Industry legend Chris Claremont is best known for his epic
sixteen-year run on Uncanny X-Men. Claremont's focus on the themes
of prejudice and tolerance struck at the hearts of comics fans, and
he built an unparalleled following during the next three decades.
Under his pen, the X-Men franchise spawned a vast array of
spin-offs, many of them written by Claremont himself. His other
credits include Iron Fist, Ms. Marvel, Power Man and Spider-Woman.
Claremont has returned to the X-Men universe in New Exiles, GeNext,
X-Men Forever, Chaos War- X-Men and Nightcrawler.
As a boy, artist Dave Cockrum (1943-2006) dreamed of working in the
comic-book industry; after a six-year stint in the Navy, he headed
straight for the big time. With a natural talent for illustrating
super heroes, Cockrum landed a gig on Legion of Super-Heroes for DC
Comics. Soon after his debut, Cockrum showcased his knack for
innovative costume designs, becoming the first artist to revamp the
look of the classic futuristic super-hero team since its original
Silver Age debut. After leaving Legion in 1975, Cockrum
collaborated with writer Len Wein to create a new lineup of X-Men -
including Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Colossus. Cockrum's bold new
mutants quickly caught the attention of comic-book fans,
transforming X-Men into a best-selling title. Although Cockrum has
reduced his artistic output in recent years, his strong influence
on modern creators remains steadfast - as evidenced by the release
of The Uncanny Cockrum Tribute Book in 2004, boasting contributions
from more than 75 notable writers and artists.
A former animator for cult cartoonist Ralph Bakshi, Paul Smith
penciled Uncanny X-Men during a brief but pivotal run that included
Rogue joining the team, Storm's controversial makeover, Wolverine's
near-marriage and Cyclops' wedding to future villain Madelyne
Pryor. He then moved to Doctor Strange, Marvel Fanfare and others,
later drawing the acclaimed X-Men/Alpha Flight miniseries. With
James Robinson, he created DC's groundbreaking Golden Age
miniseries, highlighting the publisher's wartime heroes like few
before or since. His work for other companies includes First's
Grimjack and Image's Leave It to Chance; he returned to Marvel to
pencil the miniseries Kitty Pryde- Shadow and Flame, revisiting
some themes from his Uncanny work.
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