Immonen Week, Day 4: We Have Ignition!

After reaching the top of the mountain in 1999 by writing and illustrating comics most popular character Superman, Stuart Immonen was in an awkward position: what should he do next? As it turns out, being on the top of the mountain allows you to see some things you couldn’t see before.

After doing a multi-year run writing & drawing Action Comics in the final days of the 20^th Century, Immonen came back one more time to do a special graphic novel for the time called Superman: End of the Century. The graphic novel is less about Superman and more about Lex Luthor digging through the past and preparing for the end of the century. Immonen used this graphic novel as an opportunity to really spread his wings in terms of art style with painted work as well as different techniques to traditional comic linework.

Superman: End of the Century proved to be the end of Stuart’s time at DC as well, and afterwards he returned to the larger comics industry as a journeyman artist and also as a co-founder of the Image imprint “Gorilla Comics”. Partnering with Kurt Busiek, Immonen did two series there called Shockrockets and Superstar: As Seen on TV. He completed these projects while also being a artist-for-hire doing guest issues of Marvel’s The Avengers, Fantastic Four and Thor while also doing Top Cow’s Rising Stars, Crossgen’s Sojourn and even doing covers for a 2000 DC series called Flashpoint (why does that sound familiar?)

After working primarily for DC for the past seven years, 2000 – 2002 Served as an opportune time for Immonen to explore the rest of the comics world. After making his name on Action Comics, he was afforded to go freelance and still have a considerable amount of job security – even while he and his wife Kathryn were raising children. Although some might say these two years are but a gap between Immonen’s careers at DC and Marvel, they proved to lay the groundwork for what was to come next both at Marvel and on his own.

Here's a selection of work Immonen did during this time. Tell us what we're missing, and stay tuned Friday for the final installment of Immonen Week at iFanboy!

Check out the rest of Immonen Week:

Day 1: New Kid on the Block
Day 2: Big Two Beginnings
Day 3: Seeing Superman in Red & Blue
Day 5: The Two Sides of Stuart Immonen
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