Ever since rocketing onto the comic scene with his limited series Longshot, Arthur “Art” Adams has become a powerhouse within the industry. Adams’ highly distinctive and detailed artwork continues to place him in high demand with publishers to this day. April 5, 2018, marks Adams’ 55th birthday, making this the perfect time to track the life and career of this prolific creator.
Adams was born on April 5, 1963 in Holyoke, Massachusetts, but frequently moved as a result of his father’s job for the United States Air Force. Growing up, Adams’ parents would buy him superhero and monster comics, fostering his love for the medium. During his early teens, Adams discovered the work of Frank Frazetta, who he often credits as a “huge” early influence on him. After purchasing Micronauts #1, Adams’ desire to draw comics professionally was cemented. “I don’t know exactly what it is about the very first issue of Micronauts. Something about it just blew me away. That was the book that made me say, ‘Yeah, this is what I’m going to do for my career, for the rest of my life. I’m going to find a way to draw comic books, man,’” expressed Adams.
When he was 19 years old, the self-taught artist quit his job making pizza and penciled Marvel Comics critically-acclaimed Longshot series, written by Ann Nocenti in 1985. R.A. Jones, who reviewed the series for Amazing Heroes, praised Adams penciling saying, “I’m going to once again go out on my prophetic limb and predict that Art will soon become a fan favorite. He has a dynamic style that grabs your attention and won’t let go.” The rest, as they say, was history. Adams gained more attention within the comic industry and went on to work alongside Chris Claremont on the X-Men franchise, including titles such as The New Mutants, The Uncanny X-Men, Classic X-Men, X-Factor, Excalibur: Mojo Mayhem, and Uncanny X-Men Annuals. During this time, Adams also designed a number of posters for the X-Men franchise, including an iconic 1986 image of Wolverine that became a bestselling retailer standee.
Outside of Marvel, Adams drew several pages of Batman #400 and Action Comics Annual #1 for DC Comics. He also illustrated the Gumby Summer Fun Special #1 by Comico Comics, which earned him an Eisner Award for Best Single Issue in 1988 and led to a follow-up Gumby book, Gumby’s Winter Fun Special. During the 1990s, Adams returned to Marvel for a run on Fantastic Four, the Gen13/Generation X crossover, as well as providing designs for a line of Hulk action figures. He later worked for Dark Horse Comics on Godzilla Color Special, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Urban Legends, Negative Burn, Godzilla vs. Hero Zero, and Target: Godzilla. In 1994, Adams formed the Legend imprint for Dark Horse with Frank Miller, John Byrne, and Mike Mignola. Under this imprint, Adams published the science fiction adventure series Monkeyman and O’Brien.
Throughout the 2000s, Adams provided cover images for such titles as Superman, Batman and JLA: Scary Monsters, Vampirella, Red Sonja, Jurassic Park, Madman Adventures, Thundercats, Xena: Warrior Princess, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Generation X, Incredible Hercules, Superman/Batman, King-Size Hulk, and Ultimate X. In addition to comics, Adams has done design work for toys and video games, as well as illustrations for posters, T-shirts, trading cards, other comics-related merchandise, and a line of X-Men-themed Chef Boyardee cans.
Today, Adams continues to be one of the most popular and widely imitated artists in the comics industry. He went from being inspired by comic artists to serving as an influence upon artists himself.
