Mark Schultz

Mark Schultz has been cartooning and illustrating for more than 20 years. He is best known as the creator of the award-winning speculative adventure comic book, Xenozoic Tales, which has been adapted to television as the animated series, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs.

The first Xenozoic adventure originally appeared in the eighth issue of Kitchen Sinks Press’ anthology magazine, Death Rattle. Reader and critical response was positive, leading Kitchen Sink to offer Mark his own book — and Xenozoic Tales premiered in February of 1987.

Mark is also widely recognized for co-creating and co-writing SubHuman, an underwater adventure series, for Dark Horse Comics, and for scripting DC Comics’ Superman, Man of Steel for a five-year span. He has also written and/or drawn many other popular fictional icons, including Flash Gordon, Tarzan, the Spirit, Star Wars, Aliens and Predator. Currently, he writes the Prince Valiant newspaper comic strip.

As an illustrator, Mark has depicted the adventures of Robert E. Howard’s Conan of Cimmeria for the highly regarded Wandering Star/Del Rey editions of Howard’s works, and illustrated the autobiography of the famed painter of prehistoric life, Charles R. Knight.

He has written a DC Justice League novel, The Flash: Stop Motion, published by Pocket Books, and a science primer graphic novel titled The Stuff of Life: a Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA for Hill and Wang.

He is in the process of finishing the illustrations to his cautionary novella, Storms At Sea, for Flesk Publications.

Born in 1955 near Philadelphia, and raised outside Pittsburgh, Penn, Mark at age six discovered both comics (Dell Comics’ Tarzan, and DC Comics’ Superman, Metal Men and Hawkman), and, through television broadcasts, classic adventure films, in particular King Kong and the Tarzan series. The stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard further inspired him, as did the illustrators associated with them, especially Al Williamson, Roy Krenkel and Frank Frazetta.

Upon graduating from Kutztown State University in 1977, Mark devoted his career to producing commercial illustration until 1986, when a long-repressed desire to tell stories prevailed, leading to his submission of an eight page Xenozoic introductory tale to Kitchen Sink Press. Publisher Denis Kitchen showed interest in the concept and the first Xenozoic adventure appeared in the eighth issue of the anthology magazine, Death Rattle, in November of 1986. The first issue of Xenozoic Tales followed in February of 1987.

Mark’s artwork is strongly influenced by his love for classic American illustration, and its roots. Some of the artists he admires and studies include Winslow Homer, Frank Schoonover, N.C. Wyeth, Daniel Smith, Dean Cornwell, Herbert Morton Stoops, F. R. Gruger and Hugh Ferris. Mark’s principal influences from within the comics field include: Hal Foster, Alex Raymond, Roy Crane, Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Wally Wood and Al Williamson.

He, his wife Denise, and their two cats live in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. For relaxation, Mark hikes, travels, watches old movies and tries to keep current with developments in the biological and physical sciences.

Gary Gianni

Gary Gianni, born 1954, is an illustrator and author whose work has appeared in numerous books, text books, magazines, comics and newspapers. He began his career at the Chicago Tribune newspaper and worked as a television courtroom artist most notably chronicling the John Gacy murder trials. Later as a comic book artist, he drew characters such as the Shadow, Indiana Jones, Batman and Tom Strong. He also wrote and drew his own popular comic book series, The Monstermen. Aside from writing for comics, Gianni has authored two books, John Henry and The Prince Valiant Page. 

The numerous books illustrated by the artist include classic works by Melville, Verne, Wells, Stevenson, Burroughs and O. Henry. Among contemporary authors, Gianni has created drawings for the works of Ray Bradbury, Michael Moorcock and Michael Chabon. One of his most significant projects involved six years of producing hundreds of drawings and paintings for a series of books by fantasy author Robert E. Howard.

Gianni has received the Eisner Award for his work on Batman with writer Archie Goodwin and The Spectrum Award for his book illustrations from The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane.
In 2004, the venerable comic strip artist, John Cullen Murphy, retired and asked Gianni to take up the artistic chores on the celebrated newspaper adventure comic strip, Prince Valiant.  

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  Prince Valiant

  When King Aguar of Thule, ruler of what is now Norway, was driven from his throne by the usurper Sligon, the deposed monarch fled with his queen and 5-year-old son Prince Valiant to the wild fens of Britain. There Val waxed in wit and strength, became squire and friend to Sir Gawain and, through many feats of bravery, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. Through the medieval world of noble quests and derring-do, chivalry and tournaments, Prince Valiant has battled evil and injustice with the "Singing Sword," a blade twin to Arthur's legendary Excalibur, forged by the same wizard. Val later dedicated this great weapon to the cause of justice before the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. As the years have passed, Val's contentment has grown. Since he first beheld the beautiful Aleta, gray-eyed Queen of the Misty Isles, he has been under her spell. He has married his fair lady, sharing both joy and heartache. They now have five children, two of whom are themselves married, and one of whom the eldest, Prince Arn is also a father. Today Val remains a powerful knight and adviser to King Arthur, and a heroic father and grandfather.

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  Aleta

  Aleta, Val's beautiful gray-eyed wife, is also the legendary Queen of the Misty Isles. Years before, Aleta cast a pleasant enchantment over the young Val, winning his heart forever. Intelligent, strong-willed, beautiful and courtly, Aleta has been an adored member of court and a heroic adventurer as well. She is Val's equal in every way.

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  Sir Gawain

  a rogue with the ladies, is Val’s most worthy, if feckless, companion.

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  Prince Arn, Maeve and Ingrid

  Prince Arn is Prince Valiant and Aleta's first-born son. Worldly, adventurous and enthusiastic, Arn has more than earned his spurs, becoming almost as great an adventurer as his father. His beautiful wife, Maeve, is the also the daughter of Arthur's evil half-brother, Mordred. Ingrid is their daughter, and Val and Aleta's only grandchild.

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  Nathan

  Val and Aleta's youngest son was kidnapped at birth by the Emperor Justinian. Nathan was saved, and returned to his parents, thanks to the heroic efforts of his brother, Arn.

• Galan

  Ill-adept at the pastimes of a warrior, Val's bookish son, Galan, seeks instead the life of a scholar.

• Karen and Valeta

  Val and Aleta's twins, Karen and Valeta, are alike in looks only. Karen is carefree and fun-loving while Valeta is serious and moody. Karen became an Amazon in her late teens and later married Vanni, the son of the legendary Prester John. Valeta shares an occasional courtship with Cormac, a Druid priest.

• Cormac and Valeta

• King Arthur

• Mordred

  Arthur's evil half-brother