Creator Hub
Secret Weapons (Valiant), Spider-Man family covers, New Zodiax, Astronaut Ink
Joe St. Pierre
Joe St. Pierre is well known as the artist who pencilled the most #1 issues of Spider-Man family covers. Joe began his comics career at Valiant as penciler of RAI and co-creator of Secret Weapons (21 issues, 1993–1995). His Marvel credits include Venom: Tooth and Claw, Venom: Along Came a Spider (both with Larry Hama), and Gambit, as well as collaboration with Fabien Cousteau on Great White Shark Adventure (Simon & Schuster, 2019). He has sold over 2 million comic books as a writer and artist for Marvel, DC, Image, IDW, Boom, and Dynamite. Commercial clients include MTV, Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Sony, and Activision. Joe's publishing company Astronaut Ink is the home of his creator-owned properties New Zodiax, Megahurtz, and Bold Blood.
1992
Active Since
1
Interview
About Joe St. Pierre
Joe St. Pierre got his start at Valiant Comics in 1992, fresh out of the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He came up pencilling RAI (written by David Michelinie) and quickly moved into co-creator territory with Secret Weapons — a 21-issue Valiant series he wrote and drew himself, featuring an ensemble cast drawn from across the Valiant universe, including Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Shadowman, and the Eternal Warrior.
From Valiant he moved to Marvel, where he became one of the primary artists on the Spider-Man family of books during one of the franchise’s most active commercial periods. He holds the distinction of having pencilled more Spider-Man family #1 covers than any other single artist — a record across a universe that launches a lot of first issues. He drew both Venom: Tooth and Claw and Venom: Along Came a Spider for writer Larry Hama, along with work on Gambit at Marvel, Aquaman and Green Lantern at DC, Transformers at IDW, and Power Rangers at Boom Studios.
His creator-owned work began with Megahurtz at Image Comics in 1997 — a cyberpunk body-horror odyssey about a creature of muscle grafts and cybernetic implants trying to understand what it is. That series eventually moved under his own publishing imprint, Astronaut Ink, which he founded to house his creator-owned properties: Megahurtz, Bold Blood, and New Zodiax, a twelve-issue cosmic series built around the zodiac constellations where each issue follows a different character who channels paranormal energies tied to their sign.
His commercial illustration career runs parallel to his comics work — clients include MTV, Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Sony, and Activision. He has done storyboards, IP design, and animation work alongside the comics throughout his career. He has also collaborated with ocean explorer Fabien Cousteau on the Fabien Cousteau Expeditions children’s graphic adventure series (Simon & Schuster), beginning with Great White Shark Adventure in 2019.
Our Interviews
Recommended Reading
Venom: Along Came a Spider — Hama & St. Pierre (Marvel Comics)
Venom: Along Came a Spider
Larry Hama's tight script, Ben Reilly as Spider-Man, Eddie Brock's ex-wife Anne Weying pulled back into the chaos, and the first appearance of the Hybrid symbiote. Joe's art is kinetic and clean — exactly what a Venom book needs. A strong entry point to his Marvel work from a particularly fun era of Spider-Man titles.
Secret Weapons — St. Pierre (Valiant Comics)
Secret Weapons (Valiant)
Joe's co-created, self-written Valiant series — 21 issues of ensemble superhero action pulling characters from across the Valiant universe. Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Shadowman, the Eternal Warrior, and others operating as a team. A good window into the early Valiant era and one of the few cases where Joe is both writer and full artist on a major series.
Megahurtz — St. Pierre (Image Comics / Astronaut Ink)
Megahurtz
Joe's original creator-owned cyberpunk series from the Image era — a grotesquely assembled being of muscle grafts and cybernetic implants trying to figure out what it is and where it came from. Body horror meets existential sci-fi. A very different tone from his superhero work and a good look at what Joe does when no editorial brief is constraining him.
New Zodiax — St. Pierre (Astronaut Ink)
New Zodiax
Joe's current flagship creator-owned project — twelve characters, each tied to one of the zodiac signs, each channeling cosmic powers from their constellation. Issues are published individually (New Zodiax: Aquarius #1, New Zodiax: Leo #1, etc.). A cosmic superhero universe built entirely from scratch with no editorial constraints. A direct line to what he cares about as a creator.
Great White Shark Adventure — Cousteau, Fraioli & St. Pierre (Simon & Schuster)
Great White Shark Adventure (Fabien Cousteau Expeditions)
A completely different format — a children's graphic adventure novel co-authored with ocean explorer Fabien Cousteau, grandson of Jacques Cousteau. Junior explorers join Fabien's research team off South Africa's coast to investigate a massive white shark sighting. Joe's illustration work shows the range beyond superheroes. Good entry point for younger readers or anyone curious about his commercial illustration side.
Career Highlights
- 1992 Began career at Valiant Comics pencilling RAI
- 1993 Co-created and launched Secret Weapons at Valiant (ran 21 issues)
- 1996 Drew Venom: Along Came a Spider with Larry Hama at Marvel
- 1996-1997 Drew Venom: Tooth and Claw with Larry Hama at Marvel
- 1997 Launched Megahurtz at Image Comics — first creator-owned series
- 1995-2005 Established record for most Spider-Man family #1 covers pencilled by a single artist
- 2019 Published Great White Shark Adventure with Fabien Cousteau (Simon & Schuster)
- 2022 Launched New Zodiax series under Astronaut Ink