Walt Simonson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Walt Simonson |
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Simonson at the Big Apple Summer Sizzler, June 13, 2009
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| Born | Walter Simonson September 2, 1946 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Writer, Artist |
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Notable works
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Thor Fantastic Four Detective Comics (Manhunter) Metal Men Star Slammers Orion Star Wars X-Factor |
| Awards | Shazam Award:
Inkwell Awards All-in-One Award (2022) |
| Signature | |
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Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is famous for his work on Marvel Comics' Thor from 1983 to 1987. During this time, he created the character Beta Ray Bill.
Simonson is also known for his own comic series called Star Slammers. He started this project in 1972 as a special assignment for his art school. He has worked on many other popular comics. These include Marvel's X-Factor and Fantastic Four. For DC Comics, he worked on Detective Comics, Manhunter, Metal Men, and Orion. He also drew comics based on movies like Star Wars and Alien.
Walter Simonson has won many awards for his art and stories. Other artists like Arthur Adams and Todd McFarlane have said he inspired them. He is married to comics writer Louise Simonson. They worked together on the X-Factor comic series.
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Early life and education
Walter Simonson was born on September 2, 1946, in Knoxville, Tennessee. When he was young, his family moved to Maryland. He started reading comics as a child. His brother had subscriptions to comics like Walt Disney's Comics and Stories. By age ten, he loved comics by Carl Barks and Alex Toth. He also enjoyed drawing from a very young age.
Simonson studied geology in college, hoping to become an expert on dinosaurs. In the mid-1960s, he discovered Marvel Comics' Thor. He already liked Norse mythology, so Thor became his favorite comic. He realized that drawing comics was more fun than working as a geologist. He was greatly influenced by Marvel artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. In college, he even started writing his own Thor story. Years later, he got to publish this story himself.
After college, Simonson studied art at the Rhode Island School of Design. He graduated in 1972. For his final project, he created a 50-page black and white comic book called The Star Slammers. He wrote, drew, and lettered the whole thing himself. He would later publish Star Slammers many times throughout his career.
Career in comics
In 1972, Simonson went to New York with his art portfolio. He met with editors at DC Comics. He showed them his work, and they were impressed. He walked out of the office with jobs from several editors. His first published comic work was in DC's Weird War Tales in 1973.
His big break came with "Manhunter". This was a backup story in DC's Detective Comics. It was written by Archie Goodwin. Simonson said that "Manhunter" made him known in the comics world. After that, he always had work. He then drew other DC series like Metal Men. He also helped create the character Doctor Phosphorus. In 1979, Simonson and Goodwin worked on a comic book version of the movie Alien. This was the start of his long partnership with letterer John Workman.
Working at Marvel Comics
In 1977, Simonson became the first artist for Marvel's The Rampaging Hulk magazine. He also started drawing Thor around this time. In 1979, he began writing and drawing for Marvel's Battlestar Galactica comic series.
In 1982, Simonson and writer Chris Claremont created a special comic. It was a crossover between Marvel's The Uncanny X-Men and DC's The New Teen Titans. This brought together two of the most popular comic teams.
Simonson is most famous for his work on Marvel's Thor. He started writing and drawing it with issue #337 in 1983. During his time on Thor, he used the epic story he first thought of in college. He even turned Thor into a frog for three issues! He also created the character Beta Ray Bill. This alien warrior surprisingly proved worthy of wielding Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. Simonson stopped drawing Thor in 1986 but continued to write it until 1987.
He later joined his wife, Louise, on the X-Factor series. They worked on big stories like "Mutant Massacre" and "Inferno". In 1983, he also brought back Star Slammers as a graphic novel for Marvel.
Later career highlights
Simonson became the writer for Fantastic Four in 1989. He later started drawing it too. For a few issues, he worked with Arthur Adams. They introduced a "New Fantastic Four" team. This team included popular characters like Wolverine and Spider-Man. In one issue, he drew dinosaurs with feathers. This was two decades before scientists widely accepted the idea. He left Fantastic Four in 1991.
In the 1990s, Simonson also continued his Star Slammers series. He published it through a new company called Malibu Comics.
In the 2000s, Simonson mostly worked for DC Comics. He wrote and drew Orion from 2000 to 2002. He also wrote for Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl. He drew a mini-series called Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer. He also wrote a comic series for Wildstorm based on the game World of Warcraft. His wife, Louise, later joined him as a co-writer on the Warcraft series.
In 2011, Simonson had a small acting part in the Thor movie. He appeared as a guest at a big banquet in Asgard. The next Thor movie, Thor: The Dark World, featured a villain he created, Malekith the Accursed.
In 2012, DC Comics published The Judas Coin. This was a graphic novel written and drawn by Simonson. It showed how a silver coin from the past affected different characters, including Batman. In 2014, he started his own comic series called Ragnarök. This series showed a version of Thor that was not related to the Marvel character.
In 2021, Walter Simonson returned to X-Factor. He provided covers and art for a story in X-Men Legends. His wife, Louise Simonson, wrote the story. In 2022, he contributed a Star Slammers story to a charity comic book called Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds. The money from this book helped Ukrainian refugees.
Awards and honors
Walter Simonson has received many awards for his work:
- He won Shazam Awards for "Outstanding New Talent" in 1973.
- He also won Shazam Awards for "Best Individual Short Story (Dramatic)" in 1973 and 1974 for his "Manhunter" stories with Archie Goodwin.
- He received an Inkpot Award in 1985.
- In 2010, he received the "Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award". His wife, Louise Simonson, presented it to him.
- A collection of his Thor comics won an Eisner Award in 2012. It also won two Harvey Awards.
- An asteroid, 53237 Simonson, was named in his honor in 2018.
- In 2022, he received the Inkwell Awards All-in-One Award.
Signature
Simonson has a very unique signature. His last name is drawn to look like a Brontosaurus dinosaur. He said his mother suggested a dinosaur because he loved them so much.
How he creates comics
Simonson uses a method called the "Marvel method" to create his stories. First, he plans out his storylines. Then, he makes detailed plans for each comic issue. He draws small rough sketches of the story. After that, he writes a full script. Finally, he creates the full-size layouts and the finished art.
He used to ink his drawings with a special pen called a "crow quill pen." Later, he switched to a brush. Even with the change, other artists say his brushwork is just as good and powerful.
Personal life
Simonson met his future wife, Louise Jones, in 1973. They started dating in 1974 and got married in 1980.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2009 | Batman: Black and White (episode "Legend") | Writer and artist | TV series |
| 2011 | Thor | Cameo as Asgardian | |
| 2013 | Thor: The Dark World | Special thanks, creator of villain Malekith the Accursed |
Images for kids
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Simonson at the Big Apple Summer Sizzler, June 13, 2009
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Star Slammers graphic novel (1983)
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Simonson with a Thor cosplayer at the 2012 New York Comic Con
See also
In Spanish: Walter Simonson para niños
