From Italian publisher Editoriale Corno to Marvel Comics, this is the evolution of an illustrator that learned to read through comic books.
It all began in Lucca, where Simone Bianchi was born in 1972 and where he still lives. Since he was
a child he has been fascinated by the world of illustration, reading the comics of “Corno”, the
publishing house that was the first to bring superheroes like Spider-Man, Daredevil, the Fantastic
Four and Batman to Italy.
This was a passion of Simone, which soon became his profession. Already at the age of 15 he
published his first strips in the newspaper "Il Tirreno”. At 20 Simone began the study of realistic
drawing and at 22 he collaborated with “Sergio Bonelli Editore”.
In 2000, while teaching at the International School of Comics in Florence, he published "ECHI", his
first official portfolio. In those years he also collaborated with “Direct2Brain of Latina”,
specializing in 3D design, dealing with scripts, storyboards and the study of characters for some
video clips such as "Stop the Train" by 99 Posse, as well as designing the covers of some heavy
metal music CDs.
"THE ART OF SIMONE BIANCHI" was published in 2002. In 2004 Simone's first work was published: "EGO
SUM", a science fiction story whose second volume was published - in various European countries - in
2005.
In the same year Lucca Comics & Games - the International Fair dedicated to comics, animation,
games, video games and fantasy and science fiction - celebrates Simone in two ways: by setting up
his first solo exhibition entitled "Profeta in patria" (Prophet in his homeland) and by having him
create the poster for the 2005 edition. Simone also publishes "ONIRIKA" , his third art book.
It is in this year that Simone begins his collaboration with the most important American comic book publishers. For two years he worked for DC Comics, for which he created covers for Green Lantern, Batman and Detective Comics, as well as the miniseries Shining Knight.
In 2006 he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, for which he drew 6 issues of WOLVERINE, including the significant number 50. The following year he produced 6 issues of ASTONISHING X-MEN. For this project he was entrusted with the task of redesigning the official costumes of the X-Men. His line was used by Marvel for the next 6 years in the various titles concerning the mutants. Together with Jeph Loeb, in 2009, he gives life to the new Wolverine's enemy: ROMOLUS.
His works, meanwhile, go around the world. From the Museum of Palazzo della Penna in Perugia to the
Galerie du 9ème Art in Paris through the Chuck-Jones Gallery in San Diego - California.
In 2010 he drew the miniseries in 6 books THOR FOR ASGARD and the following year in 3 books FEAR
ITSELF: UNCANNY X-FORCE.
The collaboration with Jeph Loeb on WOLVERINE returned in 2012. In the 4 issues they will realize together, they created a new female figure close to the mutant - REMUS - the second character created by Simone for Marvel.
During 2013 Simone Bianchi worked on the 5-book miniseries THANOS RISING, which describes the development of the Titan's personality starting from his birth and the very first years of his life, with texts by Jason Aaron. The CArt Gallery of Rome dedicated to Simone an exhibition in 2013.
In 2014 he created 3 issues of NEW AVENGERS. Soon after, he starts working on THOR AND LOKI: THE TENTH REALM, part of the ORIGINAL SIN project.
The cover of "The Avengers" # 24 made in black and white was sold by Christie's Paris Auction in 2014
In 2015, some STAR WARS covers are commissioned by Disney - later acquired by Lucas Film. These include the publication of STAR WARS #7.
The prestigious art gallery Danish / Corey Gallery in New York City - which has exhibited among
others painters such as Picasso, Dali and Matisse - dedicated a solo exhibition to Simone in 2015.
The following year he created, for Marvel, 6 issues of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN.
In 2017, Simone was selected (he was the first Italian illustrator to be so) by Upperdeck for the 2018 "MARVEL MASTERPIECES" project. This initiative makes use of the best talents to reinterpret, every two years, the best known characters of the Marvel world. The incredibly extensive processing for the "MARVEL MASTERPIECES" project took Simone a year and a half, but in the end his 135 portraits in addition to being published all over the world, were also exhibited in both the 2018 edition of Lucca Comics & Games and at the Metropolis Gallery in New York City.
That same year, Simone worked on the 6-issue miniseries SHARKEY THE BOUNTY HUNTER. This story will
soon become a film for NETFLIX.
Also, he did a nine page story “Our day of doom and victory” included in the top seller “Fantastic Four” #1.
At the beginning of 2020, Simone Bianchi exhibited with a solo show of over 30 works including pencils and paintings for the Marco Lucchetti Art Gallery in Lugano.
In the same year, the authoritative Vincenzo Mollica, curated the personal exhibition "SIMONE BIANCHI AMAZING TALENT" at Palazzo Vitelli in Sant'Egidio - Città' di Castello. His paintings, original and unpublished plates, more than 220, were on display for over a month and a half with an exceptional turnout of the public.
Simone has dedicated part of 2021 to music. He created for Caparezza both the variant cover of the album Exuvia and the painting from which the pop-up contained inside the vinyl was taken. He also created the official poster for the TOOL concert on February 10, 2022 at the FTX Arena in Miami.
In May 2022 Simone Bianchi will return to exhibit for the "Marco Lucchetti Art Gallery" of Lugano with the exhibition "Bipolart" together with Pau, frontman of Negrita.
“I have restarted playing the drums and I feel that what I play ends up in what I draw, even if I can’t explain how, and I’m convinced that it will happen more and more in the future.”
In 2004 Lucca Comics & Games - the International Fair dedicated to comics, animation, games, video games and fantasy and science fiction - celebrated Simone by setting up his first solo exhibition entitled "Profeta in patria" (Prophet in his homeland). His works in 2009 go around the world. From the Museum of Palazzo della Penna in Perugia to the Galerie du 9ème Art in Paris through the Chuck-Jones Gallery in San Diego - California.
The CArt Gallery of Rome dedicated to Simone an exhibition in 2013.
The 135 original portraits created for the Upperdeck Marvel Masterpieces project were exhibited at the Metropolis Gallery in New York and during the 2018 edition of Lucca Comics & Games.
At the beginning of 2020, Simone Bianchi exhibited with a solo show of over 30 works including pencils and paintings for the Marco Lucchetti Art Gallery in Lugano.
In the same year, the authoritative Vincenzo Mollica, curated the personal exhibition "SIMONE BIANCHI AMAZING TALENT" at Palazzo Vitelli in Sant'Egidio - Città' di Castello. His paintings, original and unpublished plates, more than 220, were on display for over a month and a half with an exceptional turnout of the public.
That same year, Simone painted an eight page story “The war within” for the Joker 80th Anniversary celebrative issue.
In May 2022 Simone Bianchi will return to exhibit for the "Marco Lucchetti Art Gallery" of Lugano with the exhibition "Bipolart" together with Pau, frontman of Negrita.
All of Simone Bianchi’s works are characterized by a distinctive pictorial aesthetic that makes them recognizable. By combining the skills of a painter and the craft of an illustrator, he has created a style that readily demonstrates his fondness for chiaroscuro. Discover Simone’s full gallery, from interiors to covers, from sketches to finished illustrations.
Gallery