Dan Jurgens

3.1. 1980s

Jurgens' first professional comic book work came shortly after his graduation from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1981, when he joined DC Comics. His debut was as an artist for The Warlord #63, published in November 1982. He was hired following a recommendation from Warlord creator Mike Grell, who was impressed by Jurgens' portfolio shown at a convention.

In 1984, Jurgens served as the artist for the Sun Devils limited series, which ran from July 1984 to June 1985, collaborating with writers Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas. This series also marked Jurgens' debut as a comic book writer; he began scripting from Conway's plots with issue #8 (February 1985) and fully took over the writing duties from issue #10 (April 1985).

A pivotal moment in his early career was the creation of the character Booster Gold in 1985, who would later become a member of the Justice League. Jurgens was also one of the contributors to the DC Challenge limited series in 1986. His initial work on Superman began as the penciller for The Adventures of Superman Annual #1 in 1987. In 1988, he provided pencil art for Deadman short stories, written by Mike Baron, featured in the anthology Action Comics Weekly from issues #601-612. He then had a run as the artist for Green Arrow, working alongside writer Mike Grell from 1988 to 1990. In 1989, Jurgens fully immersed himself in the Superman character, taking on both writing and pencilling duties for the monthly The Adventures of Superman.

3.2. 1990s

The 1990s proved to be a highly influential decade for Dan Jurgens, marked by his involvement in some of DC Comics' most significant storylines and the creation of iconic characters. In 1991, he was the penciller for the limited series Armageddon 2001 and co-created the hero Waverider with Archie Goodwin. He also contributed to the launch of a new Superman title, Superman: The Man of Steel, in July 1991, alongside writer Louise Simonson and artist Jon Bogdanove. Jurgens then assumed the writing and pencilling responsibilities for the main Superman comic book, starting with issue No. 57 in July 1991. During this period, he introduced a new supporting hero, Agent Liberty, in issue No. 60 (October 1991), and later worked on the "Panic in the Sky" crossover event in 1992.

Jurgens is particularly renowned for creating two major villains during his run on Superman: Doomsday and the Cyborg Superman. Doomsday served as the primary antagonist in the groundbreaking "The Death of Superman" storyline, which famously depicted the hero's demise in an issue composed entirely of splash pages. The Cyborg Superman, an existing character, was reintroduced by Jurgens in The Adventures of Superman #500 as part of the "Reign of the Supermen" storyline.

He concurrently wrote and drew Justice League America from issues #61-77 (April 1992 - July 1993). In 1993, he pencilled the four-issue miniseries Metal Men, which served as a retcon of their origin story. Jurgens further solidified his impact by writing and pencilling the crossover series Zero Hour and the Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey miniseries, both released in 1994.

In 1995, Jurgens scripted and provided layout art for the Superman vs. Aliens miniseries, a crossover story featuring a battle between Superman and the Xenomorphs from the Alien film series, co-published by Dark Horse Comics and DC. That same year, he relinquished his pencilling duties on Superman. Also in 1995, he worked as writer and penciller on Solar with issue #46 for Valiant Comics, collaborating with inker Dick Giordano, before transitioning to writer-only duties from issue #51. In 1996, Jurgens collaborated with Italian artist Claudio Castellini on the highly publicized crossover Marvel vs DC. He was also among the many creators who contributed to the Superman: The Wedding Album one-shot in 1996, which depicted Superman's marriage to Lois Lane. The following year, Jurgens developed the Tangent Comics imprint for DC.

In January 1996, Jurgens became both the writer and penciller for the new Spider-Man series, The Sensational Spider-Man, at Marvel Comics. The initial seven issues (#0-6, January-July 1996) were entirely written and pencilled by him. Jurgens advocated strongly for the restoration of Peter Parker as the true Spider-Man, but editorial changes and the impending "Onslaught" storyline led him to resign from the title, becoming disillusioned with the constant changes in direction. Years later, Jurgens expressed a desire to work on the Peter Parker Spider-Man character, as his previous run was primarily with Ben Reilly during the Spider-Man Clone Saga.

From October 1996 to September 1998, Jurgens wrote and pencilled Teen Titans (vol. 2) for its entire 24-issue run, with George Pérez inking the first 15 issues. After a decade of working on the Superman character, Jurgens concluded his run as writer with Superman vol. 2 #150 in November 1999. Also in 1999, he served as writer and layout artist for the tabloid-sized graphic novel Superman/Fantastic Four, with finished art by Art Thibert. Jurgens also worked with Marvel Comics as the writer for Thor vol. 2, with pencilling by John Romita Jr., and as both writer and artist for Captain America vol. 3. He was the debut writer for Tomb Raider: The Series, licensed to Top Cow Productions and Image Comics in 1999. The first issue of Tomb Raider was the top-selling comic book of that year, and Jurgens continued writing the series until issue #21.

3.3. 2000s

The 2000s saw Dan Jurgens continue his prolific output, contributing to major DC Comics events and re-establishing his connection with key characters. In 2000, he served as the writer and provided layouts for the four-issue prestige miniseries Titans/Legion of Super-Heroes: Universe Ablaze, with finishes by Phil Jimenez. Jurgens wrote Aquaman vol. 3 from issue #63 (January 2000) until its cancellation with issue #75 (January 2001). In November 2002, he both wrote and pencilled the four-issue weekly miniseries Superman: Day of Doom (January 2003), which commemorated the 10th anniversary of "The Death of Superman" storyline from 1992.

After a brief hiatus from comics, Jurgens returned to DC Comics, providing layouts for the lead story in the Infinite Crisis Secret Files 2006 special (April 2006) and contributing art to the weekly series 52. He also provided art for the six-issue limited series Crisis Aftermath: The Battle For Blüdhaven, written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey. Jurgens collaborated with writer/creator Marv Wolfman on the Nightwing series for issues #125-128. For Metamorpho: Year One, Jurgens was the writer and penciller for the first two issues, with Mike Norton drawing issues #3-6. He also served as writer and artist for the "History of the Multiverse" back-up stories featured in the weekly 'Countdown' from issues #49-38.

In March 2007, during the Los Angeles Comic Con, DC announced a new, ongoing Booster Gold series, with Geoff Johns as writer and Jurgens as penciller, inked by Norm Rapmund, which began shortly after the conclusion of 52. Jurgens was the writer for the Tangent: Superman's Reign limited series in 2008, revisiting the Tangent Comics characters he had developed. In July 2009, he wrote and illustrated an issue of The Brave and the Bold vol. 2 No. 23, which featured Booster Gold and Magog.

3.4. 2010s Onwards

The 2010s saw Dan Jurgens deeply involved in major reboots and initiatives at DC Comics, continuing his work on iconic characters and series. He was a key creative talent in DC Comics' The New 52 relaunch in 2011, becoming the writer for the new Justice League International series with artist Aaron Lopresti. He also served as the artist for the new Green Arrow series, working with writer J. T. Krul and inker George Pérez, and later co-wrote Green Arrow with Keith Giffen on issues #3-6. In October 2011, DC announced Jurgens' return to Superman, where he co-wrote and drew the self-titled Superman series with Giffen, starting with issue #7 (cover dated May 2012).

From 2012 to 2013, Jurgens was the writer and artist for Fury of the Firestorms: The Nuclear Men from issues #13-20, a series that was subsequently canceled. In 2014, he co-wrote the weekly series The New 52: Futures End alongside Giffen, Jeff Lemire, and Brian Azzarello. In 2015, Jurgens became the writer for Batman Beyond, starting with issue #1 in June 2015, and continued writing the series through its subsequent volume. He also wrote the two-issue miniseries Convergence: Superman in 2015 and was the writer for Superman: Lois and Clark from 2015 to 2016.

As part of the DC Rebirth relaunch in 2016, Jurgens wrote Action Comics, with the series returning to its previous numbering, beginning with issue #957. He made a significant contribution to Action Comics #1000 (June 2018), leading off the celebratory issue with his story "From the City That Has Everything," a testament to his profound impact on the Superman character in the modern era. Following this, he became the writer for the Green Lanterns series.

His work in the 2010s and beyond also includes writing Aquaman and The Others (#1-11, 2014-2015), writing Batman Beyond vol. 6 (#1-11, 14-50, 2016-2020), and Batman Beyond Rebirth #1 (2016). He wrote Convergence #0 (2015) and contributed to DC Universe: Legacies #7-8 (2011). Jurgens was also the writer and penciller for The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1 (2023). He wrote Nightwing vol. 4 (#59-77, 2019-2020) and served as writer/artist for the Time Masters: Vanishing Point miniseries (#1-6, 2010). In 2022, he returned to Marvel to write and pencil Thor vol. 6 #24. Most recently, he is credited as the writer for The Bat-Man: First Knight #1-3 (2024).

4.1. Character Creation and Development

Jurgens is credited with creating several key characters that have become integral parts of the DC Universe.

• Booster Gold: Created in 1985, Booster Gold is a time-traveling hero from the 25th century who uses future technology to become a celebrity superhero in the present. He quickly became a fan favorite and a prominent member of the Justice League.
• Doomsday: Introduced in 1992, Doomsday is a monstrous, genetically engineered creature known for his immense strength and destructive capabilities. He is most famous for being the villain who successfully killed Superman in "The Death of Superman" storyline.
• Hank Henshaw (Cyborg Superman): An existing character, Henshaw was dramatically redeveloped by Jurgens into the villainous Cyborg Superman. Following Superman's death, Henshaw emerged as one of the contenders for the mantle of Superman, eventually revealing his malevolent intentions and becoming a major antagonist in the "Reign of the Supermen" storyline.
• Agent Liberty: Created in 1991, Agent Liberty is a former government operative who becomes a vigilante, often operating in a morally ambiguous space.
• Waverider: Co-created with Archie Goodwin in 1991 during the Armageddon 2001 event, Waverider is a time-traveling hero with the ability to see a person's future by touching them.

4.2. Landmark Storylines and Events

Jurgens has been at the helm of, or played a significant role in, several major narrative arcs that have reshaped the comic book universes he worked within.

• "The Death of Superman": This iconic 1992 storyline, primarily written and drawn by Jurgens, saw the seemingly invincible Superman killed in battle by Doomsday. The event was a massive cultural phenomenon, drawing mainstream media attention and significantly impacting the comic book landscape.
• "Reign of the Supermen": Following "The Death of Superman," this storyline explored the emergence of four different characters, including the Cyborg Superman, each claiming to be the returned Man of Steel. Jurgens was instrumental in this arc, particularly in the reintroduction and villainous turn of Hank Henshaw.
• "Panic in the Sky": A 1992 crossover event, Jurgens was one of the writers who assembled many of DC's heroes to defend Earth against an invasion by Brainiac.
• "Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!": As both writer and penciller, Jurgens crafted this 1994 five-issue miniseries, which served as a major DC Comics event. It dealt with distortions in the timeline and the collapse of reality, leading to a reboot of parts of the DC Universe.
• "Armageddon 2001": Jurgens was the artist for this 1991 limited series, which explored a future where a hero from the present becomes a tyrannical ruler, and introduced the character of Waverider.