I would like to wish a very happy birthday to comic book artist Jim Balent, who was born on August 15th.
Balent’s first professional work was drawing a back-up story that was published in Sgt. Rock #393, which was published by DC Comics with an October 1984 cover date. Over the next decade, Balent did work for several series from independent publisher Malibu Comics.
The first time I recall seeing Balent’s work was on a story in Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #4 (Spring 1993) featuring Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern from the 1940s. This was followed soon after by Balent’s fill-in pencils on Detective Comics #660 (May 1993). Both of those stories immediately left me impressed with his work.
Later in 1993 the first ongoing Catwoman series was launched by DC Comics. Balent was the penciler, paired with writer Jo Duffy and inker Dick Giordano. Balent redesigned Selina Kyle’s look, giving the feline femme fatale a skintight purple jumpsuit, thigh-high black boots and long black gloves.
The series was an immediate hit. Catwoman had always been one of the iconic members of Batman’s rogues gallery, but this series really helped to make the character into a protagonist who could carry her own title.
Balent’s work on Catwoman was both sexy and dynamic, as he really captured both the character’s beauty and athleticism. That later quality was effectively illustrated by Balent in the various sequences in which Selina would be carrying out some sort of dangerously elaborate heist.
I feel a really good example of Balent’s work with the character can be seen in Catwoman #27 (Dec 1995) in a several page sequence which sees Selina encounter simian supervillain Gorilla Grodd. Balent did a great job choreographing this contest that pitted lithe agility against hulking brute force.
The thing that really impressed me about Balent is that even though his art on the Catwoman series helped rocket him into super-stardom, he remained on the book for a total of 79 monthly issues over a six-and-a-half-year period, from August 1993 to February 2000. And during that run he still found the time to work on several other books, such as Purgatori for Chaos Comics in 1996, the Catwoman / Vampirella crossover from DC and Harris Comics in 1997, and the covers of the Supernaturals miniseries for Marvel in 1998.
The 1990s was a time when so many news, flashy artists, having become red-hot, jumped from one title to the next, in the process frequently blowing deadlines. So, I really admired that Balent stayed on Catwoman for a good, long run, never missing an issue, and still finding time for side projects.
Following the end of his Catwoman run, Balent and his wife & creative partner Holly Golightly immediately launched the creator-owned series Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose through their own company, Broadsword Comics, with the first issue coming out a month after Balent’s final issue of Catwoman. Balent writes & draws Tarot, with Golightly lettering & coloring the series.
Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose is an erotic supernatural adventure series. As Balent himself describes it in a 2008 interview:
“The star of the book is a voluptuous, red-headed witch named Tarot. Aided by her bat-winged black cat, Tarot fights to keep the balance between Magick and Man. The fate of mankind lies in the hands of one witch!”
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Balent is well-known for his depictions of sexy, curvaceous women, and there is a lot of T&A, as well as outright nudity, in his series. Your mileage may vary.
But, again, I’m really impressed with how Balent has stuck with it, producing 141 issues of Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose on a bi-monthly schedule, with no end in sight. The series is very obviously a labor of love for both him and Golightly.
Additionally, all too often we have unfortunately seen creators get quickly cast aside by major publishers as soon as they’re no longer the flavor of the month, even if they are still doing quality work. Keeping that in mind, I’m glad that Balent was able to achieve some long-term success on Tarot, a property he actually owns.
Balent is also one of the nicest comic book creators around. He and Holly Golightly are always generous with their time, making their fans feel welcome at comic cons. Michele and I met them at Garden State Comic Fest in June, and it was definitely a positive experience.
One last thing… According to a couple of online sources, Balent was born in 1963. Above is a photo I took of Jim and Holly at the Broadsword Comics booth at GSCF. How in the hell is this man possibly 60 years old?!? I guess if evil ages you then the reverse can be true, and being a decent person can keep you young. Whatever the case, I hope I manage to look that good when I get to that age.
So, once again, happy birthday, Jim Balent. Wishing you many more to come.
In My Not So Humble Opinion 
