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{{for|the American basketball player|Darwin Cook}} | {{for|the American basketball player|Darwin Cook}} | ||
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}} | |||
{{Infobox comics creator | {{Infobox comics creator | ||
| name = Darwyn Cooke | | name = Darwyn Cooke | ||
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| pencil = y | | pencil = y | ||
| ink = y | | ink = y | ||
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| alias = | | alias = | ||
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| notable works = {{unbulleted list|'']''|'']''|'']''|'']''|'']''}} | | notable works = {{unbulleted list|'']''|'']''|'']''|'']''|'']''}} | ||
| awards = ] |
| awards = {{unbulleted list|13 ]s|8 ]s|5 ]s}} | ||
| website = {{URL|http://darwyncooke.blogspot.co.uk}} | |||
| subcat = Canadian | |||
| spouse = Marsha Stagg <br>(m. 2012–2016; his death) | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''Darwyn Cooke''' (November 16, 1962 – May 14, 2016) was a Canadian ]-winning ], writer, ], and ], known for his work on the comic books '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']''. | |||
'''Darwyn Cooke''' (November 16, 1962 – May 14, 2016) was an ]-winning Canadian ], writer, ], and animator, known for his work on the comic books '']'', '']'', '']'' and '']''. | |||
==Early life== | |||
Darwyn Cooke was born in Toronto on November 16, 1962.<ref name=NYTimes>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/18/arts/design/darwyn-cooke-comic-book-artist-with-a-retro-take-dies-at-53.html?_r=0 |title=Darwyn Cooke, Artist With a Retro Approach to Comics, Dies at 53 |first=George Gene |last=Gustines |authorlink=George Gene Gustines |date=May 17, 2016 |publisher='']'' |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6k8Z4XK5a?url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/18/arts/design/darwyn-cooke-comic-book-artist-with-a-retro-take-dies-at-53.html?_r%3D1 |archivedate=August 30, 2016 |deadurl=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> His father was a construction worker and later ran a union. He and his brother Dennis grew up in ].{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} He discovered comics as a child, but did not become passionate about them until he was a teenager, after having bought an issue of '']'' drawn by ]. His father, however, did not think that comics were a good avenue for a career. Cooke attended ], but was expelled after a year.<ref name=NYTimes/> | |||
===Early life=== | |||
Darwyn Cooke was born in Toronto on November 16, 1962.<ref name="NY Times">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/18/arts/design/darwyn-cooke-comic-book-artist-with-a-retro-take-dies-at-53.html?_r=0 |title=Darwyn Cooke, Artist With a Retro Approach to Comics, Dies at 53 |first=George Gene |last=Gustines |authorlink=George Gene Gustines |date=May 17, 2016 |publisher='']'' |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6k8Z4XK5a?url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/18/arts/design/darwyn-cooke-comic-book-artist-with-a-retro-take-dies-at-53.html?_r%3D1 |archivedate=August 30, 2016 |deadurl=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Cooke's father was a construction worker and later ran a union. Darwyn and his brother Dennis grew up in ].{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} | |||
Cooke's interest in creating comics began after watching '']'' starring ]. Cooke's grandmother saved some of his earliest drawings, at 5 years old, of Batman and Robin in crayon on construction paper, with Cooke keeping them after her passing.<ref name="Comics Journal #285">{{Citation|last=Naso|first=Markisan|publication-date=October 2007|title=The Darwyn Cooke Interview|periodical=The Comics Journal|publisher=Fantagraphics Books Inc.|issue=285|pages=30}}</ref> He discovered comics as a child, but did not become passionate about them until he was a teenager. | |||
Cooke's desire to be an artist crystallized at 13 years old after reading a reprint of ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #2, with Cooke purchasing markers and boards the day after reading the comic and attempting to copy ]'s artwork. The following week, Cooke purchased '']'' #439, featuring the story "Night of the Stalker," and had found his calling. He attributed the ability to develop his own style as a byproduct of limited entertainment choices, allowing him to focus on deconstructing the comics that inspired him.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> His father, however, did not think that comics were a good avenue for a career. | |||
Cooke attended ], but was expelled after a year.<ref name="NY Times"/> | |||
==Career== | ==Career== | ||
In 1985, Cooke published his first comic book work as a professional artist in a five-page crime story in '']'' #19, but as he was only paid $35 per page and produced one page a week, he decided that it was not an economically feasible job. He left comics to work as a magazine ], ], and ]er for the next 15 years.<ref name=NYTimes/><ref name="Lambiek">{{cite web |url= http://www.lambiek.net/artists/c/cooke_darwyn.htm|title= Darwyn Cooke|date= March 3, 2013|publisher= ]|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20131205123415/http://www.lambiek.net/artists/c/cooke_darwyn.htm|archivedate= December 5, 2013|deadurl= no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> He eventually established his own design studio.<ref name=NYTimes/> | |||
In 1985, Cooke left his family on his own for the first time in order to show his samples in the DC Comics offices in New York City. The trip resulted in his first published comic book work as a professional artist in a five-page crime story in ]' '']'' #19, which was coincidentally edited by "Night of the Stalker" artist ].<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> Economic pressure, however, made Cooke leave comics, as he was only paid $35 per page and produced one page a week. Deciding that comics was not an economically feasible job, Cooke worked in Canada as a magazine ], ] and ]er for the next 15 years.<ref name="Lambiek">{{cite web |url= http://www.lambiek.net/artists/c/cooke_darwyn.htm|title= Darwyn Cooke|date= March 3, 2013|publisher= ]|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20131205123415/http://www.lambiek.net/artists/c/cooke_darwyn.htm|archivedate= December 5, 2013|deadurl= no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> He eventually established his own design studio.<ref name="NY Times"/> | |||
]]] | |||
In 1996, Cooke learned that ] was hiring ]s for its two animated TV series based on DC Comics heroes, '']'' and '']''. His successful pitch included 14 pages that would be published in 2000 as ''Batman: Ego''.<ref name=NYTimes/> In 1999 he animated the main title design for '']''. He then worked as a director for ]'s '']'' for a year.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} | |||
===Animation=== | |||
DC Comics then approached Cooke about a project which he had submitted to the publisher years earlier which eventually became ''Batman: Ego'', a ] published in 2000.<ref name="GCD">{{gcdb|type=credit|search= Darwyn+Cooke|title= Darwyn Cooke}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last= Manning|first= Matthew K.|last2=Dougall|first2=Alastair, ed.|chapter= 2000s|title= Batman: A Visual History|publisher= ]|year= 2014|location= London, United Kingdom|page= 251|isbn= 978-1465424563|quote= In this powerful, prestige format tale by writer/artist Darwyn Cooke, criminal Buster Snibbs had ratted out his boss, the infamous Joker, to the Batman.}}</ref> The success of that project Cooke to more freelance work, such as '']'', '']/]'' and '']'' for ] and '']'' for DC.<ref name="GCD"/> | |||
====DC animated universe==== | |||
In 2001, Cooke and writer ] revamped the ] character. They started with a four-issue serial "Trail of the Catwoman" in '']'' #759–762 in which private detective ] attempts to investigate the death of Selina Kyle (a.k.a. Catwoman). The story led into a new ''Catwoman'' title in late 2001 by Brubaker and Cooke, in which the character's costume, supporting cast and '']'' were all redesigned and redeveloped.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cowsill|first= Alan|last2=Dolan|first2=Hannah, ed.|chapter= 2000s|title = DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle|publisher=]|year=2010|location= London, United Kingdom|isbn= 978-0-7566-6742-9|page= 304|quote = One of DC's longest running characters got a makeover courtesy of writer Ed Brubaker and artist Darwyn Cooke as ''Catwoman'' was relaunched...With Brubaker's tight, noir-like scripting and Darwyn Cooke's stylish artwork, ''Catwoman's'' new direction made the character more popular than ever.}}</ref> Cooke would stay on the series until issue #4. In 2002, he would write and draw a prequel, the ''Selina's Big Score'' graphic novel which detailed what had happened to the character directly before her new series.<ref>Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 262: "Darwyn Cooke was both writer and artistof this hardcover graphic novel...A fast-paced heist set immediately before Selina's second ongoing series, this tale explained how Selina had enough money to embark on a new life as a crime fighter."</ref> | |||
In the early 1990s Cooke decided to return to comics, but found little interest for his work at the major publishers. Eventually, he was hired by ] after replying to an ad for ]s in '']'' placed by animator ], with Cooke shocked that there were positions available. His successful pitch included 14 pages that would be published in 2000 as ''Batman: Ego''.<ref name="NY Times"/> | |||
Cooke's next project was the '']'' (2004), a six issue ] which bridged the gap between the end of the ] and the start of the ] in the ]. The story, which was set in the 1950s, featured dozens of ] characters and drew inspiration from the comic books and movies of the period as well as from ]'s non-fiction account of the start of the U.S. space program '']''. The major DC characters are introduced in ''The New Frontier'' in the same order that DC originally published them, even down to the correct month and year in the story's timeline. | |||
Originally freelancing from Toronto, Cooke met his animation colleagues at ] and was approached about moving to Los Angeles full-time. Despite no desire to live in Los Angeles, Cooke moved there to take advantage of "an opportunity to be a part of something that was never going to come around again this way," the ability to associate with creators such as Bruce Timm, ], ], and ].<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> Cooke worked as a storyboard artist for four episodes of '']'' as well as a handful of episodes of '']''.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> | |||
]'' #6 (November 2004)]] | |||
That same year, Cooke contributed to DC's artist-centric anthology project '']''. His issue (#5, August 2005) featured several different stories in different styles with a framing sequence featuring the Slam Bradley character. In 2006, ''Solo'' #5 won an Eisner Award for "Best Single Issue." | |||
In 1999, he designed and animated the opening sequence for '']''. In contrast to most cartoon openings -- which adapt music to a finalized group of shots -- ''Batman Beyond''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s visuals were specifically cut to suit the music, after a successful pitch of the concept by Cooke to Bruce Timm. Surprisingly, Cooke employed his personal Macintosh computer in his spare bedroom for most of the animation, as opposed to Warner Bros.' resources.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> According to Cooke, the Batman Beyond team created a strong show in light of what he considered "kind of a disheartening mandate from the network," which wanted a show about the Batman of the future.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> He believed the ] ultimately disliked the show's level of violence and prematurely ended the show as soon as it was able to be syndicated.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> Cooke then worked as a director for ]'s '']'' for a year.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} | |||
In November 2006, Cooke and writer ] produced a '']'' ].<ref name="GCD" /> This was followed in December by an ongoing ''Spirit'' series written and drawn by Cooke. In June 2007, Cooke and ] won a ] for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artists" for their work on ''Batman/The Spirit'', and Cooke won "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on ''The Spirit''.<ref name="Shuster Awards2007">{{cite web |url= http://joeshusterawards.com/awards/about/2007-nominees-and-winners/|title= 2007 Nominees and Winners|year= 2007|publisher= ]s |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20131225182350/http://joeshusterawards.com/awards/about/2007-nominees-and-winners/|archivedate= December 25, 2013|deadurl= no|df=mdy-all|accessdate= December 18, 2011}}</ref> | |||
In April 2014, Cooke released a ''Batman Beyond'' animated short celebrating the 75th anniversary of Batman.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsarama.com/20886-watch-darwyn-cooke-s-full-batman-beyond-animated-short.html |title=Watch Darwyn Cooke's Full ''Batman Beyond'' Animated Short |first=Lucas |last=Siegel |date=April 18, 2014 |publisher=Newsarama |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104064658/http://www.newsarama.com/20886-watch-darwyn-cooke-s-full-batman-beyond-animated-short.html |archivedate=November 4, 2014|deadurl=no|df=mdy-all|quote=DC Comics released the full, brand-new animated short by Darwyn Cooke featuring Batman Beyond. The character, who had his own animated series from 1999 to 2001, seems to be getting a push this year in conjunction with his namesake, Batman's 75th Anniversary.}}</ref> | |||
In July 2006, it was announced that Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics would release a series of direct-to-DVD animated movies based on important DC comic books. One of the first comics to be adapted was Cooke's '']''. Cooke co-wrote the film with Stan Berkowitz and also provided art direction. The movie was produced by Bruce Timm. | |||
====''Justice League: The New Frontier''==== | |||
Darwyn Cooke also wrote the first six-issue story arc of the Superman monthly series, '']'',<ref>Cowsill "2000s" in Dolan, p. 328: "Writer Darwyn Cooke and artist Tim Sale began with 'Kryptonite', a six-part tale of Superman's first contact with the energy-sapping green element."</ref> which debuted on November 1, 2006. ''Superman Confidential'' features stories set in the early years of Superman's career. In June 2007, Cooke was awarded the ] for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Writer" for ''Superman Confidential''.<ref name="Shuster Awards2007"/> | |||
In July 2006, it was announced that Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics would release a series of direct-to-DVD ] based on important DC comic books. The second film to be adapted was Cooke's '']'', produced by Bruce Timm. Due to Cooke's obligations on '']'', Stan Berkowitz wrote the film, while Cooke storyboarded ten percent of the film, rewrote and polished dialogue, as well as provided art direction. Cooke praised both Berkowitz and Timm for their ability to preserve many important character moments within the necessary shortening of the story to accomodate the film's runtime.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> During the scripting process, Cooke intervened to preserve both Wonder Woman and Lois Lane's places in the film, which had originally been eliminated due to time constraints.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> Cooke also admitted fearing for the outcome of the film until he learned his former Warner colleague David Bullock would be directing it, praising Bullock as "probably the only person in the world I would have picked ahead of myself to direct it." | |||
In July 2009, ] published Cooke's '']'', an adaptation of the ] novel, '']'', the first of four ] novels Cooke adapted for IDW. The second, ''The Outfit'', was released in October 2010, ''The Score'' was released in July 2012,<ref name="GCD" /><ref name=CCM>{{cite journal|title = WonderCon Special Guests|journal = Comic-Con Magazine|page = 18|publisher = ]|date = Winter 2010|url = http://issuu.com/comic-con/docs/ccmag_winter2010}}</ref> and ''Slayground'' was published in December 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comicsalliance.com/richard-stark-parker-slayground-preview-darwyn-cooke-idw/ |title=Darwyn Cooke Adapts A Masterpiece in ''Richard Stark's Parker: Slayground'' |first=Joseph |last=Hughes |date=December 9, 2013 |publisher=] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110020054/http://comicsalliance.com/richard-stark-parker-slayground-preview-darwyn-cooke-idw/ |archivedate=January 10, 2014|deadurl=yes|accessdate=January 9, 2013 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
===DC Comics=== | |||
Cooke was the writer/artist of '']: Minutemen'' and the writer of ''Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre'' in 2012–2013.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.avclub.com/article/writerartist-darwyn-cooke-talks-ibefore-watchmeni--82247|title= Writer/artist Darwyn Cooke talks ''Before Watchmen'' and creating strong heroines|first= Oliver|last= Sava|date= July 12, 2012|publisher= ]|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140110003912/http://www.avclub.com/article/writerartist-darwyn-cooke-talks-ibefore-watchmeni--82247|archivedate=January 10, 2014 |deadurl= no|df=mdy-all|accessdate= January 9, 2014}}</ref> | |||
====Catwoman==== | |||
In April 2014, Darwyn Cooke released a '']'' animated short celebrating the 75th anniversary of Batman.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsarama.com/20886-watch-darwyn-cooke-s-full-batman-beyond-animated-short.html |title=Watch Darwyn Cooke's Full ''Batman Beyond'' Animated Short |first=Lucas |last=Siegel |date=April 18, 2014 |publisher=Newsarama |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104064658/http://www.newsarama.com/20886-watch-darwyn-cooke-s-full-batman-beyond-animated-short.html |archivedate=November 4, 2014|deadurl=no|df=mdy-all|quote=DC Comics released the full, brand-new animated short by Darwyn Cooke featuring Batman Beyond. The character, who had his own animated series from 1999 to 2001, seems to be getting a push this year in conjunction with his namesake, Batman's 75th Anniversary.}}</ref> | |||
In the late 1990s, DC Comics art director ] discovered Cooke's years-old proposal for a Batman story while throwing out old pitches, and hired Cooke for what eventually became the 2000 ] ''Batman: Ego'',<ref name="GCD">{{gcdb|type=credit|search= Darwyn+Cooke|title= Darwyn Cooke}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last= Manning|first= Matthew K.|last2=Dougall|first2=Alastair, ed.|chapter= 2000s|title= Batman: A Visual History|publisher= ]|year= 2014|location= London, United Kingdom|page= 251|isbn= 978-1465424563|quote= In this powerful, prestige format tale by writer/artist Darwyn Cooke, criminal Buster Snibbs had ratted out his boss, the infamous Joker, to the Batman.}}</ref> marking Cooke's permanent move from animation to comics at 37 years old.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> The internal dialogue of ''Batman: Ego'' between Bruce Wayne and Batman was inspired by the 1981 film '']''.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> | |||
In 2001, Cooke and writer ] revamped the ] character. They started with a four-issue serial "Trail of the Catwoman" in ''Detective Comics'' #759–762 in which private detective ] attempts to investigate the death of Selina Kyle (a.k.a. Catwoman). According to Cooke, he and Brubaker bonded over the re-introduction of Bradley,<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> who first appeared in 1937's ''Detective Comics'' #1 and pre-dated the super-hero era of comics. The story led into a new ''Catwoman'' title in late 2001 by Brubaker and Cooke, in which the character's costume, supporting cast and modus operandi were all redesigned and redeveloped.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cowsill|first= Alan|last2=Dolan|first2=Hannah, ed.|chapter= 2000s|title = DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle|publisher=]|year=2010|location= London, United Kingdom|isbn= 978-0-7566-6742-9|page= 304|quote = One of DC's longest running characters got a makeover courtesy of writer Ed Brubaker and artist Darwyn Cooke as ''Catwoman'' was relaunched...With Brubaker's tight, noir-like scripting and Darwyn Cooke's stylish artwork, ''Catwoman's'' new direction made the character more popular than ever.}}</ref> Cooke would stay on the series until issue #4. In 2002, he would write and draw a prequel, the ''Selina's Big Score'' graphic novel which detailed what had happened to the character directly before her new series.<ref>Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 262: "Darwyn Cooke was both writer and artistof this hardcover graphic novel...A fast-paced heist set immediately before Selina's second ongoing series, this tale explained how Selina had enough money to embark on a new life as a crime fighter."</ref> Cooke regarded ''Selina's Big Score'' as the "single thing I did that I liked the most."<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> While developing '']'', Cooke also drew a short Catwoman back-up story within 2002's '']''.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> An untold story concept Cooke held onto involved the return and revenge of Catwoman's betrayed ex-lover Stark in a similar manner to the lead character of the film '']''.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> | |||
====''DC: The New Frontier''==== | |||
]'' #6 (Nov. 2004).]] | |||
Cooke's next project was 2004's ''DC: The New Frontier'', a six-issue ] which bridged the gap between the end of the ] and the start of the ] in the ]. Cooke began brainstorming ''The New Frontier'' after completing ''Batman: Ego'' and being steered by Mark Chiarello to do a Justic League story; Cooke quickly realized he had little interest in writing about the Justice League unless the focus was on "who they were before they became the Justice League."<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> The story, which was set in the 1950s, featured dozens of ] characters and drew inspiration from the comic books and movies of the period as well as from ]'s non-fiction account of the start of the U.S. space program '']''. The major DC characters are introduced in ''The New Frontier'' in the same order that DC originally published them, even down to the correct month and year in the story's timeline. | |||
As Cooke formulated ''The New Frontier'', DC's editorial board pushed major changes from Cooke's original concept including accommodations for DC Comics' present-day continuity; the mandated changes were undone by ], who allowed Cooke to preserve his original intent both by setting the story out of continuity as well as offering Cooke an advance payment on his work.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> Cooke subsequently worked on ''Catwoman'' and ''Selina's Big Score'' before returning to work on ''The New Frontier''. | |||
Cooke employed non-linear narrative that increasingly tied together toward the conclusion, likening the approach to films like '']'', '']'', and '']''.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> | |||
Cooke placed a significant focus on Green Lantern Hal Jordan, intending to illustrate "why the character was cool" in light of dramatic changes to the character in the "]" story arc, which he regarded as a wholly out-of-place gimmick for Jordan to merely boost sales.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> To be accurate regarding Jordan's role as a ] pilot, Cooke spoke with two fighter pilots as well as fellow comic writer & artist ], who had previously been stationed in Germany while serving in the Air Force.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> | |||
While clarifying that he did not approve of ]'s personal flaws, Cooke cited Kennedy's 1960 ] -- which both inspired the title and concludes the book -- as "the first time was ever properly articulated."<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> | |||
For 2006's collected ] of the series, Cooke proposed including up to 48 additional pages, which was later negotiated down to 13 in order to hit a 400-page page count.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> The additional material provided more backstory to ] and ], as well as the ] on ].<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> Cooke admitted surprise at this deluxe edition being released so soon after the original release due to retailer demand, citing a three-year wait for ]'s '']'' to receive an Absolute Edition.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> | |||
In a 2014 interview, ''New Frontier'' co-editor Chiarello named the book as the work he was the most proud of his involvement in, calling it "as pure a comic-reading experience as any comic that's ever been published."<ref name="13th Dimension: Chiarello">{{Citation|last=Greenfield|first=Dan|date=2014-07-21|title=MIGHTY Q&A: DC's Mark Chiarello — One of the Most Popular Guys in Comics|work=13th Dimension|publisher=13thDimension.com|url=http://13thdimension.com/mighty-qa-dcs-mark-chiarello-one-of-the-most-popular-guys-in-comics/|accessdate=2016-06-05}}</ref> | |||
====Other projects==== | |||
].]] | |||
In 2004, Cooke also contributed to DC's artist-centric anthology project '']''. His issue (#5, Aug. 2005) featured several different stories in different styles with a framing sequence featuring Slam Bradley, and was originally intended by Cooke to be his final mainstream comic before other palatable DC projects pulled him back.<ref name="CBR (Bell)">{{cite web|last = Bell |first = Josh|title = WC15: Cooke Gets Honest About “Before Watchmen,” Turning Down Morrison|date = 2015-04-09|work = ]|url = http://www.cbr.com/wc15-cooke-gets-honest-about-before-watchmen-turning-down-morrison/|accessdate = 2017-08-16|ref = harv}}</ref> In 2006, ''Solo'' #5 won an Eisner Award for "Best Single Issue." | |||
In November 2006, Cooke and writer ] produced a '']'' ].<ref name="GCD" /> This was followed in December by an ongoing ''Spirit'' series written and drawn by Cooke. At the time, Cooke considered ''The Spirit'' "the most exciting and horrifying offer I'd been made in my career."<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> Along with adding new chracters such as Ginger Coffee and Hussein Hussein, Cooke revised Ellen Dolan and Ebony White,<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> in particular discarding White's exaggerated ]-inspired appearance and dialect. In June 2007, Cooke and ] won a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artists" for their work on ''Batman/The Spirit'', and Cooke won "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on ''The Spirit''.<ref name="Shuster Awards2007">{{cite web |url= http://joeshusterawards.com/awards/about/2007-nominees-and-winners/|title= 2007 Nominees and Winners|year= 2007|publisher= ]s |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20131225182350/http://joeshusterawards.com/awards/about/2007-nominees-and-winners/|archivedate= December 25, 2013|deadurl= no|df=mdy-all|accessdate= December 18, 2011}}</ref> Despite intending a second year of the series, Cooke announced at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con that ''The Spirit'' would conclude after one year, after artist J. Bone had to step down, and an editorial reshuffle at DC moved editors Scott Dunbier and Kristy Quinn from the book, believing that resulting quality would not be up to his standards.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> | |||
Darwyn Cooke also wrote the first six-issue story arc of the Superman monthly series, '']'',<ref>Cowsill "2000s" in Dolan, p. 328: "Writer Darwyn Cooke and artist Tim Sale began with 'Kryptonite', a six-part tale of Superman's first contact with the energy-sapping green element."</ref> which debuted on November 1, 2006 and featured stories set in the early years of Superman's career. As Cooke developed the plot with artist ], he realized he had no creative hook for a Superman story until discovering that, surprisingly, none had been told regarding the character's early fear and uncertainty at the limits of his invulnerability.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> In June 2007, Cooke was awarded the ] for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Writer" for ''Superman Confidential''.<ref name="Shuster Awards2007" /> Feeling more comfortable with human characters like Catwoman and Batman, Cooke nonetheless had pitched one other unrealized Superman graphic novel around 2002 in collaboration with artist and future ''Justice League: The New Frontier'' director David Bullock.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> | |||
Cooke was the writer/artist of '']: Minutemen'' and the writer of ''Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre'' in 2012–2013.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.avclub.com/article/writerartist-darwyn-cooke-talks-ibefore-watchmeni--82247|title= Writer/artist Darwyn Cooke talks ''Before Watchmen'' and creating strong heroines|first= Oliver|last= Sava|date= July 12, 2012|publisher= ]|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140110003912/http://www.avclub.com/article/writerartist-darwyn-cooke-talks-ibefore-watchmeni--82247|archivedate=January 10, 2014 |deadurl= no|df=mdy-all|accessdate= January 9, 2014}}</ref> After originally being pitched to author the entire ''Before Watchmen'' series, Cooke was able to reduce his commitment to only two books, eventually accepting the project after successfully conceptualizing the ''Minutemen'' series.<ref name="CBR (Bell)"/> | |||
Cooke did not view '']'' as "the Holy Grail" of comics, nor did he feel concerned about original ''Watchmen'' author Alan Moore's opinion on the ''Before Watchmen'' series, but he did initially turn down the project for two years out of concern that his work would not measure up either to the original book or its reputation within the comics industry.<ref name="CBR (Bell)"/> | |||
====Vertigo==== | |||
] editor ] encouraged Cooke to produce a collaborative work. Cooke proposed ], believing Hernandez wouldn't be interested .<ref name="Washington Post (Betancourt)">{{cite web|last = Betancourt |first = David|title = Darwyn Cooke & Gilbert Hernandez illuminate their striking new 'Twilight Children'|date = 2015-10-14|work = ]|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/10/14/darwyn-cooke-gilbert-hernandez-illuminate-their-striking-new-twilight-children/|accessdate = 2017-08-16|ref = harv}}</ref> | |||
The story takes place in a Latin American fishing village and mixes elements of ] and ].<ref name="Washington Post (Betancourt)"/> The lives of the villagers are disrupted by a sudden increase in supernatural activity and an influx of suspicious investigators.<ref name="Asbury Park Press (Re)">* {{cite web|last = Re|first = Mike|title = Cooke's 'Children' lead the way for Vertigo|website = ]|date = 2016-01-08|url = http://www.app.com/story/entertainment/books/2016/01/08/cookes-children-lead-way-vertigo/78428806/|accessdate = 2016-01-28|archiveurl = <!-- denied! -->|archivedate = <!-- denied! -->|ref = harv}}</ref> | |||
===Marvel Comics=== | |||
While preparing for ''DC: The New Frontier'' and before creating ''Selina's Big Score'',<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> the success of ''Batman: Ego'' led Cooke to ] freelance work such as '']'', '']/]'' and '']''.<ref name="GCD" /> | |||
Cooke later had a falling out with Marvel and then-Senior Editor ]<ref name="CBR (Johnston)">{{cite web|last = Johnston |first = Rich|title = Lying in the Gutters Vol 2, Column 7|date = 2005-07-05|work = ]|url = http://www.cbr.com/290444-2/|accessdate = 2017-08-17|ref = harv}}</ref> after Marvel solicited and praised his business plan for the ] childrens' line, yet subsequently passed it onto other creators without the company's communication or his involvement.<ref name="CBR (Bell)"/> | |||
===IDW Publishing=== | |||
In July 2009, ] published Cooke's '']'', an adaptation of the ] novel, '']'', the first of four ] novels Cooke adapted for IDW. The second, ''The Outfit'', was released in October 2010, ''The Score'' was released in July 2012,<ref name="GCD" /><ref name=CCM>{{cite journal|title = WonderCon Special Guests|journal = Comic-Con Magazine|page = 18|publisher = ]|date = Winter 2010|url = http://issuu.com/comic-con/docs/ccmag_winter2010}}</ref> and ''Slayground'' was published in December 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comicsalliance.com/richard-stark-parker-slayground-preview-darwyn-cooke-idw/ |title=Darwyn Cooke Adapts A Masterpiece in ''Richard Stark's Parker: Slayground'' |first=Joseph |last=Hughes |date=December 9, 2013 |publisher=] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110020054/http://comicsalliance.com/richard-stark-parker-slayground-preview-darwyn-cooke-idw/ |archivedate=January 10, 2014|deadurl=yes|accessdate=January 9, 2013 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
Cooke completed the eight-year contract for the ''Parker'' series' four planned books in only four years, which led to Cooke anticipating at least one future book, ''Butcher's Moon'', that was ultimately never made due to Cooke's death.<ref name="CBR (Bell)"/> | |||
===Image Comics=== | |||
In January 2015, ] announced a three-part fully creator-owned project by Cooke titled ''Revengeance'', originally intended to launch June 2015.<ref name="Revengeance announcement">{{cite web |url=http://imagecomics.com/content/view/darwyn-cooke-delivers-a-psychological-thriller-and-dark-comedy-in-revengean |title=Darwyn Cooke delivers a psychological thriller and dark comedy in Revengeance |last=Salazar |first=Kat |date=January 8, 2015 |work=] |publisher=Image Comics |accessdate=June 7, 2016}}</ref> Compared by Cooke to ]'s '']'',<ref name="CBR (Bell)"/> the pyschological thriller and dark comedy had been tentatively titled ''Thunder Bay'',<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> and was to be set in Toronto in 1986.<ref name="CBR (Bell)"/> | |||
Cooke initially pitched the art duties to Tim Sale, but decided to take them up himself after an unsuccessful five-year wait for Sale's availability.<ref name="CBR (Bell)"/> ''Revengeance,'' however, remained unreleased at the time of Cooke's death in 2016. | |||
==Personal life== | ==Personal life== | ||
Cooke and his wife Marsha<ref name=CBR>{{cite web|url= http://www.cbr.com/darwyn-cooke-battling-aggressive-cancer/|title= Darwyn Cooke Battling 'Aggressive' Cancer|first= Stephen|last= Gerding|date= May 13, 2016|publisher= ]|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20160830015448/http://www.cbr.com/darwyn-cooke-battling-aggressive-cancer/|archivedate=August 30, 2016|deadurl= no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> lived in western Florida.<ref name=NYTimes/> | |||
Cooke married Marsha Stagg in Las Vegas, Nevada in November 2012 and lived in western Florida.<ref name="NY Times"/> | |||
On May 13, 2016, Cooke's wife announced on his official blog that he was battling an "aggressive" form of ], stating, "It is with tremendous sadness that we announce Darwyn is now receiving ] following a bout with aggressive cancer. His brother Dennis and I, along with our families appreciate the outpouring of support we have received. We ask for privacy as we go through this very difficult time."<ref name=NYTimes/><ref name=CBR/> Cooke died the next morning on May 14, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://darwyncooke.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/we-regret-to-inform-you-that-darwyn.html |title= We Regret to Inform You|last= Johnston|first= Calum|date= May 14, 2016|publisher= Darwyn Cooke blog|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20160610132138/http://darwyncooke.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/we-regret-to-inform-you-that-darwyn.html|archivedate= June 10, 2016|deadurl= no|df=mdy-all|accessdate=May 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/darwyn-cooke-celebrated-comics-artist-and-writer-passes-away|title= Darwyn Cooke, Celebrated Comics Artist and Writer, Passes Away |last= Ching|first= Albert|date= May 14, 2016|publisher= Comic Book Resources|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20160903234017/http://www.cbr.com/darwyn-cooke-celebrated-comics-artist-and-writer-passes-away/|archivedate= September 3, 2016|deadurl= no|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/books/comic-book-artist-darwyn-cooke-dies-53-n574251|title= Comic Book Artist Darwyn Cooke Dies at 53|date= May 14, 2016|publisher= ]|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20160829132256/http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/books/comic-book-artist-darwyn-cooke-dies-53-n574251|archivedate= August 29, 2016|deadurl= no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
==Death== | |||
On May 13, 2016, Cooke's wife announced on his official blog that he was battling an "aggressive" form of cancer, stating, "It is with tremendous sadness that we announce Darwyn is now receiving ] following a bout with aggressive cancer. His brother Dennis and I, along with our families appreciate the outpouring of support we have received. We ask for privacy as we go through this very difficult time."<ref name="NY Times"/> Cooke died the next morning on May 14, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://darwyncooke.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/we-regret-to-inform-you-that-darwyn.html |title= We Regret to Inform You|last= Johnston|first= Calum|date= May 14, 2016|publisher= Darwyn Cooke blog|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20160610132138/http://darwyncooke.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/we-regret-to-inform-you-that-darwyn.html|archivedate= June 10, 2016|deadurl= no|df=mdy-all|accessdate=May 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/darwyn-cooke-celebrated-comics-artist-and-writer-passes-away|title= Darwyn Cooke, Celebrated Comics Artist and Writer, Passes Away |last= Ching|first= Albert|date= May 14, 2016|publisher= Comic Book Resources|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20160903234017/http://www.cbr.com/darwyn-cooke-celebrated-comics-artist-and-writer-passes-away/|archivedate= September 3, 2016|deadurl= no|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/books/comic-book-artist-darwyn-cooke-dies-53-n574251|title= Comic Book Artist Darwyn Cooke Dies at 53|date= May 14, 2016|publisher= ]|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20160829132256/http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/books/comic-book-artist-darwyn-cooke-dies-53-n574251|archivedate= August 29, 2016|deadurl= no|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
Comic creators such as ], ], ], ], Ed Brubaker, and ] expressed condolences, reminisced on working with Cooke, and made recommendations of Cooke's works to fans.<ref name="CBR (McGuirk)">{{cite web|last = McGuirk |first = Brendan|title = Comics Community Remembers Darwyn Cooke|date = 2016-05-14|work = ]|url = http://www.cbr.com/comics-community-remembers-darwyn-cooke/|accessdate = 2017-08-17|ref = harv}}</ref> | |||
==Legacy== | |||
Upon Cooke's passing, DC Comics issued a statement describing Cooke as "one of our medium's true innovators," comparing his "bold, direct style" with ], ], and ].<ref name="DC Comics official press release">{{cite web|title = Darwyn Cooke|date = 2016-05-14|work = ]|url = http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2016/05/14/darwyn-cooke|accessdate = 2017-08-17|ref = harv}}</ref> | |||
Artist ] noted that Cooke's uncompromising nature "opened doors for lots of us,"<ref name="CBR (McGuirk)"/> while artist ] expressed appreciation for Cooke's mentorship despite their eventual strained relationship, noting that Cooke still influenced "every page of work that I do."<ref name="Cameron Stewart">{{cite tweet |user=cameronMstewart|author=Cameron Stewart |author-link=Cameron Stewart |number=731462369721876480 |date=May 14, 2016 |title= I met Darwyn Cooke nearly 20 years ago.}}</ref> | |||
==Awards and honors== | |||
Cooke won thirteen Eisner Awards, eight Harvey Awards, and five Joe Shuster Awards for works produced for DC Comics and IDW Publishing, primarily for ''DC: The New Frontier'' and ''Richard Stark's Parker''. In a 2007 interview, Cooke admitted to -- while appreciating them -- not paying much attention to awards.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> However, upon winning his first Eisner Award in 2005 for ''DC: The New Frontier'', Cooke did feel gratification for his pursuit of comics as a career and understood that he was genuinely on the right path.<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/> | |||
===Eisner Awards=== | |||
{{quote box|width=40%|quote=Mainstream comics can be engaging without having to go down the grim 'n' gritty road. I've tried to create books that remind us that stories should entertain, not stunts or character assassination. I've done my best to remind us that superhero and adventure comics weren't always the greasy affair they've become. It is by definition a hopeful genre aimed at the young at heart, and those are the stories I've tried to tell.|source=— Darwyn Cooke, ''Comics Journal #285''<ref name="Comics Journal #285"/>}} | |||
*Best Finite Series/Limited Series - 2005 ''DC: The New Frontier'', by Darwyn Cooke (DC) | |||
*Best Single Issue/Single Story - 2006 ''Solo'' #5 by Darwyn Cooke (DC) | |||
*Best Single Issue/Single Story - 2007 ''Batman/The Spirit'' #1 by Jeph Loeb and Darwyn Cooke (DC) | |||
*Best Graphic Album: Reprint - 2007 ''Absolute DC: The New Frontier'', by Darwyn Cooke (DC) | |||
*Best Publication Design - 2007 ''Absolute DC: The New Frontier'', designed by Darwyn Cooke (DC) | |||
*Best Adaptation from Another Work - 2010 ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter'', adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW) | |||
*Best Writer/Artist - 2011 Darwyn Cooke, ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit'' (IDW) | |||
*Best Graphic Album: Reprint - 2012 ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Martini Edition'', by Darwyn Cooke (IDW) | |||
*Best Short Story - 2012 "The Seventh" by Darwyn Cooke, in ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Martini Edition'' (IDW) | |||
*Best Adaptation from Another Work - 2013 ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Score'', adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW) | |||
*Best Adaptation from Another Work - 2014 ''Richard Stark's Parker: Slayground'', by Donald Westlake, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW) | |||
*Best Letterer/Lettering - 2014 Darwyn Cooke, ''Richard Stark's Parker: Slayground'' (IDW) | |||
*Best Cover Artist - 2015 Darwyn Cooke, DC Comics Darwyn Cooke Month Variant Covers (DC) | |||
===Harvey Awards=== | |||
*Best Artist or Penciller - 2005 Darwyn Cooke, for ''DC: The New Frontier'' (DC) | |||
*Best Continuing or Limited Series - 2005 ''DC: The New Frontier'', by Darwyn Cooke (DC) | |||
*Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work - 2007 ''Absolute New Frontier'' by Darwyn Cooke (DC) | |||
*Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist) - 2008 Darwyn Cooke, for ''The Spirit'' (DC) | |||
*Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist) - 2010 Darwyn Cooke, for ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter'' (IDW) | |||
*Best Artist or Penciller - 2011 Darwyn Cooke, for ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit'' (IDW) | |||
*Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist) - 2011 Darwyn Cooke, for ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit'' (IDW) | |||
*Best Graphic Album of Original Work - 2013 ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Score'', by Darwyn Cooke (IDW) | |||
===Joe Shuster Awards=== | |||
*Outstanding Cartoonist (writer and artist) - 2005 Darwyn Cooke for ''DC: The New Frontier'' (DC) | |||
*Outstanding Artist - 2007 Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone for ''Batman/The Spirit'' #1 (DC) | |||
*Outstanding Cartoonist (writer and artist) - 2007 Darwyn Cooke for ''The Spirit'' #1 (DC) | |||
*Outstanding Writer - 2007 Darwyn Cooke for ''Superman Confidential'' #1-2 (DC) | |||
*Outstanding Cover - 2010 Darwyn Cooke for ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter'' (IDW) | |||
==Bibliography== | ==Bibliography== | ||
===As penciller or writer/penciller=== | ===As penciller or writer/penciller=== | ||
* ''Batman: Ego'' (], 2000). A 64-page prestige format Batman story. Writer and artist. | |||
* '']'' vol. 3 #1–4 (DC Comics, January–April 2002). With writer ]. | |||
* '']'' #124 (], March 2002). With writer ]. | |||
* '']'' (2002). | * '']'' (2002). | ||
* '']'' #34 (DC, 2014). Artist. | |||
* '']'' #11 (Marvel Comics, April 2002). Cooke wrote and drew "Open All Night!", a Spider-Man Valentine's Day story. | |||
* '' |
* ''Batman: Ego'' (DC, 2000). A 64-page prestige format Batman story. Writer and artist. | ||
* '']'' (DC, 2006). One-shot crossover issue between Batman and The Spirit, featuring some of the supporting casts of both characters (Robin, Catwoman, the Joker, Ebony, P'Gell, Commissioner Dolan and more). Co-written by Cooke and Jeph Loeb, and penciled by Cooke. | |||
* ''Spider-Man's Tangled Web'' #21 (Marvel, February 2003). A Spider-Man Christmas story titled "T'was the Fight Before Xmas", also featuring several female Marvel characters (], ], the ], and the ]). | |||
* '']: Minutemen'' #1–6 (DC, 2012). Writer and artist. | |||
* ''Wolverine/Doop'' #1–2 (Marvel, July 2003). Two-issue miniseries written by Peter Milligan that co-stars X-Men's Wolverine and X-Force's Doop. | |||
* ''Catwoman'' vol. 3 #1–4 (DC, 2001-2002). With writer Ed Brubaker. | |||
* '']'' #1–6 (DC Comics, March–November 2004). Writer and artist. | |||
* ''Catwoman: Selina's Big Score'' (DC, 2002). 96-page graphic novel featuring a Selina Kyle story that takes place before ''Catwoman'' vol. 3 #1. | |||
* '']: Secret Files 2005'' (DC Comics, June 2005). Cooke pencils the main story (22 pages), written by ]. | |||
* ''Creator-Owned Heroes'' #6–8 (Image, 2012-2013). Cooke wrote and drew three short stories. | |||
* '']'' #5 (DC Comics, August 2005). | |||
* '']'' #1–6 (DC, 2004). Writer and artist. | |||
* '']'' (DC Comics, January 2007). One-shot crossover issue between Batman and The Spirit, featuring some of the supporting casts of both characters (Robin, Catwoman, the Joker, Ebony, P'Gell, Commissioner Dolan and more). Co-written by Cooke and ], and penciled by Cooke. | |||
* '']: Secret Files 2005'' (DC, 2005). Cooke pencils the main story (22 pages), written by ]. | |||
* ''The Spirit'' #1–6, 8–12 (DC Comics, February 2007–January 2008). Writer and artist. | |||
* '' |
* '']'' #33, 50 (DC, 2008-2009). Artist. | ||
* '' |
* ''Justice League: The New Frontier Special'' (DC, 2008). | ||
* ''Revengeance'' (Image, unfinished). | |||
* '']'' (], July 2009) Adapted from the novel by Richard Stark, illustrated by Cooke. ({{ISBN|1-6001-0493-2}}) | |||
* ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Man With the Getaway Face – A Prelude to The Outfit'' (IDW |
* '']'' (IDW, 2009) Adapted from the novel by Richard Stark, illustrated by Cooke. (ISBN 1-6001-0493-2) | ||
* ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Man With the Getaway Face – A Prelude to The Outfit'' (IDW, 2010) Oversized (8" x 12") one-shot adapted from the novel by Richard Stark, illustrated by Cooke. Later republished as the first chapter in ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit''. | |||
* '']'' (IDW |
* '']'' (IDW, 2010) Adapted from the novel by Richard Stark, illustrated by Cooke. (ISBN 1-6001-0762-1) | ||
* '' |
* ''Richard Stark's Parker: The Score'' (IDW, 2012) Adapted from the novel by Richard Stark, illustrated by Cooke. (ISBN 1-6137-7208-4) | ||
* '' |
* ''Richard Stark's Parker: Slayground'' (IDW, 2013) Adapted from the novel by Richard Stark, illustrated by Cooke. (ISBN 1-6137-7812-0) | ||
* '' |
* '']'' #5 (DC, 2005). | ||
* '']'' |
* '']'' #11, 21 (Marvel, 2002-2003). Cooke wrote and drew "Open All Night!", a Spider-Man Valentine's Day story, and "T'was the Fight Before Xmas", a Spider-Man Christmas story. | ||
* '' |
* ''The Spirit'' #1–6, 8–12 (DC, 2006-2008). Writer and artist. | ||
* '']'' # |
* '']'' #1–4 (], 2016). With writer Gilbert Hernandez. | ||
* '']'' War One-Shot #1 (DC, 2010). Cooke wrote and drew "Armistice Night." | |||
* ''Wolverine/Doop'' #1–2 (Marvel, 2003). 2-issue miniseries written by Peter Milligan that co-stars X-Men's Wolverine and X-Force's Doop. | |||
* '']'' #124 (Marvel, 2002). With writer ]. | |||
===Backup stories as penciller=== | ===Backup stories as penciller=== | ||
* '' |
* '']'' #23 (DC, 2001). A '']'' backup tale | ||
* '' |
* ''Detective Comics'' #759–762 (DC, 2001). 4-part "Trail of the Catwoman" back-up story (8 pages in each issue), featuring Sam Bradley, that leads to ''Catwoman'' #1. | ||
* '']'' (2002). Cooke drew a short back up story written by ] and inked by Mike Allred. | |||
* '']'' #23 (DC, January 2002) A "]" backup tale | |||
* '']: All Stars'' #3 (DC, 2003). ] back-up story | |||
* '']'' (2002). Cooke drew a short back up story written by ] and inked by Mike Allred. | |||
* '' |
* ''Legion Worlds'' #2 (DC, 2001). 8-page back-up story | ||
* ''Marvel Double Shot'' #3 ( |
* ''Marvel Double Shot'' #3 (2002). "Who Let the Dad Out?", an eleven-page ] story | ||
* ''] |
* '']'' #1 (2002). Doop back-up story | ||
===As writer=== | ===As writer=== | ||
* ''Batman: Gotham Knights'' #33 (DC |
* ''Batman: Gotham Knights'' #33 (DC, 2002). Writer of the back-up story "The Monument", with artist ]. | ||
* ''Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre'' #1–4 (DC, 2012). With artist ]. | |||
* ''Solo'' #1 (DC Comics, December 2004). 11-page story "Date Knight", featuring Batman and Catwoman, with artist ]. | |||
* '' |
* ''Solo'' #1 (DC, 2004). 11-page story "Date Knight", featuring Batman and Catwoman, with artist ]. | ||
* ''Superman Confidential'' #1–5, 11 (DC, 2006-2008). "Kryptonite," written by Cooke with art by Tim Sale. | |||
* '']: Silk Spectre'' #1–4 (DC Comics, August–December 2012). With artist ]. | |||
===Cover work=== | ===Cover work=== | ||
{{div col|colwidth=20em}} | {{div col|colwidth=20em}} | ||
*'']'' #28-29 ( |
*'']'' #28-29 (DC, 2014) | ||
*'']'' #37 (DC |
*'']'' #37 (DC, 2014) | ||
*'']'' # |
*'']'' #28 (], 2008) | ||
*'' |
*''Bad Girls'' #1–5 (DC, 2003–2004) | ||
*'']'' # |
*'']'' #37 (DC, 2014) | ||
*''Batman |
*'']'' #37 (DC, 2014) | ||
*'']'' # |
*'']'' #37 (DC, 2014) | ||
*''Batman & Superman in World's Finest: The Silver Age Omnibus'' vol. 1 (DC, 2016) | |||
*'']'' #7 (DC Comics, 2002) | |||
*'']'' #4 |
*'']'' #4, vol. 2 #23–24, vol. 4 #1 (DC, 1999-2011) | ||
*'' |
*''Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus'' vol. 1 (DC, 2015) | ||
*'']'' #45, 50 (DC, 2002) | |||
*''Batman: Gotham Knights'' #12 (DC, 2001) | |||
*'']'' #17 (DC, 2014) | |||
*''Batwing'' #24, 26-28 (DC, 2013-2014) | |||
*''Catwoman'' #37, 46 (DC, 2014-2016) | |||
*'']'' #3 (], 2004) | *'']'' #3 (], 2004) | ||
*'']'' # |
*'']'' #285 (], 2007) | ||
*'' |
*''Detective Comics'' vol. 2 #37 (DC, 2014) | ||
*'']'' #2 (], 2005) | |||
*'']'' tpb (Speakeasy, 2006) | *'']'' tpb (Speakeasy, 2006) | ||
*'']'' # |
*'']'' vol. 3 #7 (DC, 2011) | ||
*''Grayson'' #5 (DC, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #37 (DC, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #37 (DC, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #4 (], 2005) | |||
*''He-Man: The Eternity War'' #1 (DC, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #1 (Image, 2010) | |||
*'']'' #2 (Image, 2012) | |||
*'']'' #1 (Vertigo, 2010) | |||
*'']'' #2 (Image, 2009) | |||
*'']'' #56 (DC, 2010) | |||
*'']'' #37 (DC, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #7 (DC, 2002) | |||
*'']'' #37 (DC, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #7 (DC, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #50, 54 (DC, 2011) | |||
*'']'' #1–4 (IDW, 2009) | |||
*''Lorna: Relic Wrangler'' #1 (Image, 2011) | |||
*''Mirror Mirror'' (Kickstart Comics, 2010) | |||
*''The Murder of King Tut'' #1–5 (IDW, 2010) | |||
*'']'' #3 (], 2007) | *'']'' #3 (], 2007) | ||
*'']'' # |
*'']'' #4 (Marvel, 2003) | ||
*'']'' # |
*'']'' #1 (], 2007) | ||
*'']'' # |
*'']'' #1–4 (IDW, 2012) | ||
*''Season of the Witch'' #2 (Image, 2005) | |||
* ''The Shade'' #4 variant cover (DC, 2012) | |||
*'']'' #8 (DC, 2014) | |||
*''Spellgame'' #1–4 (Speakeasy, 2005) | |||
*''The Spirit'' #13 (DC, 2008) | |||
*'']'' #3 (], 2008) | *'']'' #3 (], 2008) | ||
*'']'' #37 (DC, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #1–4 (], 2009) | |||
*'']: The Silver Age Omnibus'' Vol. 1 (DC, 2016) | |||
*'']'' #2 (Image Comics, 2009) | |||
*'']'' |
*'']'' #37 (DC, 2014) | ||
*''Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus'' vol. 1-2 (DC, 2013 & 2016) | |||
*'']'' #1 (Image Comics, 2010) | |||
*'']'' # |
*'']'' #14 (DC, 2014) | ||
*'']'' |
*'']'' #5 (DC, 2014) | ||
*'']'' # |
*'']'' vol. 3 #1 (DC, 2011) | ||
*'']'' |
*'']'' hc (IDW, 2010) | ||
*'']'' # |
*'']'' #1 (Vertigo, 2001) | ||
*'']'' |
*'']'' #37 (DC, 2014) | ||
*'']'' vol. 3 #7 (DC Comics, 2011) | |||
*''Batman Beyond'' vol. 4 #1 (DC Comics, 2011) | |||
*'']'' #1 (Image Comics, 2011) | |||
*'']'' #50, 54 (DC Comics, 2011) | |||
*'']'' #1–4 (IDW Publishing, 2012) | |||
* ''The Shade'' #4 variant cover (DC Comics, 2012) | |||
*'']'' #2 (Image Comics, 2012) | |||
*''Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus'' Vol. 1 (DC Comics, 2013) | |||
*''Batwing'' #24 (DC Comics, 2013) | |||
*''Batwing'' #26-28 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #37 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #37 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #7 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #5 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' vol. 3 #37 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #5 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #37 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #8 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' vol. 4 #37 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #37 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #17 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' vol. 2 #37 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #37 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #37 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #37 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #1 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' vol. 2 #37 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #37 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*'']'' #14 (DC Comics, 2014) | |||
*''Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus'' Vol. 1 (DC Comics, 2015) | |||
*'']'' #46 (DC Comics, 2016) | |||
*''Batman & Superman in World's Finest: The Silver Age Omnibus'' Vol. 1 (DC Comics, 2016) | |||
*'']: The Silver Age Omnibus'' Vol. 1 (DC Comics, 2016) | |||
*''Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus'' Vol. 2 (DC Comics, 2016) | |||
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==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
* '']'' vol. 2 #3. ], 25-page interview with Darwyn Cooke. | * '']'' vol. 2 #3. ], 25-page interview with Darwyn Cooke. | ||
* Cooke, Darwyn. "Darwyn Cooke" in '' |
* Cooke, Darwyn. "Darwyn Cooke" in ''Solo'' #5. DC Comics, 2005, pg. 48. | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{commons category}} | {{commons category}} | ||
{{Portal|Canada|Biography|Comics}} | |||
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* {{comicbookdb|type=creator|id=1488|title= Darwyn Cooke}} | * {{comicbookdb|type=creator|id=1488|title= Darwyn Cooke}} | ||
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Revision as of 06:10, 17 August 2017
For the American basketball player, see Darwin Cook.Darwyn Cooke | |
---|---|
Cooke at the 2013 New York Comic Con | |
Born | (1962-11-16)November 16, 1962 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Died | May 14, 2016(2016-05-14) (aged 53) Florida, U.S. |
Nationality | Canadian |
Area(s) | Cartoonist, Writer, Penciller, Inker, Letterer |
Notable works | |
Awards | |
Spouse(s) | Marsha Stagg (m. 2012–2016; his death) |
darwyncooke |
Darwyn Cooke (November 16, 1962 – May 14, 2016) was an Eisner Award-winning Canadian comics artist, writer, cartoonist, and animator, known for his work on the comic books Catwoman, DC: The New Frontier, The Spirit and Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter.
Early life
Darwyn Cooke was born in Toronto on November 16, 1962. Cooke's father was a construction worker and later ran a union. Darwyn and his brother Dennis grew up in Nova Scotia.
Cooke's interest in creating comics began after watching Batman starring Adam West. Cooke's grandmother saved some of his earliest drawings, at 5 years old, of Batman and Robin in crayon on construction paper, with Cooke keeping them after her passing. He discovered comics as a child, but did not become passionate about them until he was a teenager.
Cooke's desire to be an artist crystallized at 13 years old after reading a reprint of Spectacular Spider-Man #2, with Cooke purchasing markers and boards the day after reading the comic and attempting to copy John Romita's artwork. The following week, Cooke purchased Detective Comics #439, featuring the story "Night of the Stalker," and had found his calling. He attributed the ability to develop his own style as a byproduct of limited entertainment choices, allowing him to focus on deconstructing the comics that inspired him. His father, however, did not think that comics were a good avenue for a career.
Cooke attended George Brown College, but was expelled after a year.
Career
In 1985, Cooke left his family on his own for the first time in order to show his samples in the DC Comics offices in New York City. The trip resulted in his first published comic book work as a professional artist in a five-page crime story in DC Comics' New Talent Showcase #19, which was coincidentally edited by "Night of the Stalker" artist Sal Amendola. Economic pressure, however, made Cooke leave comics, as he was only paid $35 per page and produced one page a week. Deciding that comics was not an economically feasible job, Cooke worked in Canada as a magazine art director, graphic and product designer for the next 15 years. He eventually established his own design studio.
Animation
DC animated universe
In the early 1990s Cooke decided to return to comics, but found little interest for his work at the major publishers. Eventually, he was hired by Warner Bros. Animation after replying to an ad for storyboard artists in The Comics Journal placed by animator Bruce Timm, with Cooke shocked that there were positions available. His successful pitch included 14 pages that would be published in 2000 as Batman: Ego.
Originally freelancing from Toronto, Cooke met his animation colleagues at San Diego Comic Con and was approached about moving to Los Angeles full-time. Despite no desire to live in Los Angeles, Cooke moved there to take advantage of "an opportunity to be a part of something that was never going to come around again this way," the ability to associate with creators such as Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, and Eric Radomski. Cooke worked as a storyboard artist for four episodes of The New Batman Adventures as well as a handful of episodes of Superman: The Animated Series.
In 1999, he designed and animated the opening sequence for Batman Beyond. In contrast to most cartoon openings -- which adapt music to a finalized group of shots -- Batman Beyond's visuals were specifically cut to suit the music, after a successful pitch of the concept by Cooke to Bruce Timm. Surprisingly, Cooke employed his personal Macintosh computer in his spare bedroom for most of the animation, as opposed to Warner Bros.' resources. According to Cooke, the Batman Beyond team created a strong show in light of what he considered "kind of a disheartening mandate from the network," which wanted a show about the Batman of the future. He believed the WB Network ultimately disliked the show's level of violence and prematurely ended the show as soon as it was able to be syndicated. Cooke then worked as a director for Sony Animation's Men in Black: The Series for a year.
In April 2014, Cooke released a Batman Beyond animated short celebrating the 75th anniversary of Batman.
Justice League: The New Frontier
In July 2006, it was announced that Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics would release a series of direct-to-DVD DC Universe Animated Original Movies based on important DC comic books. The second film to be adapted was Cooke's DC: The New Frontier, produced by Bruce Timm. Due to Cooke's obligations on The Spirit, Stan Berkowitz wrote the film, while Cooke storyboarded ten percent of the film, rewrote and polished dialogue, as well as provided art direction. Cooke praised both Berkowitz and Timm for their ability to preserve many important character moments within the necessary shortening of the story to accomodate the film's runtime. During the scripting process, Cooke intervened to preserve both Wonder Woman and Lois Lane's places in the film, which had originally been eliminated due to time constraints. Cooke also admitted fearing for the outcome of the film until he learned his former Warner colleague David Bullock would be directing it, praising Bullock as "probably the only person in the world I would have picked ahead of myself to direct it."
DC Comics
Catwoman
In the late 1990s, DC Comics art director Mark Chiarello discovered Cooke's years-old proposal for a Batman story while throwing out old pitches, and hired Cooke for what eventually became the 2000 graphic novel Batman: Ego, marking Cooke's permanent move from animation to comics at 37 years old. The internal dialogue of Batman: Ego between Bruce Wayne and Batman was inspired by the 1981 film My Dinner with Andre.
In 2001, Cooke and writer Ed Brubaker revamped the Catwoman character. They started with a four-issue serial "Trail of the Catwoman" in Detective Comics #759–762 in which private detective Slam Bradley attempts to investigate the death of Selina Kyle (a.k.a. Catwoman). According to Cooke, he and Brubaker bonded over the re-introduction of Bradley, who first appeared in 1937's Detective Comics #1 and pre-dated the super-hero era of comics. The story led into a new Catwoman title in late 2001 by Brubaker and Cooke, in which the character's costume, supporting cast and modus operandi were all redesigned and redeveloped. Cooke would stay on the series until issue #4. In 2002, he would write and draw a prequel, the Selina's Big Score graphic novel which detailed what had happened to the character directly before her new series. Cooke regarded Selina's Big Score as the "single thing I did that I liked the most." While developing DC: The New Frontier, Cooke also drew a short Catwoman back-up story within 2002's Just Imagine Stan Lee with Chris Bachalo creating Catwoman. An untold story concept Cooke held onto involved the return and revenge of Catwoman's betrayed ex-lover Stark in a similar manner to the lead character of the film Point Blank.
DC: The New Frontier
Cooke's next project was 2004's DC: The New Frontier, a six-issue miniseries which bridged the gap between the end of the golden and the start of the silver age of comic books in the DC Universe. Cooke began brainstorming The New Frontier after completing Batman: Ego and being steered by Mark Chiarello to do a Justic League story; Cooke quickly realized he had little interest in writing about the Justice League unless the focus was on "who they were before they became the Justice League." The story, which was set in the 1950s, featured dozens of super-hero characters and drew inspiration from the comic books and movies of the period as well as from Tom Wolfe's non-fiction account of the start of the U.S. space program The Right Stuff. The major DC characters are introduced in The New Frontier in the same order that DC originally published them, even down to the correct month and year in the story's timeline.
As Cooke formulated The New Frontier, DC's editorial board pushed major changes from Cooke's original concept including accommodations for DC Comics' present-day continuity; the mandated changes were undone by Paul Levitz, who allowed Cooke to preserve his original intent both by setting the story out of continuity as well as offering Cooke an advance payment on his work. Cooke subsequently worked on Catwoman and Selina's Big Score before returning to work on The New Frontier.
Cooke employed non-linear narrative that increasingly tied together toward the conclusion, likening the approach to films like Memento, Pulp Fiction, and The Limey.
Cooke placed a significant focus on Green Lantern Hal Jordan, intending to illustrate "why the character was cool" in light of dramatic changes to the character in the "Emerald Twilight" story arc, which he regarded as a wholly out-of-place gimmick for Jordan to merely boost sales. To be accurate regarding Jordan's role as a United States Air Force pilot, Cooke spoke with two fighter pilots as well as fellow comic writer & artist Mike Allred, who had previously been stationed in Germany while serving in the Air Force.
While clarifying that he did not approve of John F. Kennedy's personal flaws, Cooke cited Kennedy's 1960 "New Frontier" speech -- which both inspired the title and concludes the book -- as "the first time was ever properly articulated."
For 2006's collected Absolute Edition of the series, Cooke proposed including up to 48 additional pages, which was later negotiated down to 13 in order to hit a 400-page page count. The additional material provided more backstory to The Flash and J'onn J'onnz, as well as the Suicide Squad on Dinosaur Island. Cooke admitted surprise at this deluxe edition being released so soon after the original release due to retailer demand, citing a three-year wait for Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to receive an Absolute Edition.
In a 2014 interview, New Frontier co-editor Chiarello named the book as the work he was the most proud of his involvement in, calling it "as pure a comic-reading experience as any comic that's ever been published."
Other projects
In 2004, Cooke also contributed to DC's artist-centric anthology project Solo. His issue (#5, Aug. 2005) featured several different stories in different styles with a framing sequence featuring Slam Bradley, and was originally intended by Cooke to be his final mainstream comic before other palatable DC projects pulled him back. In 2006, Solo #5 won an Eisner Award for "Best Single Issue."
In November 2006, Cooke and writer Jeph Loeb produced a Batman/The Spirit intercompany crossover. This was followed in December by an ongoing Spirit series written and drawn by Cooke. At the time, Cooke considered The Spirit "the most exciting and horrifying offer I'd been made in my career." Along with adding new chracters such as Ginger Coffee and Hussein Hussein, Cooke revised Ellen Dolan and Ebony White, in particular discarding White's exaggerated blackface-inspired appearance and dialect. In June 2007, Cooke and J. Bone won a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artists" for their work on Batman/The Spirit, and Cooke won "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on The Spirit. Despite intending a second year of the series, Cooke announced at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con that The Spirit would conclude after one year, after artist J. Bone had to step down, and an editorial reshuffle at DC moved editors Scott Dunbier and Kristy Quinn from the book, believing that resulting quality would not be up to his standards.
Darwyn Cooke also wrote the first six-issue story arc of the Superman monthly series, Superman Confidential, which debuted on November 1, 2006 and featured stories set in the early years of Superman's career. As Cooke developed the plot with artist Tim Sale, he realized he had no creative hook for a Superman story until discovering that, surprisingly, none had been told regarding the character's early fear and uncertainty at the limits of his invulnerability. In June 2007, Cooke was awarded the Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Writer" for Superman Confidential. Feeling more comfortable with human characters like Catwoman and Batman, Cooke nonetheless had pitched one other unrealized Superman graphic novel around 2002 in collaboration with artist and future Justice League: The New Frontier director David Bullock.
Cooke was the writer/artist of Before Watchmen: Minutemen and the writer of Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre in 2012–2013. After originally being pitched to author the entire Before Watchmen series, Cooke was able to reduce his commitment to only two books, eventually accepting the project after successfully conceptualizing the Minutemen series.
Cooke did not view Watchmen as "the Holy Grail" of comics, nor did he feel concerned about original Watchmen author Alan Moore's opinion on the Before Watchmen series, but he did initially turn down the project for two years out of concern that his work would not measure up either to the original book or its reputation within the comics industry.
Vertigo
Vertigo editor Shelly Bond encouraged Cooke to produce a collaborative work. Cooke proposed Gilbert Hernandez, believing Hernandez wouldn't be interested .
The story takes place in a Latin American fishing village and mixes elements of science fiction and magic realism. The lives of the villagers are disrupted by a sudden increase in supernatural activity and an influx of suspicious investigators.
Marvel Comics
While preparing for DC: The New Frontier and before creating Selina's Big Score, the success of Batman: Ego led Cooke to Marvel Comics freelance work such as X-Force, Wolverine/Doop and Spider-Man's Tangled Web.
Cooke later had a falling out with Marvel and then-Senior Editor Axel Alonso after Marvel solicited and praised his business plan for the Marvel Adventures childrens' line, yet subsequently passed it onto other creators without the company's communication or his involvement.
IDW Publishing
In July 2009, IDW Publishing published Cooke's Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter, an adaptation of the Donald Westlake novel, The Hunter, the first of four Parker novels Cooke adapted for IDW. The second, The Outfit, was released in October 2010, The Score was released in July 2012, and Slayground was published in December 2013.
Cooke completed the eight-year contract for the Parker series' four planned books in only four years, which led to Cooke anticipating at least one future book, Butcher's Moon, that was ultimately never made due to Cooke's death.
Image Comics
In January 2015, Image Comics announced a three-part fully creator-owned project by Cooke titled Revengeance, originally intended to launch June 2015. Compared by Cooke to Mickey Spillane's I, the Jury, the pyschological thriller and dark comedy had been tentatively titled Thunder Bay, and was to be set in Toronto in 1986.
Cooke initially pitched the art duties to Tim Sale, but decided to take them up himself after an unsuccessful five-year wait for Sale's availability. Revengeance, however, remained unreleased at the time of Cooke's death in 2016.
Personal life
Cooke married Marsha Stagg in Las Vegas, Nevada in November 2012 and lived in western Florida.
Death
On May 13, 2016, Cooke's wife announced on his official blog that he was battling an "aggressive" form of cancer, stating, "It is with tremendous sadness that we announce Darwyn is now receiving palliative care following a bout with aggressive cancer. His brother Dennis and I, along with our families appreciate the outpouring of support we have received. We ask for privacy as we go through this very difficult time." Cooke died the next morning on May 14, 2016.
Comic creators such as Dan DiDio, Brian Michael Bendis, Gail Simone, Jimmy Palmiotti, Ed Brubaker, and Mark Waid expressed condolences, reminisced on working with Cooke, and made recommendations of Cooke's works to fans.
Legacy
Upon Cooke's passing, DC Comics issued a statement describing Cooke as "one of our medium's true innovators," comparing his "bold, direct style" with Joe Kubert, Alex Toth, and Jack Kirby.
Artist Cliff Chiang noted that Cooke's uncompromising nature "opened doors for lots of us," while artist Cameron Stewart expressed appreciation for Cooke's mentorship despite their eventual strained relationship, noting that Cooke still influenced "every page of work that I do."
Awards and honors
Cooke won thirteen Eisner Awards, eight Harvey Awards, and five Joe Shuster Awards for works produced for DC Comics and IDW Publishing, primarily for DC: The New Frontier and Richard Stark's Parker. In a 2007 interview, Cooke admitted to -- while appreciating them -- not paying much attention to awards. However, upon winning his first Eisner Award in 2005 for DC: The New Frontier, Cooke did feel gratification for his pursuit of comics as a career and understood that he was genuinely on the right path.
Eisner Awards
— Darwyn Cooke, Comics Journal #285Mainstream comics can be engaging without having to go down the grim 'n' gritty road. I've tried to create books that remind us that stories should entertain, not stunts or character assassination. I've done my best to remind us that superhero and adventure comics weren't always the greasy affair they've become. It is by definition a hopeful genre aimed at the young at heart, and those are the stories I've tried to tell.
- Best Finite Series/Limited Series - 2005 DC: The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke (DC)
- Best Single Issue/Single Story - 2006 Solo #5 by Darwyn Cooke (DC)
- Best Single Issue/Single Story - 2007 Batman/The Spirit #1 by Jeph Loeb and Darwyn Cooke (DC)
- Best Graphic Album: Reprint - 2007 Absolute DC: The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke (DC)
- Best Publication Design - 2007 Absolute DC: The New Frontier, designed by Darwyn Cooke (DC)
- Best Adaptation from Another Work - 2010 Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
- Best Writer/Artist - 2011 Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit (IDW)
- Best Graphic Album: Reprint - 2012 Richard Stark's Parker: The Martini Edition, by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
- Best Short Story - 2012 "The Seventh" by Darwyn Cooke, in Richard Stark's Parker: The Martini Edition (IDW)
- Best Adaptation from Another Work - 2013 Richard Stark's Parker: The Score, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
- Best Adaptation from Another Work - 2014 Richard Stark's Parker: Slayground, by Donald Westlake, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
- Best Letterer/Lettering - 2014 Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark's Parker: Slayground (IDW)
- Best Cover Artist - 2015 Darwyn Cooke, DC Comics Darwyn Cooke Month Variant Covers (DC)
Harvey Awards
- Best Artist or Penciller - 2005 Darwyn Cooke, for DC: The New Frontier (DC)
- Best Continuing or Limited Series - 2005 DC: The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke (DC)
- Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work - 2007 Absolute New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke (DC)
- Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist) - 2008 Darwyn Cooke, for The Spirit (DC)
- Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist) - 2010 Darwyn Cooke, for Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter (IDW)
- Best Artist or Penciller - 2011 Darwyn Cooke, for Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit (IDW)
- Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist) - 2011 Darwyn Cooke, for Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit (IDW)
- Best Graphic Album of Original Work - 2013 Richard Stark's Parker: The Score, by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
Joe Shuster Awards
- Outstanding Cartoonist (writer and artist) - 2005 Darwyn Cooke for DC: The New Frontier (DC)
- Outstanding Artist - 2007 Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone for Batman/The Spirit #1 (DC)
- Outstanding Cartoonist (writer and artist) - 2007 Darwyn Cooke for The Spirit #1 (DC)
- Outstanding Writer - 2007 Darwyn Cooke for Superman Confidential #1-2 (DC)
- Outstanding Cover - 2010 Darwyn Cooke for Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter (IDW)
Bibliography
As penciller or writer/penciller
- 9–11: The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember, Volume Two (2002).
- All-Star Western #34 (DC, 2014). Artist.
- Batman: Ego (DC, 2000). A 64-page prestige format Batman story. Writer and artist.
- Batman/The Spirit (DC, 2006). One-shot crossover issue between Batman and The Spirit, featuring some of the supporting casts of both characters (Robin, Catwoman, the Joker, Ebony, P'Gell, Commissioner Dolan and more). Co-written by Cooke and Jeph Loeb, and penciled by Cooke.
- Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1–6 (DC, 2012). Writer and artist.
- Catwoman vol. 3 #1–4 (DC, 2001-2002). With writer Ed Brubaker.
- Catwoman: Selina's Big Score (DC, 2002). 96-page graphic novel featuring a Selina Kyle story that takes place before Catwoman vol. 3 #1.
- Creator-Owned Heroes #6–8 (Image, 2012-2013). Cooke wrote and drew three short stories.
- DC: The New Frontier #1–6 (DC, 2004). Writer and artist.
- Green Lantern: Secret Files 2005 (DC, 2005). Cooke pencils the main story (22 pages), written by Geoff Johns.
- Jonah Hex #33, 50 (DC, 2008-2009). Artist.
- Justice League: The New Frontier Special (DC, 2008).
- Revengeance (Image, unfinished).
- Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter (IDW, 2009) Adapted from the novel by Richard Stark, illustrated by Cooke. (ISBN 1-6001-0493-2)
- Richard Stark's Parker: The Man With the Getaway Face – A Prelude to The Outfit (IDW, 2010) Oversized (8" x 12") one-shot adapted from the novel by Richard Stark, illustrated by Cooke. Later republished as the first chapter in Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit.
- Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit (IDW, 2010) Adapted from the novel by Richard Stark, illustrated by Cooke. (ISBN 1-6001-0762-1)
- Richard Stark's Parker: The Score (IDW, 2012) Adapted from the novel by Richard Stark, illustrated by Cooke. (ISBN 1-6137-7208-4)
- Richard Stark's Parker: Slayground (IDW, 2013) Adapted from the novel by Richard Stark, illustrated by Cooke. (ISBN 1-6137-7812-0)
- Solo #5 (DC, 2005).
- Spider-Man's Tangled Web #11, 21 (Marvel, 2002-2003). Cooke wrote and drew "Open All Night!", a Spider-Man Valentine's Day story, and "T'was the Fight Before Xmas", a Spider-Man Christmas story.
- The Spirit #1–6, 8–12 (DC, 2006-2008). Writer and artist.
- The Twilight Children #1–4 (Vertigo, 2016). With writer Gilbert Hernandez.
- Weird War Tales War One-Shot #1 (DC, 2010). Cooke wrote and drew "Armistice Night."
- Wolverine/Doop #1–2 (Marvel, 2003). 2-issue miniseries written by Peter Milligan that co-stars X-Men's Wolverine and X-Force's Doop.
- X-Force #124 (Marvel, 2002). With writer Peter Milligan.
Backup stories as penciller
- Batman: Gotham Knights #23 (DC, 2001). A Batman Black and White backup tale
- Detective Comics #759–762 (DC, 2001). 4-part "Trail of the Catwoman" back-up story (8 pages in each issue), featuring Sam Bradley, that leads to Catwoman #1.
- Just Imagine Stan Lee with Chris Bachalo creating Catwoman (2002). Cooke drew a short back up story written by Michael Uslan and inked by Mike Allred.
- JSA: All Stars #3 (DC, 2003). Doctor Fate back-up story
- Legion Worlds #2 (DC, 2001). 8-page back-up story
- Marvel Double Shot #3 (2002). "Who Let the Dad Out?", an eleven-page Ant-Man story
- X-Statix #1 (2002). Doop back-up story
As writer
- Batman: Gotham Knights #33 (DC, 2002). Writer of the back-up story "The Monument", with artist Bill Wray.
- Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1–4 (DC, 2012). With artist Amanda Conner.
- Solo #1 (DC, 2004). 11-page story "Date Knight", featuring Batman and Catwoman, with artist Tim Sale.
- Superman Confidential #1–5, 11 (DC, 2006-2008). "Kryptonite," written by Cooke with art by Tim Sale.
Cover work
- All-Star Western #28-29 (DC, 2014)
- Aquaman #37 (DC, 2014)
- Back Issue! #28 (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2008)
- Bad Girls #1–5 (DC, 2003–2004)
- Batgirl #37 (DC, 2014)
- Batman #37 (DC, 2014)
- Batman and Robin #37 (DC, 2014)
- Batman & Superman in World's Finest: The Silver Age Omnibus vol. 1 (DC, 2016)
- Batman Beyond #4, vol. 2 #23–24, vol. 4 #1 (DC, 1999-2011)
- Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus vol. 1 (DC, 2015)
- Batman: Gotham Adventures #45, 50 (DC, 2002)
- Batman: Gotham Knights #12 (DC, 2001)
- Batman/Superman #17 (DC, 2014)
- Batwing #24, 26-28 (DC, 2013-2014)
- Catwoman #37, 46 (DC, 2014-2016)
- Comic Book Artist #3 (Top Shelf Productions, 2004)
- The Comics Journal #285 (Fantagraphics Books, 2007)
- Detective Comics vol. 2 #37 (DC, 2014)
- Elk's Run tpb (Speakeasy, 2006)
- The Flash vol. 3 #7 (DC, 2011)
- Grayson #5 (DC, 2014)
- Green Lantern #37 (DC, 2014)
- Green Lantern Corps #37 (DC, 2014)
- The Grimoire #4 (Speakeasy Comics, 2005)
- He-Man: The Eternity War #1 (DC, 2014)
- Invincible Returns #1 (Image, 2010)
- It Girl! and the Atomics #2 (Image, 2012)
- iZombie #1 (Vertigo, 2010)
- Jersey Gods #2 (Image, 2009)
- Jonah Hex #56 (DC, 2010)
- Justice League #37 (DC, 2014)
- Justice League Adventures #7 (DC, 2002)
- Justice League Dark #37 (DC, 2014)
- Justice League United #7 (DC, 2014)
- Justice Society of America #50, 54 (DC, 2011)
- The Last Resort #1–4 (IDW, 2009)
- Lorna: Relic Wrangler #1 (Image, 2011)
- Mirror Mirror (Kickstart Comics, 2010)
- The Murder of King Tut #1–5 (IDW, 2010)
- Painkiller Jane #3 (Dynamite Entertainment, 2007)
- Rawhide Kid #4 (Marvel, 2003)
- Red Menace #1 (WildStorm, 2007)
- Rocketeer Adventures 2 #1–4 (IDW, 2012)
- Season of the Witch #2 (Image, 2005)
- The Shade #4 variant cover (DC, 2012)
- Sinestro #8 (DC, 2014)
- Spellgame #1–4 (Speakeasy, 2005)
- The Spirit #13 (DC, 2008)
- Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen #3 (Oni Press, 2008)
- Supergirl #37 (DC, 2014)
- Supergirl: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1 (DC, 2016)
- Superman #37 (DC, 2014)
- Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus vol. 1-2 (DC, 2013 & 2016)
- Superman/Wonder Woman #14 (DC, 2014)
- Teen Titans #5 (DC, 2014)
- T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents vol. 3 #1 (DC, 2011)
- Torpedo Volumes 1-2 hc (IDW, 2010)
- Weird Western Tales #1 (Vertigo, 2001)
- Wonder Woman #37 (DC, 2014)
References
- ^ Gustines, George Gene (May 17, 2016). "Darwyn Cooke, Artist With a Retro Approach to Comics, Dies at 53". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 30, 2016.
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- "Darwyn Cooke". Lambiek Comiclopedia. March 3, 2013. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013.
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - Siegel, Lucas (April 18, 2014). "Watch Darwyn Cooke's Full Batman Beyond Animated Short". Newsarama. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014.
DC Comics released the full, brand-new animated short by Darwyn Cooke featuring Batman Beyond. The character, who had his own animated series from 1999 to 2001, seems to be getting a push this year in conjunction with his namesake, Batman's 75th Anniversary.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Darwyn Cooke at the Grand Comics Database
- Manning, Matthew K.; Dougall, Alastair, ed. (2014). "2000s". Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 251. ISBN 978-1465424563.
In this powerful, prestige format tale by writer/artist Darwyn Cooke, criminal Buster Snibbs had ratted out his boss, the infamous Joker, to the Batman.
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has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Cowsill, Alan; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "2000s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
One of DC's longest running characters got a makeover courtesy of writer Ed Brubaker and artist Darwyn Cooke as Catwoman was relaunched...With Brubaker's tight, noir-like scripting and Darwyn Cooke's stylish artwork, Catwoman's new direction made the character more popular than ever.
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has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 262: "Darwyn Cooke was both writer and artistof this hardcover graphic novel...A fast-paced heist set immediately before Selina's second ongoing series, this tale explained how Selina had enough money to embark on a new life as a crime fighter."
- Greenfield, Dan (2014-07-21), "MIGHTY Q&A: DC's Mark Chiarello — One of the Most Popular Guys in Comics", 13th Dimension, 13thDimension.com, retrieved 2016-06-05
- ^ Bell, Josh (2015-04-09). "WC15: Cooke Gets Honest About "Before Watchmen," Turning Down Morrison". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
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(help) - ^ "2007 Nominees and Winners". Joe Shuster Awards. 2007. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
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suggested) (help) - Cowsill "2000s" in Dolan, p. 328: "Writer Darwyn Cooke and artist Tim Sale began with 'Kryptonite', a six-part tale of Superman's first contact with the energy-sapping green element."
- Sava, Oliver (July 12, 2012). "Writer/artist Darwyn Cooke talks Before Watchmen and creating strong heroines". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Betancourt, David (2015-10-14). "Darwyn Cooke & Gilbert Hernandez illuminate their striking new 'Twilight Children'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
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(help) - * Re, Mike (2016-01-08). "Cooke's 'Children' lead the way for Vertigo". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
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(help) - Johnston, Rich (2005-07-05). "Lying in the Gutters Vol 2, Column 7". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
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(help) - "WonderCon Special Guests". Comic-Con Magazine. San Diego Comic-Con International: 18. Winter 2010.
- Hughes, Joseph (December 9, 2013). "Darwyn Cooke Adapts A Masterpiece in Richard Stark's Parker: Slayground". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
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suggested) (help) - Salazar, Kat (January 8, 2015). "Darwyn Cooke delivers a psychological thriller and dark comedy in Revengeance". Image Comics. Image Comics. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
- Johnston, Calum (May 14, 2016). "We Regret to Inform You". Darwyn Cooke blog. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
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suggested) (help) - Ching, Albert (May 14, 2016). "Darwyn Cooke, Celebrated Comics Artist and Writer, Passes Away". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 3, 2016.
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - "Comic Book Artist Darwyn Cooke Dies at 53". NBC News. May 14, 2016. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016.
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suggested) (help) - ^ McGuirk, Brendan (2016-05-14). "Comics Community Remembers Darwyn Cooke". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
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(help) - "Darwyn Cooke". DC Comics. 2016-05-14. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
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(help) - Cameron Stewart (May 14, 2016). "I met Darwyn Cooke nearly 20 years ago" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
Further reading
- Comic Book Artist vol. 2 #3. Top Shelf Productions, 25-page interview with Darwyn Cooke.
- Cooke, Darwyn. "Darwyn Cooke" in Solo #5. DC Comics, 2005, pg. 48.
External links
- Darwyn Cooke's blog
- Darwyn Cooke at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Darwyn Cooke at IMDb
- Darwyn Cooke at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
- Darwyn Cooke at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
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