Brian Azzarello

Last updated

Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello - Lucca Comics & Games 2016.jpg
Azzarello at Lucca Comics & Games 2016
Born (1962-08-11) August 11, 1962 (age 61)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Area(s)Writer
Notable works
 100 Bullets
Before Watchmen: Comedian / Rorschach
Hellblazer
Joker
Lex Luthor: Man of Steel
Loveless
Wonder Woman
Awards Eisner Award (2001)

Brian Azzarello (born August 11, 1962) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter who first came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series 100 Bullets , published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo. Azzarello is best known for his numerous collaborations with artists Eduardo Risso (100 Bullets, Batman: Broken City , Spaceman , Moonshine ) and Lee Bermejo ( Batman/Deathblow , Luthor , Joker , Batman: Damned ), his contributions to the Watchmen prequel project Before Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns sequel series DK III: The Master Race , as well as for his stints on the long-running Vertigo series Hellblazer and The New 52 relaunch of the Wonder Woman title.

Contents

Early life

Azzarello grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where his mother managed a restaurant and his father was a salesman. As a child, he read monster and war comic books, but avoided the superhero genre. He attended the Cleveland Institute of Art, studying painting and printmaking. In 1989, after several years of working various blue-collar jobs, Azzarello moved to Chicago, where he became interested in the work of Black Lizard Press, a small publishing house which reprinted hardboiled detective and noir fiction. He also met his future wife Jill Thompson, a comic book artist who was working for DC Comics's imprint Vertigo. [1]

Career

Azzarello began working in comics in 1992, joining Comico as the production coordinator. He was soon promoted to managing editor, before becoming Editor-in-Chief—or, as he was often credited, "line editor"—the position he held from 1993 until the company's demise in 1997. [2] During this period, Azzarello's wife Jill Thompson introduced him to Lou Stathis, an editor at DC Comics' Vertigo who wanted to move away from the light fantasy stories the imprint was known for at the time, and Azzarello was eventually hired as a writer. [1] He contributed short stories to a number of Vertigo's anthology titles and penned Jonny Double , a 4-issue limited series which marked his first collaboration with Argentine artist Eduardo Risso. [3] In August 1999, Azzarello and Risso launched 100 Bullets , a hardboiled noir series for Vertigo. [4] [5] The series ran for one hundred issues, from 1999 to 2009, and was noted for Azzarello's use of regional and local accents, as well as the frequent use of slang and oblique, metaphorical language in his characters' dialogue. Azzarello's other work for Vertigo includes a run on Hellblazer , the 2005 western series Loveless with artist Marcelo Frusin [6] and an original graphic novel Filthy Rich , one of the two titles that launched the Vertigo Crime line in 2009. [7]

In 2003, Azzarello was assigned to write arcs for DC Comics' Batman and Superman , commenting to Chicago Tribune , "DC is giving me the keys to both cars in the garage, the Maserati and the Ferrari... Somebody told me, 'Don't drive drunk.'" [8] The results were the 6-issue Batman: Broken City [9] and the 12-issue "Superman: For Tomorrow", which was supposed to be the centerpiece of a larger storyline consisting of several interconnected mini-series, including one written by Azzarello, Lex Luthor: Man of Steel . [10] [11] [12] The initiative, unofficially dubbed "Superstorm" due to the fact that the mini-series were edited by the team of DC's Wildstorm imprint, experienced production problems and delays, causing Luthor to become a standalone work only loosely connected to "For Tomorrow". [13] In the following years, Azzarello continued to write more Batman-related stories such as the 2008 graphic novel Joker , a serial for Wednesday Comics in 2009 [14] [15] and Flashpoint: Batman — Knight of Vengeance . [16] In April 2015, Azzarello was announced as the co-writer of an eight-issue sequel to The Dark Knight Returns , titled The Dark Knight III: The Master Race , with Frank Miller and artist Andy Kubert. [17] The series, released bi-monthly, was launched in late 2015. [18] Azzarello's most recent Batman work was the Batman: Damned three-issue series for the DC Black Label imprint with artist Lee Bermejo. [19]

Azzarello was one of the architects of First Wave, a new publishing line for pulp characters then-recently acquired by DC Comics, set outside the main DC continuity. He wrote the opening one-shot for the line, Batman/Doc Savage , [20] continuing with the First Wave limited series. [21] In 2011, Azzarello spearheaded The New 52 relaunch of the Wonder Woman series with artist Cliff Chiang. [22] The pair stayed on the title until issue #35 (Dec. 2014). In 2012, Azzarello wrote two limited series for the Before Watchmen project, focusing on Comedian and Rorschach. [23] [24] In 2014, Azzarello became the co-writer of the weekly series The New 52: Futures End along with Jeff Lemire, Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens. [25]

In 2016, Azzarello launched the 12-issue maxi-series Moonshine with frequent collaborator Eduardo Risso at Image. [26] In 2019, the series resumed publication with issue #13 as an ongoing title. [27]

Awards

Azzarello and Risso won the 2001 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story in 100 Bullets #15–18: "Hang Up on the Hang Low". [28]

Influences

Azzarello cites Jim Thompson and David Goodis among his influences. [29] [30]

Personal life

Azzarello in 2011 10.15.11BrianAzzarelloByLuigiNovi2.jpg
Azzarello in 2011

Azzarello was married to fellow comic book creator Jill Thompson. [31] The couple resided in Chicago. [8] In a 2021 interview with Word Balloon Podcast Network, Azzarello mentioned that he was no longer married to Thompson. [32]

The character "666" from Mark Waid and Alex Ross' 1996 mini-series Kingdom Come is physically modeled after Azzarello. [33]

Bibliography

Early work

DC Comics

Vertigo

DC Universe

Other imprints

Other publishers

Filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Carey (writer)</span> British writer (born 1959)

Mike Carey, also known by his pen name M. R. Carey, is a British writer of comic books, novels and films, whose credits include the long-running The Sandman spin-off series Lucifer, a three-year stint on Hellblazer, as well as his creator-owned titles Crossing Midnight and The Unwritten for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint, a lengthy run on Marvel's X-Men, the 2014 novel The Girl with All the Gifts and its 2016 film adaptation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Brubaker</span> American comic book writer

Ed Brubaker is an American comic book writer, cartoonist and screenwriter who works primarily in the crime fiction genre. He began his career with the semi-autobiographical series Lowlife and a number of serials in the Dark Horse Presents anthology, before achieving industry-wide acclaim with the Vertigo series Scene of the Crime and moving to the superhero comics such as Batman, Catwoman, The Authority, Captain America, Daredevil and Uncanny X-Men. Brubaker is best known for his long-standing collaboration with British artist Sean Phillips, starting with their Elseworlds one-shot Batman: Gotham Noir in 2001 and continuing with a number of creator-owned series such as Criminal, Incognito, Fatale, The Fade Out and Kill or Be Killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judd Winick</span> American writer

Judd Winick is an American cartoonist, comic book writer and screenwriter, as well as a former reality television personality. He first gained fame for his stint on MTV's The Real World: San Francisco in 1994, before finding success as a comic book creator with Pedro and Me, an autobiographical graphic novel about his friendship with The Real World castmate and AIDS educator Pedro Zamora. Winick wrote lengthy runs on DC Comics' Green Lantern and Green Arrow series and created The Life and Times of Juniper Lee animated TV series for Cartoon Network, which ran for three seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian K. Vaughan</span> American screenwriter, comic book creator

Brian K. Vaughan is an American comic book and television writer, best known for the comic book series Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Runaways, Pride of Baghdad, Saga, and Paper Girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Robinson (writer)</span> British writer of comic books and screenplays

James Dale Robinson is a British writer of American comic books and screenplays best known for co-creating the character of Starman with Tony Harris and reviving the Justice Society of America in the late 1990s. His other notable works include the screenplay for the film adaptation of the Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's comic book series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and the multi-year crossover storyline "Superman: New Krypton".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Diggle</span> British comic book writer

Andrew Diggle is a British comic book writer and former editor of the weekly anthology series 2000 AD. He is best known for his work on Adam Strange and Green Arrow for DC Comics as well as his creator-owned series The Losers and a run on Hellblazer for DC's Vertigo imprint, and for his stints on Thunderbolts and Daredevil at Marvel. Other credits include Gamekeeper for Virgin Comics, written by Diggle on the basis of a concept created by Guy Ritchie, a three-year run on Robert Kirkman's Thief of Thieves at Image, several short arcs written for IDW Publishing's Doctor Who series and two James Bond mini-series for Dynamite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Kelly (comics writer)</span> American writer, penciler, and editor

Joseph Kelly is an American comic book writer, penciler and editor who has written such titles as Deadpool, Uncanny X-Men, Action Comics, and JLA, as well as award-winning work on The Amazing Spider-Man and Superman. As part of the comics creator group Man of Action Studios, Kelly is one of the creators of the animated series Ben 10.

Jeff Parker is an American comic book writer and artist. He is a member of Helioscope Studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Becky Cloonan</span> American comic book creator

Becky Cloonan is an American comic book creator, known for work published by Tokyopop and Vertigo. In 2012 she became the first female artist to draw the main Batman title for DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Snyder</span> American writer

Scott Snyder is an American author. He is known for his 2006 short story collection Voodoo Heart, and his work for DC Comics, including series such as American Vampire, Detective Comics, a highly acclaimed run on Batman, Swamp Thing, and Justice League as well as the company-wide crossover storylines "Dark Nights: Metal" and "Dark Nights: Death Metal." He has also written creator-owned comics published through Image Comics, including Wytches, Undiscovered Country, and Nocterra.

Marcelo Frusin is an international Argentine comic book artist. His notable works include a run on Hellblazer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Andreyko</span> American novelist

Marc Andreyko is an American comic book writer and screenwriter, best known for the true crime series Torso he co-wrote with Brian Michael Bendis and for co-creating the character Kate Spencer for DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Bermejo</span> American comic book writer and artist

Lee Bermejo is an American comic book writer and artist whose published work includes interior illustrations and cover art. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Brian Azzarello including Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, the Joker graphic novel, and Before Watchmen: Rorschach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Morrison bibliography</span>

This is a bibliography of the Scottish comic book writer Grant Morrison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Ellis bibliography</span> Author bibliography

Warren Ellis is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter, best known as the co-creator of several original comic book series such as Transmetropolitan, Global Frequency, and Red, the latter of which was adapted into the 2010 feature film Red and its 2013 sequel Red 2. A prolific comic book writer, he has written several Marvel series, including Astonishing X-Men, Thunderbolts, Moon Knight, and the "Extremis" story arc of Iron Man, which was the basis for the 2013 film Iron Man 3. Ellis' other credits include The Authority and Planetary, both of which he co-created for Wildstorm, as well as runs on Hellblazer for Vertigo and James Bond for Dynamite. In addition to his comics work, Ellis wrote two prose novels, Crooked Little Vein and Gun Machine, as well as numerous short stories and novellas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivan Brandon</span> Writer

Ivan Brandon is a comic book writer known for his work on titles such as DC Comics' Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape and Men of War as well as creator-owned series Viking, The Cross Bronx and NYC Mech, published by Image Comics. He is also the creator and producer of the Eisner-nominated anthology series 24Seven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Lemire</span> Canadian cartoonist and comic book writer and artist

Jeff Lemire is a Canadian comic book writer, artist, and television producer. He is the author of critically acclaimed titles including the Essex County Trilogy, Sweet Tooth, and The Nobody. His written work includes All-New Hawkeye, Extraordinary X-Men, Moon Knight and Old Man Logan for Marvel; Superboy, Animal Man, Justice League Dark, and Green Arrow for DC; Black Hammer and Mazebook for Dark Horse; Descender and Gideon Falls for Image Comics; and Bloodshot Reborn for Valiant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Milligan bibliography</span>

This article is a bibliography of the British comic book writer Peter Milligan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom King (writer)</span> American author, comic book writer, and ex-CIA officer

Tom King is an American author, comic book writer, and ex-CIA officer. He is best known for writing the novel A Once Crowded Sky, The Vision for Marvel Comics, The Sheriff of Babylon for the DC Comics imprint Vertigo and Batman, Mister Miracle, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow for DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Rucka bibliography</span>

Greg Rucka is an American writer known for the series of novels starring his character Atticus Kodiak, the creator-owned comic book series Whiteout, Queen & Country, Stumptown and Lazarus, as well as lengthy runs on such titles as Detective Comics, Wonder Woman, Elektra and Wolverine. Rucka has written a substantial amount of supplemental material for a number of DC Comics' line-wide and inter-title crossovers, including "No Man's Land", "Infinite Crisis" and "New Krypton". Rucka has also co-created, along with writer Ed Brubaker and artist Michael Lark, the acclaimed comic book series Gotham Central, which takes the perspective of ordinary policemen working in Gotham City.

References

  1. 1 2 Borrelli, Christopher (August 8, 2012). "Brian Azzarello: Shake-up artist". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Brian Azzarello". Wizard World. 2013. Archived from the original on September 9, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  3. ↑ Irvine "Jonny Double" in Dougall (2008), p. 112
  4. ↑ Yarbrough, Beau (April 5, 1999). "'DOUBLE' TEAM RELOADS WITH '100 BULLETS'". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on November 10, 1999.
  5. ↑ Yarbrough, Beau (April 8, 1999). "AZZARELLO FIRES '100 BULLETS' IN JUNE". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 9, 1999.
  6. ↑ Irvine, Alex (2008). "Loveless". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The Vertigo Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley. pp. 116–117. ISBN   978-0756641221. OCLC   213309015.
  7. ↑ Arrant, Chris (August 15, 2008). "Karen Berger on the Vertigo Crime Line". Newsarama. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013.
  8. 1 2 Mowatt, Raoul V. (November 14, 2003), "Chicagoan takes a flier with Superman, Batman", Chicago Tribune, archived from the original on October 21, 2012, retrieved November 13, 2011
  9. ↑ Manning, Matthew K.; Dougall, Alastair, ed. (2014). "2000s". Batman: A Visual History. Dorling Kindersley. p. 269. ISBN   978-1465424563. Editor Bob Schreck gave two more big name creators a shot at the Batman when he hired writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso for a six-issue noir thriller.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Newman, Nick (August 10, 2003). "Superman Panel at Wizard World Chicago". Superman Homepage. Archived from the original on June 30, 2004.
  11. ↑ Weiland, Jonah (April 9, 2004). "SUPER-STARS (PART 8): AZZARELLO SEEKS TO BRING INSPIRATION BACK TO "SUPERMAN"". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 25, 2004.
  12. ↑ Singh, Arune (April 22, 2004). "SUPER-STARS (PART 11): JIM LEE TALKS "SUPERMAN" & LIFE ADVICE". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 17, 2004.
  13. ↑ Cronin, Brian (November 23, 2012). "Comic Book Legends Revealed #394". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on November 29, 2012.
  14. ↑ Cowsill, Alan; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "2000s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 338. ISBN   978-0-7566-6742-9. [Wednesday Comics] contained fifteen continuous stories including...'Batman' with a story by Brian Azzarello and art by Eduardo Risso.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ Trecker, Jamie (September 3, 2009). "Wednesday Comics Thursday: Brian Azzarello On Batman". Newsarama. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  16. ↑ Manning "2010s" in Dougall (2014), p. 318: "In this powerful reimagining of the Batman legend, writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso joined forces for a three-issue examination of Flashpoint's Batman."
  17. ↑ Wheeler, Andrew (July 9, 2015). "Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson Join The Master Race (The Comic)". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on August 14, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Superstar Writer/Artist Frank Miller Return to Batman!". DC Comics. April 24, 2015. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015.
  19. ↑ Narcisse, Evan (August 16, 2018). "The Team Behind Batman: Damned Say They're Going to Fuck With the Dark Knight's Head". io9. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. DC Comics will launch its new prestige imprint DC Black Label. The publisher is going to be kicking it off in grand fashion with Batman: Damned, which reunites the iconoclastic team of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Lee Bermejo, the same creatives behind 2009's arresting Joker graphic novel.
  20. ↑ Renaud, Jeffrey (August 11, 2009). "Azzarello Reimagines Doc Savage". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
  21. ↑ Renaud, Jeffrey (October 12, 2009). "Azzarello Pulps Up DCU With First Wave". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
  22. ↑ Melrose, Kevin (August 22, 2011). "Relaunched Wonder Woman is 'a horror book,' Brian Azzarello says". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  23. ↑ Rogers, Vaneta (April 16, 2012). "Brian Azzarello Talks Before Watchmen, After the Controversy". Newsarama. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  24. ↑ Behrens, Web (November 16, 2012). "Wonder Woman and Before Watchmen writer Brian Azzarello Interview outtakes". Time Out Chicago . Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  25. ↑ Moore, Matt (December 11, 2013). "DC Readies Weekly Weekly Series, Futures End for Spring". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  26. ↑ Gilly, Casey (April 6, 2016). "IMAGE EXPO EXCLUSIVE: Azzarello & Risso Make "Moonshine"". CBR.com . Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  27. ↑ Quaintance, Zack (October 21, 2019). "Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso bringing back MOONSHINE". ComicsBeat . Archived from the original on October 22, 2019.
  28. ↑ Irvine "100 Bullets" in Dougall (2008), pp. 11–17
  29. ↑ Waters, Tom (December 1, 2006). "Rapid Fire With Brian Azzarello". Acid Logic. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  30. ↑ Phillips, Dan (October 23, 2008). "The Joker's Wild Ride". IGN. Archived from the original on May 30, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  31. ↑ Rockford Register Star staff. (November 7, 2005). "Meet a couple of comic book creators". The Rockford Register Star . Pg. 1E
  32. ↑ John Siuntres (February 22, 2021). "Word Balloon Comics Podcast: Brian Azzarello Checks In". Spreaker (Podcast). Event occurs at 53:25. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  33. ↑ Cronin, Brian (April 17, 2008). "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #151". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2013. In Kingdom Come, Alex Ross DID specifically use [Jill] Thompson as the model for Joker's Daughter (and her husband, Brian Azzarello, as the basis for another character, the villain 666).
  34. ↑ Johnston, Rich (April 15, 2014). "The Batman By Chiang And Azzarello That Vertigo Never Published". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014.
  35. ↑ Johnston, Rich (September 16, 2019). "Watchmen Killed This Brian Azzarello Batman-With-Guns Graphic Novel". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019.
  36. ↑ Weiland, Jonah (October 20, 2004). "JIM LEE SPEARHEADS "BATMAN: EUROPA" COLLABORATION". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on December 8, 2004.
  37. ↑ Phegley, Kiel (October 27, 2010). "Azzarello Travels To "Batman: Europa"". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010.
  38. ↑ Weiland, Jonah (October 9, 2001). "CANCELED 'AUTHORITY' PLANS REVEALED". CBR.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2001.
  39. ↑ Darius, Julian. "Mark Millar The Authority Era (2000-2002)". The Continuity Pages. Archived from the original on November 7, 2002.
  40. ↑ Doran, Michael (July 19, 2001). "Wildstorm Mature Readers Titles - Other Wildstorm News". Newsarama. Archived from the original on August 6, 2001.
  41. ↑ McMillan, Graeme (July 17, 2019). "DC Unveils New 'Birds of Prey' Comic for October". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021.
  42. ↑ Gerding, Stephen (July 22, 2019). "DC Solicitations for October 2019 Are Huge for Gotham City Fans". CBR.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019.
  43. ↑ Gerding, Stephen (August 16, 2019). "DC Solicitations for November 2019 Introduce a New Green Lantern to the DCU". CBR.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019.
  44. ↑ Stone, Sam (September 19, 2019). "DC's Birds of Prey Canceled, Resolicited as Mature Readers Black Label Title". CBR.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019.
  45. ↑ Johnston, Rich (August 20, 2015). "Brian Azzarello And Simon Bisley's Three Floyds Hits In November From Heavy Metal". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015.
  46. ↑ Johnston, Rich (September 20, 2015). "Interceptor From Donny Cates, Dylan Burnett, And Other Comics From Heavy Metal Magazine In December". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015.
Preceded by Hellblazer writer
2000–2002		Succeeded by
Preceded by Batman writer
2003–2004		Succeeded by
Preceded by Superman writer
2004–2005		Succeeded by
Preceded by Doc Savage writer
2010–2011
(with Ivan Brandon)		Succeeded by
Preceded by Wonder Woman writer
2011–2014		Succeeded by
Preceded by Birds of Prey writer
2020		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.