 (artist, with writer Dwayne McDuffie, 2006–2007)
• Wolverine (Vol. 2) #57 (artist, with writer Marc Guggenheim, 2007)
• Ultimate Fantastic Four #39-41 (artist, with writer Mike Carey, 2007)
• Omega Flight #1-5 (artist, with writer Michael Avon Oeming, 2007)
• Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #2 (artist, with writer Keith Giffen, 2007)
• Wolverine: Firebreak #1 (artist, with writer Mike Carey, 2008)

DC Comics

• Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #42, 47 (artist, with writers Gerard Jones and Steve Mattson, 1993)
• Legion #52 (artist, with writers Mark Waid and Barry Kitson, 1993)
• Superboy (Vol. 3) #54-55 (artist, with writer Karl Kesel, 1998)
• Legion of Superheroes (Vol. 4) #115, 118-121 (artist, with writers Tom Peyer and Tom McCraw, 1999)
• Legion of Superheroes Secret Files #2 (artist, amongst others, with writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, 1999)
• Secret Origins of Super Villains 80 Page Giant (artist, amongst others, with writer Ron Marz, amongst others, 1999)
• Sins of Youth: Wonder Girls #1 (artist, with writer Brian K. Vaughan, 2000)
• Young Justice #22 (artist, amongst others, with writer Brian K. Vaughn, amongst others, 2000)
• The Flash (Vol. 2) #160, 170-188, 191-195, 197-200 (artist, with writers Bryan Augustyn, and Geoff Johns, 2000, 2001–2003)
• Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #9-11 (artist, with writer Geoff Johns, 2000)
• Wonder Woman #160-161 (artist, with writer Brian K. Vaughan, 2000)
• Legends of the DC Universe 80 Page Giant #2 (artist, amongst others, 2000)
• Silver Age Justice League of America #1 (artist, with writer Mark Millar, 2000)
• Flash Secret Files and Origins #3 (artist, amongst others, with writer Geoff Johns, amongst others, 2001)
• Legends of the DC Universe #37-38 (artist, with writer Steven Grant, 2001)
• JLA-Z #1 (artist, amongst others, with writer Mike McAvennie, 2003)
• JLA/JSA Secret Files #1 (artist, amongst others, with writer Geoff Johns, amongst others, 2003)
• Superman/Batman Annual #2 (artist, with writer Joe Kelly, 2008)
• Countdown to Final Crisis #5, 2-1 (artist, amongst others, with writer Paul Dini, amongst others, 2008)
• The Brave and the Bold (Vol. 3) #14-16 (artist, with writer Mark Waid, 2008)
• Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #1-3 (artist, with writer Geoff Johns, 2008)
• Faces of Evil: Solomon Grundy #1 (artist/writer, with writer Geoff Johns, 2009)
• Solomon Grundy #1-7 (writer/artist, 2009)
• Superman/Batman #64, 66-67 (writer/artist, with writer Joe Casey, 2009–2010)
• Blackest Night: Flash #1-3 (artist, with writer Geoff Johns, 2009–2010)
• Magog #11-12 (writer/artist, 2010)
• The Flash: Secret Files and Origins 2010 #1 (artist, with writer Geoff Johns, 2010)
• DC Universe: Legacies #1-10 (artist, amongst others, with writer Len Wein, 2010-2011)
• DC Holiday Special 2009 #1 (artist/writer, amongst others, 2010)
• Batman #700 (artist, amongst others, with writer Grant Morrison, 2010)
• Detective Comics #863 (artist, with Jock, with writer Greg Rucka, 2010)

Dark Horse

• BPRD: Night Train #1 (artist, with writer Geoff Johns, 2003)

References

External links

• Scott Kolins blog
• Scott Kolins at the Comic Book DB