Steve Yeowell

Steve Yeowell (/ˈjoʊəl/) is a British comics artist, well known for his work on the long-running science fiction and fantasy weekly comic 2000 AD.

Biography

Having trained in 3D design (specialising in silversmithing and jewellery), Yeowell began drawing comics purely for pleasure, with no particular intention to become a professional artist. Having shown his portfolio to artist Bryan Talbot, he quickly found himself given work by Swiftsure (on the Lieutenant Fl'ff strip). After this, he worked on a "dummy comic" David Lloyd was creating for Fleetway called Fantastic Adventure. This was his first meeting with writer Grant Morrison, who was writing the California Crew strip ("loosely based on the A-Team") Yeowell was drawing. While Fantastic Adventure wasn't picked up, John Higgins asked Yeowell to help him with a music magazine's comic strip off the back of it and, afterwards, helped him get work at Marvel UK. He started on Spider-Man and Zoids before doing Action Force and later ThunderCats.

On Zoids, he worked with Morrison again and as a result, Morrison picked Yeowell to be the main artist on new superhero strip Zenith, to run in 2000 AD beginning in 1987.

Zenith was a success, running to four full-length series plus several one-offs. Yeowell was headhunted by American comics companies and has worked on Batman, The Fantastic Four, The Invisibles, JSA and Starman. He continued his association with Morrison, collaborating on Sebastian O and The New Adventures of Hitler.

Yeowell's work is noted for delicate penmanship and lifelike facial expressions, with a notable economy of style that means that his work suits both colour and monochrome treatment. He works with a dip pen (Gillot 404 nib) and a Windsor & Newton Series 7 No.3 sable brush, as well as Rotring and marker pens, on 220 g/m² Daler Rowney Heavyweight Cartridge Paper.

The concentration on human features means that Yeowell's work is held to suit superhero, science fiction and historical genres equally.

Later work has included The Red Seas, an eighteenth-century pirate story scripted by Ian Edginton and science fiction Triad tale Red Fang by Steve Moore.

Awards

• 1987 Zenith: "Phase One" won the Eagle Award for Favourite Single or Continued Story (British)