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'{{Infobox comics creator | image = Colleen Doran2.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Colleen Doran at New York Comicon 2008. | alt = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|7|24|mf=y}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | nationality = American | area = | cartoonist = | write = y | art = | pencil = y | ink = y | edit = | publish = | letter = y | color = y | alias = | signature = <!-- very optional --> | signature_alt = | notable works = ''[[A Distant Soil]]'' | awards = San Diego Comic-Con International| | website = http://www.colleendoran.com | subcat = American }} '''Colleen Doran''' (born July 24, 1964) is an [[People of the United States|American]] [[comic book creator|writer/artist]], film conceptual artist, and cartoonist. She has illustrated hundreds of [[comics]], [[graphic novels]], [[books]] and [[magazines]], and dozens of stories and articles, including works written by [[Neil Gaiman]], [[Clive Barker]], [[Joe R. Lansdale]], [[Anne Rice]], [[J. Michael Straczynski]], [[Peter David]] and [[Tori Amos]], including ''[[The Sandman (Vertigo)|The Sandman]]'', ''[[Wonder Woman]]'', ''[[Legion of Superheroes]]'', ''[[Teen Titans]]'', ''[[Walt Disney's Beauty and the Beast]]'', and her own space opera series, ''[[A Distant Soil]]''.<ref>"[[Wondercon]] Special Guests"; ''[[San Diego Comic-Con International|Comic-Con]]'' magazine; Winter 2010; Pages 18-19</ref> ==Early life== At the age of five, Doran won an art contest sponsored by the [[Walt Disney Company]]. Doran created her comic book series, ''A Distant Soil'', at the age of twelve.<ref>http://adistantsoil.com/about/</ref> ==Career== [[File:Colleen Doran at WonderCon 2010 1.JPG|thumb|left|Doran at [[WonderCon]] 2010]] She landed her first professional assignment for an advertising agency at age fifteen. While still in college, she was a full-time professional artist who was able to add her professional work to her college art curriculum for credit. She broke into the comic book industry when still a [[teenager]], in the 1980s. ''[[A Distant Soil]]'' was originally published in a number of fanzines, and was scouted by Donning/Starblaze before being contracted by [[WaRP Graphics]], where it was later published. Doran subsequently left the company due to an acrimonious dispute with WaRP.<ref>"The Battle for ''A Distant Soil''," ''[[The Comics Journal]]'' #108 (May 1986), pp. 7-12.</ref><ref>"Doran/WaRP Dispute Now Settled," ''The Comics Journal'' #110 (August 1986), p. 17.</ref><ref>"Donning Sues WaRP," ''The Comics Journal'' #123 (July 1988), p. 8-9.</ref> The WaRP version of the story has never been reprinted, despite its unusual all-pencil style, although Colleen Doran did reprint a short ''Distant Soil'' story that had appeared in a WaRP [[comics anthology|anthology]]. After leaving WaRP, Colleen went on to completely rewrite and redraw the entire ''A Distant Soil'' series from scratch, self-publishing it for some years before moving on to [[Image Comics]] where it is now in multiple printings as a series of graphic novels. The first volume had four printings, and it is now in its fourth collected volume. It has sold, collectively, more than 700,000 copies. <ref>[http://adistantsoil.com/about// WC10: Colleen Doran » A Distant Soil website]</ref> The story centers on a young girl who is born heir to an alien religious dynasty, and explores issues of politics, gender identity and tolerance. Its strong characterization and unique art style has inspired the Young American Library Association to profile the book in their quarterly journal, and it has been nominated for the [[Spectrum Award]] for Best Science Fiction in the Other category in 2001. The series has been on hiatus since 2006. Doran recently announced that the ''A Distant Soil's'' archives were accidentally destroyed by the printer, and an extensive restoration process is now in progress. The series is expected to return to print from Image Comics in 2013. <ref>[http://adistantsoil.com/collectibles///WC10: Colleen Doran » A Distant Soil website]</ref> The character [[Thessaly (Sandman)|Thessaly]] in [[Neil Gaiman]]'s [[The Sandman (DC Comics/Vertigo)|''Sandman'']] is based on Doran,<ref>{{Cite journal | url = http://books.google.com/?id=DTNgCiWkEf0C&pg=PA62&lpg=PA62&dq=neil+gaiman+based+thessaly+on+colleen#v=onepage&q&f=false | title = Sandman: King of dreams | isbn = 978-0-8118-3592-3 | author1 = Kwitney | first1 = Alisa | last2 = Gaiman | first2 = Neil | date = 2003-11-28}}</ref> and she illustrated two issues of that series (#20 and #34) in the early 1990s. She has exhibited at many shows and lectured widely at venues such as [[World Science Fiction Convention]]s, [[San Diego Comic Con]]s, The [[Singapore Writers Festival]], and Comics Masterclass in Sydney Australia, as well as many ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' conventions including [[Ring*Con]], ELF, and ORC. She is also featured in the films ''Ringers'' (a documentary about ''The Lord of the Rings'' fans), ''Scenes From the Small Press: Colleen Doran'' by Rich Henn, and ''Sex, Lies and Superheroes''. Doran's more recent comics-art projects included ''[[The Book of Lost Souls]]'', a modern fantasy written by [[J. Michael Straczynski]] and published by [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]]'s [[Icon Comics|Icon]] imprint in 2006. "Gone to Amerikay" a graphic novel drawn by Doran and written by [[Derek McCulloch (comics)|Derek McCulloch]] was released in 2012 from DC/Vertigo. It is a "multi-generational Irish saga."<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=25613/ WC10: Colleen Doran » Comic Book Resources]</ref> It received numerous positive notices and was profiled in ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', ''[[Boing Boing]]'' and ''[[Irish Echo]]''. "Gone to Amerikay" themed cover art was featured in the St Patrick's Day edition of ''[[Irish Echo]]'', which was then presented to President Obama by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of Northern Ireland. Doran also illustrated best-selling young adult novelist [[Barry Lyga]]'s first graphic novel for Houghton Mifflin, "Mangaman" in 2011. It received a coveted starred review at ''[[Kirkus]]'', as well as awards at the New York Book Show and New England Book Builders of Boston. She will complete the long awaited ''[[Stealth Tribes]]'' graphic novel with Warren Ellis for Vertigo in 2012, and is working with Neil Gaiman on a new graphic novel for Dark Horse for 2013.<ref>[http://adistantsoil.com/2011/01/22/the-state-of-colleens-industry-part-ii// WC10: Colleen Doran » A Distant Soil website]</ref><ref>[http://adistantsoil.com/2012/08/19/sandman-and-thessaly// WC10: Colleen Doran » A Distant Soil website]</ref> ==Other appearances== Doran was selected to give a series of lectures on [[Manga]] at the [[Smithsonian Institution]] in Washington D.C. in 2006.<ref>http://talkinthetalk.blogspot.com/2006/05/comics-as-high-culture.html</ref> Doran was featured in ''[[The Cartoonist]],'' a 2009 documentary film on the life and work of Jeff Smith, creator of ''Bone.''<ref>http://www.thecartoonistmovie.com</ref> Doran was featured in the Dec. 12, 2011 episode of "Stalked: Someone's Watching," an ID series that profiles personal stalking incidents, including interviews with the actual victims.<ref>http://investigation.discovery.com/tv/stalked/episodes/season-2-episode-guide-02.html</ref> ==Bibliography== ===Comics=== * ''Gone to Amerikay''- 2012 [[Vertigo]] original graphic novel artist * ''Mangaman''-2011 [[Houghton Mifflin]] original graphic novel artist * ''[[Comic Book Tattoo]]'' - 2008 [[Image Comics]] original graphic novel anthology * ''[[The Nightmare Factory]]'' - 2007 [[Fox Atomic Comics]] original graphic novel * ''[[The Book of Lost Souls]]'' (with [[J. Michael Straczynski]]) 2005 Marvel/Icon series * ''[[Stealth Tribes]]'' (with [[Warren Ellis]]) DC/Vertigo 2004 graphic novel * ''[[Orbiter (comics)|Orbiter]]'' (with Warren Ellis) DC/Vertigo (April 2003) graphic novel * ''[[Reign of the Zodiac]]'' (with [[Keith Giffen]]) DC (June 2003) series * ''[[The Sandman (Vertigo)|The Sandman]]: Dream Country'' (with [[Neil Gaiman]]) DC/Vertigo graphic novel/series * ''[[Wonder Woman]]: The Once and Future Story'' (with [[Trina Robbins]]) DC Comics graphic novel (1998) * ''Clive Barker’s Hellraiser'': Marvel Epic Comics, Checker Publishing series/graphic novel * ''The Forbidden Book'' graphic novel collection * ''Clive Barker’s Nightbreed'' Marvel/Epic Comics series * ''Anne Rice’s The Master of Rampling Gate'' Innovation graphic novel * ''[[A Distant Soil]]'' reprints: ** Late-1980s color reprints: *** ''A Distant Soil: Immigrant Song'' Donning/Starblaze (1987) *** ''A Distant Soil: Knights of the Angel'' Whitford Press (1989) ** 1990s and on black and white reprints: *** ''A Distant Soil: The Gathering'' Image Comics (1997) compilation of comic issues 1-13 *** ''A Distant Soil: The Ascendant'' Image Comics (1998) compilation of comic issues 15-25 *** ''A Distant Soil: The Aria'' Image Comics (2001) compilation of comic issues 26-31 *** ''A Distant Soil: Coda'' Image Comics (2005) compilation of comic issues 32-38 * Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast film adaptation The Walt Disney Company * ''Captain America'' Marvel Comics Group series * ''Star Trek'' DC Comics series * ''Silver Surfer'' Marvel Comics series * ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #326 #600 Marvel Comics series * ''The Legion of Superheroes'' DC Comics series * ''Valor'' #14-23 DC Comics series * ''Shade: The Changing Man'' DC/Vertigo series * ''The Death Gallery'' DC/Vertigo * ''The Sandman Gallery'' DC/Vertigo * ''[[Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld]]'' vol. 2 #12, DC Comics * ''Power Pack'' Marvel series * ''Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Annual #1'' Marvel Comics * ''Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #3'' Marvel Comics * ''Superman: Man of Steel Gallery'' DC Comics * ''Mutant X Annual 2000'' Marvel Comics * ''Eclipso'' #10 DC Comics * ''Sonic The Hedghog'' Archie Comics * ''Marvel Fanfare'' Marvel Comics series * ''Secret Origins Annual'' #3 DC Comics * ''Teen Titans Spotlight'' DC Comics * ''Wonder Woman'' #44, #49 DC Comics * ''Wonder Woman Annual'' #2 DC Comics * ''X-Men Millennial Visions'' Marvel Comics * ''Marvel Girl Comics'' Marvel Comics * ''Sandman: A Gallery of Dreams'' Vertigo * ''Lucifer'' #62 Vertigo * ''Transmetropolitan'' Vertigo * ''Who's Who in the DC Universe'' DC Comics * ''Who's Who in the Legion of Superheroes'' DC Comics * ''Vampirella'' Harris Comics * ''Creepy'' Harris Comics * ''Captain Atom'' DC Comics * ''Agents of Law'' Dark Horse * ''Captain America: Drug Wars'' Marvel Comics * ''Christmas with the DC Superheroes'' DC Comics * ''Excalibur'' Marvel Comics * ''Cerebus'' Aardvark Vanaheim * ''Ghost'' Dark Horse * ''Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' Marvel Comics * ''Hawkman Annual'' DC Comics * ''Legionnaires'' DC Comics ===Illustration=== {{ISBN|date=April 2010}} *''Girl to Grrrl Manga: How to Draw the Hottest Shoujo Manga'' Impact Books, writer/artist *''Manga Mania: How to Draw Japanese Comics'' Watson-Guptill art book *''Anime Mania'' Watson-Guptill art book *''Disney Adventures'' The Walt Disney Company *''Young Readers Digest'' Readers Digest *''CPM Magazine'' The Cahner’s Group *''Play Station Magazine'' Imagine Entertainment *Trading cards for various projects: Topps *Trading Cards for Various Projects: Skybox *''The Art of Star Wars'' Topps *''Star Wars Magazine'' *''Star Wars'' product illustration *''Lord of the Rings'' product illustration *''Mars Attacks'' product illustration *''Indiana Jones'' product illustration *Walt Disney product illustration *Marvel Comics product illustration *''Star Trek'' product illustration *''Robotech Art II'' Donning Co Publishers art book *''[[Dead in the West]]'' by [[Joe R. Lansdale]] [[Night Shade Books]] *''Manga Pro Superstar'' Impact Books. writer/artist *''Straight on 'til Morning'' Cemetery Dance *''Call Me Princess'' CPM Manga *''Strangers on the Heights'' Night Shade Books ===Conceptual art=== ''Distance'' conceptual artist for Sony/Pipe Studios animated series in development.<ref>[http://adistantsoil.com/2011/12/30/more-concept-art-from-distance-by-warren-ellis// WC10: Colleen Doran » A Distant Soil website]</ref> ''The Mighty Martians'' concept artist animated/live action TV series in development. <ref>[http://adistantsoil.com/2012/01/23/television-and-film-concept-art/ WC10: Colleen Doran » A Distant Soil website]</ref> ''Wonder Woman'' redesign concept art for [[J Michael Straczynski]] <ref>[http://adistantsoil.com/2011/08/04/jms-wonder-woman-concept-art-and-tarzan-production-sketch// WC10: Colleen Doran » A Distant Soil website]</ref> ==Professional organizations== Organizations she is a member of include:{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} * [[American Society of Portrait Artists]] * Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists * National Cartoonists Society ==Awards and honors== * [[Chesley Award]] Nominee * [[Eisner Award]] Nominee * Comics' Buyer's Guide Award Favorite Colorist Nominee * Delphi Institute Grant Award * American Representative Japan/America Manga Seminar, Tokyo * Guest of Honor, [[San Diego Comic Con]] * Multiple Awards and Honors, SF, Comic and Fantasy art shows * Multiple Awards and Honors various gallery exhibits * [[American Library Association]] 2002 featured speaker * Spectrum Award Nominee * Women Cartoonist's Hall of Fame, 2007, [[Friends of Lulu]] * International Horror Guild Award: The Nightmare Factory (anthology) 2008, Best Illustrated Narrative ==Exhibits== * Four Color Images Gallery, New York, NY * Kunstlerhaus, Stuttgart, Germany * Porto, Portugal * Secession Gallery, Vienna, Austria * Gijon Cultural Center, Gijon, Spain * San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco, CA * Museum of Cartoon Art, Rye Brook, New York * Gallery Nucleus: 20 Years of Sandman 2008 * Krannert Art Museum; Out of Sequence: Underrepresented Voices in American Comics * Laboratory of Art and Ideas at Belmar; Out of Sequence ==Notes== {{Reflist}} ==References== *{{gcdb|type=credit|search=Colleen+Doran}} *{{comicbookdb|type=creator|id=866}} ==External links== {{commons category}} *{{official website|http://www.colleendoran.com}} *{{IMDb name|1275408}} ===Interviews=== {{More footnotes|section|date=April 2010}} * http://web.archive.org/web/20041213150258/www.pulp-mag.com/archives/5.08/interview_doran_01.shtml * http://web.archive.org/web/20041213224706/www.pulp-mag.com/archives/5.08/interview_doran_02.shtml {{Authority control|VIAF=85491312}} {{Persondata |NAME=Doran, Colleen |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |SHORT DESCRIPTION=[[United States|American]] [[comic book creator]] |DATE OF BIRTH=July 24, 1963 |PLACE OF BIRTH= |DATE OF DEATH= |PLACE OF DEATH= }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Doran, Colleen}} [[Category:Female comics artists]] [[Category:Female comics writers]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1963 births]] [[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:Tolkien artists]] [[Category:American comics writers]] [[Category:American comics artists]] [[fr:Colleen Doran]]'