provided the art for an issue of Teen Titans and a couple of series at Valiant Comics before returning to Marvel where he would work with inker Paul Neary. By the late 1990s that Hitch's pencils were inked primarily by Neary. Hitch had resolved to leave comics in order to pursue film and commercial work, and when he accepted the assignment of drawing Stormwatch (Vol 2) for Wildstorm, he initially did so specifically to bankroll his transition to a different industry. However, this changed when he met writer Warren Ellis, whose collaboration skills so spurred Hitch's excitement on the book that the artist would later describe his change in attitude as "like a lighting bolt." Hitch would draw issues 3 - 8 and the final two issues, 10 and 11. His work on Stormwatch garnered him greater visibility, and offers from other companies. He remained with Ellis to draw the Stormwatch spinoff book, The Authority, on which Hitch's trademark high level of detail and use of "widescreen" page layouts helped make the book extremely popular, and proved to be highly influential on industry art styles. This led to a year on JLA with Mark Waid which included the JLA: Heaven's Ladder tabloid format one-shot. The run was marred by fill-in artists, and in Hitch's view, by the fact that he and writer Mark Waid did enjoy the same compatibility as he and Ellis did. 2000s Amid his disappointment with his Justice League work, Hitch was offered work by CrossGen Comics, but a phone call by Marvel Comics editor in chief Joe Quesada paved the way for his next high-profile assignment, returning to Marvel with Neary, and joining Mark Millar on The Ultimates, a 13-issue maxiseries that debuted in early 2002. It was characterized by naturalistic visuals and a cinematic tone that greatly influenced the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and garnered critical acclaim. By September 2003, Marvel had renewed Hitch's exclusivity contract through 2006. Millar and Hitch continued their collaboration on the sequel series, The Ultimates 2, which premiered in December 2004, and on a 15-issue Fantastic Four run that began in 2009. By this time Hitch had developed a reputation for slow work and lateness, which began with his work on Ultimates, and continued with his Justice League work. Although Millar and Quesada said that the book's tardiness was due to the high level of detail in Hitch's art, Hitch, who