Jon Conkling

Jon Christopher Conkling is an American writer and occasional comics contributor, best known for co-writing the screenplay for Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 animated adaptation of *The Lord of the Rings*, produced by Saul Zaentz. Born in the United States, Conkling’s career has spanned diverse fields: he has published scholarly articles in *BYU Studies*, the *Journal of Book of Mormon Studies*, and the *Ensign*, and authored the 1979 book *A Joseph Smith Chronology*. His literary analysis earned an award for an article on Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener.” In comics, Conkling worked primarily as a colorist and letterer on 16 issues between 2005 and 2018, with his most frequent credits appearing on the fantasy series *The Stuff of Legend* and its sequels, including *The Jungle* and *The Toy Collector*, as well as the pirate tale *Dead Men Tell No Tales*. He also contributed to the *Finding Gossamyr* crossover for Free Comic Book Day and the *Stuff of Legend* omnibus. Conkling’s later life remains largely out of the public eye, but his work on the Bakshi film and his varied writing across genres—from Latter-day Saint studies to Melville—mark a distinctive, if quiet, legacy. He has not been recorded as a major award winner beyond his Melville article.