Paris Cullins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paris Cullins |
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Cullins in 2024
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| Born | 1960 (age 65–66) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Penciller, Colorist, Artist, Cover |
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Notable works
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Blue Beetle Blue Devil Hyperkind |
Paris Cullins, born in 1960, is an American comics artist. He is well-known for his amazing work on comic books. Some of his most famous creations include Blue Devil and Blue Beetle for DC Comics. He also worked on Hyperkind for Marvel Comics' special Razorline series.
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Growing Up with Art
Paris Cullins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in the northern part of the city. He often says his mom helped him discover comics. She really loved art and comic books. His dad was also an artist, who painted landscapes. He was also a touring jazz musician.
When Paris was just 11 years old, he got his first art job. He drew pictures for a coloring book company. As he got older, he created art for many different places. This included Larami Toys and a TV show called Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club. He also designed holiday cards.
Starting His Comic Book Journey
How Paris Cullins Began
Paris Cullins started sending his comic art to DC Comics in 1976. He finally met with Dick Giordano at the end of 1979. Paris remembers bringing new drawings, and Dick loved them. These drawings showed Batman fighting Manhunter.
Dick Giordano then offered him a chance to join DC Comics. Paris started on January 2nd, 1980. His first jobs were drawing scary stories for DC. He also worked on a special series called "I, Vampire."
His very first published comic art was a six-page story. It was called "Mystic Murder" and appeared in Secrets of Haunted House #42 in November 1981. He drew several "I ... Vampire" stories. He also drew for other DC titles like Ghosts and The Unexpected. In July 1982, he drew his first superhero story. It was a backup feature for the Green Lantern Corps in Green Lantern #154.
Paris also met artist Ernie Colón at DC. Ernie drew for Harvey Comics, known for Richie Rich. Ernie offered Paris extra work. For several months, Paris drew Richie Rich and Hot Stuff comics.
The "Blue" Superheroes
In March 1983, Paris helped draw Justice League of America #212. He also drew his first comic cover for The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #7. Then, in June 1984, he drew his first full comic book, Blue Devil #1.
Paris helped create the superhero Blue Devil. He worked with writers Gary Cohn and Dan Mishkin. Blue Devil first appeared as a small story in The Fury of Firestorm #24. Paris explained that Blue Devil was first planned as a short story for another artist. It was supposed to be a monster superhero story. But when that artist said no, they asked Paris to draw it.
The Blue Devil comic series ran for 31 issues. Paris drew the first six issues and the Blue Devil Annual #1 in 1985. He also drew the covers for the entire series. During this time, he drew many other DC comic covers and stories. He also drew character pages for Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe.
Paris Cullins and writer Len Wein also worked on a Ted Kord Blue Beetle series for DC. DC Comics had bought this character from another company. Paris drew many issues of this series, from #1 to #9, and then #11 to #14, and #17 to #18. He was also one of the artists for Batman #400 in October 1986.
Paris started working for Marvel Comics by drawing backup stories for X-Factor Annual #3, The Punisher Annual #1, and Silver Surfer Annual #1 in 1988. He still worked mostly for DC. There, he teamed up with writer J. M. DeMatteis for a six-issue series. It brought back Jack Kirby's The Forever People. Paris drew the stories and covers for this series. He also co-plotted and drew many issues of a new The New Gods series with writer Mark Evanier.
Later Comic Work and Other Projects
In the 1990s, Paris Cullins continued to work for DC Comics. He also drew comics for Marvel and other publishers like Acclaim Comics and Crusade Comics. He worked with writer Fred Burke to draw all nine issues of the superhero team comic Hyperkind. This series was part of Marvel's Clive Barker–created Razorline imprint.
Paris took a break from comics from 1996 to 2001. In 2001, he drew the cover for Onstar Batman Special Edition #1. His last known comic work was a one-page drawing for A1 Sketchbook in November 2004.
At some point, Paris Cullins also drew art for book covers. He worked for advertising agencies. He created storyboards for video games and TV commercials. He did full-color storyboards and designs for a game called Terror in the Bermuda Triangle.
In December 2006, a company in Philadelphia announced a new magazine. It was called Gritz n' Gravy. Paris Cullins was announced as a co-founder and publisher for this magazine.
