Simon Bisley (born 4 March 1962) is a British comic book artist best known for his 1990s work on ABC Warriors, Lobo and Sláine. His style, reliant on paints, acrylics, inks and multiple-mediums, is strongly influenced by Frank Frazetta, Bill Sienkiewicz, Gustav Klimt, Salvador DalÃ, Egon Schiele, and Richard Corben. He also took inspiration from rock album covers and graffiti as well as traditional comics art. In turn he and his work has inspired various forms in media, including the Beast in the 2006 Doctor Who episode "The Satan Pit", and Simon Pegg's character graphic artist Tim Bisley on the Channel 4 sitcom Spaced.
Career
While still a student, Bisley did a painting of a robot holding a baby that he sent to the offices of 2000 AD. The image was seen by Pat Mills and inspired him to relaunch the ABC Warriors strip, with Bisley as artist, in 1987. Following this, Bisley took over drawing of Sláine. Bisley also painted the intercompany crossover Judge Dredd and Batman, Judgement on Gotham.
As of 1997, Bisley is an occasional contributor to the comics magazine Heavy Metal.
Bisley has done design work for several music videos, including The Chippendales' "Room Service".
Bibliography
Comics
DC
- The Authority/Lobo (with co-writers Keith Giffen and Alan Grant):
- Jingle Hell (2004)
- Spring Break Massacre (2005)
- Batman: Black & White, miniseries, #2 (with Neil Gaiman, 1996)
- Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgement on Gotham (with John Wagner/Alan Grant, 1991) ISBN 1-56389-022-4
- Batman/Lobo One-Shot (April 2000)
- Global Frequency #7 (with Warren Ellis, 2003)
- Hellblazer #259-260, 265-266, 282 (full art); #271-274 (along with Giuseppe Camuncoli) (2009â€"11)
- Lobo:
- The Last Czarnian (with co-writers Keith Giffen and Alan Grant, 96 pages, 1992) ISBN 0-930289-99-4
- Lobo's Back's Back (with Keith Giffen, 96 pages, 1993) ISBN 1-56389-103-4
- Paramilitary Christmas Special (1991)
Fleetway
- 2000 AD (ABC Warriors): ##555-558, 563-568, 577-581 (1988); (Sláine): #626-635, 650-656, 662-664, 688-698 (1989-90); (Judge Dredd) #1068 (1997)
- Judge Dredd Megazine #1.14, 1.16, 1.17, 1.19, 2.61, 2.62, 3.15, 3.17 (1991-96)
Full Circle
- Full Cirkle, vol. 1 (with Simon Reed, 2003)
- Full Cirkle, vol. 2 (with Simon Reed, 2007)
- Thicker Than Blood (colours, with Simon Reed and art by Mike Ploog, 2007)
Marvel
- X-Men Unlimited #46 (with Ian Edginton, 2003)
- Halo Graphic Novel, (with Lee Hammock, 2006)
- Incredible Hulks #620 (with Brandon Montclare, 2011)
Verotik
- Verotika #1 (with Glen Danzig (w), 1994)
- Verotika #2 (cover, 1995)
- Death Dealer #1 (with Glen Danzig (w) and Frank Frazetta (cover), 1995)
- Satinika (Vol 1) #0 (with Glen Danzig (w) and Frank Frazetta (cover), 1995)
- Satinika (Vol 1) #1-2 (covers, 1995)
- Jaguar God #0 (with Glen Danzig (w), 1996)
- Verotik Illustrated (with Bill Oakley, 1997)
Other publishers
- "Once Upon A Time In The West" (with Alan Grant, in Toxic! #1, 1991)
- "Reapers" (with John Arcudi, in Dark Horse Presents: Aliens, Dark Horse Comics, 1992, collected in Aliens Omnibus #3, 2008, ISBN 1-59307-872-2)
- Bisley's Scrapbook (Atomeka Press, 1993)
- Melting Pot (with Kevin Eastman/Eric Talbot, Kitchen Sink Press, 1995, ISBN 0-87816-362-X)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Bodycount (with Kevin Eastman, 4-issue mini-series, tpb, Image Comics, 1996, tpb, ISBN 1-887279-36-9)
- Mutant Chronicles: Golgotha (illustration by Bisley, Acclaim Comics, 1996)
- Bad Boy (with Frank Miller, one-shot, Oni Press, Dynamite Entertainment, 1997)
- Fistful of Blood (with script and layouts by Kevin Eastman, in Heavy Metal #192-202, May 2001 - January 2003, hardcover, 64 pages, February 2003, ISBN 1-882931-86-6)
- The Dead (with Alan Grant, Berserker Comics, 2008-ongoing)
- Church of Hell #1- (with Alan Grant and Wayne Nichols, Berserker Comics, 2009, forthcoming)
Collected editions
- The Authority/Lobo: Holiday Hell (160 pages, 2006) ISBN 1-4012-0992-0
- Global Frequency, Volume 2: Detonation Radio, ISBN 1-4012-0291-8
- Heavy Metal Dredd (with John Wagner/Alan Grant, reprinted from Rock Power, collected in Heavy Metal Dredd ISBN 0-7493-1555-5):
- "A Mega-City Primer" (in Judge Dredd Megazine #1.14, 1991 and 2000 AD #1068, 1997)
- "Rock On, Tommy Who?!" (in Judge Dredd Megazine #1.16, 1992)
- "Chicken Run" (in Judge Dredd Megazine #1.17, 1992)
- "The Legend of Johnny Biker" (in Judge Dredd Megazine #1.19, 1992)
- "Ironfist" (in Judge Dredd Megazine #2.61, 1994)
- "Night Before Christmas" (in Judge Dredd Megazine #2.62, 1994)
- "The Great Arsoli" (in Judge Dredd Megazine #3.15, 1996)
- "Bimba" (in Judge Dredd Megazine #3.17, 1996)
Music album covers
- Mayhemic Destruction (1987), by Mortal Sin
- Created In Hate (1988) by Anihilated
- First Offence (1988), by First Offence
- Kilt by Death (1990), by Drunken State
- Thrall: Demonsweatlive (1993), by Danzig
- 6:66 Satan's Child (1999), by Danzig
- Gorgeous Frankenstein (2007), by Gorgeous Frankenstein
- Lost Tracks of Danzig (2007), by Danzig
- Among Flies (2008), by Last House on The Left
Computer game box
- Gods (1991), by The Bitmap Brothers
- Weaponlord (1995), by Visual Concepts
- Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2012), by Namco Bandai Games (Heihachi Mishima's second costume.)
Movie posters
- Centurion (2010) (Possibly in error, also attributed to Simon Bowles and Pathe productions.)
- Black Death (2010)
Books
- The Art of Simon Bisley Redux (132 pages, Heavy Metal Magazine, June 2007, ISBN 1-932413-79-0)
- Simon Bisley's Illustrations from the Bible: A Work in Progress (Heavy Metal Magazine, July 2007, ISBN 1-932413-78-2)
- Simon Bisley Calendar 2010 (Heavy Metal Magazine, August 2009, ISBN 1-935351-06-0)
Awards
- 1989: Won "Favourite Artist UK" Eagle Award
- 1992:
- Won "Best Artist" Eisner Award, for Judgement on Gotham
- Nominated for "Best Cover Artist" Eisner Award, for Judgement on Gotham and Doom Patrol
- Nominated for "Best Graphic Album: New/First US publication", for Judgement on Gotham, with Alan Grant and John Wagner
- 1993:
- Nominated for "Best Cover Artist" Eisner Award, for Grendel: War Child, Terminator, and Enemy Within
- Nominated for "Best Painter (Interior)", for "Lair of the Lizard Ladies" in Mr. Monster Attacks #3
Notes
