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Bruce Jones (comics)

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Bruce Jones
BornBruce Eliot Jones
(1946-10-31) October 31, 1946 (age 78)
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Writer, artist
Pseudonym(s)Philip Roland, Bruce Elliot
Notable works
Alien Worlds, Conan the Barbarian, The Incredible Hulk, Ka-Zar the Savage, Twisted Tales
AwardsInkpot Award 2004
Spouse(s)
April Campbell
​
(m. 1984)​

Bruce Eliot Jones (born 1946)[1] whose pen names include Philip Roland and Bruce Elliot, is an American comic book writer, novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter whose work included writing Marvel Comics' The Incredible Hulk from 2001 to 2005.

Biography

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Early career

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Jones broke into comics in 1969 when he moved to New York City from his native Kansas City, Missouri, looking for work as a comics artist. He made his professional debut with Major Publications' black-and-white horror-comics magazine Web of Horror #3 (cover dated April 1970), writing and drawing the six-page story "Point of View".[2] Jones then wrote for Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror-comics Creepy and Eerie, and, under the pseudonym Philip Roland, for rival Skywald Publications' line.[3] During this time he wrote his first novel, The Contestants (Bee-Line, 1970).

Jones later freelanced for Marvel Comics, writing stories for Ka-Zar and Conan the Barbarian,[2] as well as writing and drawing anthological science fiction and other stories for Marvel's black-and-white magazine line. In 1979, Jones met April Campbell and formed a writing partnership. From 1982–1984, Jones and Campbell, who formed the company Bruce Jones Associates, packaged, edited, and chiefly wrote the Pacific Comics titles Twisted Tales and Alien Worlds,[4] as well as Somerset Holmes,[5] Silverheels, and Pathways to Fantasy.[3][6] When Pacific went bankrupt, subsequent issues were published by Eclipse Comics.[3]

During this time, Eclipse published the four-issue limited series The Twisted Tales of Bruce Jones, with stories and almost all the artwork by Jones himself.[7]

Later career

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Jones wrote artist Richard Corben's Rip in Time five-issue miniseries (1986–1987), published by Fantagor Press. By the early 1990s, Jones had shifted to screenwriting, working on HBO's The Hitchhiker TV series and several television movies with writing partner and now-wife April Campbell Jones.[8] He also wrote a series of thriller novels including Sprinter, Maximum Velocity, and Game Running. From 1990 to 1992, Jones took over as writer of the newspaper comic strip Flash Gordon, then drawn by Ralph Reese, occasionally assisted by Gray Morrow.[9] He returned to Kansas City with his wife and children in 2000 and wrote two more novels, Still Life and Death Rites, under the pseudonym Bruce Elliot.

In 2001, he was contacted by Marvel editor Axel Alonso, with whom Jones had worked when Alonso was at rival company DC Comics. Alonso offered him a job scripting the then-floundering comic The Incredible Hulk.[10][11] Sales of the title rose significantly,[10] and in 2003, Jones noted that he planned to stay on as Hulk writer "until they [Marvel] throw me off".[10] However, the following year he signed a two-year contract with rival company DC Comics. In the interim, he scripted the five-issue series Call of Duty: The Precinct #1–5, a naturalistic drama about the New York City Police Department.

Other work includes a seven-issue stint on Nightwing,[12] a Deadman series for Vertigo, and various limited series for DC comics, including Man-Bat, OMAC, and Vigilante.

In 2005, Jones' 10-page story "Jenifer" from Creepy #63 (July 1974), drawn by Bernie Wrightson, became the basis for filmmaker Dario Argento's segment of Masters of Horror, a Showtime television series.[13]

Personal life

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Jones and his oft-times writing partner April Campbell have been married since 1984.[citation needed]

Awards

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Bruce Jones received an Inkpot Award in 2004.[14]

Bibliography

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DC Comics

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Eclipse Comics

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Marvel Comics

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Pacific Comics

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  • Alien Worlds #1–7 (1983–1984)
  • Silverheels #1–3 (1983–1984)
  • Somerset Holmes #1–4 (1983-1984)
  • Three Dimensional Alien Worlds #1 (1984)
  • Twisted Tales #1–8 (1982–1984)

References

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  1. ^ Bails, Jerry (n.d.). "Jones, Bruce". Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Bruce Jones at the Grand Comics Database
  3. ^ a b c Sanford, Jay Allen. "The birth and death of Pacific Comics: Bill and Steve Schanes started on 5011 Cass Street in Pacific Beach," San Diego Reader (Aug. 19, 2004).
  4. ^ Johnston, Rich. "When Diamond Comic Distributors Flexed Its Censorial Muscles...," Bleeding Cool (December 29, 2018).
  5. ^ Schweier, Philip (August 2016). "Somerset Holmes". Back Issue! (90). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 48–55.
  6. ^ Catto, Ed. "The (Not Quite) Secret Origin of Pacific Comics!", ComixM!x (AUGUST 31, 2015).
  7. ^ "The Twisted Tales of Bruce Jones," Grand Comics Database. Accessed May 8, 2022.
  8. ^ Arndt, Richard (2008). "The Warren Magazines: A 2008 Interview with Bruce Jones!". Enjolrasworld.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. April and I were married in 1984.
  9. ^ Holloway, Clark J. "Pulp Heroes: Flash Gordon". The Holloway Pages. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  10. ^ a b c Aaron, Jason (July 2003). "Twisted tales and a green giant". KC Active. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2006.
  11. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura, eds. (2008). "2000s". Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 310. ISBN 978-0756641238. Creating a lengthy run to rival J. Michael Straczynski over on The Amazing Spider-Man and Brian Michael Bendis on Daredevil, writer Bruce Jones reinvented the green goliath with a modern, cinematic approach.
  12. ^ Tramountanas, George (January 19, 2006). "Bruce Jones Talks Nightwing and Warlord". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008.
  13. ^ "Episode Detail: Jenifer – Masters of Horror". TV Guide. n.d. Retrieved September 29, 2013. Directed by Dario Argento ("Suspiria") from a script by Weber, who adapted the classic Bruce Jones comic book.
  14. ^ "Inkpot Award". San Diego Comic-Con. 2016. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017.
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Further reading

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  • Bruce Jones interview, Comic Book Artist #4, Spring 1999
Preceded by
n/a
 Ka-Zar the Savage writer
1981–1983 		Succeeded by
Preceded by The Incredible Hulk vol. 3 writer
2002–2004 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Nightwing writer
2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Checkmate vol. 2 writer
2008 		Succeeded by
n/a
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