HAWKEYE EPIC COLLECTION: MARKED FOR DEATH

Howard Mackie got his start at Marvel during the late 1980s as an editor and then a writer. One of his first series as full-time scribe was 1990’s massively popular Ghost Rider, which introduced the alter ego Danny Ketch to the mythos of the Spirit of Vengeance. He also wrote prolifically in the Spider-Man and X-Men titles of the ’90s.

John Byrne has worked continuously in the comics industry as both writer and artist since 1975. After he initially collaborated with writer Chris Claremont on Iron Fist, Byrne and Claremont moved on to X-Men for a run still regarded as one of the title’s finest. Byrne contributed an equally famed stint on Fantastic Four, earning comparisons to the original Lee/Kirby issues for his imaginative plotlines and dynamic artwork. He also spun Alpha Flight into its own title. In 1986, he revamped DC’s flagship hero, Superman, reimagining the Man of Steel in a historic project heralded by a Time magazine cover. His remarkable contribution to the Marvel Universe extends to memorable associations with virtually every major hero, including celebrated runs on Captain America, Iron Man, Sensational She-Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner and Thing. In the 21st century, Byrne’s considerable body of work includes IDW’s Star Trek and Angel.

A professional comic-book artist since the late 1980s, Kieron Dwyer also works in film, television, books and advertising. He co-created the Swing Town animated series, taught at the Academy of Art College, produced storyboards for film and TV projects such as Batman Beyond and had his drawings prominently featured in the motion picture Sky High. Dwyer’s many Marvel credits include a long run penciling Captain America, shorter stints on Avengers and Thing and work on other titles such as Avengers Spotlight, Classic X-Men, Deadpool/GLI: Summer Fun Spectacular, Solo Avengers and X-Factor. In addition to DC projects such as Action Comics and Batman, Dwyer has co-created indie comics Night Mary, Remains, Last of the Independents and Sea of Red.

Al Milgrom, A.K.A. “Editori-Al,” is renowned as writer, editor, penciler and inker — and held most of those positions on Spectacular Spider-Man. He also contributed to SSM’s sibling Amazing Spider-Man. He penciled West Coast Avengers for four years and inked X-Factor for eight. His artwork has also appeared in Avengers, Captain America, Thor and most X-titles, including the classic Kitty Pryde and Wolverine. As editor, he oversaw Marvel’s Epic imprint and the sixty-issue run of Marvel Fanfare, where his satirical self-portraits made his face as recognizable as any super hero’s mask. At DC, he co-created Firestorm the Nuclear Man with Gerry Conway.

Don Heck (1929-1995) worked for Harvey, Quality, Hillman and other publishers before arriving at Atlas Comics, later Marvel, where he penciled and inked stories for virtually every genre: crime, horror, jungle, romance, war, Western and more. With Stan Lee and others, he launched Iron Man, his supporting cast and his early rogues gallery — including the Black Widow, Hawkeye and the Mandarin. He also succeeded Jack Kirby on Avengers. At DC, his artwork appeared in Justice League of America, Flash, Wonder Woman and other titles.

Dwayne Turner’s early Marvel work included Avengers Spotlight and Transformers before launching the 1990s series Cage and teaming with writer Don McGregor on the limited series Black Panther: Panther’s Prey. Turner has illustrated a number of Todd McFarlane’s Spawn titles, including a lengthy run on Curse of the Spawn, and has subsequently worked extensively in the video game and film industries with credits including Tron: Legacy, The Jungle Book and the Halo franchise.