Background
Darwyn Cooke was born on November 16, 1962, in Toronto, Ontario. His father was a construction worker and later head of a union. Darwyn and his brothers Dennis and Kenneth grew up in Etobicoke.
2013
New York, United States
Darwyn Cooke at the New York Comic-Con
160 Kendal Ave, Toronto, ON M5R 1M3, Canada
Darwyn Cooke studied at George Brown College.
Darwyn Cooke
Darwyn Cooke
(Broke and back in Gotham, Selina Kyle sets up a multi-mil...)
Broke and back in Gotham, Selina Kyle sets up a multi-million dollar heist, recruiting as her allies a group of professionals including ex-flame Stark, whom she betrayed in the early days of her Catwoman career.
https://www.amazon.com/Catwoman-Selinas-Score-Darwyn-Cooke/dp/1563898977
2002
(The man who broke Batman's back, Bane, comes to town and ...)
The man who broke Batman's back, Bane, comes to town and makes a startling statement! It's a fact that, at first, Batman can't seem to deny, causing the Dark Knight to team up with his long-time enemy to destroy the last of the Lazarus Pits. Plus, a Batman Black & White backup, The Monument.
https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Gotham-Knights-BEATTY-DARWYN/dp/B001DL53U2
2002
(Told from the perspective of the heroes who experienced i...)
Told from the perspective of the heroes who experienced it, this landmark miniseries spotlights some of DC's greatest characters! At the end of World War II, The Losers are sent on a perilous mission to recover The Suicide Squad. Plus, a brave young test pilot named Hal Jordan proves his mettle in the Korean War. They were heroes even before they put on costumes.
https://www.amazon.com/DC-New-Frontier-2004-1-ebook/dp/B00P75ULHK
2004
(When the American Criminologist Association holds its ann...)
When the American Criminologist Association holds its annual convention, its members are unaware that America's criminals are holding a gathering of their own. And when Batman's rogue gallery joins forces with the Spirit's colorful criminals, things can only get worse! With dozens of villains on the loose and the nation's security at stake, two very different crimefighters must come together to save the day.
https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Spirit-1-Darwyn-Cooke/dp/B004OEXJP6
2006
(This tale provides a first-hand look at Faraday's quest t...)
This tale provides a first-hand look at Faraday's quest to outlaw masked vigilantes, culminating with the day Superman goes to Gotham to bring down Batman.
https://www.amazon.com/Justice-League-New-Frontier-Special/dp/B0016SN4HQ
2008
(The Hunter is the story of a man who hits New York head-o...)
The Hunter is the story of a man who hits New York head-on like a shotgun blast to the chest. Betrayed by the woman he loved and double-crossed by his partner in crime, Parker makes his way cross-country with only one thought burning in his mind, to coldly exact his revenge and reclaim what was taken from him!
https://www.amazon.com/Parker-Hunter-Richard-Stark/dp/1613773994
2009
(This is a full, 24-page story that offers new readers a p...)
This is a full, 24-page story that offers new readers a perfect introduction to Richard Stark's classic crime novel anti-hero, as well as a great story that stands alone.
https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Starks-Parker-Getaway-Prelude/dp/B003HOWQN0
2010
(With his old scores settled, Parker's living the good lif...)
With his old scores settled, Parker's living the good life until a snitch rats him out to the Outfit for the bounty on his head. Now, he's no longer living in swank hotels and enjoying the finer things, and someone has to pay for that. The Outfit's about to learn if you push Parker, it better be all the way into the grave.
https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Starks-Parker-Darwyn-Cooke/dp/1631407406
2010
(Laurie Juspeczyk would one day play a pivotal role in the...)
Laurie Juspeczyk would one day play a pivotal role in the fate of the world in the pages of WATCHMEN, but before then, she was a young girl trying to follow in her mother's footsteps as one of the world's greatest crime-fighters, whether she wanted to or not.
https://www.amazon.com/Before-Watchmen-Silk-Spectre-1-ebook/dp/B00BWGCLG2
2012
(Formed in 1939 by Captain Metropolis and Sally Jupiter, t...)
Formed in 1939 by Captain Metropolis and Sally Jupiter, the team brought together some of the most well-known crime-fighters of the era. But public glitz and glamour only hide the grim and gritty reality behind the masks.
https://www.amazon.com/Before-Watchmen-Minutemen-Darwyn-Cooke-ebook/dp/B00AA0UKDW
2012
(Parker becomes embroiled in a plot with a dozen partners ...)
Parker becomes embroiled in a plot with a dozen partners in crime to pull off what might be the ultimate heist - robbing an entire town. Everything was going fine for a while, and then things got bad.
https://www.amazon.com/Parker-Score-Richard-Stark/dp/1613772084
2012
(Parker, whose getaway car crashes after a heist, manages ...)
Parker, whose getaway car crashes after a heist, manages to elude capture with his loot by breaking into an amusement park that is closed for the winter. But his presence does not go unnoticed - a pair of cops observed the job and its aftermath. But rather than pursue their suspect they decide to go into business for themselves, with the help of some "business associates." From then on it's a game of cat and mouse, one played out through closed rides of the abandoned carnival, a game that slowly starts to favor the mouse.
https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Starks-Parker-Darwyn-Cooke/dp/1613778120
2013
(No one knows what the mysterious glowing spheres are, or ...)
No one knows what the mysterious glowing spheres are, or where they come from. The only thing that matters to the residents of the beachside village where the orbs manifest is what they do when they appear.
https://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Children-Gilbert-Hernandez/dp/1401262457
2016
Darwyn Cooke was born on November 16, 1962, in Toronto, Ontario. His father was a construction worker and later head of a union. Darwyn and his brothers Dennis and Kenneth grew up in Etobicoke.
Darwyn Cooke studied at George Brown College, but he was expelled after a year.
Darwyn Cooke discovered comics as a child but did not become passionate about them until his teenage years when he bought an issue of Spider-Man drawn by John Romita. His first work, a five-page crime story without dialogue, was published by DC Comics in 1985, but he decided that the economics of the business, he was paid $35 per page and produced one page per week, would not make it feasible.
Darwyn Cooke survived by working as an art director, graphic, and product designer for the next 15 years in Canada. He would ultimately return to comics in the 1990s. Cooke landed a job with Warner Brothers as a storyboard artist after responding to an ad posted by animator Bruce Timm in 1996. Cooke sent them a demo and was soon a storyboard artist for the show's last season. He also contributed to several Superman and designed the title sequence to Batman Beyond, which the studio used as a trailer on their Web site. Cooke was also the writer and illustrator of the graphic novel Batman: Ego, which features the sinister Joker and which provides a glimpse into the psyche of Bruce Wayne through flashbacks to his childhood and career and questions what drives him to be Batman. He later directed the Men in Black series for Sony.
Besides, Darwyn Cooke worked on the Catwoman comic series. He wrote and illustrated the graphic novel Catwoman: Selina's Big Score. Set in the 1950s and that to reflect the feel of that period, Cooke used trains, gangsters, and Las Vegas. The story reveals how Selina Kyle attempts to score Mafia money that has been shipped to Canada in trade for heroin to bankroll her continuing fight for justice. Also, the story features Stark, Selina's James Coburn-lookalike former lover and mentor who was double-crossed by Selina years earlier.
In 2004, Darwyn Cooke wrote and drew the Eisner-Award winning DC: The New Frontier, a miniseries covering the gap between the golden and silver age of comic books in the DC Universe. He additionally contributed to the Solo anthology, and in 2006, he teamed up with writer Jeph Loeb to work on a Batman/Spirit crossover. Cooke also took on script and artwork on the new monthly Spirit. As a scriptwriter, he wrote the first six issues of Superman Confidential in 2006.
For Idea and Design Works (IDW), Darwyn Cooke has been making comic book adaptations of Donald Westlake's Parker novels, including The Hunter, The Outfit, The Score, and Slayground. He was back at DC in 2012 as a writer and artist for Before Watchmen: Minutemen and Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre in 2012-2013. Darwyn Cooke passed away at age 53 on 14 May 2016, following a battle with cancer.
(Laurie Juspeczyk would one day play a pivotal role in the...)
2012(The man who broke Batman's back, Bane, comes to town and ...)
2002(Told from the perspective of the heroes who experienced i...)
2004(Broke and back in Gotham, Selina Kyle sets up a multi-mil...)
2002(This is a full, 24-page story that offers new readers a p...)
2010(When the American Criminologist Association holds its ann...)
2006(This tale provides a first-hand look at Faraday's quest t...)
2008(Parker, whose getaway car crashes after a heist, manages ...)
2013(Formed in 1939 by Captain Metropolis and Sally Jupiter, t...)
2012(Parker becomes embroiled in a plot with a dozen partners ...)
2012(With his old scores settled, Parker's living the good lif...)
2010(Hal Jordan relives some of the most meaningful flights in...)
2005(Time has finally caught up with Hex as he battles to the ...)
2014(Outlaw Jonah Hex Spreads his brand of justice through the...)
2008(A collection of pulse-pounding stories of the Dark Knight...)
2000(The new collector has stolen the Pink Mink and has set he...)
2003(The Hunter is the story of a man who hits New York head-o...)
2009(No one knows what the mysterious glowing spheres are, or ...)
2016(Edie makes up with her family and Guy to restore control ...)
2002Darwyn Cooke was not afraid to stand up for what he thought was right. He spoke his mind about the dark state of comics franchises and, in the end, managed to breathe new life into the medium, redesigning classic characters and imbuing his work with the optimism of bygone days.
Quotations:
"Batman is, I think, the greatest character that's ever come out of this popular medium because he's a real guy. I could always relate to that as a kid. Actually, they asked me for my resume when I started working here, and I sent them down these drawings I did of Batman when I was six, with some crayons. It's great to be working on the character. I've got a big kick out of it. It's like a dream come true, from that perspective."
"The fact that we're at a point today where anybody, anywhere can put a comic book together and get it in front of the entire planet without spending a dime on printing and distribution - that's the good thing, and I think that's what's going to save [the comics industry]."
Quotes from others about the person
Mark Evanier: "There was something fresh and energetic about his work, and his peers envied the light sense of humor and the simplicity of design."
Cooke married Marsha Stagg in Las Vegas in November 2012.