Company type | Comics studio |
---|---|
Founded | 1975 |
Founders | |
Defunct | 1979 |
Headquarters | Chelsea, , U.S. |
The Studio was the name of a small artists' loft commune formed in 1975 by four comic book artists/commercial illustrators/painters in Manhattan's Chelsea district. These artists were Barry Windsor-Smith, Jeff Jones, Michael Kaluta, and Bernie Wrightson — known colloquially as the "Fab Four".[1] The purpose of The Studio was to provide the group with a space where they could pursue creative products outside the constraints of comic book commercialism.[2]
The studio space was a converted machine shop with high ceilings.[1]
Industry journalist Tom Spurgeon commented on the broader significance and influence of The Studio in his 2011 obituary of Jones at The Comics Reporter:
By 1979, the "Fab Four" had produced enough material to issue an art book under the name The Studio, which was published by Dragon's Dream.[3] That same year the members of The Studio moved on to independent projects and separate work spaces.