Bob Almond is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

 inker

Inker

The inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional comic book or graphic novel. After a pencilled drawing is given to the inker, the inker uses black ink to produce refined outlines over the pencil lines...

 whose credits include the Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

 publications Warlock and the Infinity Watch, Black Panther

Black Panther (comics)

The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...

and Annihilation: Conquest

Annihilation: Conquest

Annihilation: Conquest is a 2007-2008 Marvel Comics crossover storyline and the sequel to 2006's Annihilation. The series again focuses on Marvel's cosmic heroes defending the universe against the Phalanx, now led by Ultron...

: Quasar

Quasar (comics)

Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...

.

Early life

Almond was born January 4, 1967. He first became interested in comics by age nine. In his early teen years, he began drawing comics the independent comic book Torpedo Comics, with his friends and his brother Mike. He majored in illustration at the University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is one of five campuses and operating subdivisions of the University of Massachusetts . It is located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States, in the center of the South Coast region, between the cities of New Bedford to the east and Fall River...

 and graduated in 1990 with a BFA in Illustration.

Career

Amond's first entry into the comic book industry came as a result of the efforts of fellow artists Bernie Wrightson

Bernie Wrightson

Bernie "Berni" Wrightson is an American artist known for his horror illustrations and comic books.-Biography:...

 and Jim Starlin

Jim Starlin

James P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters...

. In 1991, through attending Wrightson's annual Halloween party, Almond met Starlin. Starlin convinced his editor at Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

 to hire Almond as Terry Austin's

Terry Austin (comics)

Terry Austin is an American comic book artist, working primarily as an inker. He is best known for his work embellishing John Byrne's pencils on The Uncanny X-Men from 1977–1981.-Early life and career:...

 replacement on Warlock and the Infinity Watch.

In 1994, Almond moved on to other projects, freelancing on such titles as Warlock and the Infinity Watch, Black Panther

Black Panther (comics)

The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...

, and Annihilation: Conquest - Quasar.also He has worked for publishers including DC Comics

DC Comics

DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

, Penny-Farthing Press

Penny-Farthing Press

Penny-Farthing Press is a comic book publishing company located in Houston, Texas, in the United States. Started in 1998 with "a plan to create comic books and children's books that exemplified quality storytelling, artwork, and printing," Penny-Farthing has expanded from its single original title,...

, Malibu Comics

Malibu Comics

Malibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...

, and Acclaim Comics

Valiant Comics

Valiant Comics is a comic book imprint published by various publishers since its inception with Voyager Communications, Inc. in 1989, later Acclaim Comics, Inc. Its assets were purchased from the bankruptcy of the Acclaim Entertaintment by Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in 2007.-Voyager...

.

Inkblots and the Inkwell Awards

From 2006 to 2009, Almond wrote the column "Inkblots" in Sketch magazine. During those years, he also unofficially assisted the Comics Buyer's Guide

Comics Buyer's Guide

Comics Buyer's Guide , established in 1971, is the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry...

in identifying and crediting inkers.

This led to his formation in 2008 of the Inkwell Awards

Inkwell Awards

The Inkwell Award, sometimes shortened to the Inkwells, is a trophy given in the field of inking in American comic books. The awards were partially named after the Yahoo group whose members include many in the inking community, and after the personal website name of organization founder Bob Almond...

, to honor comics inkers.

External links

• Bob Almond's Comicspace Page