Alex Ross facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alex Ross |
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Ross in 2003
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| Born | Nelson Alexander Ross January 22, 1970 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Painter and illustrator |
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Notable works
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Alex Ross, born on January 22, 1970, is a famous American comic book artist and writer. He is well-known for his amazing painted artwork inside comics, on covers, and for character designs.
He became famous in 1994 with the comic series Marvels, which he created with writer Kurt Busiek for Marvel Comics. Since then, he has worked on many projects for both Marvel and DC Comics, including the 1996 series Kingdom Come, which he also helped write.
Ross has also designed covers and characters for Busiek's Astro City series. He has worked on various projects for Dynamite Entertainment. His art has even appeared in movies like Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004). He created DVD art for the film Unbreakable (2000).
Beyond comics and movies, Ross has painted covers for TV Guide. He has also made promotional art for the Academy Awards and designed posters for video games. His realistic superhero art has even been turned into action figures.
Ross's unique style often uses a mix of gouache (a type of paint) and wash. People say his art looks like a mix of Norman Rockwell's realistic paintings and George Pérez's detailed comic art. His work is praised for showing classic comic characters in a very human and realistic way.
Contents
Early Life and Art Training
Growing Up and Discovering Art
Alex Ross was born in Portland, Oregon, and grew up in Lubbock, Texas. His father, Clark, was a minister, and his mother, Lynette, was a commercial artist. Alex learned many art techniques from his mother.
He started drawing at age three. Superheroes first caught his eye when he saw Spider-Man on the TV show The Electric Company.
Learning from Other Artists
Later, Alex was inspired by comic artists like John Romita Sr., Neal Adams, George Pérez, and Bernie Wrightson. He tried to draw superheroes like Pérez and more serious art like Wrightson. By age 16, Ross found the realistic work of illustrators such as Andrew Loomis and Norman Rockwell. He dreamed of seeing such realistic styles in comic books one day.
At 17, Ross began studying painting at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. His mother had also studied there. During his time at the academy, Ross discovered artists like J. C. Leyendecker and Salvador Dalí. He realized that their "hyper-realistic" art was similar to comic art. This is when he decided he wanted to paint his own comic books. Ross finished his studies after three years.
Career Highlights
Starting in Comics: The 1990s
After art school, Ross worked at an advertising agency as a storyboard artist. His first published comic book work was the 1990 series Terminator: The Burning Earth. He did all the art for this five-issue series, from pencils to colors.
His first work for Marvel Comics was supposed to be in a science-fiction comic called Open Space #5. However, that comic was canceled. Ross's story was later printed in 1999 in a special magazine. In 1993, he painted his first superhero cover for a Superman novel.
Working with Kurt Busiek and Marvels
Around this time, Ross met writer Kurt Busiek. They started suggesting comic series that would feature painted art inside. Marvel agreed to a project that would show the history of the Marvel Universe through the eyes of an ordinary person.
This series, Marvels, came out in 1994. It told the story of a photojournalist living in a world full of superheroes and villains.
Busiek, Ross, and artist Brent Anderson then created Astro City. This series first came out in 1995. It features an original superhero world and continues the idea of Marvels. It explores how regular people, heroes, and villains react to a world where amazing things are common. Ross paints the covers and helps design the characters and overall look of the series.
Kingdom Come and DC Comics
In 1996, Ross worked with writer Mark Waid on the DC Comics series Kingdom Come. This story showed a possible future for the DC Universe. In it, Superman and other classic superheroes come out of retirement to deal with a new generation of harsh heroes.
Ross redesigned many DC characters for this work. He also helped create the character Magog. This character's look was inspired by Cable and Shatterstar, two characters created by Rob Liefeld.
After Kingdom Come, Ross worked on Uncle Sam. This was a different kind of comic for DC that looked at the darker parts of American history. Between 1998 and 2003, writer Paul Dini and Ross created special large comic books. These celebrated the 60th anniversaries of DC Comics' Superman, Batman, Shazam, and Wonder Woman. They also made two specials about the Justice League.
Creative Projects: The 2000s
In the early 2000s, Ross worked with writer Jim Krueger. They planned and designed characters for three Marvel series: Earth X, Universe X, and Paradise X. These stories brought together many Marvel characters from different time periods.
When the movie Unbreakable came out on DVD in 2001, it included art by Ross. He also provided commentary about superheroes in the movie's special features.
In 2001, Ross was praised for his work on special comic books. These books helped the families of those affected by the September 11, 2001, attacks. His art included portraits of paramedics, police, and firefighters. He has also designed DC merchandise like posters and statues. In late 2001, Ross painted four covers for TV Guide. These covers featured actors from the TV series Smallville and Superman.
Spider-Man and Academy Awards
Ross designed costumes for the 2002 film Spider-Man, though they were not used in the movie. In the film's video game, you could unlock a playable version of Ross's Spider-Man design. The Green Goblin also had one of Ross's unused outfits in the game.
In early 2002, Ross designed the promotional poster for the 74th Academy Awards. The poster showed the Oscar statue on top of a famous building. The Academy even loaned Ross an actual Oscar for a week so he could use it as a reference. He said he photographed his family members pretending to receive it. That same year, he was one of four artists who drew Spider-Man for a TV Guide cover to promote the Spider-Man movie.
Ross also created the cover art for several Anthrax music albums. These included We've Come for You All (2003), Music of Mass Destruction (2004), Worship Music (2011), and For All Kings (2016).
In 2003, a book called Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross was published. It was written by Chip Kidd and had a foreword by M. Night Shyamalan. A paperback version came out later with new art by Ross. Also in 2004, Ross designed 15 paintings for the opening credits of the film Spider-Man 2. These paintings showed important parts of the first movie. Ross later donated these paintings to be sold to help a cancer charity.
In 2005, Ross designed the DVD covers for the re-release of Gatchaman. He appeared in a special feature on the DVD, talking about how Gatchaman influenced his career.
Justice and Other Projects
In August 2005, Ross worked again with writer Jim Krueger and artist Doug Braithwaite on the 12-issue series Justice for DC Comics. This series focused on the enemies of the Justice League of America teaming up to try and defeat them.
The DVD cover for the 1980 film Flash Gordon, released in 2007, features a cover painted by Ross. He is a big fan of the movie and appeared in a special feature on the DVD to discuss it.
In 2008, Ross started projects focusing on Golden Age characters. One was Project Superpowers with Jim Krueger for Dynamite Entertainment. That same year, Ross wrote and drew Avengers/Invaders. This comic featured Marvel characters but was published by Dynamite. The story showed World War II versions of Captain America, Namor, and other classic war heroes fighting against the modern Avengers.
Late in 2008, two of Ross's prints were made into T-shirts. One showed George W. Bush as a vampire. The other, "Time for a Change," showed Barack Obama as a superhero. Obama was seen wearing the superhero T-shirt at a public event. Ross also painted the cover for the video game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.
Dynamite Entertainment announced that Ross would illustrate covers for the Fighting American series.
Recent Work: The 2010s and 2020s
Other projects for Dynamite included Ross being the creative director for The Phantom comic book series. He also teamed up with Kurt Busiek on Kirby: Genesis, an eight-issue series that started in 2011. This was their first big collaboration since Marvels 17 years earlier. It featured many characters created by Jack Kirby, whose rights were bought by Dynamite. Ross helped plan the story, designed characters, and painted the covers.
Since 2011, Ross has painted covers for several Dynamite comics. These include The Green Hornet, Silver Star, Captain Victory, The Bionic Man, Lord of the Jungle, and The Spider.
In 2012, Ross drew promotional art for Ratonhnhaké:ton, the main character of the video game Assassin's Creed III. This art was used on a magazine cover and a special game case. That same year, Ross returned to painting interior art for Masks. This story brought together characters like the Shadow, the Spider, the Green Hornet, and Zorro to fight a common enemy.
In 2013, Ross created a special poster for the video game Watch Dogs. The game is set in Ross's home city, Chicago. He showed this in the poster by including the Willis Tower and the elevated train tracks.
For Marvel's "All-New, All-Different Marvel" relaunch, Ross created many covers for main comics like The Amazing Spider-Man and Squadron Supreme. In 2015, after the "Secret Wars" storyline ended, Ross designed a high-tech version of Spider-Man's costume. Spider-Man wore this costume in the comic series by Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli.
The 2020s and Fantastic Four: Full Circle
In 2020, Ross provided the main cover for the Marvel Comics book The Rise of Ultraman #1. In the early 2020s, he regularly painted covers for Marvel titles such as Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain America, and Immortal Hulk.
In April 2022, Ross was among many comic creators who contributed to Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds. This book helped raise money for Ukrainian refugees. Ross provided the cover for the hardcover edition.
In September 2022, Ross released Fantastic Four: Full Circle. This was a 64-page graphic novel where the Fantastic Four travel through the Negative Zone. Ross wrote and drew this book, working with colorist Josh Johnson for Marvel Comics. It was the first long story that Ross both wrote and drew. It was his take on a classic 1960s Fantastic Four story by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
The American Library Association listed it among their 2022 Best Graphic Novels for Adults. They noted that the art was clearly Alex Ross's, but he used bolder, more expressive colors. Chris Neill from Kotaku praised the book's art, calling it "the best looking comic you'll see this year." Neill felt that Ross's usual style could sometimes make the art feel stiff. However, his choice to ink his lines and use flat colors gave the art a grittier feel. Neill also liked the digital dot screen effect, which reminded him of older comic printing. Michael Cavna included it in The Washington Post's list of the Ten Best Graphic Novels of 2022.
Personal Life
As of December 2018, Alex Ross lives in the suburbs of Chicago.
Toys and Collectibles
DC Direct, the collectibles part of DC Comics, has made many action figures based on Alex Ross's artwork.
Kingdom Come Figures
Three sets of action figures were made from the comic book Kingdom Come.
- The first set included Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Hawkman.
- The second set included Batman, Red Robin, Captain Marvel, and Kid Flash.
- The last set included Magog, Flash, Armored Wonder Woman, and Deadman.
- An exclusive figure of Red Arrow was released through ToyFare magazine.
- DC Direct also released other Ross-designed characters through their Elseworlds toy lines. These included the Spectre, Norman McCay, Jade, Nightstar, Aquaman, and Blue Beetle.
- Ross designed the costume for the current Batwoman. This character was released as an action figure by DC Direct.
Justice Figures
DC Direct also released a line of action figures for the comic book Justice based on Alex Ross's artwork:
- Series 1: Bizarro, Sinestro, Cheetah, Flash, Superman
- Series 2: Aquaman, Batman, Black Canary, Black Manta, Parasite
- Series 3: Green Lantern, the Joker, Plastic Man, Poison Ivy, Wonder Woman
- Series 4: Black Adam, Hawkman, Shazam, Solomon Grundy, Zatanna
- Series 5: Brainiac, Green Arrow, Lex Luthor, Martian Manhunter, Red Tornado.
- Series 6: Batman Armored, Green Lantern Armored, Hawkgirl, Scarecrow.
- Series 7: Aquaman Armored, Gorilla Grodd, Green Lantern John Stewart, Superman Armored
- Series 8: Batgirl, Captain Cold, Supergirl, Toyman
In 2019, Hasbro released figures based on Alex Ross's art as part of the Marvel Legends line. These toys celebrated Marvel Comics' 80th anniversary. They included Ross-designed versions of Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America.
Awards and Recognition
Alex Ross has won many awards for his amazing work in the comic book industry.
National Cartoonists Society Awards
- 1998 National Cartoonists Society Comic Book "Reuben" Award for Superman: Peace on Earth.
- 2022 National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award Best Graphic Novel Nominee for Fantastic Four: Full Circle.
Eisner Awards
The Eisner Awards are like the "Oscars" for comic books. Alex Ross has won many:
- 1994: Best Painter/Multimedia Artist for Marvels.
- 1996: Best Cover Artist for Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
- 1997: Best Cover Artist for Kingdom Come and Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
- 1997: Best Painter/Multimedia Artist for Kingdom Come.
- 1998: Best Cover Artist for Kurt Busiek's Astro City and Uncle Sam.
- 1998: Best Painter/Multimedia Artist for Uncle Sam.
- 1999: Best Painter/Multimedia Artist for Superman: Peace on Earth.
- 2000: Best Cover Artist for various Batman and Astro City comics.
- 2000: Best Painter/Multimedia Artist for Batman: War on Crime.
- 2003: Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award.
Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards also celebrate excellence in comics. Ross has won several:
- 1994: Best Artist or Penciller for Marvels.
- 1997: Best Artist or Penciller for Kingdom Come.
- 1996: Best Cover Artist for Kurt Busiek's Astro City #1.
- 1997: Best Cover Artist for Kingdom Come #1.
- 1998: Best Cover Artist for Kurt Busiek's Astro City, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #100, and Squadron Supreme.
- 1999: Best Cover Artist for Kurt Busiek's Astro City, Superman Forever, and Superman: Peace on Earth.
- 1994: Best Continuing or Limited Series for Marvels.
- 1995: Best Single Issue or Story for Marvels #4.
- 2000: Best Graphic Album of Original Work for Batman: War on Crime.
- 1995: Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work for Marvels.
- 1994: Special Award for Excellence in Presentation for Marvels.
Other Awards
Ross won the Comics Buyer's Guide's CBG Fan Award for Favorite Painter seven years in a row. This led to the award category being retired because he won so often! He was also named Best Cover Artist by the CBG Awards for 11 years in a row, from 1995 to 2005.
He also won the 2005 Wizard Fan Award for Favorite Painter for his work on Justice.
See also
In Spanish: Alex Ross (ilustrador) para niños
