Klaus Janson (born January 23, 1952)[1][2] is a German-born Americancomics artist, working regularly for Marvel Comics and DC Comics and sporadically for independent companies. While he is best known as an inker, Janson has frequently worked as a penciller and colorist.
Klaus Janson was born in Coburg, West Germany.[3] He emigrated to the United States in 1957, settling with his family in Connecticut,[3] where he lived in Bridgeport from 1957 to 1972.[4] When he was young, his Spider-Man collection was thrown away by his mother. Janson then became interested in the premiering character Daredevil, who wasn't popular among Janson's friends.[5]
After a short stint as assistant to Dick Giordano in the early 1970s,[6] Janson's first credited comics artwork was published by Marvel ComicsinJungle Action #6 (Sept. 1973).[7] Janson came to prominence as the inker over Sal Buscema's pencils on The Defenders. Since then he has freelanced on most of the major titles at Marvel and DC. In 1975 he began a long run as inker on Daredevil, running from #124 (Aug. 1975) to #196 (July 1983). With #171 the series went from bi-monthly to monthly; unable to handle the increased workload, then-writer/penciler Frank Miller began increasingly relying on Janson for the artwork, sending him looser and looser pencils beginning with #173.[8] By issue #185, Miller had virtually relinquished his role as Daredevil's artist, and was providing only rough layouts for Janson to pencil, ink, and color.[8] After Miller's departure, Janson drew the series by himself for four issues.
Janson has taught sequential storytelling at the School of Visual Arts in New York City since the 1990s[23] and has written both The DC Comics Guide to Pencilling Comics and The DC Comics Guide to Inking Comics. Janson also holds annual seminars at Marvel for the editorial staff and their up-and-coming artists, and taught short courses on comics storytelling for the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art.[6]
^introduction to "Daredevil by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson Omnibus"
^ ab"Storytelling for Comics Artists". Museum of Comics and Cartoon Art. 2010. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. After a short stint as assistant to Dick Giordano in the early 1970s, Klaus Janson went freelance, working for several comics publishers as writer, penciler, inker and colorist.
^ abCordier, Philippe (April 2007). "Seeing Red: Dissecting Daredevil's Defining Years". Back Issue! (21). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 33–60.
^Addiego, Frankie (December 2013). "Superman #400". Back Issue! (69). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 68–70.
^Greenberger, Robert (August 2017). "It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time: A Look at the DC Challenge!". Back Issue! (98). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 37–38.
^Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, eds. (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 219. ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9. It is arguably the best Batman story of all time. Written and drawn by Frank Miller (with inspired inking by Klaus Janson and beautiful watercolors by Lynn Varley), Batman: The Dark Knight revolutionized the entire genre of the super hero.
^Manning, Matthew K.; Dougall, Alastair, eds. (2014). "1980s". Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 174. ISBN978-1465424563. Dennis O'Neil stepped out of his editorial role once again to chronicle a Batman adventure for Detective Comics first annual. Illustrated by Klaus Janson, Batman and Talia al Ghul hunted for the Penguin.
^Manning "1990s" in Dougall, p. 186: "Grant Morrison stepped up to the plate to pen [Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight's] next five-issue storyline, illustrated by Klaus Janson."
^Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 259: "'Knightfall' was a nineteen-part crossover event that passed through the pages of...the Showcase '93 Two-Face feature scripted by Doug Moench and drawn by Klaus Janson."
^Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 267: "Fans were also treated to a companion special entitled Batman-Spawn...by writers Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, and Alan Grant, and artist Klaus Janson."
^Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 283: "The seventeen-part 'Cataclysm' storyline showed a Gotham City devastated by an earthquake."
^DeFalco, Tom; Gilbert, Laura, eds. (2008). "1980s". Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 232. ISBN978-0756641238. Linus 'Microchip' Lieberman first appeared in this issue by writer Mike Baron and artist Klaus Janson.
^Cowsill, Alan; Gilbert, Laura, eds. (2012). "1990s". Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 205. ISBN978-0756692360. Long-time Spidey villain Electro was the focus of a three-part tale written by J. M. DeMatteis and illustrated by Klaus Janson.
^Cowsill "1990s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 224: "The new Spidey title felt fresh and exciting...Issue #0, written and penciled by Dan Jurgens, with Klaus Janson inking, provided a quick recap for latecomers."
^Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 269: "Writer Greg Rucka and artist Klaus Janson created this series that delved into the family tree of [Ra's al Ghul]."
^Jenneguin (manga critic), Jean-Paul. "Toriyama Exhibition Essays: AKIRA TORIYAMA AND FRANCE". Kanzenshuu: The Perfect Dragon Ball Collection. Retrieved February 6, 2023. In November 1989, I was a guest lecturer at the First Anglo-Saxon Comics Festival in Villeneuve-d'Ascq,... a suburb of Lille, a city in the north of France. Two fans of American comics had thought the town would be the ideal location for a comics festival focusing on American and British comics, as Villeneuve is very close to Britain.
