Geof Darrow

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Geof Darrow
File:10.14.11GeoffDarrowByLuigiNovi1.jpg
Darrow at the 2011 New York Comic Con.
Born Geofrey Darrow
(1955-10-21) October 21, 1955 (age 68)
Notable works
 Hard Boiled
Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot
Shaolin Cowboy

Geofrey "Geof" Darrow (born October 21, 1955) is an American comic book artist, best known for his work on Hard Boiled; The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, which was adapted into an animated television series of the same name, and Shaolin Cowboy.

Career

Character design and Moebius collaborations

Darrow was a student at Hanna-Barbera cartoon studios after studying at the American Academy of Arts in Chicago. In the early 1980s he worked in character design for the Super Friends, Richie Rich, and Pac-Man television series.[1]

In 1982, he met French comic book writer and artist Moebius who was working on the film Tron.[citation needed] Two years later, the two collaborated on a portfolio of prints named La Cité Feu, later reprinted for the English-speaking market as City of Fire.[2]

Geof has stated in interviews that he considers Hergé, Jack Kirby (who he worked with at Hanna-Barbera), Tezuka Osamu, and Jean Giraud (Moebius) as his artistic influences.

In 1986, Geof produced "Comics and Stories," a collection of stories starring his own character Bourbon Thret, for French publisher Editions Aedena.[1] It contains several pin ups colored by Moebius, Tanino Liberatore and Francois Boucq.

Frank Miller collaborations

Moebius introduced Darrow to Frank Miller which led to a friendship and eventually two collaborations. In 1990, Darrow and Miller collaborated on the comic book Hard Boiled, a 3-part mini-series, for which they won the 1991 Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist.

Frank Miller also drew Darrow into Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, as Kevin the cannibal.[citation needed]

In 1993 and 1994, Darrow provided art for the role-playing game line Underground, published by Mayfair Games. Inc.[3]

Darrow and Miller worked together again on Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot in 1996, a far more family-oriented work, in which the protagonists save Tokyo from destruction by a giant lizard. The story was later developed into a 26-episode animated series of the same name, produced by Columbia TriStar Television and Dark Horse Entertainment, which aired from 1999 to 2001.[4]

The Wachowskis and Shaolin Cowboy

The Wachowskis saw his work on Hard Boiled, and approached Darrow to do some conceptual work for The Matrix. Darrow was credited as 'Conceptual Designer' on all three Matrix movies.[4][5] His visual style is most prominent in the scene of Neo's awakening from his biomechanical sleep. The insect-like machine that attacks Neo is a classic Darrow mechanoid made up of tubes, viewscreens and riveted joints. He has also contributed to both volumes of The Matrix comics, a series of short Matrix-inspired comic stories.

Darrow has also contributed covers to a number of other comics, including Concrete, Transmetropolitan and Andrew Vachss' Cross, as well as illustrating a part of Vachss' Another Chance To Get It Right (1993).[6]

File:Geof Darrow.png
Geof Darrow at San Diego Comic Con 2009.

Darrow started writing and illustrating Shaolin Cowboy in 2005 (published by Burlyman Entertainment), featuring Darrow's trademark ultra-violence, irony and meticulous level of detail. As of May 2007, seven volumes had been released. Variety reported in April 2009 that the Wachowskis and Circle of Confusion were producing an animated feature of Shaolin Cowboy, written and directed by Darrow, and animated by Madhouse.[7][8]

Darrow is also the co-creator of the series Doc Frankenstein, written by the Wachowskis, with art by Steve Skroce, also published by Burlyman Entertainment.[9]

Geof has also written forewords for other artists' works, such as The Art of Blade of the Immortal and Art Adams' Creature Features.

Outside of comic books and film, Darrow has also done some artwork for the Magic: The Gathering trading card series.[10] As well as various trading card line, such as Witchblade, Star Wars, The Shadow and Mike Allred's Madman.

The Wachowskis also brought Darrow in to be the conceptual designer on Speed Racer.[5][11]

Darrow serves on the national advisory board of PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children.[12]

At the 2011 Toronto, San Diego and New York Comic Cons, Darrow said that Shaolin Cowboy would continue as a three-issue series with Dark Horse Comics. A "pulp-style" prose novel written by Andrew Vachss, with spot illustrations by Darrow, was released in 2012.[13]

Awards

Cinema and television work

Television

  • Richie Rich (1982) character designer
  • Super Friends (1981–1983) character designer
  • Pac-Man (1983) character designer
  • The Biskitts (1983) character designer
  • Super Friends: The Legendary Super Power Show (1984) character designer
  • Pink Panther and Sons (1984) character designer
  • The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985) character designer
  • Garbage Pail Kids (1987) models
  • Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot (1999) monster designs

Cinema

  • Barb Wire (1996) visual consultant
  • The Matrix (1999) conceptual designer
  • The Matrix Reloaded (2003) conceptual designer
  • The Matrix Revolutions (2003) conceptual designer
  • Speed Racer (2008) conceptual designer
  • The Spirit (2008) The Spirit butcher diagram

Bibliography

Interior work

  • Metal Hurlant #101 (1984) Bourbon Thret: The Parochial Terror, presented in original four page format
  • La Cité Feu (1984) with Moebius. Reproduced as City of Fire.
  • Heavy Metal: March (1985) Bourbon Thret: The Parochial Terror, a story from the French book, Comics and Stories
  • Comics and Stories (1986), originally published in French. Limited edition comes with the "Darrow magazine, 25 pages of "overwhelming testimonies": mostly illustrated private jokes from French comic artists.
  • East Meets West (1986) a ten plate portfolio story about the adventures of Bourbon Thret and Clint Eastwood
  • Dark Horse Presents #19 (1988): Sead, a 9-page Bourbon Thret story + Cover.
  • Strip AIDS U.S.A. (1988): one-page story about aids victims and Ronald Reagan
  • The Rocketeer Adventure Magazine (1988): art assist to Dave Stevens
  • Cheval Noir #3 (1990): Geof Darrow...The Man
  • Cheval Noir #4 (1990): Geof Darrow...The Myth, 1 page "story" about Geof's Career, by Geof.
  • Hard Boiled with Frank Miller (1990).
  • Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot (1996)
  • The Art of the Matrix (2000): contains conceptual designs and story boards created by Darrow for use in the films, as well as his commentary on creating them.
  • Hard Looks TPB (2002) Stories Half Breed and Head Case
  • Matrix Comics TPB #1 (2003): Bits & Pieces of Information
  • Another Chance To Get It Right TPB (2005): 18-page story
  • Shaolin Cowboy (2005)
  • Geof Darrow Sketchbook (2010) limited run by square1 press
  • Dark Horse Presents #10 (2012): Dead Reliable
  • Dark Horse Presents #11 (2012): Pig
  • Dark Horse Presents #13 (2012): Profile: A Cross Story
  • Shaolin Cowboy Adventure Magazine (2012) 96 page magazine with prose by Andrew Vachss and Mike Black, with art by Darrow and Gary Gianni.

Covers

  • Pilote & Charlie #27 (1988)
  • Dark Horse Presents #19 (1988)
  • Daredevil and the Punisher: Child's Play TPB (1988)
  • Cheval Noir #2 (1989)
  • Comic's Greatest World: King Tiger (1993)
  • Ray Winninger's Underground (1993)
  • Ammo Armageddon (1993)
  • Showcase '94 #11 (1994)
  • Dark Horse Presents #100 cover 3 (1995)
  • Andrew Vachss' Cross #0-6 (1995)
  • Concrete: Think Like a Mountain #1-6 (1996)
  • Oblivion #3 (1996)
  • Warrior of Waverly Street #1-2 (1996)
  • Here the Big People Come #1 variant (1997)
  • Transmetropolitan #1-3,22-24 (1997),(1999)
  • Dark Horse Presents #135 (1998)
  • Shattered Europe (PSI Order Asculapian & Europe Sourcebook) (1998)
  • RODEO n°582 (2000) - included in square1 sketchbook
  • Tin Can Man #1 variant (2000)
  • Hard Looks: Adapted Stories TPB (2002)
  • Another Chance to Get It Right TPB (2003)
  • Matrix Comics TPB #1 (2003)
  • Doc Frankenstein #1 2nd Print (2004)
  • Last Christmas #1 (2006)
  • The War That Time Forgot #11 (2009)
  • Daredevil #500 variant (2009)
  • Fantastic Four #579 variant (2010)
  • Marvel Zombies 5 #4 (2010)
  • Fallout: All Roads HC -Original graphic novel included in the collector's edition of the video game Fallout: New Vegas (2010)
  • G.I. Combat #1 (2010)
  • First Wave #4 variant (2010)
  • Conan the Cimmerian #25 (2010)
  • Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths #1 (2011)
  • Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #4 (2011)
  • Jurassic Park: Dangerous Games #1 (2011)
  • Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths #5 (2011)
  • Dark Horse Presents #4 variant (2011)
  • Wolverine #300 variant (2012)
  • Deadpool #1-4 (2012)
  • Hawken #5 variant (2012)
  • Hit-Girl #4 variant (2012)

Pin-ups

  • L'Univers de Gir (1986) - included in square1 sketchbook
  • Godzilla Portfolio one plate, reprinted in Comics and Stories (1988)
  • Cheval Noir #9 (1990)
  • Superman Special (1992)
  • Spawn #11 (1993)
  • Ash #3 (1994)
  • The Shadow: In The Coils Of Leviathan TPB (1994)
  • Death Gallery #1 (1994)
  • Dream Team #1 (1995)
  • Shi: Senryaku #1 (1995)
  • The Vertigo Gallery: Dreams & Nightmares (1995)
  • Hellboy: Christmas Special (1997)
  • Bart Simpson's Treehouse Of Horror #4 (1998)
  • Hell and Back, A Sin City Love Story #3 (1999)
  • Fall of Stardust Portfolio one plate (1999) - included in square1 sketchbook
  • Madman Picture Exhibition #3 (2002)
  • Art of Usagi Yojimbo TPB (2006)
  • Halo Graphic Novel (2006)
  • Mouse Guard Winter: 1152 #1 (2007) - included in square1 sketchbook
  • Daredevil #500 (2009)
  • The Simpsons Futurama Crossover Crisis (2010)
  • Rocketeer Adventures #2 (2011)
  • Monsters & Dames (2011) - art book exclusive to Emerald City Comic Con
  • Dark Horse Presents #1- (2011)

Music album covers

  • The Gas Giants - From Beyond The Back Burner
  • Dynamite Ham - I Believe In You

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Geof Darrow at Lambiek
  2. ↑ Geof Darrow Interview at comiczoneradio. (audio, 102 minutes)
  3. ↑ Mayfair Games Official Site
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "God Is In The Details". September 24, 1999. Entertainment Weekly.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Geof Darrow at British Film Institute.
  6. ↑ Geof Darrow, at collaborator Andrew Vachss' site.
  7. ↑ C2E2 Announces Ten Top Artist Appearances Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo press release.
  8. ↑ "Circle of Confusion hires Emery". April 28, 2009. Variety.
  9. ↑ Doc Frankenstein at Burlyman.
  10. ↑ Thirty-Two Short Columns About Dwarves. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ Interview with Michael Meyers. May 12, 2008.
  12. ↑ Geof Darrow receives the 2012 PROTECT Messenger Award
  13. ↑ Shaolin Cowboy Adventure Magazine promotional page

References

External links

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