Whilce Portacio
Jan 20, 2008
Whilce Portacio is recognized as one of the world’s most famous comic book artist having contributed a big bulk of the new phase of what the international (comic book) industry is right now. He is the co-creator of the international comic book Wetworks which is starting its new run this year under DC Comics/Wildstorm called Wetworks: Worldstorm. His new project, Batman: Confidential is now also out.
Whilce was born in Sangley Point, Cavite City, Philippines on July 8, 1963. He spent most of his childhood in places like Midway Island, Hawaii and New Mexico before his family finally settled in San Diego, California. Whilce first discovered the world of comic books at 10. His neighbor decided she needed to get rid of her husband’s comic book collection and he was the lucky boy she picked to inherit it. It was a treasure box full of comic book artist like Jack Kirby and Neal Adams. The two were the biggest illustrative influences on Whilce’s art.
Although he spent a lot of time drawing comic book heroes, becoming an astronaut was his ultimate childhood dream. Tho’ with poor eyesight, and not meeting the height requirement of the time this dashed his vision of traveling beyond this world we were born to, thus Whilce decided to bring those other worlds to life in the form of his art and ergo born his passion for drawing comic books.
In school in Hawaii, Whilce had won several years of awards on a National level and thus had earned invitations to various Art colleges in the United States. Him and long-time buddy Scott Williams (now the top international comic book inker and also a current fellow exclusive DC contract-worker) spent vast amounts of time drawing their own made-up comic books in High School.
