His real name is Mark Simpson. But everyone knows him as Jock. That's the name he signs his work with. You might know it from comics such as 2000AD, Batman and Daredevil. Or maybe from his concept design for such big budget films as Dredd and Ex Machina.

Now a new book celebrating his art for comics and film has been published and the artist is coming to Glasgow to mark its publication.

It's only appropriate given that this is where his own story starts. Not once but twice.

Jock ("even my wife calls me Jock," he says) was born in East Kilbride before moving to Dorset with his family when he was just two. His nickname is a result of the Scottish accent he retained until he was 10.

But it was when he came back to Scotland in 1995 to show off his artwork at a comic con in the city that Jock started making his mark as an artist. Inspired by his love of the comic 2000AD, he decided to hitchhike from Totness in Devon where he lived to Glasgow.

"Me and my friend Dom Reardon, who also draws 2000AD, decided we'd shop our wares around the convention circuit so we hitch-hiked from Devon to Glasgow in one day to go to Glasgow Comic Con.

"I had home-made trousers, long hair and a massive portfolio of original art. I was just young, naïve, full of energy."

In Glasgow the first person he met was 2000AD artist Glenn Fabry who told him he was good enough to draw professionally. The then editor of 2000AD heard about Jock's work and soon commissioned a Judge Dredd pin-up drawing. Within a few years he was working on the comic.

From there his career blossomed. Soon he was employed by DC on Batman and by Marvel on Wolverine and Daredevil. He also co-created the comic The Losers with writer Andy Diggle, which later became his entrée to the world of films when it was adapted for the cinema.

Soon he was working on the big-screen version of Dredd, creating character concepts for the humanoid robots of the sci-fi film Ex Machina. He's just finished coming up with costume designs for the next Star Wars movie.

But he has not given up on comics and most recently has been working with writer Scott Snyder on the horror comic Wytches, which itself has already been optioned by a film company.

Comics, he says, remain his biggest challenge. "It's definitely the hardest thing I do. I'm lucky I can pick and choose what I do so I just try and pick ones that I'm really into rather than every single day grind out comic pages, because it's tough.

"I'm really happy with the balance I have now. I've had offers of more film work this year but because of working on Star Wars I've turned down film work so I could do a couple of comics that I wanted to do. I've got an issue of Batman and then we do Wytches season two, as it were."

Is the film work more restrictive than comics? "I don't think it is. I think it can be more fun to push against parameters than it is to have total freedom.

"Working on the Dredd movie for example. It had a different feel than some of the comics. The take on the material was a pretty believable, slightly dystopian future and I found that really challenging."

What the comic and film companies are paying for is Jock's vivid image-making. Notoriously one of his images of The Joker – one in which the Batman villain's face is made up of tiny bats – has been translated into T-shirts, Converse trainers and even tattoos.

"It's an image that's quite dark and scary. That can work on a comic cover. And then it gets reprinted on a fleece blanket! Well, who is that for?

"But you can't control these things really. It's amazing that a drawing I've done has longevity like that. If people want it on their bodies that's amazing."

For an artist who has conquered two creative worlds it's surprising to find that he still thinks he has much to learn. "I really don't know what I'm doing. Honestly, I'm still waiting for the day when I go 'yeah, I've got this.'

"I try to think positively about everything. But for just about every artist self-doubt comes with the job. You've only got yourself to rely on and when you start getting these bigger jobs it's even easier to doubt yourself and wonder whether you have the right to be doing it.

"But I think that's something that keeps you fresh and open to new ideas. I think if I came in thinking I was hot s*** then you've lost it. You've got to stay hungry, you know."

Jock will be signing copies of his book The Art of Jock tonight at A1 Comics in Parnie Street at 6.30pm tonight.