Tom Scioli

There are cartoonists, and then there are cartoonists who do everything—write, draw, color, and hand-letter every single page—in the grand tradition of Jack Kirby himself. Tom Scioli is that rare auteur, and he’s been on an absolute tear for over two decades. From winning the Xeric Grant as a self-published upstart to reshaping Marvel’s mythology with Fantastic Four: Grand Design and penning the definitive graphic biographies of comics’ founding fathers, Scioli’s career is a masterclass in what happens when raw talent collides with relentless vision.

He launched with a bang: The Myth of 8-Opus, a self-published fantasy epic that snagged the Xeric Grant in 1999 and put Marvel on notice. Soon he was drawing Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Comic Magazine—but that was merely the opening act.

His breakout arrived at Image Comics with Gødland (2005–2012), a 37-issue cosmic sci-fi opera co-created with writer Joe Casey. A universe-spanning saga of imagination and scope, Gødland didn’t just tip its hat to Kirby—it grabbed the torch and ran like hell. It became the kind of cult classic that fans still evangelize about two decades later.

Then things got gloriously weird. Scioli unleashed American Barbarian, a webcomic described as “Jack Kirby meets Robert E. Howard meets Chuck Jones” that IDW collected into print. He co-wrote and drew the delirious Transformers vs. G.I. Joe (2014–2016), a maxi-series that fused two of pop culture’s biggest franchises through a Silver Age filter, cramming every page with so much cosmic action that reviewers declared it “the most important universe there is.” DC’s Young Animal imprint brought him in for Super Powers, which Gerard Way described as “Tom Scioli going completely fucking nuts on the DC Universe.” He even gave Go-Bots a cyberpunk makeover in 2018.

But it was Marvel’s Grand Design format that catapulted Scioli to a wider audience. Fantastic Four: Grand Design (2019) saw him retell the entire early history of Marvel’s First Family in the same sole-authorship tradition as Ed Piskor’s X-Men: Grand Design. Across two issues, Scioli compressed decades of FF lore into a breathtaking singularity of hand-drawn lettering, crayon-textured colors, and page layouts that practically vibrate off the paper.

He then turned his pen on the pioneers who made it all possible. Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics (Ten Speed, 2020) is a sweeping full-color graphic biography that Publishers Weekly hailed as “a must-read for Kirby fans,” told from the King’s own perspective and weaving together the history of an entire industry. Library Journal named it one of the best books of the year. Three years later came the companion: I Am Stan: A Graphic Biography of the Legendary Stan Lee (Ten Speed, 2023), which earned a starred review from Library Journal for delivering “the most compelling and layered portrait of Lee to date.” Scioli doesn’t worship or tear down—he captures Stan in all his complicated, brilliant, driven humanity.

Scioli let Godzilla loose on classic literature with Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre (2024–2025), a three-issue IDW miniseries that pits the King of the Monsters against Jay Gatsby, Sherlock Holmes, and a time-traveling menace in a roaring 1920s mash-up. With 48 pages per issue and a mandate to “go big with Godzilla,” he delivered exactly what the premise promises: absolute, glorious chaos. A follow-up, Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre: Romeo & Juliet & Godzilla, was announced hot on its heels.

In 2025, Scioli returned to his cosmic roots with Space Opera Xanadax: Across the Unknown Dimensions of the Galaxy from Image Comics—a 208-page graphic novel that AIPT called “a thrilling celebration of comics’ most basic instincts.” It’s pure, uncut Scioli: a cybernetic loner tearing through space pirates and homicidal robots on the most joyously unhinged adventure of his career. The book represents an artistic evolution, with Scioli loosening his famously tight Kirby-esque linework into something freer, more improvisational, and no less electrifying.

You can catch him at HeroesCon 2026 at table AA-1283 on the Indie Island floor, where he’ll be selling original art, signing books, and proving that one-person cartooning isn’t dead. It’s alive, it’s electric, and it’s sitting right there at that table.

Tom Scioli is a force of nature in modern comics—equal parts Kirby energy, punk-rock independence, and pure, unfiltered passion for the medium. With over 25 years in the game and no signs of slowing down, he remains one of the few true auteur cartoonists working today, carrying the flame of solo creation into an industry that often forgets one person can still do it all. Perfect for fans of Jack Kirby, Ed Piskor’s Grand Design series, Mike Mignola, Joe Casey, and anyone who believes one cartoonist can still shake the whole industry.

Explore Tom Scioli’s comics: Fantastic Four: Grand Design, I Am Stan: A Graphic Biography of the Legendary Stan Lee, Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics, Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre, Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, American Barbarian, Gødland, super-powers, go-bots, The Myth of 8-Opus, Space Opera Xanadax: Across the Unknown Dimensions of the Galaxy.