Good Shot, Jason! Famed Comic Artist Takes Aim At Marvel & Scores Exclusive Deal

Born in Germany and having transplanted himself to the US in the late 50s, artist Klaus Janson may never have truly realized the extent to which a career in comic books would take him. His list of projects tackled, creators collaborated with, and characters creatively captured is one that few other four-color illustrators could ever hope to compile.

And now the distinctive inker and penciller has sketched up an exclusive deal with the House of Ideas, Marvel Comics.

Janson first worked for Marvel in 1973 on Black Panther, moving from there onto inks over Sal Buscema on THE DEFENDERS. His professional path from that point on diverged into many diverse and creative courses. When asked what he himself considers his past work that he’s most proud of, Janson promptly responded with “GOTHIC with Grant Morrison, BATMAN BLACK & WHITE, DAREDEVIL with Frank Miller, BATMAN: DEATH & THE MAIDENS, PUNISHER, and any job with John Romita, Jr.”

He may be most well-known for inking the award-winning BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS in 1986.

“Klaus’ pedrigee is the kind that other artists drool over,” notes Joe Quesada, Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief. “He’s been playing with our characters longer than some of us have been on this Earth, and he knows ‘em inside and out. Any wonder why we want him here? Klaus should feel as if Marvel is his home…’cause it is!”

Although he has worked on many Marvel heroes and villains, Janson is still able to pinpoint a handful that particularly capture his artistic eye. “Silver Surfer is a really great visual,” he reflects. “I love the Inhumans, all the Spider-Man villains are great, Captain America, the late (sob) Vision…”

And at the end of the day, and with his new excusivity tucked firmly under his belt, Janson is also able to bulls-eye exactly what attracted him to signing with the House of Ideas. “I really have a lot of faith and confidence in the direction that Marvel is going and am looking forward to the ride.”

New projects with Marvel will be announced soon but the prolific creator did report that he’ll be doing a mix of inking, pencilling, and writing.

With a library of over 5,000 proprietary characters, Marvel Enterprises, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused in four areas: entertainment (Marvel Studios), licensing, comic book publishing and toys (Toy Biz). Marvel facilitates the creation of entertainment projects, including feature films, DVD/home video, video games and television based on its characters and also licenses its characters for use in a wide range of consumer products and services including apparel, collectibles, snack foods and promotions. Marvel's characters and plot lines are created by its comic book division which continues to expand its leadership position in the U.S. and worldwide while also serving as an invaluable source of intellectual property.