John Jackson Miller (born January 12, 1968) is an American science-fiction author,
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 commentator, known for his work on the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' franchise and his research into comic book circulation history, as presented in the
Standard Catalog of Comic Books
The ''Standard Catalog of Comic Books'' is the world's largest book about comic books. A joint production of the team behind ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' magazine and the CD-ROM program ComicBase, the first edition was released in 2002 from Krause Pub ...
series and the Comichron website.
Early life
Miller attended high school with
Nerdist
Nerdist Industries, LLC is part of the digital division of Legendary Entertainment. Nerdist Industries was founded as a sole podcast (The Nerdist Podcast) created by Chris Hardwick but later spread to include a network of podcasts, a premium conte ...
founder and entertainer
Chris Hardwick
Christopher Ryan Hardwick (born November 23, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosts ''Talking Dead'', an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series '' The ...
.
Career
A collector of comics and publisher of mini-comics since childhood, Miller began as editor of the trade magazine ''Comics Retailer'' in 1993. Following the introduction of ''
Magic: The Gathering
''Magic: The Gathering'' (colloquially known as ''Magic'' or ''MTG'') is a Tabletop game, tabletop and Digital collectible card game, digital Collectible card game, collectable card game created by Richard Garfield. Released in 1993 by Wizards ...
'', he added games to its coverage, changing the title to ''
Comics & Games Retailer'' in 2001. In 1998, Miller was appointed managing editor of ''
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 ...
''.
His first professional comics work appeared in 2003 in
Crimson Dynamo
Crimson Dynamo (Russian: Багровое Динамо, '; also Красное Динамо (Krasnoe Dinamo)) is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics who have all been powered armo ...
for
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 ...
, which led to a run on
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
(#73/418 – 85/430). He writes a regular column called ''Longbox Manifesto'' for regular comics magazine ''
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 ...
''. In 2007, he launched
Comichron
John Jackson Miller (born January 12, 1968) is an American science-fiction author, comic book writer, and commentator, known for his work on the '' Star Wars'' franchise and his research into comic book circulation history, as presented in the S ...
, a website devoted to comic-book circulation history and research. Miller was hired as a writer for the video game ''
Sword of the New World''. In early 2008, he launched a fantasy
webcomic
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books.
Webcomics can be co ...
with artist Chuck Fiala called ''Sword & Sarcasm''.
In 2008, he wrote the
Dark Horse
A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might.
Origin
Th ...
comic-book adaptation of
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' is a 2008 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and the fourth installment in the ''Indiana Jones'' series. Released and taking place 19 years after the previous ...
. In 2009, he was announced as the scripter for ''Mass Effect: Redemption'', the first comic-book series based on the video game
Mass Effect
''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn and Preston Watamaniuk. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the known univers ...
, launching in January 2010.
In 2013 he wrote his first novel in a non-licensed universe, ''Overdraft: The Orion Offensive'', for 47North. The work was originally released over several weeks as a Kindle Serial.
''Star Wars'' work
In 2005, Miller wrote a one-shot issue of ''
Star Wars: Empire'' for
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 ...
, featuring
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
as the main character. Next year, as part of Dark Horse relaunching their
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
comic line, Miller started writing the ongoing ''
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' comic series, a spin-off prequel of the
video game of the same name. The series proved a major success among fans and lasted for 50 issues, before coming to a conclusion in 2010. In August 2008,
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...
released a ''Knights of the Old Republic'' guidebook for its
Star Wars Roleplaying Game, which Miller co-wrote.
In 2010 Miller began writing the ''
Star Wars: Knight Errant'' comic series. Following Dark Horse changing the format of their series, it is not ongoing, but instead published as independent story arcs, separated from each other by several months. A ''Knight Errant'' novel was released in early 2011 by
Del Rey, taking place between the first and second arcs of the comic series – this was Miller's first professional novel.
In October 2012, Del Rey announced that Miller would write ''Star Wars: Kenobi'', a novel about
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
's life on Tatooine. The book was released on August 27, 2013 in hardcover, and debuted at #12 on the ''New York Times'' hardcover bestseller list. Miller subsequently wrote ''
Star Wars: A New Dawn'', which was published in 2014, a prequel to the animated television series ''
Star Wars Rebels
''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animation, 3D animated science fiction on television, science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place over a decade after ''Episode ...
'',
which premiered on
Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years ...
in fall the same year. It was the first novel of the
new canon that replaced what is now known as ''
Star Wars Legends
''Star Wars'' has been expanded to media other than the original films. This spin-off material is licensed and moderated by Lucasfilm, though during his involvement with the franchise ''Star Wars'' creator George Lucas reserved the right to bot ...
''. Miller also wrote the short story "The Ride", part of the short story collection ''Canto Bight'' that was released in December 2017 as part of a marketing program for the movie ''
Star Wars: The Last Jedi''.
Partial bibliography
*''
Star Trek: Titan: Absent Enemies'' (Pocket Books, 2014)
*''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
: Prey: Hell's Heart'' (Pocket Books, 2016)
*''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
: Prey: The Jackal's Trick'' (Pocket Books, 2016)
*''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
: Prey: The Hall of Heroes'' (Pocket Books, 2016)
*''
Star Trek: Discovery: The Enterprise War'' (Pocket Books, 2019)
References
External links
*
*
Miller's Star Wars blogComichronStandard Catalog of Comic BooksScrye magazineInterview with John Jackson Millerwit
The Legion of Dudesabout ''Knights of the Old Republic''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, John Jackson
1968 births
comics critics
living people
place of birth missing (living people)