Josh Blaylock.com
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About Josh BlaylockJosh Blaylock is a polymathic creator of art, stories and comics, based in Chicago, Illinois. Josh has played an instrumental part in influencing the comicbook and pop culture industries in the past, as far back as 1998, but now spends most of his time creating his own comic concepts, nurturing new breakout talent published by Devil's Due Comics (the imprint he founded in 2000), touring North America for comic-con signing appearances, and enjoying all that life has to offer along the way. His most noteworthy work includes creating the supernatural action comic book series Mercy Sparx (in development for film & TV with Assemble Media), revitalizing the iconic G.I. Joe franchise in comic books, authoring the graphic novel thriller Operation Nemesis, based on a true story starring Armenian legend Soghomon Tehlirian, authoring and illustrating The Bitcoin Comic Handbook, a guide to understanding cryptocurrency and monetary history, and and his non-fiction prose How to Self-Publish Comics: Not Just Create Them, now required reading at Savannah College of Art & Design.
On two occasions Blaylock has encroached into the political mainstream consciousness, first as the producer of the the satirical but light hearted Barack the Barbarian: Quest for the Treasure of Stimuli comic book miniseries (later collected as Barack the Barbarian: No F*¢ks Left to Give), and more recently as the mastermind behind, and contributor to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force: New Party, Who Dis? While generally in favor of the namesakes of said titles, Josh is also a vocal critic of establishment politics. Blaylock's acumen extends beyond the creative to building businesses (although he'd much rather just create these days), and is a respected expert in licensing and branding. He arguably saved G.I. Joe from extinction when revamping the comicbook series in 2001 via Image Comics, in a licensing coup with Hasbro, breathing new life into the entire property. Before that he was instrumental in launching the first '80s geek-retro clothing line of its kind, Oldskool, carried in the US by Hot Topic and other boutique retailers, quickly mimicked by other manufacturers. In between here and there is a nearly two-decade story of pop culture endeavors, content creation, wins & losses, late night deadlines, surreal yet amazing relationships, and lots of comicons and cocktails. Through his art Josh frequently contributes to the thriving pop culture, music festival and street art scenes of his beloved Chicago, and basically anything that sounds fun. Blaylock frequently lends his time to outside clients for content creation, educational workshops, I.P. Development and consulting, limited to a few select projects per year. Josh is based in Chicago, IL (if you call being home 6 months out of the year "based"), where he lives with his wife and an adorably bizarre looking, 5 lb, mouth breathing chihuahua-bat hybrid. For hiring inquiries click here. |