Brian Michael Bendis (; born August 18, 1967) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

writer and artist. He has won five

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

s for both his creator-owned work and his work on various

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

books.Bendis, Brian Michael and Oeming, Michael Avon, ''Powers'' TPB Vol. 9 – ''Psychotic'' (Icon, 2006), Starting with

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

and noir comics, Bendis eventually moved to mainstream

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

work. With

Bill Jemas Bill Jemas is an American media entrepreneur, writer, and editor, known for his tenure as president of Fleer Entertainment Group during the 1990s, and for his work as vice president of Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2004. During his time at Marvel, Jem ...

and

Mark Millar Mark Millar (; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer and television producer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series '' The Authority'', published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written ex ...

, Bendis was the writer on the first book of the

Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters ...

Universe, launching ''

Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate ...

'' in 2000. He relaunched the

Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...

franchise with '' New Avengers'' in 2004, and also wrote the Marvel storylines " Secret War" (2004–2005), "

House of M "House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a core eight-issue comic book Limited series (comics), limited series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel and a number of fictiona ...

" (2005), "

Secret Invasion "Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight-issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008. The story involves a subversive, long-term in ...

" (2008), "

Siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

" (2010) and "

Age of Ultron "Age of Ultron" (abbreviated AU) is a 2013 comic book fictional crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics that involved the conquest of the Earth by the sentient robot tyrant Ultron. The storyline consisted of an eponymous, 10-issue core ...

" (2013). Though Bendis has cited comic book writers such as

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...

and

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...

, his own writing influences are less rooted in comics, drawing on the work of

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and '' Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first gained cri ...

Richard Price Richard Price (23 February 1723 – 19 April 1791) was a British moral philosopher, Nonconformist minister and mathematician. He was also a political reformer, pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the French ...

, and

Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. Sorkin has earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime ...

, whose dialogue, Bendis said, was "the best in any medium."Bendis, Brian Michael and Oeming, Michael Avon, ''Powers'' TPB Vol. 5 – ''Anarchy'' (Image, 2003), In addition to writing comics, Bendis has worked in television, video games and film. He has also taught courses on

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s at

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

and

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...

. In 2014, Bendis wrote ''Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels,'' a book about comics published by

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

Early life

Brian Michael Bendis was born on August 18, 1967 in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

to a

Jewish-American American Jews or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality. Today the Jewish community in the United States consists primarily of Ashkenazi Jews, who descend from diaspora J ...

family. Bendis grew up in University Heights where, despite rebelling against a religious upbringing, he attended the

Hebrew Academy of Cleveland The Hebrew Academy of Cleveland is a private day school in Cleveland, Ohio with over 1,000 students. It provides Judaic and secular education from pre-school through high school. The Hebrew Academy was established in 1943 by the Telshe Yeshiva an ...

, a private,

modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosoph ...

religious school for boys. Renner, James. Cleveland Free Times, "Ulitimate Bendis: How A Jewish Kid From Cleveland Became the Hottest Name In Comics" (January 26, 2006). He decided he wanted to be a comic book industry professional when he was 13, working on his own comics, including a ''

Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...

versus

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

'' story that he revised several times. A fan of

in particular, he emulated idols such as

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (co ...

, John Romita, Sr., John Romita, Jr.,

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...

, Klaus Janson and

."The Bendis-Fraction Conversation" ''

Comic-Con A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at co ...

Magazine'' (Winter 2010). Pages 24–28 He later discovered

crime comics Crime comics is a genre of American comic books and format of crime fiction. The genre was originally popular in the late 1940s and early 1950s and is marked by a moralistic editorial tone and graphic depictions of violence and criminal activity ...

by Jim Steranko and José Munoz, which he traced back via Jim Thompson's work to the source novels of both Thompson and

Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett (; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade ('' ...

, which helped cement his love for

crime stories Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

. These in turn led him to discover the documentary ''

Visions of Light ''Visions of Light'' is a 1992 documentary film directed by Arnold Glassman, Todd McCarthy and Stuart Samuels. The film is also known as ''Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography''. The film covers the art of cinematography since the concepti ...

'', which taught him the visual "rules" of

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

, an important influence on him creatively. While in high school, he submitted for a "

Creative Writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

assignment" a novelization of Chris Claremont's ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

and the Starjammers'' story, which gained him an A+ grade for imagination and inventiveness. At 19, Bendis began attending the

Cleveland Institute of Art The Cleveland Institute of Art, previously Cleveland School of Art, is a private college focused on art and design and located in Cleveland, Ohio. History The college was founded in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women, at fir ...

, while working at a downtown comic book store where he eventually sold some of his early work. Between the ages of 20 and 25, he sent in a large number of submissions to comics companies, although he ultimately abandoned this approach to breaking into the industry, considering it too much of a "lottery."Bendis, Brian Michael and Oeming, Michael Avon, ''Powers'' TPB Vol. 3 – ''Little Deaths'' (Image, 2002),

Comics career

Caliber Comics

Best known as a writer, Bendis started out as an artist, doing work for local magazines and newspapers, including

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

work. He worked at ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'' as an illustrator. Although he did not enjoy caricature work, it paid well and funded his interest in writing

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

for

s. He eventually moved into both writing and illustrating his work, before he began producing work for

Caliber Comics Caliber Comics or Caliber Press is an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, Caliber published over 1,300 comics in the decade following its inception and is ranked as one of America ...

, including ''Spunky Todd''. Through Caliber, he met many of his longtime friends and collaborators within the comics industry, including

Mike Oeming Michael Avon Oeming is an American comic book creator, both as an artist and writer. Career Oeming is a fan of ancient mythology, having written or drawn several projects centering on the Norse gods. He frequently collaborates with long-time f ...

, Dave Mack and

Marc Andreyko Marc Andreyko (born 20 June 1970) is a comic book writer and screenwriter, best known for the true crime series ''Torso (Image Comics), Torso'' he co-wrote with Brian Michael Bendis and for co-creating the character Manhunter (Kate Spencer), Kate ...

, and began the first in a series of independent

noir fiction Noir fiction (or roman noir) is a subgenre of crime fiction. Definition In its modern form, noir has come to denote a marked darkness in theme and subject matter, generally featuring a disturbing mixture of sex and violence and death in some ...

crime comics when he published two issues of ''

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

'' in 1993 and five issues of ''

A.K.A. Goldfish ''A.K.A. Goldfish'' is the title of a 1994 American creator-owned comic book series written and drawn by Brian Michael Bendis. The series was originally published by Caliber Comics, with later issues by Image Comics. The entire award-winning se ...

'' in 1994 with Caliber. In 1995 he illustrated ''Flaxen'', from a script by

James Hudnall James David Hudnall (April 10, 1957 – April 9, 2019) was an American writer who began his career in the comic book field in 1986 with the series '' Espers'', published by Eclipse Comics. He later worked for Marvel and DC on such titles as '' A ...

, with David Mack providing inks to the story featuring former

Playboy Playmate A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

Susie Owens Susie Diane Owens (born May 28, 1956) is an American model and businesswoman. She was featured as ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for March 1988. From 1988 to 2016, she worked in the perfume business, creating the fragrances Child for women an ...

as mascot of the Golden Apple Comics chain

f comic shops F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''. Hist ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

.Kreiner, Rich (October 15, 2005)
"5,137 Pages of Brian Michael Bendis"
. ''The Comics Journal''. #271 Bendis's best-known early work, ''

Jinx A jinx (also jynx), in popular superstition and folklore, is a curse or the attribute of attracting bad or negative luck. The word ''"jynx"'' meaning the bird wryneck and sometimes a charm or spell has been in use in English since the seventeent ...

'', starring the titular

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

in a

crime noir Hardboiled (or hard-boiled) fiction is a literary genre that shares some of its characters and settings with crime fiction (especially detective fiction and noir fiction). The genre's typical protagonist is a detective who battles the violence o ...

version of the Sergio Leone film ''

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' ( it, Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, literally "The good, the ugly, the bad") is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Clee ...

'', began publication in 1996, and ran seven issues from Caliber. Most of these early works share a common universe, with ''

Goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have ...

'', ''

Torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other appendages extend. The tetrapod torso — including that of a human � ...

'' and (stories from) '' Total Sell Out'' sharing characters and settings as well as tone. He characterizes much of this period of his professional life in terms of working as "a graphic artist for almost twelve years" undergoing a period within that of "nine years" living as a stereotypical 'starving artist'.

Image Comics and Oni Comics

In 1996–1997, Bendis moved from Caliber to

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

, where ''Jinx'' and his other previous crime comics were published by Image's

Shadowline Shadowline, Inc., is an imprint of Image Comics established by Image co-founder Jim Valentino. The name is an homage to Valentino's character, ShadowHawk. History Shadowline was officially created in December 1992 when the logo first appear ...

arm in trade paperback. At Image, he also produced five more issues of ''Jinx''. Impressed with ''A.K.A. Goldfish'', Image founder

Todd McFarlane Todd McFarlane (; born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian comic book creator, artist, writer, filmmaker and entrepreneur, best known for his work as the artist on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horro ...

sought out Bendis, which led to his writing ''

Sam and Twitch Sam Burke and Maximilian "Twitch" Williams are two fictional NYPD homicide detectives, created by Todd McFarlane. Sam and Twitch were originally featured in McFarlane's hit comic series ''Spawn''. Due to their popularity, they were later given th ...

''. Although set in the

Spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...

universe, Bendis approached ''Sam and Twitch'' primarily as a crime comic. He wrote ''Sam and Twitch'' for twenty issues, as well as most of the first ten issues of '' Hellspawn'', another ''Spawn'' spin-off title. This non-creator-owned work allowed him to, in the words of Rich Kriener in ''

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing re ...

'', " ddthe responsibility of caretaker to his resume, in that he would answer to a vested owner about developing a property as a tangible asset with the future in mind," rather than only working on his own characters under his own terms. In 1998, Bendis co-wrote and illustrated the

Eliot Ness Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent known for his efforts to bring down Al Capone and enforce Prohibition in Chicago. He was the leader of a team of law enforcement agents, nicknamed The Untouchables. ...

-starring ''

'' with Marc Andreyko, again for Image, and in 2000 he produced three issues of the autobiographical '' Fortune and Glory'' for

Oni Comics Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's merger with Lion Forge Comics. The merged company, Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Gro ...

. That same year saw the debut of the superhero police/ noir detective series '' Powers'', co-created with and drawn by

Michael Avon Oeming Michael Avon Oeming is an American comic book creator, both as an artist and writer. Career Oeming is a fan of ancient mythology, having written or drawn several projects centering on the Norse gods. He frequently collaborates with long-time f ...

and published by Image. ''Powers'' won major comics industry awards, including

Harvey Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

, Eisner, and

Eagle Awards The Eagle Awards were a series of awards for comic book titles and creators. They were awarded by UK fans voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's ''Eagle'' comic, they were launched in 1977 for comics released in ...

Marvel Comics

Around the time Bendis began ''

'', his friend David Mack began working for

Joe Quesada Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books ...

Marvel Knights Marvel Knights is an imprint of Marvel Comics that contained standalone material taking place inside the Marvel Universe (Earth-616). The imprint originated in 1998 when Marvel outsourced four titles (''Black Panther'', ''Punisher'', '' Daredevil ...

imprint, of which Bendis was a fan. Based on Bendis's work on ''Jinx'', Quesada invited him to pitch ideas for

, which included a planned, but ultimately unproduced,

Nick Fury Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos ...

story. Marvel Comics President

, on the recommendation of Quesada, hired Bendis to write ''

'', which debuted in 2000, and was targeted at the new generation of comic readers. Bendis adapted the 11-page origin story of

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...

from 1962's '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 into a seven issues story arc, with Peter Parker becoming the titular hero after the fifth issue, making the book a bestseller, often surpassing in sales those of the mainstream Marvel universe title ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...

''. The Bendis/Bagley partnership of 111 consecutive issues made their partnership one of the longest in American comic book history, and the longest run by a Marvel creative team, beating out Stan Lee and Jack Kirby on ''

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...

''. Bendis subsequently wrote other books in the Ultimate line, including ''

Ultimate Marvel Team-Up ''Ultimate Marvel Team-Up'' is a comic book series, published by Marvel Comics which ran for 16 issues, including a concluding ''Ultimate Spider-Man Super Special''. It is set in one of Marvel's shared universes, the Ultimate Universe and is base ...

'', which Bendis pitched to Marvel as a follow-up to ''Ultimate Spider-Man'', as well as ''

Ultimate Fantastic Four ''Ultimate Fantastic Four'' is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running ''Fantastic Four'' comic book franchise as part of the Ultimate Marvel imprint. The Ultimate ...

'', ''

Ultimate X-Men ''Ultimate X-Men'' is a superhero comic book series, which was published by Marvel Comics, from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of the Ultimate Marvel imprint. The U ...

'', ''

Ultimate Origins ''Ultimate Origins'' is a comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics, released in June 2008. It falls under Marvel's Ultimate Marvel imprint. It is written by Brian Bendis and illustrated by Butch Guice. It is intended to be a chapter i ...

'', ''

Ultimate Six ''Ultimate Six'' is a seven-issue comic book limited series and crossover between Spider-Man and the Ultimates (2003), featuring the Ultimate Marvel version of the Sinister Six. The series was written by Brian Michael Bendis, penciled by Trevor Ha ...

'', the first three issues of '' Ultimate Power'', and the '' Ultimate Comics: Doomsday''

metaseries A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...

. In 2011, Bendis and artist

Sara Pichelli Sara Pichelli (born 15 April 1983) is an Italian comics artist best known for first illustrating the Miles Morales version of ''Ultimate Spider-Man''. After starting her career in animation, Pichelli entered the comic book industry working for I ...

created the

Miles Morales Miles Gonzalo MoralesAhmed, Saladin (w), Garrón, Javier (a). ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' #1 (2018) Marvel Comics (New York). () is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, and is one o ...

character as the new version of the Ultimate Spider-Man. Bendis wrote every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, including its second iteration, '' Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man''. Quesada offered Bendis the writing duties on '' Daredevil'', which he took over in 2001, writing most of the subsequent 55 issues until 2006, collaborating mostly with artist

Alex Maleev Alex Maleev ( Bulgarian: Алекс Малеев) is a Bulgarian comic book illustrator, best known for the Marvel Comics' series '' Daredevil'' (vol. 2) with frequent collaborator Brian Michael Bendis. Career Coming from a fine arts background, ...

. As a major Daredevil author, Bendis's name is one of the names used for boxers mentioned by a corrupt boxing manager in the 2003 '' Daredevil'' movie. Also in 2001, Bendis helped launch Marvel's non-

Comics Code The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA allowed the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. T ...

-approved, adult MAX imprint with ''

Alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the ...

'', featuring former superhero Jessica Jones operating as a

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

. The series ran for 28 issues before many of the characters moved to Bendis's mainstream Marvel Universe series '' The Pulse''. In 2004 ''Powers'' moved from Image to Marvel's creator-owned imprint

Icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

, where it was relaunched as ''Powers'' Vol. 2 alongside another ex-Image series, David Mack's ''

Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

''. Also in 2004, Bendis oversaw the closing issues of '' The Avengers'' as part of the crossover storyline "

Avengers Disassembled "Avengers Disassembled" is a 2004 crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics involving the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Captain America, Spider-Man and Thor. The beginning of Brian Michael Bendis's ''Avengers'' run, it depicts the destruction o ...

". This led directly to the Bendis-helmed relaunch of one version of the eponymous team in the pages of '' The New Avengers''. Bendis's work on this storyline included the death of Avenger Hawkeye, which proved controversial. In 2005, with artist

Olivier Coipel Olivier Coipel (; November 7, 1969) is a French comic book artist, known for his work on books such as ''House of M'', ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Thor''. Career Olivier Coipel started as a movie animator, working as an assistant on '' Balt ...

, Bendis wrote the New Avengers /

crossover, "

", which would retroactively be considered the second act of a three-act super-event beginning with "Avengers Disassembled" and culminating in the Bendis-written 2008 storyline "

". Bendis also wrote the storyline " Secret War", which was published between 2004 and 2005. The series, which was not connected to the 1984 miniseries ''

Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'' for short, is a twelve-issue American comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter, with ...

'', served as a prelude to ''Secret Invasion''. After Marvel's 2006 "

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

" storyline, Bendis helmed another ''Avengers'' revival, launching ''

Mighty Avengers ''The Mighty Avengers'' is a comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics. Originally written by Brian Michael Bendis, also the writer of '' New Avengers'', the title first featured an officially sanctioned Avengers team of registered ...

'' with

Frank Cho Frank Cho, born Duk Hyun Cho, (born 1971) is a Korean-American comic strip and comic book writer and illustrator, known for his series ''Liberty Meadows'', as well as for books such as ''Shanna the She-Devil'', ''Mighty Avengers'' and ''Hulk'' for ...

in 2007. Post-"Secret Invasion", Bendis left ''Mighty Avengers'' with issue #20 and wrote ''Secret Invasion: Dark Reign'', a one-shot that preceded another ongoing Avengers series, ''

Dark Avengers ''Dark Avengers'' is a 2009–2013 American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is part of a series of titles that features various iterations of the superhero team the Avengers, with this version of the team - unbeknownst to the pu ...

''. In 2009, Bendis and former ''Daredevil'' collaborator Maleev launched the long-delayed ''

Spider-Woman Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and original version is Jessica Drew (later impersonated by Veranke), the second version is Julia Carpenter, and the third vers ...

'', following up on her role in the "Secret Invasion" storyline. ''Spider-Woman'' was the first comic book to be offered simultaneously on the Internet as a "motion comic" and in comic stores in print form. Bendis re-teamed with Olivier Coipel for the 2009 crossover series "

", which brought the "Dark Reign" storyline to a close, and with-it ''Dark Avengers''. Springboarding out of ''Siege'', Bendis relaunched both ''Avengers'' and ''New Avengers'' as part of the " Heroic Age". Also in 2010, Bendis launched '' Scarlet'' through

Icon Comics Icon Comics is an imprint of Marvel Comics for creator-owned titles, designed to keep select "A-list" creators producing for Marvel rather than seeing them take creator-owned work to other publishers. History It was launched in 2004 with Mic ...

, his first new

creator-owned In the United States, creator ownership in comics is an arrangement in which the comic book creator retains full ownership of the material, regardless of whether the work is self-published or published by a corporate publisher. In some fields of ...

comic book in over a decade, re-teaming once again with Maleev. In February 2011, Icon released the all-ages

Takio ''Takio'' is a creator-owned comic book series written by Brian Michael Bendis under Marvel Comics' Icon Comics, Icon imprint (trade name), imprint. The title is illustrated by Michael Avon Oeming. Plot The series is about two bickering siblings ...

'' by Bendis and his ''Powers'' collaborator Mike Oeming and in mid-2011 a maxiseries called '' Brilliant'' with artist Bagley. Bendis's other 2011 projects included a new '' Moon Knight'' series with Maleev, which concluded with issue 12. In 2012, in conjunction with Marvel Studios' feature film '' The Avengers'', Bendis began writing a new ''Avengers'' comic, ''Avengers Assemble''. Bendis wrote the first eight issues of ''Avengers Assemble'', a series that premiered in March 2012 that featured a new incarnation of the Zodiac, as well as the return of the

Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It may more specifically refer to: Comic book teams * Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...

, which teamed with the Avengers against Thanos. Bendis concluded his stint on ''Avengers'' and ''New Avengers'' in 2012 with the "End Times" arc. His final issue of ''Avengers'', released September 2012, was a "jam issue", featuring splash pages by Marvel artists including

Walt Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned w ...

Jim Cheung Jim Cheung (; born 1972) is a British comic book artist, known for his work on the series such as ''Scion (comics), Scion'', ''New Avengers: Illuminati'', ''Young Avengers'' and ''Avengers: The Children's Crusade''. Career Cheung worked on sever ...

, and

Leinil Yu Leinil Francis Yu (born 1977) is a Filipino comic book artist, who began working for the American market through Wildstorm Productions. Career Leinil Francis Yu was first recognized after winning the '' Wizard''s Drawing Board Contest, his fir ...

. Following Marvel's "Marvel NOW!" relaunch of its titles, Bendis took on writing duties on ''All New X-Men'', which saw the return of the original 1960's X-Men to the present, ''Uncanny X-Men'', whose focus shifts to Cyclops' team of X-Men going rogue after the events of "Avengers Vs. X-Men", and ''Guardians of the Galaxy'', picking up where his ''Avengers Assemble'' run left off. Bendis wrote the "

" crossover storyline, which included an eponymous 10-issue miniseries, that was published between March and June 2013. Issue 10 saw the introduction of the

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

character Angela into the Marvel Universe. On July 22, 2014,

published Bendis's instruction book on comics, ''Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels.'' The day after that book's publication,

CBR.com ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

published an interview in which Bendis talked about the course on writing Graphic Novels he had taught for the past few years, initially at

, and beginning with the Fall 2013 semester, at the

. His decision to teach came at the urging of

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

editor

Diana Schutz Diana Schutz (born February 1, 1955) is a Canadian-born comic book editor, serving as editor in chief of Comico during its peak years, followed by a 25-year tenure at Dark Horse Comics. Some of the best-known works she has edited are Frank Mill ...

. Among the works he employs as teaching guides are the works of

Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. He is best known for his non-fiction books about comics: ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and '' Making Comics'' (20 ...

and

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series ''The Spirit'' (1940–1952) was no ...

DC Comics

In November 2017, Bendis announced via

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that he would be working exclusively with

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

. His DC debut was in ''Action Comics'' #1000 (June 2018).

Ivan Reis Ivan Reis is a Brazilians, Brazilian comics artist. He is known for his work on comic books such as Dark Horse Comics' ''Ghost (Dark Horse Comics), Ghost'', Marvel Comics' ''Genis-Vell, Captain Marvel'' and ''Vision (Marvel Comics), Avengers Icons ...

drew the first issue of Bendis's ''The Man of Steel'' limited series, and collaborated with Bendis on the relaunched ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

'' ongoing series in 2018. Bendis took over writing ''Action Comics'' following its 1,000th issue. On December 21, 2021, Bendis announced that he was developing an adult animated ''

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st c ...

'' series for the streaming service

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

. The show is set to be based on his run of the comic book series and will not connect to the original

animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have either ...

Work in other media

In addition to his primary work in comics, Bendis has produced written work in several other media, such as

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s, TV and film. Bendis was the co-executive producer and series-

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

writer for

Mainframe Entertainment Mainframe Studios is a Canadian computer animation company owned by Wow Unlimited Media and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1993 as Mainframe Entertainment Inc. by Christopher Brough, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell, Gavin Blair and ...

's 2003 CGI animated ''

'' show, '' Spider-Man: The New Animated Series'' that aired on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and YTV, which features a college-aged Peter Parker, and was written to tie-into the then-unreleased 2002 film ''

''. The pilot episode Bendis wrote became the third episode aired. His dismay at being credited for something written by someone else, and the multitude of corporate and legal departments involved in the animation process soured him on the show. Bendis is one of the writers on the ''

'' animated series, which debuted in 2012. He was credited as a developer and wrote several episodes for the TV adaptation of his comic, '' Powers'', which starred

Sharlto Copley Sharlto Copley (born 27 November 1973) is a South African actor. His acting credits include roles in the Academy Award-nominated science fiction film ''District 9'', the 2010 adaptation of ''The A-Team'', the science fiction film ''Elysium'', t ...

and ran on

PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...

for two seasons from 2015 to 2016. Bendis's video game work includes

Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one ...

's ''

, which Bendis wrote. He also wrote an ''

'' game, which was never released. He was also a writer of Marvel's MMO, '' Marvel Heroes''. His film work includes the screenplay adaptation of ''

'' for

Miramax Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was initially a leadi ...

, and the screenplay adaptation of ''

'' for

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

. In 2014, he wrote the plot of the '' Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes'' video game. In 2013, he was named on

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

's list of "The Best Tweeters in Comics", in part for his frequent Twitter posts highlighting the work of other creators.

Writing style

When creating characters, Bendis says that he always begins with someone he knows and builds upon that inspiration, allowing the character to eventually evolve naturally. His depiction of

Aunt May Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...

in ''Ultimate Spider-Man'', for example, strongly resembles his mother.

Personal life

Bendis met his wife Alisa in 1995 through the Cleveland chapter of the

Hillel Foundation Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, also known as Hillel International or Hillel, is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, working with thousands of college students globally. Hillel is represented at more than 550 colle ...

, where Alisa worked and Bendis was a staff illustrator. The two were married within a year. Alisa Bendis manages JINXWORLD, the company through which Bendis produces his creator-owned and licensed comics work. They have four children, of which three are daughters. Bendis's oldest daughter, Olivia, is his biological daughter. He and his wife adopted their two younger daughters, one of whom is African-American, and the other of whom is Ethiopian. Their names are Tabatha (adopted in June 2011) and Sabrina. Bendis mentioned in a July 2013 post on his

Tumblr Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...

account that they had a newborn son, who is named London.

Awards

* 1999

for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition * 2001 Eisner Award for Best New Series (for ''Powers'' with

) * 2002 Eisner Award for Best Writer (for '' Powers'', ''

'', '' Daredevil'' and ''

)'' * 2003 Eisner Award for Best Writer (for ''Powers'', ''Alias'', ''Daredevil'' and ''Ultimate Spider-Man'') * 2003 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series (for ''Daredevil'' with

) * 2000 Cleveland Press "Excellence in Journalism" Award * 2000 ''

Wizard Magazine ''Wizard'' or ''Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture'' (previously titled ''Wizard: The Guide to Comics'' and ''Wizard: The Comics Magazine'') was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by W ...

'' Best Writer of the Year * 2001 ''Wizard Magazine'' Best Writer of the Year * 2002 ''Wizard Magazine'' Best Writer of the Year * 2003 ''Wizard Magazine'' Best Writer of the Year * 2002 ''

Comics Buyer's Guide ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG''; ), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1983 to circa 2010. The public ...

'' Best Writer of the Year * 2003 ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' Best Writer of the Year * 2004 ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' Best Writer of the Year * 2005 E3's People's Choice Award for Activision's ''

'' * 2010 Inkpot Award

Nominations

* 2001 Eisner Award for Best Limited Series (for ''Fortune & Glory'') * 2001 Eisner Award for Best Humor Publication (for ''Fortune & Glory'') * 2001 Eisner Award for Best Writer (for ''Powers'', ''Fortune & Glory'' and ''

'') * 2003 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story (with

for "Out"; '' Daredevil'' #32–37)

Bibliography

References

External links

*
Jinxworld
Bendis's now-defunct message board * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bendis, Brian Michael 1967 births Cleveland Institute of Art alumni Eisner Award winners for Best Writer Eisner Award winners for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition Inkpot Award winners Jewish American writers Living people Marvel Comics writers University of Oregon faculty Writers from Cleveland Writers from Portland, Oregon People from University Heights, Ohio 20th-century American writers 21st-century American writers