Thomas Yeates Biography
Thomas Yeates has drawn comics for over 25 years. He is considered by many to be an astute master of his trade.
Thomas Yeates was born on January 19, 1955 in Sacramento, California. He grew up with three older sisters and his mother and father.
He made his first serious efforts in drawing as a six year old kid. From this time on, Thomas said, he never stopped drawing. His early inspirations were, of course, Tarzan and Disney’s Peter Pan. Tarzan was one of Tom’s childhood heroes and until today he is Tom’s favorite character. He once stated in an interview that he felt he was most alive when drawing Tarzan.
Thomas is basically self-taught. His art training began in
Thomas Yeates has drawn comics for over 25 years. He is considered by many to be an astute master of his trade.
Thomas Yeates was born on January 19, 1955 in Sacramento, California. He grew up with three older sisters and his mother and father.
He made his first serious efforts in drawing as a six year old kid. From this time on, Thomas said, he never stopped drawing. His early inspirations were, of course, Tarzan and Disney’s Peter Pan. Tarzan was one of Tom’s childhood heroes and until today he is Tom’s favorite character. He once stated in an interview that he felt he was most alive when drawing Tarzan.
Thomas is basically self-taught. His art training began in
high school and continued at Utah State University and Sacramento State. Subsequently, he was a member of the first class at Joe Kubert’s School, a trade program for aspiring comic artists. Strongly influenced in his craft by old-guard illustrators like Hal Foster, N. C. Wyeth, Al Williamson and Wallace Wood, Yeates favorite settings to draw are the outdoors, and exotic locales. He particularly enjoys drawing pictures that reflect his feelings about justice and injustice, beauty, mystery, and adventure.
Yeates first professional work was for DC comics in 1978, a story featured in Sgt. Rock titled "Preacher". He worked for DC Comics on numerous series, including Warlord, Mystery in Space and Swamp Thing. From 1984 to 1985, Thomas Yeates was the artist for Timespirits from Marvel/Epic. He worked for Eclipse Comics on titles such as Airboy, Scout, Lugar, the political documentary Brought to Light, and Aztec Ace. For Pacific Comics, Yeates did Alien Worlds and Vanguard, and for T.S.R., he illustrated the Dragonlance Saga based on the Dungeons and Dragons game.
In the early 1990s, Thomas Yeates drew one of his childhood heroes, Tarzan of the Apes, for two and a half years, co-authoring and drawing "Tarzan, The Beckoning" (for Semic/Malibu). Tom recalls being one day on the phone with Danton Burroughs, who said to him: “Tom, if you still want to draw Tarzan, send your work to these guys in Sweden. They want to do a new comic, but their art is terrible. They make Tarzan look to much like Conan. Tarzan’s more handsome. If they
Yeates first professional work was for DC comics in 1978, a story featured in Sgt. Rock titled "Preacher". He worked for DC Comics on numerous series, including Warlord, Mystery in Space and Swamp Thing. From 1984 to 1985, Thomas Yeates was the artist for Timespirits from Marvel/Epic. He worked for Eclipse Comics on titles such as Airboy, Scout, Lugar, the political documentary Brought to Light, and Aztec Ace. For Pacific Comics, Yeates did Alien Worlds and Vanguard, and for T.S.R., he illustrated the Dragonlance Saga based on the Dungeons and Dragons game.
In the early 1990s, Thomas Yeates drew one of his childhood heroes, Tarzan of the Apes, for two and a half years, co-authoring and drawing "Tarzan, The Beckoning" (for Semic/Malibu). Tom recalls being one day on the phone with Danton Burroughs, who said to him: “Tom, if you still want to draw Tarzan, send your work to these guys in Sweden. They want to do a new comic, but their art is terrible. They make Tarzan look to much like Conan. Tarzan’s more handsome. If they
don’t get some acceptable art, we’re going to turn them down”.
He went on to illustrate a total of 15 Tarzan comics, many for Dark Horse. ”The Return of Tarzan featured his adaptation into comics Edgar Rice Burroughs second Tarzan novel. During the same period, Yeates also illustrated "Dracula vs. Zorro" for Topps comics. This cult favorite was his first teaming with writer Don McGregor.
Thomas then returned to DC and illustrated a comic book authored by Rachel Pollack titled "Tomahawk". Set at the beginning of the American Revolution, it traces the awakening of the hero from his own bigotry after being captured by a Native American tribe.
In the late 1990s McGregor and Yeates created a highly regarded Zorro newspaper strip. In 2001 Yeates illustrated two
He went on to illustrate a total of 15 Tarzan comics, many for Dark Horse. ”The Return of Tarzan featured his adaptation into comics Edgar Rice Burroughs second Tarzan novel. During the same period, Yeates also illustrated "Dracula vs. Zorro" for Topps comics. This cult favorite was his first teaming with writer Don McGregor.
Thomas then returned to DC and illustrated a comic book authored by Rachel Pollack titled "Tomahawk". Set at the beginning of the American Revolution, it traces the awakening of the hero from his own bigotry after being captured by a Native American tribe.
In the late 1990s McGregor and Yeates created a highly regarded Zorro newspaper strip. In 2001 Yeates illustrated two
Universe X specials for Marvel in collaboration with Alex Ross and John Totleben. They're titled ”Cap featuring Captain America, and ”Beasts featuring the Xmen. The Paradise X special ”Ragnarok, released in 2003 re-tells the story of the fall of the Norse Gods, featuring Thor, Odin, and Loki.
Next Yeates helped Cary Nord pencil issues 3 - 14 of Conan , and did an Escapist story for Dark Horse. Most refently he has illustrated seven graphic novels in the graphic myths series for Lerner publishing including King Arthur, Odysseus, Atalanta, King Arthur and Lancelot, and Robin Hood.
Next Yeates helped Cary Nord pencil issues 3 - 14 of Conan , and did an Escapist story for Dark Horse. Most refently he has illustrated seven graphic novels in the graphic myths series for Lerner publishing including King Arthur, Odysseus, Atalanta, King Arthur and Lancelot, and Robin Hood.
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