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Val Semeiks
Val Semeiks
Val Semeiks
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Valdis "Val" Semeiks (/ˈsɛmɪks/;[1] born 5 February 1955) is an American comic book artist who has mostly worked for DC Comics and Marvel Comics.

Key Information

Biography

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Val Semeiks was born in the U.S. to Latvian parents.

Semeiks graduated from college with degrees in Chemistry and Mathematics, before pursuing a career in advertising, working as "an art director for a regional ad agency".[1] He has been working in the comics field since 1986, mostly as a penciller although he has been known to ink his own work. His first professional credit was with Marvel, drawing King Kull back-up stories for The Savage Sword of Conan, which ultimately led to him becoming the monthly artist on Conan the Barbarian, allowing him to leave his day job and forge a fulltime career as a comics artist.[1]

He is perhaps best known for his next major credits, long runs on both The Demon[2] and Lobo for DC Comics primarily working with writer Alan Grant, whose plots Semeiks calls "laugh-out-loud funny," leading him to call his time on Lobo (upon which he worked with inker John Dell) "about as much fun as anyone can have drawing comics".[1] He also provided the artwork to Alan Grant and John Wagner's 1995 DC/2000 AD crossover title Lobo/Judge Dredd: Psycho-Bikers vs. The Mutants From Hell. When as part of the 1996 DC vs. Marvel event, the DC and Marvel Universes briefly combined to form the Amalgam Universe, Alan Grant and Semeiks produced the Oneshot "Lobo the Duck".

Returning briefly to Marvel, Semeiks was reunited with his first editor Larry Hama, working with him on Wolverine, alongside a number of other titles. Returning again to DC, Semeiks worked on a number of JLA projects with then-JLA-writer Grant Morrison, including JLA/WildC.A.T.S., DC One Million,[3] and the 1999 limited series Superman's Nemesis: Lex Luthor with writer David Michelinie. Semeiks drew two Batman stories penned by Dwayne McDuffie in 2002 and 2003 for Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (issues #156-158) and (issues #164-167). In 2006, he helped wrap up the second volume of Flash, illustrating issues #227-230. He contributed to Marvel's relaunch of Web of Spider-Man in 2009.[4]

He has also worked on non-Superhero projects including cartoon work for MAD Magazine and DC's "Big Book" series (from Paradox Press) as well as "video game and toy design work too".[1] He illustrated fantasy author R.A. Salvatore's Icewind Dale Trilogy in three comicbook mini-series (Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and Halfling's Gem).

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Val Semeiks

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Valdis "Val" Semeiks (born February 5, 1955) is an American comic book artist of Latvian descent known for his versatile penciling across superhero, fantasy, and humorous genres, particularly his acclaimed runs on Lobo and The Demon at DC Comics and his early work on Conan the Barbarian. Semeiks entered the comics industry in 1986 after a career as an art director in advertising, beginning with backup stories featuring King Kull in Marvel's The Savage Sword of Conan, which soon led to a monthly assignment on Conan the Barbarian and allowed him to work full-time in comics. He went on to establish long runs at DC Comics, most notably collaborating with writer Alan Grant on The Demon and the irreverent Lobo series—where he described the work as "about as much fun as anyone can have drawing comics"—including the crossover graphic novel Lobo/Judge Dredd: Psycho-Bikers vs. The Mutants from Hell. His style, often inked by collaborators such as John Dell, brought a dynamic and expressive energy to these brutal, satirical titles. Semeiks later contributed to Marvel titles including various X-Men stories and a run on Wolverine under editor and writer Larry Hama, who had given him his initial break in the industry. Returning to DC, he worked with Grant Morrison on high-profile JLA projects such as DC One Million, JLA/WildC.A.T.s, and JLA: Incarnations, alongside assignments on Superman's Nemesis: Lex Luthor, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, The Flash, Jonah Hex, and others. Beyond mainstream superhero work, he has produced cartoon pieces for MAD Magazine and the Big Book series from Paradox Press, designed for video games and toys, and created early-reader adaptations for Disney Publishing Worldwide featuring characters like Captain America, Hulk, and Wolverine. Holding college degrees in chemistry and mathematics, Semeiks has described his path into comics as unconventional yet driven by a lifelong passion for drawing and storytelling in a medium with limitless narrative possibilities.

Early life and education

Birth and family background

Valdis "Val" Semeiks was born on February 5, 1955, in the United States to Latvian parents. His full name is Valdis Semeiks, and he has commonly used the professional name Val Semeiks throughout his career. Semeiks has noted that his surname is pronounced as if it ends in "ix," akin to "Semmix." This Latvian heritage forms the core of his family background, with his parents originating from Latvia.

Education

Val Semeiks graduated from college with degrees in chemistry and mathematics. He has described this scientific education as an unusual background for someone entering the comics field.

Pre-comics career

Advertising art direction

Val Semeiks worked in advertising as an art director for a regional ad agency before entering the comics industry. He pursued this career after graduating from college with degrees in chemistry and mathematics, an educational background he has described as leading him to an unusual path into visual storytelling. Semeiks left his position in advertising after securing a monthly gig on Conan the Barbarian, which allowed him to transition to working in comics full time. He has referred to his advertising role as his "day job" prior to this shift.

Comics career

Entry into comics and Marvel work

Val Semeiks began his professional career in comics in 1986, transitioning from his prior role as an art director in a regional advertising agency to full-time work in the medium. His first published credit came as penciller on backup stories featuring King Kull in Marvel's The Savage Sword of Conan, a black-and-white magazine format series. This initial assignment provided his entry into the industry and directly led to a regular monthly position as penciller on Conan the Barbarian, where he handled the principal art duties on the flagship Conan title. The stability of this ongoing role allowed him to leave his advertising job and commit to comics as his full-time profession. Semeiks primarily worked as a penciller during his Marvel period, though he occasionally inked his own pencils to complete the artwork.

DC Comics and major long runs

Val Semeiks transitioned to DC Comics in the early 1990s, where he secured two of his most prominent long-running assignments as a penciller. He launched a long run on The Demon (vol. 3), beginning with the series' debut issue in July 1990, collaborating with writer Alan Grant. The book blended supernatural horror, dark humor, and action centered on the character Etrigan the Demon, allowing Semeiks to develop intricate character designs and dynamic storytelling over an extended period. He later embarked on a major long run as penciller for Lobo, working again with writer Alan Grant and inker John Dell. Semeiks has personally described his time on Lobo as "about as much fun as anyone can have drawing comics," highlighting the enjoyable creative freedom he found in depicting the character's outrageous, violent antics. These extended stints on The Demon and Lobo represented signature contributions to DC's lineup during that era, establishing Semeiks' distinctive style on antihero and chaotic titles.

Notable collaborations and limited series

Val Semeiks has been involved in a number of notable collaborations and limited projects, frequently partnering with acclaimed writers for crossovers, one-shots, and miniseries across publishers. He particularly cherished his work with Alan Grant on Lobo-related material, including the 1995 graphic novel Lobo/Judge Dredd: Psycho-Bikers vs. The Mutants from Hell, co-written by Grant and John Wagner. In 1997, Semeiks illustrated the Amalgam Comics one-shot Lobo the Duck, scripted by Alan Grant. He later teamed with Grant Morrison on the 1997 prestige-format crossover JLA/WildC.A.T.s. and the 1998 company-wide miniseries DC One Million. In 1999, Semeiks drew the limited series Superman's Nemesis: Lex Luthor with writer David Michelinie. Semeiks contributed artwork to two story arcs in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight featuring the character Blink and set in the Batman: Year One continuity, with writer Dwayne McDuffie providing a gritty tone across issues #156–158 (2002) and #164–165, 167–168 (2003). He also penciled issues #227–230 of The Flash vol. 2 in 2006. At Marvel, Semeiks reunited with his early editor Larry Hama on a run of Wolverine and other titles.

Later comics contributions

In the mid-to-late 2000s, Val Semeiks continued his comics work with contributions to several titles across DC, Marvel, and independent publishers. He provided pencils for Villains United #3 at DC Comics, as well as issues of The Flash (#227–230) and Jonah Hex #18. At Marvel, Semeiks pencilled multiple She-Hulk issues (#25–30) and stories in Amazing Spider-Man Family (#2–4, #7). Semeiks returned to fantasy adaptations by illustrating the comic versions of R.A. Salvatore's Icewind Dale Trilogy novels published by Devil's Due, including the miniseries The Crystal Shard (#1–3) and Streams of Silver (#1–3). These works adapted The Crystal Shard and Streams of Silver into graphic novel format, allowing Semeiks to revisit the fantasy genre with detailed illustrations of Drizzt Do'Urden and related characters. In 2009, Semeiks contributed pencils to the relaunch of Web of Spider-Man at Marvel, including the first issue ("Echoes") and additional stories in issues #3 and #8. He also pencilled stories for Outlaw Territory #3 at Image Comics and partial work on Vi Empire #1–5 (Akbar/ComiXology). Details on his comics contributions become scarce after approximately 2010, with his published output shifting toward other professional areas.

Other professional work

Magazine cartoons and illustrated books

Val Semeiks has also created humorous cartoon work distinct from his primary career in superhero and adventure comics. He contributed cartoons to MAD Magazine, the iconic humor publication renowned for its satirical illustrations and parodies. This work showcases his versatility in a gag-oriented, comedic style that contrasts with the detailed, action-focused pencilling seen in his long runs on titles like Lobo and The Demon. Semeiks additionally illustrated content for DC Comics' Paradox Press imprint, particularly the "Big Book" anthology series, which presented non-fiction topics through cartoon-style graphic adaptations and one-page illustrated stories. For instance, he provided pencils and inks for the one-page story "The Tummy Ache" in The Big Book of Urban Legends (1994), a collection adapting folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand's urban legends into themed chapters with contributions from numerous artists. This project emphasized a lighter, illustrative approach suited to humorous and anecdotal subject matter, further distinguishing it from his mainstream comics output.

Video game and toy design

Semeiks has undertaken design work for video games and toys in addition to his extensive career in comics. In the field of toy design, he contributed pencil artwork for Toy Biz's X-Men PVC figurine series in 1994, creating design pieces for the Beast character as part of a three-figure set and for Professor Xavier as part of a six-figure set. For video games, Semeiks produced original illustrations for an unreleased Lobo video game project developed by Ocean Software for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis platforms in 1996, including unused box cover art and spot illustrations created in collaboration with inker John Dell.
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