Jess Nevins
Encyclopedia
John J. Nevins, MA/MS, is an American
author and librarian
, born 30 July 1966 and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the author of the World Fantasy Award
-nominated Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana (MonkeyBrain Books, 2005), and other works on Victoriana
and pulp fiction
. He is also well-known for his extensive comic book annotations, especially The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
. He is a reference librarian at Lone Star College-Tomball, and describes himself in part as a "bibliophile and pop culture scholar of the 21st century."
, starting primarily with a number of Elseworlds
published by DC
, most notably Kingdom Come
and JLA: The Nail
, covering in great detail the comic book, literary, popular cultural, and other sources of various plot points and featured characters. In the case of Kingdom Come
, Nevins (and his irregular "divers hands
" - his annotations are in large part a collaborative effort, inviting comment, correction and constructive critique) identifies most of the many featured characters from the future of the DCU
, noting their predecessors and origins.
Nevins' most popular, in-depth and recent annotations, however, have focused almost entirely on works by Alan Moore
for Moore's own America's Best Comics imprint, published until recently through the DC Comics
imprint
Wildstorm
. Starting with the comic which most closely mirrors his own interests - the Victoriana
/Steampunk
/Alternate history/literary-mashup The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
, Nevins trawled the popular and not-so-popular literature of the past to compile (again, with help from the "divers hands") a thorough reference work to the first volume of Moore and Kevin O'Neill
's masterpiece.
In large part due to Nevins' work annotating the first volume of LoEG, Moore has stated that he felt more comfortable alluding to ever-more obscure works - content in the knowledge that the reference would likely be caught and, therefore, made available to the casual reader. (Nevins' annotations are published for free online, while his LoEG annotations are also available in print from MonkeyBrain Books
). This further helped encourage Moore to produce his literary-tour-de-force in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II
: "The New Traveller's Almanac
", a swift geographical tour of fictional places and events, including references to Shakespeare
, Lovecraft, obscure Chinese authors from the Han Dynasty
, Shelley, Lewis Carroll
, and Jorge Luis Borges
. Covert references to Nevins himself can be found within the pages of LoEG Vol. 2 and the Black Dossier, while Moore has acknowledged in multiple interviews that he sees "these companion volumes as having a necessary organic place in the body of the work itself," effectively deputising Nevins as a partial collaborator.
In-between volumes of LoEG, Nevins has tackled Moore and Gene Ha
's Top Ten
, a superhero-police comic in which a powerful police precinct in Neopolis has to deal with various superhuman crimes. Nevin's interest in, and knowledge of the "Golden Age" of Superheros (and subsequent eras) aids him considerably in noting, as in his Kingdom Come annotations, the precedents and inspirations behind many of the characters featured. Nevins began annotations on the Top Ten spin-off Smax
(by Moore and Zander Cannon
) which were abandoned due to a number of rude, negative e-mail comments sent during this time. Nevins has subsequently provided annotations on Moore and Ha's 2005
Top Ten graphic novel
The Forty-Niners
, filling in some of the early history of the series, and Paul Di Filippo
and Jerry Ordway
's 2005 sequel mini-series Beyond the Farthest Precinct. Nevins also began to annotate Neil Gaiman
and Andy Kubert
's 2003
mini-series 1602
from Marvel Comics
.
Nevins has also published Impossible Territories a book of exhaustive annotations for the 2007 LoEG graphic novel The Black Dossier
.
), originally posted at the Avengers Assemble site of Van Allen Plexico
, and various 'Guides to early Marvel Characters.
He has also compiled a more general reference guide which includes other companies' creations, entitled simply "The Golden Age Heroes Directory," his "Pulp and Adventure Heroes" Directory, and a guide to "Fantastic, Mysterious, and Adventurous Victoriana."
Nevins is also a contributor to/collaborator on the ever-expanding Wold Newton Universe
, under the guidance of Win Scott Eckert
at the Wold Newton Universe webpage. He has also written stories appearing in the Tales of the Shadowmen
anthology series: "A Jest, To Pass The Time" from volume 2, "Red in Tooth and Claw" in volume 4, and "A Root That Beareth Gall and Worms" in volume 5.
Alongside his volumes of annotations on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
(Heroes & Monsters and A Blazing World, respectively), Nevins has much expanded some of his online resources for print, authoring the World Fantasy Award
-nominated The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana (left), the definitive guide on the strange and wonderful of that period. In May, 2007, critically praised publisher of multiple popular-culture reference works McFarland
published his Pulp Holdings Index, a listing of which issues of which pulp magazines are held in which American, Canadian, British, and European libraries. He revised his annotations for The Black Dossier
into Impossible Territories, (MonkeyBrain Books
in July, 2008), which will be the third companion to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore
and Kevin O'Neill
.
Nevins has also been published in Steve Jackson Games
' Pyramid
, and more recently, has written a series of essays, one for each issue of Ed Brubaker
and Sean Phillips
' comic Criminal
He is also working on adapting his "Pulp Heroes" resource into the Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes, which should be published sometime during 2010/11, as well as his companion superhero reference work, the Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, a descriptive listing of every superhero published between 1935 and 1949. He is also writing Strange Tales of the Century, for Evil Hat Productions
, a supplement to Evil Hat's RPG Spirit of the Century
that should be finished around Summer/Fall 2009. It will deal with pulp fiction from around the world and outline the various archetypes and the historical setting.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
, born 30 July 1966 and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the author of the World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
-nominated Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana (MonkeyBrain Books, 2005), and other works on Victoriana
Victoriana
Victoriana refers to items or material from the Victorian period , especially those particularly evocative of the design style and outlook of the time....
and pulp fiction
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
. He is also well-known for his extensive comic book annotations, especially The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, publication of which began in 1999. The series spans two six-issue limited series and a graphic novel from the America's Best Comics imprint of Wildstorm/DC, and a third miniseries...
. He is a reference librarian at Lone Star College-Tomball, and describes himself in part as a "bibliophile and pop culture scholar of the 21st century."
Comic book annotations
Nevins has annotated dozens of comicsComics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
, starting primarily with a number of Elseworlds
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...
published by DC
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, most notably Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come (comic book)
Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Alex Ross and Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea...
and JLA: The Nail
JLA: The Nail
JLA: The Nail is a three-issue comic book mini-series published in the United States by DC Comics. It is a self-contained story by Alan Davis which stands outside of the mainstream continuity of the DC Universe....
, covering in great detail the comic book, literary, popular cultural, and other sources of various plot points and featured characters. In the case of Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come (comic book)
Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Alex Ross and Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea...
, Nevins (and his irregular "divers hands
Divers hands
Divers Hands is an archaic phrase used to refer to a project that has been contributed to by many people. Divers is a word of Latin origin that is still commonly used in modern French language; it literally means "many and varied". This usage of the word Divers can be found in the Bible and other...
" - his annotations are in large part a collaborative effort, inviting comment, correction and constructive critique) identifies most of the many featured characters from the future of the DCU
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, noting their predecessors and origins.
Nevins' most popular, in-depth and recent annotations, however, have focused almost entirely on works by Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
for Moore's own America's Best Comics imprint, published until recently through the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
Wildstorm
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
. Starting with the comic which most closely mirrors his own interests - the Victoriana
Victoriana
Victoriana refers to items or material from the Victorian period , especially those particularly evocative of the design style and outlook of the time....
/Steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
/Alternate history/literary-mashup The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, publication of which began in 1999. The series spans two six-issue limited series and a graphic novel from the America's Best Comics imprint of Wildstorm/DC, and a third miniseries...
, Nevins trawled the popular and not-so-popular literature of the past to compile (again, with help from the "divers hands") a thorough reference work to the first volume of Moore and Kevin O'Neill
Kevin O'Neill (comics)
Kevin O'Neill is an English comic book illustrator best known as the co-creator of Nemesis the Warlock, Marshal Law , and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen .-Early career:...
's masterpiece.
In large part due to Nevins' work annotating the first volume of LoEG, Moore has stated that he felt more comfortable alluding to ever-more obscure works - content in the knowledge that the reference would likely be caught and, therefore, made available to the casual reader. (Nevins' annotations are published for free online, while his LoEG annotations are also available in print from MonkeyBrain Books
MonkeyBrain Books
MonkeyBrain Books is an independent American publishing house based in Austin, Texas, specialising in books comprising both new content and reprinting online, international or out-of-print content, which show "an academic interest," but which "reach a popular audience as well."-A brief history of...
). This further helped encourage Moore to produce his literary-tour-de-force in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II is a comic book limited series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, published under the America's Best Comics imprint of DC Comics...
: "The New Traveller's Almanac
The New Traveller's Almanac
The New Traveller's Almanac was a series of writings included in the back of all six issues of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II, covering the timeline and the world of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen....
", a swift geographical tour of fictional places and events, including references to Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, Lovecraft, obscure Chinese authors from the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
, Shelley, Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
, and Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
. Covert references to Nevins himself can be found within the pages of LoEG Vol. 2 and the Black Dossier, while Moore has acknowledged in multiple interviews that he sees "these companion volumes as having a necessary organic place in the body of the work itself," effectively deputising Nevins as a partial collaborator.
In-between volumes of LoEG, Nevins has tackled Moore and Gene Ha
Gene Ha
Gene Ha is an American comics artist and writer best known for his work on books such as Top 10 and Top 10: The Forty-Niners, with Alan Moore and Zander Cannon, for America's Best Comics, the Batman graphic novel Fortunate Son, with Gerard Jones, and The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix, among...
's Top Ten
Top 10 (comic book)
Top 10 is a superhero comic book limited series published by the America's Best Comics imprint of Wildstorm, itself an imprint of DC Comics...
, a superhero-police comic in which a powerful police precinct in Neopolis has to deal with various superhuman crimes. Nevin's interest in, and knowledge of the "Golden Age" of Superheros (and subsequent eras) aids him considerably in noting, as in his Kingdom Come annotations, the precedents and inspirations behind many of the characters featured. Nevins began annotations on the Top Ten spin-off Smax
Smax
Smax is a fictional character from the comic book series Top 10 written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Gene Ha, and published by the America's Best Comics imprint of DC Comics / Wildstorm. A Top-10 spin-off mini-series also called Smax focused on the character and provided him with more of a backstory...
(by Moore and Zander Cannon
Zander Cannon
Alexander "Zander" Cannon is an American comics writer and artist, known for his work on books such as Top 10 and Smax.-Early life:Cannon was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Grinnell College in 1995 with a B.A...
) which were abandoned due to a number of rude, negative e-mail comments sent during this time. Nevins has subsequently provided annotations on Moore and Ha's 2005
2005 in comics
- January :* January 3: Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit, dies at age 87.-April:*April 13:**DC Comics announces the discontinuation of its Humanoids and 2000 A.D. titles....
Top Ten graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
The Forty-Niners
Top 10: The Forty-Niners
Top 10: The Forty-Niners, a graphic novel published by America's Best Comics in 2005, is a prequel to the ABC series Top 10, a police procedural set in the city of Neopolis, where superpowers, robots, monsters, and other comic fodder are the norm for all citizens...
, filling in some of the early history of the series, and Paul Di Filippo
Paul Di Filippo
Paul Di Filippo is an American science fiction writer. He has been published in Postscripts...
and Jerry Ordway
Jerry Ordway
Jeremiah "Jerry" Ordway is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining classic Crisis on Infinite Earths , his long run working on the Superman titles from 1986–1993, and...
's 2005 sequel mini-series Beyond the Farthest Precinct. Nevins also began to annotate Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
and Andy Kubert
Andy Kubert
Andrew "Andy" Kubert is an American comic book artist, son of Joe Kubert, and brother of Adam Kubert, both of whom are also artists...
's 2003
2003 in comics
-January:* January 2: Kid Colt artist Jack Keller dies at age 80.- April :* Action Comics #800: Double-sized anniversary issue, "A Hero's Journey," by Joe Kelly, Pascual Ferry, and Duncan Rouleau...
mini-series 1602
Marvel 1602
Marvel 1602 is an eight-issue comic book limited series published in 2003 by Marvel Comics. The limited series was written by Neil Gaiman, penciled by Andy Kubert, and digitally painted by Richard Isanove; Scott McKowen illustrated the distinctive scratchboard covers...
from Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
.
Nevins has also published Impossible Territories a book of exhaustive annotations for the 2007 LoEG graphic novel The Black Dossier
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier is an original graphic novel in the comic book series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill. It was the last volume of the series to be published by DC Comics. Although the third book to be...
.
Other work
For several years, Nevins has compiled - and made freely available - reference works on a number of inter-related subjects, including "The Timely Comics Story" (covering the company that would become Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
), originally posted at the Avengers Assemble site of Van Allen Plexico
Van Allen Plexico
Van Allen Plexico is an American professor of Political Science and History and a science fiction and fantasy author.-Biography:...
, and various 'Guides to early Marvel Characters.
Nevins is also a contributor to/collaborator on the ever-expanding Wold Newton Universe
Wold Newton family
The Wold Newton family is a literary concept derived from a form of crossover fiction developed by the science fiction writer Philip José Farmer...
, under the guidance of Win Scott Eckert
Win Scott Eckert
Win Scott Eckert is an author and editor, best known for his work on the literary-crossover Wold Newton Universe, created by author Philip José Farmer, but much expanded-upon subsequently by Eckert and others. He holds a B.A...
at the Wold Newton Universe webpage. He has also written stories appearing in the Tales of the Shadowmen
Tales of the Shadowmen
Tales of the Shadowmen is an annual anthology of short stories edited by Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier, published by . As of 2010, seven volumes have been released, with a eighth slated for late 2011...
anthology series: "A Jest, To Pass The Time" from volume 2, "Red in Tooth and Claw" in volume 4, and "A Root That Beareth Gall and Worms" in volume 5.
Alongside his volumes of annotations on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, publication of which began in 1999. The series spans two six-issue limited series and a graphic novel from the America's Best Comics imprint of Wildstorm/DC, and a third miniseries...
(Heroes & Monsters and A Blazing World, respectively), Nevins has much expanded some of his online resources for print, authoring the World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
-nominated The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana (left), the definitive guide on the strange and wonderful of that period. In May, 2007, critically praised publisher of multiple popular-culture reference works McFarland
McFarland & Company
McFarland & Company, Inc. is a book publisher of primarily academic and adult nonfiction based in Jefferson, North Carolina. Its president and editor-in-chief is Robert Franklin, who began the enterprise in 1979...
published his Pulp Holdings Index, a listing of which issues of which pulp magazines are held in which American, Canadian, British, and European libraries. He revised his annotations for The Black Dossier
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier is an original graphic novel in the comic book series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill. It was the last volume of the series to be published by DC Comics. Although the third book to be...
into Impossible Territories, (MonkeyBrain Books
MonkeyBrain Books
MonkeyBrain Books is an independent American publishing house based in Austin, Texas, specialising in books comprising both new content and reprinting online, international or out-of-print content, which show "an academic interest," but which "reach a popular audience as well."-A brief history of...
in July, 2008), which will be the third companion to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
and Kevin O'Neill
Kevin O'Neill (comics)
Kevin O'Neill is an English comic book illustrator best known as the co-creator of Nemesis the Warlock, Marshal Law , and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen .-Early career:...
.
Nevins has also been published in Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and the gaming magazine Pyramid.-History:...
' Pyramid
Pyramid (magazine)
Pyramid is a gaming magazine, publishing articles primarily on role-playing games, but including board games, card games, and other sorts of games. It began life in 1993 as a print publication of Steve Jackson Games for its first 30 issues, though it has been published on the Internet since March...
, and more recently, has written a series of essays, one for each issue of Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and cartoonist. Brubaker first early comics work was primarily in the crime fiction genre with works such as Lowlife, The Fall, Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives and Scene of the Crime...
and Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips is a British comic book artist.He is best known in the American comic book industry for his work on DC Comics' Sleeper, WildC.A.T.s, Batman and Hellblazer.-Career:...
' comic Criminal
He is also working on adapting his "Pulp Heroes" resource into the Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes, which should be published sometime during 2010/11, as well as his companion superhero reference work, the Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, a descriptive listing of every superhero published between 1935 and 1949. He is also writing Strange Tales of the Century, for Evil Hat Productions
Evil Hat Productions
Evil Hat Productions is a company that produces role-playing games. Chief among them is the free indie RPG, Fate, which has won numerous awards. In 2005, the company began producing a series of commercial role-playing games using an updated version of the FATE system, each focusing on a different...
, a supplement to Evil Hat's RPG Spirit of the Century
Spirit of the Century
Spirit of the Century is a pulp role-playing game published by Evil Hat Productions, and based on Evil Hat's FATE system. It is billed as a 'pick-up' game that can be played quickly, with little preparation....
that should be finished around Summer/Fall 2009. It will deal with pulp fiction from around the world and outline the various archetypes and the historical setting.