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Stuart Immonen

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Stuart Immonen
Immonen in June 2011
NationalityCanadian
Area(s)Writer, Penciller, Inker, Colourist
Notable works
Spouse(s)Kathryn Immonen
http://www.immonen.ca

Stuart Immonen (/ˈɪmoʊnən/) is a Canadian comics artist. He is best known for his work on the Marvel Comics series Nextwave, Ultimate X-Men, The New Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Ultimate Spider-Man, the DC Comics series Action Comics and The Adventures of Superman, as well as for the original Millarworld series Empress, co-created with Mark Millar. His pencils are usually inked by Wade Von Grawbadger.[1]

Early life

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Stuart Immonen grew up in a Finnish Canadian family in Canada. The first comics he read as a child were Disney comics and Harvey Comics. He would later seek out superhero comics from Marvel Comics. Sporadic distribution in the 1970s and 1980s led to the development of an eclectic sense of taste in titles, as he was often only able to find a few issues available per series. A later increase in self-publishing in Toronto spurred him to pursue a career in comics following his studies at university.[2]

Career

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In 1988, he self-published a series titled Playground; it was his first published work. From 1990 through 1992, he drew several issues of Rock 'N' Roll Comics for Revolutionary Comics, including issues on Prince, 2 Live Crew and Public Enemy, ZZ Top, Anthrax, and more. He worked at several smaller comic book companies before being hired by DC Comics in 1993.[3] Since then, Immonen has drawn such high-profile characters as Superman, the Hulk, and the X-Men. His work since 2004 includes stints on the titles Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men with writers Warren Ellis and Brian K. Vaughan respectively, as well as a 12-issue run pencilling Nextwave, which again paired him with Warren Ellis.[4]

Stuart Immonen has also done work for Top Cow and Image Comics.[3]

In 1993 and 1994, Immonen drew the Legion of Super-Heroes and with writers Mark Waid and Tom McGraw created a new Legion continuity, beginning with a retelling of the team's origin story starting in Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 4 #0 (Oct. 1994).[5] In 1996, writer Karl Kesel and Immonen produced The Final Night limited series.[6] That same year, Immonen was one of the many creators who contributed to the Superman: The Wedding Album one-shot wherein the title character married Lois Lane.[7] Immonen wrote and drew part of the Superman Red/Superman Blue one-shot which launched the storyline of the same name which ran through the various Superman titles.[8] Immonen ended his ongoing involvement with the Superman franchise with the Superman: End of the Century graphic novel in 2000[9] but returned to the character for the Superman: Secret Identity in 2004.[4]

In 2000, Immonen was one of the founders of Gorilla Comics, a company formed with Mark Waid, Kurt Busiek and several others. Immonen and Busiek collaborated on the Shockrockets limited series and the Superstar: As Seen on TV one-shot but the company folded after a short time.[10]

In 2005, Immonen published 50 Reasons to Stop Sketching at Conventions, a series of fifty comics that detail why he no longer does sketches for fans. Besides self-publishing, Immonen also maintains a webcomic called Never as Bad as You Think which is co-authored by his wife, Kathryn.[11] Moving Pictures - a webcomic co-authored by the Immonens - was published as a graphic novel by Top Shelf Productions in 2010.

Immonen illustrated Marvel Comics' Ultimate Spider-Man from issue #111[12] to issue #133.[13] He subsequently worked on The New Avengers from issue #55 to issue #64. He continued to be the series artist when The New Avengers relaunched during the "Heroic Age" storyline and was the regular artist for the first seven issues as well as issue #11.[14]

In 2011 Immonen illustrated Marvel's Fear Itself miniseries which formed the core of a company-wide crossover storyline of the same name.[15][16][17] In November 2012 he and writer Brian Michael Bendis started the series All-New X-Men.[18]

In 2014 Immonen drew the six issue miniseries, All-New Captain America, for Marvel's Avengers NOW! relaunch.[19]

From 2017 to 2018 he drew The Amazing Spider-Man #25 to 31 789 to 791, 794, 797 to 800, which included long-time series writer Dan Slott's last major storyline, titled "Go Down Swinging".

Reception

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In 2010, Immonen won the Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Artist.[20]

Doug Zawisza, reviewing the 2011 Fear Itself miniseries for Comic Book Resources, praised Immonen's art. He consistently singled out Immonen for his simple but detailed storytelling, and his ability to render varied subject matter, from Nazis to sea monsters.[21] Zawisza called his art "incredible" and "gorgeous", and Immonen a "modern master" whose ability to convey a large amount of story in a small portion of a page Zawisza compared to that of George Pérez.[22] Though Zawisza was not reluctant to note the occasional error,[23] he praised specific visuals, including Immonen and Laura Martin's depiction of Yggdrasil in issue #1, as well as numerous scenes in issue #4, such as the scenes of global chaos, the Odin-Serpent framing sequence and the shots of British Columbia, which he called "chilling".[24] Jennifer Margret Smith, reviewing the first issue for Newsarama, while praising the entire creative team, commented, "but it's Immonen who really shines", in reference to Immonen's storytelling and skill at crowd scenes.[25] Similar reactions was garnered among reviewers at Comics Bulletin,[26][27][28] with Danny Djeljosevic echoing Zawisza's comments regarding Immonen's ability to effectively render different subjects, from as sleepy seaside Canadian towns to superhero battles, saying, "Immonen is easily the most versatile artist in comics, who will surely go down as one of the greats with his striking layouts and dynamic, varied panel to panel storytelling. Immonen reminds me of the old-school Marvel Comics artists, who were capable of delivering strong, consistent work every month with little need for fill-ins."[29] Alex Evans and Dean Stell of Weekly Comic Book Review thought the art and colors were vibrant and detailed, and Immonen the perfect choice for the series, though Stell thought it looked a bit rushed in issue #6, and not up to Immonen's usual standards in issue #7.[30][31][32][33][34][35][36]

Bibliography

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DC Comics

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Marvel Comics

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Other publishers

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References

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  1. ^ Marston, George (May 4, 2011). "Best Shots Extra: Fear Itself #2, Moon Knight #1, More". Newsarama. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013.
  2. ^ Millar, Mark (w), Sprouse, Chris (a). Jupiter's Circle, vol. 2, no. 3 (January 2016). Image Comics.
  3. ^ a b "Stuart Immonen". Lambiek Comiclopedia. November 16, 2007. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Stuart Immonen at the Grand Comics Database
  5. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1990s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 267. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. The previously uninterrupted adventures of the team from the 30th Century had ended in the chaos of Zero Hour. But in this zero issue written by Tom McCraw and Mark Waid and drawn by Stuart Immonen, a new incarnation's adventures were only just beginning. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 274: "In this four-issue miniseries by writer Karl Kesel and artist Stuart Immonen, the heroes of the present united with the Legion of Super-Heroes and the New Gods in an attempt to stop a 'sun-eater'."
  7. ^ Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 275: " The behind-the-scenes talent on the monumental issue appropriately spanned several generations of the Man of Tomorrow's career. Written by Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, David Michelinie, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern, the one-shot featured the pencils of John Byrne, Gil Kane, Stuart Immonen, Paul Ryan, Jon Bogdanove, Kieron Dwyer, Tom Grummett, Dick Giordano, Jim Mooney, Curt Swan, Nick Cardy, Al Plastino, Barry Kitson, Ron Frenz, and Dan Jurgens."
  8. ^ Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 283: "The special written by Dan Jurgens, Stuart Immonen, Karl Kesel, and Louise Simonson, with pencils by Stuart Immonen, Ron Frenz, Tom Grummett, Paul Ryan, and Jon Bogdanove."
  9. ^ Immonen, Stuart (2000). Superman: End of the Century. DC Comics. p. 96. ISBN 978-1563895746.
  10. ^ Dean, Michael (June 8, 2001). "The Case of the Disappearing Gorilla: The Banana Trust Explains How Not to Start a Comics Line". The Comics Journal #234. Seattle, Washington: Fantagraphics Books. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  11. ^ Draper Carlson, Johanna (August 31, 2006). "50 Reasons to Stop Sketching at Conventions". Comics Worth Reading. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013.
  12. ^ "Ultimate Spider-Man Begins A New Era". Comic Book Resources. July 2, 2007. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
  13. ^ George, Richard; Schedeen, Jesse (February 8, 2009). "A New Beginning for Ultimate Spider-Man". IGN. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013.
  14. ^ Quesada, Joe (December 10, 2010). "Marvel T&A: Architecture & Avengers Recruiting". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013.
  15. ^ Manning, Shaun (December 21, 2010). "Marvel Announces Fear Itself". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013.
  16. ^ Truitt, Brian (December 21, 2010). "Be afraid: Marvel's heroes gear up for Fear Itself". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012.
  17. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2012). "2000s". Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 337. ISBN 978-0756692360. This seven-issue series by writer Matt Fraction and artist Stuart Immonen was Marvel's big blockbuster of the year. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ Arrant, Chris (November 8, 2013). "Inside Stuart Immonen's All-New All-New X-Men Costumes". Newsarama. Archived from the original on June 30, 2016.
  19. ^ Ching, Albert (July 16, 2014). "Falcon Picks Up the Shield in Remender & Immonen's 'All-New Captain America'". CBR.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  20. ^ Boyd, Kevin A. (June 22, 2010). "2010 Outstanding Artist – Stuart Immonen". Joe Shuster Awards. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013.
  21. ^ Zawisza, Doug (April 4, 2011). "Fear Itself #1". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013.
  22. ^ Zawisza, Doug (May 4, 2011). "Fear Itself #2". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012.
  23. ^ Zawisza, Doug (June 1, 2011). "Fear Itself #3". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012.
  24. ^ Zawisza, Doug (July 6, 2011). "Fear Itself #4". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013.
  25. ^ Smith, Jennifer Margret (April 7, 2011). "Best Shots Rapid Reviews: Fear Itself, Brightest Day, More". Newsarama. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013.
  26. ^ Young, Thom (April 10, 2011). "Sunday Slugfest: Fear Itself #1". Comics Bulletin. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011.
  27. ^ Djeljosevic, Danny (May 6, 2011). "Fear Itself #2". Comics Bulletin. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013.
  28. ^ Hill, Shawn; Salama Cohén, Sam (June 5, 2011). "Sunday Slugfest: Fear Itself #3". Comics Bulletin. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011.
  29. ^ Djeljosevic, Danny (July 8, 2011). "Fear Itself #4". Comics Bulletin. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011.
  30. ^ Evans, Alex (April 6, 2011). "Fear Itself #1 – Review". Weekly Comic Book Review. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013.
  31. ^ Evans, Alex (May 4, 2011). "Fear Itself #2 – Review". Weekly Comic Book Review. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013.
  32. ^ Evans, Alex (June 2, 2013). "Fear Itself #3 – Review". Weekly Comic Book Review. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013.
  33. ^ Evans, Alex (July 6, 2011). "Fear Itself #4 – Review". Weekly Comic Book Review. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013.
  34. ^ Evans, Alex (August 12, 2011). "Fear Itself #5 – Review". Weekly Comic Book Review. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013.
  35. ^ Evans, Alex (September 14, 2011). "Fear Itself #6 – Review". Weekly Comic Book Review. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013.
  36. ^ Stell, Dean (October 19, 2011). "Fear Itself #7 – Review". Weekly Comic Book Review. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stuart Immonen.
Preceded by Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 4 artist
1993–1994 		Succeeded by
Preceded by The Adventures of Superman artist
1995–1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Tom Grummett
 Action Comics artist
1997–1999 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Randall Frenz
 The Adventures of Superman writer
(with Mark Millar)
1999–2000 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Ultimate Spider-Man artist
2007–2009 		Succeeded by
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