'Defenders of the Earth' TV Show concept artwork by Nestor Redondo, Rick Hoberg, Kurt Conner & Alex Niño
Concept artwork from the Defenders of the Earth (1986) cartoon has recently been unearthed, and it's quite fascinating to look at! These highly detailed designs show characters and title cards at various stages throughout production. Some are sketches; others have been inked and colored.
The concept pieces (arranged below) were created by various artists, including Nestor Redondo, Rick Hoberg, Kurt Conners, and Alex Niño. We have broken up the pieces by artist, offering what insights we've learned about each one.
Nestor Redondo
Nestor P. Redondo (May 4, 1928 – December 30, 1995) was a Filipino comics artist best known for his work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and other American publishers in the 1970s and early 1980s. In his native Philippines, he is known for co-creating the superheroine Darna.
Redondo and Alex Niño worked as Model Designers on Defenders of the Earth, which was a co-production between Marvel Productions (the studio and animation arm of the comic company) and King Features Syndicate, Inc. Redondo contributed the promotional poster art, character designs (like the Prince Valiant attached); and title art, like the circular group shot.
Included below is an episode title card for "Bits 'N' Chips," the 5th episode of the series, which originally aired on October 6, 1986 (though some sites have attributed its release date to September 12, 1986). This title card was penciled by Rick Hoberg, with inks by Redondo.
Lastly, there is an original piece that features planes, a spaceship, and a space-scape, which was drawn by Alex Niño. Redondo contributed the visage of Defenders of the Earth series villain, Ming the Merciless, here as a paste-over.
Rick Hoberg
Rick Hoberg (June 7, 1952 - present) is an American comic book artist, storyboard artist, art director, and producer from Texas who has been involved in dozens of animated series and productions since 1978. His first work in animation began with the late 70s Godzilla cartoon, but his designs and skills have impacted memorable shows like Thundarr the Barbarian, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, RoboCop, RoboCop: Alpha Commando, X-Men: The Animated Series, Super Friends, Spider-Man, Centurions, Defenders of the Earth, and many more.
When it comes to Defenders of the Earth, Hoberg is one of those who came up with the final, stripe-less design for The Phantom in the cartoon show. The decision to drop the stripes from The Phantom's trunks was made to ensure more consistency in the episodes, which were animated by a high-volume, fast-output studio overseas.
While retired Hoberg's vision looms large on the industry. At Chronicle Chamber, we had the opportunity to interview Hoberg on X-Band: The Phantom Podcast. You can listen to that interview about his career and approach to characters in the video below.
X-Band: The Phantom Podcast #154 - Rick Hoberg, DotE Art Director
Hoberg penciled the title card for the episode "Bits 'N" Chips" shown below. He also sketched the design seen for Ming the Merciless below, which is how the character appears in the Defenders of the Earth.
For the logo, Hoberg created this spherical piece with Redondo.
Kurt Conner
Kurt W. Conner ( - March 21, 2017) was a layout artist, character designer, storyboard artist, and art director active in animation from the late 1970s through the early 2000s. Aside from his work on Defenders of the Earth, Kurt Conner is also known for his layout art on Heavy Metal (1981) and as a creature design consultant on the original Ghostbusters (1984) film.
In animation, Conner began his career as a layout artist in the 1970s before moving over to character design and storyboard work in the 1980s. He worked on James Bond Jr., The Tick, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Thundarr the Barbarian, Garfield and Friends, and many other classics. It's also believed that Conner helped with the production of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, as noted on this subreddit.
Conner's character design and model work is on full display in this image of The Phantom from Defenders of the Earth below.
Alex Niño
Alex Niño (January 5, 1940 - present) is a Filipino artist who was part of the first generation of Filipino Wave artists, alongside Defenders of the Earth colleague Redondo, who were brought into the fold of American comics publishers in the 60s and 70s. Niño created a ton of highly detailed and impressive designs and comic book art for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and other publishing companies. This work contributed to his induction into the Will Eisner Comics Hall of Fame in 2022.
In comics, Niño has worked as a penciller, inker, colorist, and cover artist. In animation, Niño worked as a background designer and character designer for numerous productions, both on the small screen and in cinemas. Along with his work on Defenders of the Earth, Niño worked on The Real Ghostbusters and films like Pocahantas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Jungle Book, Mulan, Treasure Planet, and many more.
Some of Niño's incredible model and character design work is on display below. It's highly detailed, fantastical, and imaginative. For the image with the spaceships, this was a collaboration with fellow artist Redondo. Niño is responsible for the planes, spaceship, and space-scape, while Redondo added Ming the Merciless as a paste-over.
At Chronicle Chamber, we're always on the lookout for incredible finds like this! If you come across artwork from Defenders of the Earth or other Phantom-related comics or shows, drop us a line at chroniclechamber@gmail.com.
