Neil Vokes was born in Fort Lauderdale, FL in 1954. A few years later the family moved to New Jersey, where he still resides.
After losing his “real” job in the early '80s, Neil's wife Siri convinced him to follow his passion for art and he landed a job at Comico Comics in 1984, where he and inking partner Rich Rankin worked on ROBOTECH MASTERS, a spin-off of the popular Japanese Robotech TV series.
In 1986, Vokes and Rankin founded Crystal Comics with the sole purpose of self-publishing their own title, EAGLE, which centered on a vigilante named Richard Eagle, a detective and martial arts expert who possessed supernatural powers. Although there had been a boom for black-and-white comics when the series began, it quickly began to wane and Crystal Comics was forced out of business after 16 issues went to press. Beginning with issue #17, Apple Comics began publishing Eagle, which finallycame to an end with issue #23.
Neil was then able to find work-for-hire jobs. NOW Comics was impressed with his work on the Robotechseries and asked him if he would like to work on their new adaptation of Speed Racer. He agreed with the proviso that he also be allowed to work on FRIGHT NIGHT. A lifelong fan of the vampire genre, Vokes was enamored with the film and put great care into his pencil drawings. In the years since he worked at NOW, he has gone on to draw for countless other companies, large and small, including the series SUPERMAN ADVENTURES SUPERMAN 3-D UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER- MAN:STRANGE ENCOUNTERS TARZAN THE WARRIOR the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Flaming Carrot Crossover CONGORILLA STATIC NINJAK Jack Kirby's TEENAGENTS JURASSIC PARK:RAPTOR’S HIJACK (both for Topp’s Comics) Douglas Adams’ LIFE,THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING ELVIRA,MISTRESS OF THE DARK PARLIAMENT OF JUSTICE THE BLACK FOREST 1 & 2 (winners of two RONDO Awards!) THE WICKED WEST 1 & 2 FLESH & BLOOD 1-3 EAGLE (new),DARK TALES FROM THE VOKESVERSE and FRIGHT NIGHT (again!), all done with American Mythology Comics. He has also drawn illustrations for film books IN ALL SINCERITY,PETER CUSHING by Chris Gullo and VINCENT PRICE:THE ART OF FEAR by the late Denis Meikle, and recently a couple covers for author Christopher Rondina: HUNTING DRACULA (back) and HUNTING THE BEAST (front).
Neil is celebrating his 40th year in the comic business and can’t imagine doing anything else (except maybe watch even more films than he already has).
