Guest Blog #1: Kyle Willis writing about the life and times of Michael Turner

Hello everyone and welcome to The Clover Comics Gazette! This blog is the first in a number of guest bloggers. Kyle Willis is the guest blogger for today and a good friend of mine! Kyle Willis is an excellent artist and writer; which is not hard to believe with the article below. You can find Kyle Willis's facebook page HERE or his art fan page HERE!

The topic today is the life and times of legendary artist Michael Turner!

Read more about Michael Turner by visiting his Wikepida by clicking the picture above!


"When a great man dies, for years the light he leaves behind him, lies on the paths of men."

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In his youth Michael Turner had no reservations about being an artist of any kind. He appreciated art and was always doodling something or other, but his initial dream was to become a doctor in the footsteps of his stepfather. He attended the pre-med program at the University of Tennessee and while there he worked hard. Michael was a huge sports buff; adept at Tennis, Tae Kwon Do, Golf and even basketball. He often traveled the country, Skiing in Aspen, Colorado and playing volleyball throughout the Western United States. He was also known to spend time winning awards in barefoot water skiing. After an injury on the road which brought him back to his Tennessee home, Turner decided that his dream of being a doctor was misguided and not a passion that was born to him. Turner and brother Jake relocated to California to see what the state had to offer them. Waiting tables for only a short time it didn't take long before Michael had a gig as a martial arts instructor. Turner was a master of Tai Chi Chuan, a centuries-old Chinese martial art form of self-defense. After an injury subdued Michael he could no longer instruct or wait tables-where he was flat on his back, so to speak-he focussed more on his drawing. His illustrations took a turn for the serious in this time and when he submitted some sketches to some of the major companies he was interested in it was Marc Silvestri's Top Cow Productions that responded. He was charged with the task of pencilling background illustrations on Silvestri's Cyber Force before finding his feet and co-creating Witchblade which he drew for two years. When he first arrived on the scene the first thing I noted about his style is just how much it reminded me of Silvestri, how fitting that he was discovered by someone with such similar skill.

Bid on this cover and many others by Michael Turner by clicking on the link above to take you to ebay!

Once signing on at Top Cow, Turner moved from San Diego to Los Angeles, rooming with fellow Top Cow artists such as Jason Gorder, Peter Steigerwald, D-Tron and Randy Queen who lit a fire under Turner's ass and he learned as much as he could from these inspiring cats. During his comic career Turner founded his own comic book publishing company, Aspen Comics. With more than one location his studio is responsible for the likes of Aspen, Ekos, Fathom and Soulfire among other popular titles. In a very small amount of time Michael Turner built for himself a small but stable empire within the comic book world that honors him by standing strong after his departure from this Earth. It didn't take long for the foreshadowing larger companies such as Marvel and DC to come calling at his doorstep. Turner was given the task of creating covers for titles the likes of DC's The Flash and Identity Crisis and contributed to Marvel's Wolverine: Origins and Ultimate Wolverine. Turner was even given the rights to NBC's Heroes for comic adaptation.

There are very few people I can summon to the forefront of my mind that I would dare say I would have wished a moment of their time before they had passed. Michael Turner is one of these very few. In June of 2008 the comic book industry lost one of the most fantastical artists the business had ever seen as Michael Turner succombed to the effects of the Bone Cancer which haunted him at the unfinished age of 37. Many people remember Turner as a comic icon and legend, but few realize how much more he truly was. He passed on the evening of opening day at Wizard World Chicago Convention and the next day a moment of silence was recognized in his memory and soon after Wizard edited their Millenium Edition of Michael Turner Art and renamed it "Tribute Edition". Michael Turner has been honored in many forms since his passing, a constant reminder that he will not be forgotten. Megan Fox is set to portray his character Fathom in an upcoming film adaptation of the title.

To learn more about how to get involved with research for chondrosarcoma, Michael Turner's form of cancer, please click on the photo above!

Turner’s battle with cancer was an inspiration to and for many. He fought it with a graceful ettiquette that truly showed his character. The artwork of Michael Turner is some of the best ever created in the comic book world. Thank you, Michael, for making our little nerdy world a much cooler place. You are sorely and undoubtedly missed.

-Kyle Willis

Great Tribute Video for "Michael Turner"

Hope you enjoyed the first Guest Blog done by Kyle Willis! If you would like to guest blog for me please either email me CloverComicsGazette@hotmail.com, Twitter: @CCGNerdNews, or Facebook: HERE!

For

"The Clover Comics Gazette"

this is:

"The Boy Wonder" - Dustin Evans

signing off!