Mark Waid is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
writer. He is well known for his eight-year run as writer of the
DC ComicsDC 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...
' title
The FlashThe Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
, as well as his scripting of the
limited seriesA limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
Kingdom ComeKingdom 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
Superman: BirthrightSuperman: Birthright is a twelve-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics in 2003 and 2004, written by Mark Waid and drawn by Leinil Francis Yu....
, and his work on
Marvel ComicsMarvel 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...
'
Captain AmericaCaptain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
. From August 2007 to December 2010, Waid served as Editor-in-Chief, and later, Chief Creative Officer of
BOOM! StudiosBOOM! Studios is an American comic book company headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The "BOOM!" in BOOM! Studios is always capitalized by the company.-History:BOOM! was founded June 22, 2005 with Zombie Tales #1....
, where he wrote titles such as
IrredeemableIrredeemable is an ongoing American comic book series written by Mark Waid and published by Boom! Studios. The series follows the fall of the world's greatest superhero, the Plutonian, as he begins slaughtering the population of Earth...
,
IncorruptibleIncorruptible is an ongoing American comic book series written by Mark Waid and published by Boom! Studios. The series follows former supervillain Max Damage in his quest to become a superhero. The book is a spin-off of another Waid comic, Irredeemable, which follows the transformation of a...
and
The Traveler.
Early life
Waid has stated that his comics work was heavily influenced by
Adventure Comics #369-370 (1968), the two-part
Legion story by
Jim ShooterJames Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
and
Mort WeisingerMortimer Weisinger was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' Superman during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books...
that introduced the villain
MordruMordru is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics' main shared universe.Mordru is the most prominent Lord of Chaos who is fated to survive even after the end of the universe, although he is usually shown as a powerful wizard...
: "It's a blueprint for everything I write."
Fantagraphics and DC Comics
Waid entered the comics field during the mid-1980s as an editor and writer on
Fantagraphics BooksFantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint...
' comic book fan magazine,
Amazing Heroes.
In 1987, Waid was hired to serve as an editor for
DC ComicsDC 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...
where he worked on titles such as
Secret OriginsSecret Origins is the title of three American comic book series published by DC Comics.The title began in 1961 and for one issue, all reprints. The title Secret Origins of Super Heroes went onto a second series, also reprints, which ran for seven issues from 1973-1974...
,
Legion of Super-HeroesThe Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
, and part of
Grant MorrisonGrant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
's critically acclaimed run on
Doom PatrolThe Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
. He also served short stints as editor on
Action Comics,
Infinity, Inc.,
Legion of Super-Heroes, and
Wonder Woman, as well as various one-shots like
Batman: Gotham by GaslightGotham by Gaslight is a DC Comics one-shot by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola, with inks by P. Craig Russell. It spawned a sequel, Master of the Future , also written by Augustyn, but with art by Eduardo Barreto....
. With
Gotham by Gaslight, and in tandem with writer
Brian AugustynBrian Augustyn is an award-winning comic book editor and writer. He has often worked, as both an editor and writer, with writer Mark Waid.-Biography:...
, Waid co-created DC's "
ElseworldsElseworlds 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...
" franchise.
As a writer
In 1989 Waid left editorial work for freelance writing assignments. He worked for DC's short-lived
Impact ComicsImpact Comics was an imprint of DC Comics that was aimed at younger audiences. It was begun in 1991 and ended by 1993....
line where he wrote
The CometThe Comet is a fictional character, a superhero that first appeared in the DC Comics' Impact Comics series, The Comet. The character is loosely based on the Archie Comics character, The Comet.-Fictional character biography:...
and wrote dialogue for
Legend of the ShieldThe Shield is the name of several fictional patriotic superheroes created by MLJ . The Shield has the distinction of being one of the first superheroes with a costume based upon the United States flag, appearing fourteen months before Captain America.The name was used by MLJ/Archie for 3 characters...
.
In 1992 Waid began the assignment which would bring him to wider recognition in the comics industry, when he was hired to write
The FlashThe Flash is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics superhero of the same name. The character's first incarnation, Jay Garrick, first appeared in Flash Comics #1...
by then-editor
Brian AugustynBrian Augustyn is an award-winning comic book editor and writer. He has often worked, as both an editor and writer, with writer Mark Waid.-Biography:...
. The comic starred one of DCs flagship characters, and in an acclaimed eight-year run, Waid and a number of artists, most notably
Greg LaRocqueGreg LaRocque is an American comic book illustrator.Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, LaRocque worked as an assistant teacher at the Professional Institute of Art while still a teenager. He started his art career in the advertising field...
and
Mike WieringoMichael Lance "Mike" Wieringo , who sometimes signed his work under the name Ringo, was an American comic book artist best known for his work on DC Comics' The Flash and Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four....
and in the final year with Augustyn as co-writer, brought
the modern FlashThe Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
out from the shadow of his predecessors and increased his powers dramatically.
Marvel editors
Ralph MacchioRalph Macchio is an American comic book editor and writer, who has held many positions at Marvel Comics, including executive editor. Macchio is commonly associated with Daredevil, the Spider-Man line of comics and the popular Ultimate Marvel line...
and
Mark GruenwaldMark E. Gruenwald was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler. Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity...
hired him as Gruenwald's successor as writer on
Captain AmericaCaptain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, during which Waid was paired with artist
Ron GarneyRon Garney is a comic book writer/artist, known for his work on books such as JLA,The Amazing Spider-Man, Silver Surfer, Hulk, Daredevil and Captain America.-Career:...
.
Although his second run on the character (
Captain America Volume 3, issues #1-23) was not as universally praised as his first, Waid's prestige had been boosted by the whole affair, and he went on to be one of the most prolific comic writers of the late 1990s. He also wrote the short-lived spin-off series
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty from 1998–1999, having written 10 of the 12 issues (skipping issues #7 and 10).
In 1996, Waid, with artist
Alex RossNelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
, released his best-known work, the
graphic novelA 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...
Kingdom Come. This story, set in the
futureThe future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
of the
DC UniverseThe 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...
, depicted the fate of
SupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
,
BatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
,
Wonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
and other heroes as the world around them changed. It was written in reaction to the "grim and gritty" comics of the 1980s and 1990s, and while many of the events in the story were intense, a steady optimism filled the series. Many of the ideas introduced in
Kingdom Come were later integrated into the present-day DC Universe, and Waid himself wrote a less successful follow-up to the series,
The Kingdom.
Waid also had acclaimed runs on DC's
JLAThe Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
, the Flash spinoff series
ImpulseBartholomew "Bart" Allen is a superhero in the . Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse. He would later go on to become the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Allen's first cameo appearance was in The Flash #91, while his first full appearance was in issue #92...
and
CrossgenCross Generation Entertainment, or CrossGen, was an American comic book publisher that operated from 1998 to 2004.CrossGen Comics, Inc. was founded in 1998, by Tampa, Florida-based entrepreneur Mark Alessi who sought to create a comic book universe that was uniquely varied but also connected by a...
's
RuseRuse was a CrossGen comic book title. It ran for twenty-six issues from November 2001 to January 2004 before it was forced to end by the bankruptcy of CrossGen...
.
Waid and writer
Grant MorrisonGrant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
tag-teamed on a number of projects that would successfully reestablish DC's Justice League to prominence. Waid's contributions included
JLA: Year One, as well as work on the ongoing series. The two writers also helped develop the concept of
HypertimeHypertime is a fictional concept presented in the 1999 DC comic book series The Kingdom, both a catch-all explanation for any continuity discrepancies in DC Universe stories and a variation or superset of the Multiverse that existed before Crisis on Infinite Earths.- The Kingdom :The basic premise...
to help explain problems with continuity in the
DC UniverseThe 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...
.
In 2003, Waid released a series named
EmpireEmpire is an American comic book limited series published by Gorilla Comics and DC Comics, created by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson....
(with
Barry KitsonBarry Kitson is a British comics artist best known as a penciler of major superhero comic books published by Marvel and DC.-Biography:Kitson's first professional work was Spider-Man for Marvel UK...
), whose
protagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
was a
Doctor DoomVictor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
-like
supervillainA supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
named Golgoth who had successfully defeated all superheroes and conquered the world. The series was originally published by
Gorilla ComicsGorilla Comics was a short-lived American comic book imprint launched in 2000 by creators Kurt Busiek, Tom Grummett, Stuart Immonen, Karl Kesel, Barry Kitson, George Pérez, Mark Waid, and Mike Wieringo...
, a company formed by Waid,
Kurt BusiekKurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Early life:...
and several others, but the company folded after only two issues were produced.
Empire was completed under the
DC ComicsDC 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...
label but is in its own distinct universe.
Waid began an acclaimed run as writer of Marvel's
Fantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
in 2002 with his former
Flash artist
Mike WieringoMichael Lance "Mike" Wieringo , who sometimes signed his work under the name Ringo, was an American comic book artist best known for his work on DC Comics' The Flash and Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four....
, with Marvel releasing their debut issue,
Fantastic Four (Vol. 3) #60 (October 2002) at the low price of 9 cents U.S. By the next year, however, Waid's fan-favorite run on the
Fantastic Four was threatened when Marvel executives sought to reinvent aspects of the series. When Waid and Wieringo were replaced on the title after refusing to acquiesce to the editorial changes, the resulting fan backlash led to Waid and Wieringo's reinstatement on the title within weeks. The FF backlash was also a contributing factor to then Marvel Publisher
Bill JemasBill Jemas is an American media entrepreneur, writer and editor. He is a former vice president of Marvel Comics, and a founding partner at 360ep, a media management firm.-Early life:...
leaving his position. Waid and Wieringo completed their run on
Fantastic Four with issue #524 (May 2005), by which time the previously relaunched series had returned to its original numbering.
In 2003 Waid wrote the origin of the "modern" Superman with
Superman: Birthright, a twelve-part limited series which was meant to be the new official origin story of the Man of Steel.
Birthright contained several characters and elements from
SilverThe Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
and
ModernThe Modern Age of Comic Books is an informal name for the period in the history of mainstream American comic books generally considered to last from the mid-1980s until present day...
Age Superman comics and also homages to
Superman: The Movie and the
SmallvilleSmallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
television series.
Waid returned to writing
Legion of Super-HeroesThe Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
in December 2004, teaming again with Barry Kitson. He wrapped up his run on the book in mid-2007 with issue 30.
Waid, along with past collaborator Grant Morrison, and other prominent DC Universe creators
Geoff JohnsGeoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
,
Greg RuckaGregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
, and
Keith GiffenKeith Ian Giffen is an American comic book illustrator and writer.-Biography:Giffen was born in Queens, New York City....
played an editorial role in guiding the DC Universe after the events of the company's "
Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
" event. Together, they wrote a weekly series named
5252 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
that lasted for one year and covered the events that take place during the year in the DC Universe following
Infinite Crisis.
In 2005, Waid signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. Among the projects covered by that contract were a new launch of
The Brave and the BoldThe Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
with artist
George PérezGeorge Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
, and a brief return to
The Flash.
Waid's recent work includes working on the
Spider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
creative team, writing several issues for
The Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
, writing the
Doctor StrangeDoctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
mini-series
Strange, and several series for Boom! Studios, notably
IrredeemableIrredeemable is an ongoing American comic book series written by Mark Waid and published by Boom! Studios. The series follows the fall of the world's greatest superhero, the Plutonian, as he begins slaughtering the population of Earth...
with artist
Peter KrausePeter William Krause is an American film and television actor and film producer. He is perhaps best known for his lead roles as Nate Fisher on Six Feet Under, Adam Braverman on Parenthood, and Casey McCall on Sports Night...
and its spinoff
IncorruptibleIncorruptible is an ongoing American comic book series written by Mark Waid and published by Boom! Studios. The series follows former supervillain Max Damage in his quest to become a superhero. The book is a spin-off of another Waid comic, Irredeemable, which follows the transformation of a...
. In July 2011 Marvel relaunched a monthly
DaredevilDaredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
series with Waid on writing duties.
BOOM! Studios
On July 27,
2007-January:*January 10: Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predator released.*January 24: The Boys is canceled with issue #6.-February:*February 2: Newsarama reports that The Boys has been picked up by Dynamite Entertainment....
, at the
San Diego Comic ConSan Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
,
Boom! StudiosBOOM! Studios is an American comic book company headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The "BOOM!" in BOOM! Studios is always capitalized by the company.-History:BOOM! was founded June 22, 2005 with Zombie Tales #1....
announced that in August of that year Waid would join Boom! as Editor-in-Chief. As his non-creator assignments at DC lapsed, he stated that all his future creator-owned work will be with BOOM! Waid was promoted to Chief Creative Officer in August 2010. In December 2010, Waid announced he would be leaving his role as Chief Creative Officer, and return to freelance work, though he will continue writing for the publisher.
External links
- The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
- Interview on Daredevil with Abnormal Use
- Interview with Michael A. Ventrella
Michael A. Ventrella founded Animato! in the mid 80s. He sold it in the early 90s. Under the pseudonym "Thelma Scumm" he wrote the gossip column and later continued that for fps magazine...
- Exploring The Multiverse's video interview with Mark Waid at Baltimore Comic Con, August 2010
- Kevin Malcolm at Emerald City ComiCon
The Emerald City Comicon is an annual comic book convention taking place in Seattle, Washington. Originally taking place at the city's Qwest Field , the venue changed to its current home at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center since 2008...
for The Backroom Comics PodcastThe Backroom Comics Podcast is a weekly video podcast and audio podcast focused on comics. It is hosted by Kevin Malcolm, Greg Upton, Pete Greenberg and Jason Doctor. The first episode was released on March 20, 2009...
Emerald City ComiCon 2010 Part 1 March 2010