One of many uber-cool things that Skybound has done as part of their G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Set kickstarter campaign was to serve up spotlights on the artists chosen to illustrate the trading card sets included with the campaign. First up? Artist Extraordinaire, Mr. Rod Whigham!
Check it out –
Our Artists on the Front Line feature will spotlight some of the incredible G.I. Joe creators we have lined up to illustrate our trading card sets. First up: Rod Whigham! Along with his incredible work on G.I. Joe, Rod also drew such iconic titles as Ghost Rider, Punisher, Conan, Justice League International and The Flash!
Out of all of your work on G.I. Joe, what’s the issue or piece that fans continue to ask you about to this day? Why do you think they’re still fascinated with it?
Rod: It’s always been about issue #34. The dogfight issue. A lot of fans have told me that issue was the first comic they ever read.
I was born into the military and grew up on air-bases around the US and Europe. It was TAC so fighter jets were a constant part of my youth. I really love combat aircraft. I think my realistic drawing approach and my eye for mechanical detail attracted readers to that issue.
Who is the G.I. Joe or Cobra character that you feel you didn’t get to draw enough of? Why do you find that character so interesting?
I liked Flint a lot, mainly because the character design stood out for me. I liked the Joes that looked like soldiers.
The series has continued well into the 300s, with no end in sight. In your experience, what makes G.I. Joe comics series so enduring for fans and creators alike to keep the interest so high?
I’d guess it’s Hama’s characterization of the Joes. And the toy line itself is pretty spectacular. Maybe it’s because the heroes are real people, not superheroes.
For those who may be just learning about Rod, here’s a bit of background from the Comiclopedia:
Rod Whigham is a commercial and comic book artist. He began his career in the mid-1980s, drawing ‘G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero’ for Marvel Comics. Other Marvel titles he worked on are ‘Psi-Force’, ‘Kickers Inc’, ‘Conan’ and ‘Ghost Rider’. During the 1980s he was also present at other companies, such as Renegade Press (an assistant on ‘Flaming Carrot’), First Publishing (‘The Badger’, ‘Team Yankee’) and AC Comics (‘Bolt’).
He moved over to DC Comics in the early 1990s as an artist for ‘Doc Savage’ and the company’s ‘Star Trek’ titles. He also drew ‘The Shadow’, ‘Justice League International’ and ‘The Flash’. He was also back at Marvel as an artist for ‘The Punisher’. In 2008 he succeeded Frank McLaughlin as the artist of the comic strip ‘Gil Thorp’, which he now makes with Neal Rubin for Tribune Media Syndicate. Whigham is also an art instructor.
I absolutely LOVE segments like this and can’t thank Skybound enough for deciding to incorporate this series into the Kickstarter event! I’ve been a fan of Rod’s work for as long as I can remember, so to say that I’m excited that he’s a part of this campaign is an understatement.
In the odd chance that you haven’t as of yet, consider getting in on the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Set on kickstarter! It’s well beyond funding and is currently working on hitting its ELEVENTH (!!!) stretch goal.
I’ll be sure to mirror more segments like this as they’re shared. Stay tuned!
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