Derek Yaniger

Derek a-go-go, daddy-o.

Derek Yaniger is an American artist who worked for Marvel in the 1990s, penciling such titles as Hellraiser and Web of Spider-Man as well as Transformers: Generation 2. Yaniger has also done illustration work for Cartoon Network.

Today he does freelance magazine work, and sells original artwork heavily influenced by the illustration styles and Tiki culture of the 1950s. A book of his Tiki-styled work was compiled and published in 2008.

Yaniger lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and, judging by the linguistic style of his web site, would probably get along well with the Hot Rod Patrol.

Generation 2

In 1993, Yaniger was tapped as the lead artist of the initial Generation 2 comic series. To help distinguish this sequel-series from its predecessor, he established a distinctive visual style for the book marked by extremely large guns, extra weapons strapped to characters, heavy battle damage with smoke and mech fluid oozing from them, highly stylized character designs, and inconsistent proportions that'd likely make Pat Lee proud.

Yaniger failed to meet deadlines for issue #2, so artist Manny Galan and Generation 1 veteran Andrew Wildman were brought in to assist him with the work. Upon issue #3, he was replaced by Manny Galan, who struggled to emulate Yaniger's gritty, angular style. Yaniger instead penciled the series' shorter "Tales of Earth" secondary stories, although the fact that Galan penciled entire issues at times would suggest that Yaniger still had problems keeping up. By issue 10, he was replaced as auxiliary artist with Geoff Senior. Yaniger also provided cover illustrations for the comic's entire run, with the exception of issue #0.

Illustrator

Comic art

• "War Without End!"
• "All or Nothing!" (p. 1-7)
• "Old Evils!"
• "Tales of Earth Part One"
• "Tales of Earth Part Three"
• "Tales of Earth Part Four"
• "Tales of Earth Part Five"

Cover art pencils

• "War Without End!"
• "All or Nothing!"
• "Primal Fear!"
• "Devices and Desires!"
• "The Power and the Glory"
• "The Gathering Darkness"
• "New Dawn"
• "Escalation!"
• "Swarm"
• "Total War!"
• "Dark Shadows!"
• "A Rage in Heaven!"

Gallery

• 
  Think Broadside's got enough guns? Panels from "War Without End!"
• 
  TO THE EXTREEEEEEEEEEME! Cover art for "All or Nothing!"
• 
  Bludgeon has a glowing sword now, but he's not a Laser Rod. Panel from "Tales of Earth Part One"
• 
  The Generation 2 comics were all about big guns and nightmarish visions. Panel from "War Without End!"

• Extended Derek Yaniger gallery

Notes

• Yaniger's Decepticon Warworld mothership design for Marvel's G2 series was used by British penciler Robin Smith on Fleetway Edition's Transformers: Generation 2 #1 comic book.
• Japanese artist Hidetsugu Yoshioka made a distinct effort to emulate Yaniger's art style for the Japanese G-2 story pages and mini-comics.
• The THS-02B Black Convoy figure comes with additional alternate heads (intended for use with the THS-02) that are based on Yaniger's cover art for Transformers: Generation 2 #1, coming in both clean and "battle-damaged" versions. MP-12G Lambor G-2 Ver., a loving homage to Sideswipe's appearance in the G2 comics, also features a face based on Yaniger's art.
• Another homage to his Generation 2 style came with the Botcon 2008 Shattered Expectations spoof comic, which was released online as an April Fools' Day prank.

External links

Derek Yaniger's official website