About Me
My name is Josef "Joe" Rubinstein, and I’m a comic book artist and inker, best known for my work onThe Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and the 1982 Wolverine limited series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.
I was born in Wrocław, Poland, on June 4, 1958. My family and I immigrated to the United States, and I became a naturalized citizen in 1972. I’ve considered America my home ever since.
I started my career in comics as a teenager in the early 1970s. I got my foot in the door as an office assistant at Continuity Associates, working under the legendary Neal Adams and Dick Giordano. (pictured) That job was my first real education in inking—Dick took the time to show me the ropes, and I’ve been grateful ever since.
At 17, I met Mike Nasser, who had just landed his first penciling assignment—a backup story in Kamandi #45–46. He let me practice inking on photocopies of his pencils. When we showed the results to editor Gerry Conway, I was officially brought on to ink the story. From there, Mike and I became a regular team, thanks to editors who kept pairing us together.
One of the major highlights of my career came in 1982 when I had the chance to ink the now-classic Wolverine mini-series. Around the same time, I began what would become a defining project of my career: inking The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. That assignment spanned 20 years and led to a Guinness World Record for having inked more pencilers than any other artist in the industry.
I still remember the moment it all began. I had participated in an inker’s roundtable for Comics Scene, where I, along with Klaus Janson, Tom Palmer, and Bob Layton, each inked a Mike Zeck drawing. Mark Gruenwald later told me that while my version wasn’t necessarily the most stylish, it best conveyed the look and structure of the characters. After returning from San Diego Comic-Con, Mark offered me the chance to ink the figures for a new encyclopedia project. I told him I’d ink all of them—and that decision turned into a career-defining opportunity. He chose me because I was able to adapt my style without making every character look the same, something I take a lot of pride in.
Over the years, I’ve inked more than 2,500 comic books. Some of my notable collaborations include working with Michael Golden on Micronauts, with Jim Starlin on Warlock, and with Don Newton on Aquaman. I’ve also worked on Archenemies for Dark Horse, and contributed to DC’s Ion mini-series and Green Arrow/Black Canary.
In 2016, I was deeply honored to be inducted into the Joe Sinnott Inkwell Hall of Fame. During my acceptance speech, I made sure to thank Dick Giordano—my mentor and teacher.