Jeff Butler
Encyclopedia
Jeff Butler is an American
illustrator
and comic book artist
. Butler worked with the art department of TSR, Inc.
for 5 years, illustrating products for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
, the Marvel Super Heroes
role playing game, and Dragonlance
novels.
on February 26, 1958. He grew up playing sports, "But I was always drawing things when I was young. I was a mischievous little boy, and my mother used to stick me in the corner with paper and a pencil and tell me to draw to keep me quiet. Then came the comic books when I was a little older, much to the chagrin of my father. Mom thought the comic books were teaching me to read, but my father, who is a sportswriter for a Madison newspaper, thought they were no good for me." Butler elaborates on his comics pastime, "At first, I read all the DC Comics I could get my hands on, and then moved on to Marvel Comics ... I used to practice drawing the figures from the comic books." In high school, Butler continued drawing as well as his sports activities. "Oh geez, this is so corny, but I was the football captain who went out with the cheerleading captain."
In junior high and high school (at Madison West High School
), Butler discovered fantasy through the Conan the Barbarian
paperback books, and later Fritz Leiber and Lord of the Rings books. In college, Butler studied sports illustration and did some portrait work, as well as doing some illustrations for newspapers, magazines, and posters on the side, and a Budweiser poster for the university football team. "I was a fine arts major in college (University of Wisconsin–Madison
), but I ended up splitting my time between the university and Madison Area Technical College
(MATC) so I could get some commercial art instruction." Butler played quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers
at university in 1977, but stopped because of a series of concussions.
While in school, Butler met Mike Baron
, who created the Nexus
comic book with Steve Rude
for Capital Comics
. Baron sought Butler out after seeing a poster Butler had created for a UW-Madison fraternity rush. Butler and Baron collaborated for Capital, creating The Badger
. "I worked on the first few issues of the comic book, but Capital was having some cash flow problems at the time, so they put their titles up for sale."
in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
. He interviewed with the company, and was hired in February 1984. "When I first came to TSR, the Marvel Super Heroes Game
was just starting to roll, so I had lots of fun those first few months doing the kind of comic book art I loved. Now, I like working on the Marvel paintings for the book covers. I can flesh things out and make these characters look real." Butler also worked on black-and-white art for Dungeons & Dragons
products and the Dragonlance
series, and did color work such as the Conan Role-Playing Game box cover.
Butler married his high school sweetheart (the cheerleading captain), Laurel Layman in 1985.
After leaving TSR in 1989, Butler worked as a freelance illustrator and comic book artist for nine years, working on projects including The Green Hornet, Godzilla
, Hercules, Xena
, Jurassic Park and the monthly Ghostwriter strip for the Children's Television Workshop magazine, Kid City. His Hercules drawings appeared in a 1996 issue of TV Guide
.
Butler joined the Raven Software
art staff in the fall of 1997 after returning to his native Madison with his family, and began learning computer game art. Butler served as the 2-D Art Lead on Heretic II
and has worked on other games such as Soldier of Fortune and Star Trek, Elite Force
. Butler has been part of the art team for Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
, X-Men Legends
, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
, and has been part of the core team for X-Men Origins: Wolverine
and Wolfenstein.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and comic book artist
Comic Book Artist
Comic Book Artist was an American magazine founded by Jon B. Cooke devoted to anecdotal histories of American comic books, with emphasis on comics published since the 1960s...
. Butler worked with the art department of TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
for 5 years, illustrating products for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, the Marvel Super Heroes
Marvel Super Heroes (role-playing game)
Marvel Superheroes , aka "the FASERIP system," is a role playing game set in the Marvel Universe, first published by TSR under license from Marvel Comics in 1984. In 1986, TSR published an expanded edition, entitled the Marvel Superheroes Advanced Game. Jeff Grubb designed both editions and Steve...
role playing game, and Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
novels.
Early life
Jeff Butler was born in Madison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
on February 26, 1958. He grew up playing sports, "But I was always drawing things when I was young. I was a mischievous little boy, and my mother used to stick me in the corner with paper and a pencil and tell me to draw to keep me quiet. Then came the comic books when I was a little older, much to the chagrin of my father. Mom thought the comic books were teaching me to read, but my father, who is a sportswriter for a Madison newspaper, thought they were no good for me." Butler elaborates on his comics pastime, "At first, I read all the DC Comics I could get my hands on, and then moved on to Marvel Comics ... I used to practice drawing the figures from the comic books." In high school, Butler continued drawing as well as his sports activities. "Oh geez, this is so corny, but I was the football captain who went out with the cheerleading captain."
In junior high and high school (at Madison West High School
Madison West High School
Madison West High School is one of four comprehensive four-year high schools in Madison, Wisconsin. It was established in 1930. Its mascot is the "Reggie the Regent," a lion, and its school colors are maize and blue...
), Butler discovered fantasy through the Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
paperback books, and later Fritz Leiber and Lord of the Rings books. In college, Butler studied sports illustration and did some portrait work, as well as doing some illustrations for newspapers, magazines, and posters on the side, and a Budweiser poster for the university football team. "I was a fine arts major in college (University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
), but I ended up splitting my time between the university and Madison Area Technical College
Madison Area Technical College
Madison Area Technical College is a technical and community college headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. It serves parts of 12 counties in south-central Wisconsin: Adams, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Marquette, Richland, Rock, and Sauk...
(MATC) so I could get some commercial art instruction." Butler played quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This NCAA Division I athletic program has teams in football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming, wrestling, track and field, rowing, golf, and softball...
at university in 1977, but stopped because of a series of concussions.
While in school, Butler met Mike Baron
Mike Baron
Mike Baron is the creator of comic books Badger and Nexus. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.-Biography:Mike Baron broke into comics with an illustrated text piece in the 1974 debut issue of Marvel Comics's Comix Book...
, who created the Nexus
Nexus (comics)
Nexus is an American comic book series created by writer Mike Baron and penciler Steve Rude in 1981. The series is a combination of the superhero and science fiction genres, set 500 years in the future.-Publication history:...
comic book with Steve Rude
Steve Rude
-Career:In 1981, Rude became widely known in the comics world when he and writer Mike Baron created Nexus, an independent science fiction comic book with a large supporting cast. For the series, Rude designed a dozen or so distinctive alien races, including the Thunes, the Amphibs, the Quattros,...
for Capital Comics
Capital City Distribution
Capital City Distribution was a Madison, Wisconsin-based comic book distributor which operated from 1980 to 1996 when they were acquired by rival Diamond Comics Distributors...
. Baron sought Butler out after seeing a poster Butler had created for a UW-Madison fraternity rush. Butler and Baron collaborated for Capital, creating The Badger
Badger (comics)
The Badger is a comic book character and series created by writer Mike Baron in 1983. The series began publication with the short-lived Capital Comics company before First Comics acquired the title and continued publshing it through the 1980s and early 1990s. The series ended when First Comics also...
. "I worked on the first few issues of the comic book, but Capital was having some cash flow problems at the time, so they put their titles up for sale."
Career
One of Butler's teachers from MATC told him about a job opening for an artist at TSRTSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,148 at the 2000 census. A resort city located on Geneva Lake, it is southwest of Milwaukee and popular with tourists from metropolitan Chicago and Milwaukee.-History:...
. He interviewed with the company, and was hired in February 1984. "When I first came to TSR, the Marvel Super Heroes Game
Marvel Super Heroes (role-playing game)
Marvel Superheroes , aka "the FASERIP system," is a role playing game set in the Marvel Universe, first published by TSR under license from Marvel Comics in 1984. In 1986, TSR published an expanded edition, entitled the Marvel Superheroes Advanced Game. Jeff Grubb designed both editions and Steve...
was just starting to roll, so I had lots of fun those first few months doing the kind of comic book art I loved. Now, I like working on the Marvel paintings for the book covers. I can flesh things out and make these characters look real." Butler also worked on black-and-white art for Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
products and the Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
series, and did color work such as the Conan Role-Playing Game box cover.
Butler married his high school sweetheart (the cheerleading captain), Laurel Layman in 1985.
After leaving TSR in 1989, Butler worked as a freelance illustrator and comic book artist for nine years, working on projects including The Green Hornet, Godzilla
Godzilla (comics)
Godzilla has appeared in a range of comic books that have been published in Japan and the United States.-Japanese Godzilla comics:In his native Japan, Godzilla has been featured in various comic books since his inception in 1954. These comics for the most part were black and white publications...
, Hercules, Xena
Xena: Warrior Princess (comics)
Xena: Warrior Princess comics, are spin-offs from the series of the same name, itself a spin-off series of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.Topps Comics and Dark Horse Comics created a series of comics tying in to the property...
, Jurassic Park and the monthly Ghostwriter strip for the Children's Television Workshop magazine, Kid City. His Hercules drawings appeared in a 1996 issue of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
.
Butler joined the Raven Software
Raven Software
Raven Software is an American video game developer. The company was founded in 1990 by brothers Brian and Steve Raffel. In 1997, Raven made an exclusive publishing deal with Activision and was subsequently acquired by them...
art staff in the fall of 1997 after returning to his native Madison with his family, and began learning computer game art. Butler served as the 2-D Art Lead on Heretic II
Heretic II
Heretic II is a fantasy action-adventure game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision in 1998 continuing the story of Corvus, the main character from its predecessor, Heretic....
and has worked on other games such as Soldier of Fortune and Star Trek, Elite Force
Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force
Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force is a first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. The game was initially released on September 20, 2000 for Windows and Mac OS personal computers. Aspyr Media was responsible for porting the game to the Mac OS platform...
. Butler has been part of the art team for Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, often abbreviated JK2 or JO, is a first- and third-person action game developed by Raven Software and published by LucasArts and Activision. The PC version was released in March and the Mac OS X, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube versions were released in November...
, X-Men Legends
X-Men Legends
X-Men Legends is an action role-playing video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was released on the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles in the fall of . Barking Lizards Technologies developed the N-Gage port of the game, which was released in early...
, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is an action role-playing game released in 2005 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, N-Gage, PlayStation Portable, and GameCube video game consoles as well as the PC...
, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role-playing game developed for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox and Xbox 360 by Raven Software and published by Activision. The game was simultaneously ported to the PlayStation Portable and Wii by Vicarious Visions, and to Microsoft Windows by Beenox...
, and has been part of the core team for X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (video game)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 2009 action-adventure game loosely based on the film of the same name. The game release coincided with the release of the film on May 1, 2009 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable. The game was developed...
and Wolfenstein.
External links
- Jeff Butler at the RPG DB