Greg Theakston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Greg Theakston |
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Greg Theakston at the Big Apple Con in November 2008
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| Born | Greg Allen Theakston November 21, 1953 |
| Died | April 22, 2019 (aged 65) |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Painter Colorist Inker Penciller Historian Publisher |
| Pseudonym(s) | Earl P. Wooten |
| Awards | Shel Dorf Torch Bearer's Award, 2010 |
Greg Allen Theakston (born November 21, 1953 – died April 22, 2019) was an American artist. He drew and colored comics for many different companies. He was also a historian who wrote about comics. He created a special way to fix old comic pages, called "Theakstonizing." Sometimes, he used the name Earl P. Wooten.
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Early Life and Comic Fandom
Greg Theakston grew up in Detroit and loved comics. He joined a group called Detroit's Fantasy Fans and Comic-collector's Group. He helped them create their fan magazine, The Fan Informer, from 1968 to 1971. He also made his own magazines, The Aardvark Annual (1968) and Titan.
For much of the 1970s, Greg helped organize the Detroit Triple Fan Fair. This was one of the first big comic book conventions in the United States. He even owned the convention after working on many shows.
After finishing Redford High School in 1971, Greg worked with artist Jim Steranko. He helped at Steranko's Supergraphics publishing company. In 1972, Greg moved to New York with his friend Carl Lundgren.
Starting His Art Career
In New York, Greg started drawing for magazines like Gent, Dude, and Nugget. He also helped another artist, Jim Starlin, get his first job. Greg inked (traced with ink) some of Starlin's early pencil drawings. This helped Starlin get work at Marvel Comics in 1972.
Drawing for Comics and Magazines
Greg built up his collection of artwork, called a portfolio. He started drawing for many different books and magazines. These included Berkley Books, Dell, Ace, DAW, Zebra, Tor, St. Martin's Press, Warner, Ballantine Books, and Belmont-Tower. He also drew for science fiction magazines like If and Galaxy Science Fiction.
Greg was one of the first members of a group called the Crusty Bunkers. He worked closely with Neal Adams at Continuity Associates from 1972 to 1979. They created animated storyboards, comic art, and drawings for advertisements.
He drew for Mad for ten years. Greg also worked on many comic book projects for different publishers. Some of these included Omega Men, Super Powers, and DC Comics Presents. He also worked on DC's Who's Who and Planet of the Apes.
Posters and Publishing Work
Greg Theakston also created movie posters. One of his movie posters was for the film Invaders From Mars. Seven of his special prints, called lithographs, are kept in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art.
In 1975, Greg started his own company called Pure Imagination. This company published comic books and magazines.
Fixing Old Comics: Theakstonizing
Greg's name is used for a special process called "Theakstonizing." Dick Giordano, an editor at DC Comics, came up with the name. This process uses a special bleach to remove old colors from comic pages. It helps make old comics look new again when they are reprinted.
Greg fixed over 12,000 pages of classic comic art. He worked on famous characters like Superman, Batman, Captain America, Green Lantern, and The Flash. He also restored comics for characters like Porky Pig, The Spirit, The Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Archie, Dick Tracy, Torchy, and Pogo.
He also restored works by many popular comic artists. These artists included Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, Basil Wolverton, Steve Ditko, Frank Frazetta, Jack Cole, Lou Fine, and Wallace Wood.
Awards and Recognition
In 2010, Greg Theakston received the Shel Dorf Torch Bearer's Award. He earned this award for "Preserving the Flame of the Spirit of Comics and Carrying the Torch Forward in the Comic Industry." This means he helped keep the love for comics alive and moving forward.
