- Michael William Kaluta
Infobox Comics creator
imagesize = 150
caption =
birthname =
birthdate =August 25 ,1947
location =Guatemala
deathdate =
deathplace =
nationality = American
area = Penciller, Inker
alias = Mike Kaluta
notable works =
awards =Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta (born
August 25 ,1947 ), is an Americancomic book artist.Born in
Guatemala to U.S. citizens, Kaluta studied at the Richmond Professional Institute (nowVirginia Commonwealth University ).His early work included a
Flash Gordon story for Charlton Comics and an adaptation ofEdgar Rice Burroughs 's "Venus" novels for DC. Kaluta's influences and style is drawn more from pulp illustrations of the 1930s - his signature motiff is elaborate decorative panel designs - rather than the silver age comics of the 1960s. Kaluta has worked rarely with the superhero genre. Associated during that period withBernie Wrightson and Jeff Jones he also contributed illustrations to Ted White's "Fantastic". He is known for his work on the series "Starstruck " and "The Shadow ". He co-created Eve, the horror host turned "The Sandman" supporting character.Because Kaluta's art is so meticulous and time-consuming, his style is not well suited for ongoing comic book work, which generally requires twenty or more pages completed by an artist each month. As a result, when he does accept comic assignments, Kaluta prefers it to be
limited series , one-shots, or simply cover illustrations.He was one of the four comic book artists/fine illustrator/painters who formed the artists' commune
The Studio in a loft inManhattan 's Chelsea district from 1975 to 1979. His Studio colleagues wereBarry Windsor-Smith , Jeff Jones, andBernie Wrightson .Aside from many comic books and covers he has done a wide variety of book illustrations. Among music fans, Kaluta is known as the artist for the cover of
Glenn Danzig 's instrumental album "Black Aria " and for the interior illustration of Danzig's fourth album, the latter of which appeared on Danzig T-shirts and sweaters in 1994-95. Kaluta has also done artwork for role-playing game companies such asWhite Wolf andWizards of the Coast .His work has won him a good deal of recognition, including the Shazam Award for Outstanding New Talent in 1971 and the 2003 Spectrum Grandmaster Award.
In the early 1990s, he was active in Compuserve's Macintosh Gaming Forum, in the flight simulator enthusiast group which called itself VFA-13 Shadow Riders. He contributed a number of designs for airplane nose art and flight suit unit patches.
elected works
*DC Comics
**"The Shadow" #1-4,6 (reprinted in "The Private Files of the Shadow")
**"Pirates of Venus" (Carson of Venus first book) in "Korak " #46-53
**"Lost on Venus" in "Korak" #54-56, "Tarzan " #230
**"Spawn of Frankenstein" in "Phantom Stranger " #23-25
**"Madame Xanadu " one-shot*Marvel Comics
**"Starstruck" Graphic novel (reprint from "Heavy metal ")
**"Starstruck" comic
**"Shadow: Hitler's Astrologer" graphic novel*Comico Comics
**"The Adventures of Brucilla the Muscle, Galactic Girl Guide" (Starstruck related) in "Rocketeer Adventure Magazine" #1,2*Dark Horse Comics
**"The Rocketeer Adventure Magazine #2" comic
**"Minidoka: 937th Earl of One Mile Series M" book
**"Starstruck Expanded Universe" comic
**"The Shadow and the Mysterious 3" comic
**"The Shadow: Hell's Heat Wave" comic
**"The Shadow: In the Coils of Leviathan" comic
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