Weigel, Jeff 1958–

Personal

Born September 9, 1958, in Freeport, IL; son of Lawrence (a butcher) and Phyllis Weigel; married Kim Kent (a copywriter), June 25, 1983; children: Peter, Allison. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: University of Illinois, B.F.A., 1980.

Addresses

Home—113 Villa Drive, Belleville, IL 62223. E-mail—jeffweigel@charter.net.

Career

Comic-book and children's picture book illustrator and author, and graphic artist. Obata Design, St. Louis, MO, creative director, 1989–. Creator of character The Sphinx, for comic-book series Big Bang. Creator of character Atomic Ace for children's picture-book series.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Awards, Honors

Russ Manning Award for Most Promising Newcomer in Comics nomination, 1998, for "The Riddle of the Sphinx"; Don Freeman Award honorable mention, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrator, 2004; Parents' Choice Honor Book designation, 2004, for Atomic Ace.

Writings

Atomic Ace (He's Just My Dad), Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2004.

Atomic Ace and the Robot Rampage, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2006.

Writer and illustrator for comic-book series Big Bang, published by Image Comics.

Sidelights

Writer and illustrator Jeff Weigel entered the world of children's picture books as a refugee from comics. Creator of the comic-book character The Sphinx for the Big Bang comic-book series he both writes and illustrates, Weigel is also the creative force behind the books Atomic Ace (He's Just My Dad) and Atomic Ace and the Robot Rampage. Working as a graphic designer and comic-book artist, Weigel has seen comics skew toward an ever-older audience, and he realized that the kids he hoped to reach through his work could be more easily reached through picture books. He is noted for bringing a comics-style approach to his storytelling, and lets the pictures tell at least as much of the tale as the words. In his imaginative stories, Weigel taps into the same spirit of fun, humor, and adventure as the comics he loved in his youth.

Picture-book super hero Atomic Ace eads a double life, as his young son reveals in his humorous narration to Atomic Ace (He's Just My Dad). As readers watch, Ace spends his days flying around town to fight off bad guys and save the world. At night he morphs into a father and husband, spending time with his family and doing typical dad-type things, like reading the newspaper in his favorite chair. Ace's son wishes that his dad spent more time at home, but admires his father's heroic and noble work. Noting that the book's simple text mimics a child's speech, a Publishers Weekly writer wrote that Weigel's "hard-boiled headlines and graphics capture the comedy of Ace's double life." Jennifer Mattson, writing in Booklist, commented that "the juxtapositions between superheroics and regular-guy domesticity are clever, and Weigel's confident artwork, with a slick-ness that clearly announces his background as a comic book writer and illustrator, is guaranteed to satisfy children obsessed with caped crusaders."