Steven Grant has written Captain America, Incredible Hulk, Master of Kung Fu, Spidey Super Stories and more. In 1985, he penned the first Punisher miniseries, revisiting the character in several Holiday Special stories and the graphic novel Return to Big Nothing. Grant has also written First Comics’ American Flagg, Shatter and his creator-owned Whisper.
Chuck Dixon wrote several limited series for Marvel’s Epic imprint, the long-running ’Nam series and multiple Punisher titles. When he set the Punisher against DC’s grimmest character in the one-shot Punisher/Batman, Dixon set the stage for his writing tenure on virtually every Batman-related title: Batgirl, Detective Comics, GCPD, Nightwing, Robin and more. Dixon’s other Marvel work includes What If?, Marvel Knights and Hawkeye.
Writer/artist Larry Hama got his start as a penciler before becoming a respected editor and later a writer during the ’80s with his career-defining work on G.I. Joe and a memorable run on Wolverine. Through the years, Hama proved his versatility writing Avengers, Blaze, Elektra, Generation X, The Punisher: War Zone and multiple Venom miniseries. When Devil’s Due, IDW and Image Comics in turn obtained the G.I. Joe license, Hama revisited his iconic Marvel run, continuing where he had left off years earlier and bringing the series to — and past — a record-breaking three hundred issues. At Continuity Comics, he created Bucky O’Hare, launching a franchise that extended to animation, video games and a toy line. Hama recently revisited his era helming the adventures of Logan with the Wolverine: Patch limited series.
Gary Kwapisz tackled two of the most lethal characters in comic books, drawing Frank Castle’s relentless crusade in Punisher: War Journa, and illustrating the escapades of the legendary Cimmerian in both Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan.
John Buscema (1927-2002) literally wrote the book on being a Marvel artist — namely, How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way — and few were better qualified. His career dated back to the Timely/Atlas era of the late ’40s and early ’50s. Soon after beginning the Marvel Age of Comics, Stan Lee recruited Buscema from the advertising field to the Marvel Bullpen. Buscema followed a long run on Avengers with the long-anticipated first Silver Surfer series. He subsequently succeeded Jack Kirby on Fantastic Four, Thor and other titles. By the time of his retirement in 1996, Buscema had penciled nearly every Marvel title — including his personal favorite, Conan the Barbarian.
