Paul McClaran Dini (; born August 7, 1957) is an American writer, animator, and comic book artist. He has served as a producer and writer for several

Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. (abbreviated as WBA) is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation divis ...

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

, most notably '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995), and the subsequent

DC Animated Universe The DC Animated Universe (DCAU, also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans) is a Shared universe, shared fictional universe based on DC Comics properties and media franchise produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It began with ''Batman ...

. Dini and

Bruce Timm Bruce Walter Timm (born February 5, 1961) is an American artist, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known for contributing to building the modern DC Comics animated franchise, most notably as the head producer behind '' Batman: ...

co-created the characters

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

and

Terry McGinnis Terrence "Terry" McGinnis Wayne, also known as Batman Beyond or Batman of the Future after his Batman Beyond, animated television series to distinguish him from his predecessor Batman, Bruce Wayne, is a superhero appearing in media (communicati ...

. Dini began writing on ''

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' (often referred to simply as ''He-Man'') is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's toy line ''Masters of the Universe''. The show was one of the most popular an ...

'' for

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company founded by Lou Scheimer, Hal Sutherland and Norm Prescott in 1962, before closing by Group W Productions on February 3, 1989. Located in Reseda, California, Filmation produced animated ...

(1983-1984) Then later for

on ''

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It originally aired from September 14, 1990 to December 6, 1992, airing in syndication before eventually settling a ...

''. In addition to ''Batman: The Animated Series'', Dini was a writer for '' Superman: The Animated Series'' (1996–2000), writer and co-creator for ''

The New Batman Adventures ''The New Batman Adventures'' (often shortened as ''TNBA'') is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, which aired on Kids' WB from September 13, 1997 to January 16, 1999. Produced by Warner Br ...

'' (1997–1999), and writer and developer for ''

Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (also known as ''Batman of the Future'' in Europe) is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, and serving as the sequel to both '' Batman: The Animated Series'' and '' The New Ba ...

'' (1999–2001). He also co-created ''

Freakazoid! ''Freakazoid!'' is an American superhero comedy animated television series created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini and developed by Tom Ruegger for the Kids' WB programming block of The WB. The series chronicles the adventures of the title char ...

'' (1995–1997) with Timm, produced ''

Duck Dodgers Duck Dodgers is the star of a series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros., featuring Daffy Duck in the role of a science fiction hero. He first appeared in the 1953 cartoon short '' Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century'', directed by Chuck Jone ...

'' (2003–2005), developed and scripted ''

Krypto the Superdog ''Krypto the Superdog'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on Superman's canine companion Krypto, which premiered on Cartoon Network on March 25, 2005 (exactly 50 years after his comic debut), a ...

'' (2005–2006). After leaving Warner Bros. Animation in early 2004, Dini went on to write and story edit the first season of the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

adventure series '' Lost''. Dini wrote the storylines for the '' Batman: Arkham Asylum'' and '' Batman: Arkham City'' video games. In 2010, he created the live action drama series ''

Tower Prep ''Tower Prep'' is a teen science-fiction television series created for Cartoon Network by Paul Dini, who is known for previously writing and producing series in the DC Animated Universe. From October 12 to December 28, 2010, the series aired one ...

'' for

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

. He has written a number of comic books for

. Dini and Timm collaborated on '' The Batman Adventures: Mad Love'', which won the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

for Best Single Story in 1994. Dini and illustrator

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book creator, comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which ...

created the

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

s '' Superman: Peace on Earth'', '' Batman: War on Crime'', ''

Shazam! Power of Hope ''Shazam! Power of Hope'' is a 64-page DC Treasury prestige format graphic novel published by DC Comics in November 2000. Written by Paul Dini with painted art by Alex Ross, ''Shazam!: Power of Hope'' is a tale of a superhero using his powers in ...

'', and '' Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth''. His original creations include

Jingle Belle Jingle Belle is a fictional comics character created by Paul Dini. The spoiled teenage daughter of Santa Claus, she has a humorously contentious relationship with her famous father. She is usually motivated by feeling unappreciated or being jealou ...

, Sheriff Ida Red, and

Madame Mirage Madame Mirage is a fictional character, a superheroine from American comics publisher Top Cow Productions. She was created by Paul Dini. Overview Murder, intrigue, and revenge with superpowers: the story of Madame Mirage takes place in a world wher ...

Early life

Paul Dini was born on August 7, 1957 in New York City to Patricia (McClaran) and Robert Dini, an advertising executive. He is of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

descent through his father. Dini attended

Stevenson School Stevenson School (also known as Robert Louis Stevenson School and abbreviated as RLS) is a coeducational, private school for boarding and day students in preschool through 12th grade. Its high school campus is in Pebble Beach, California, while ...

Pebble Beach Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California, United States. The small coastal residential community of mostly single-family homes is also notable as a resort destination, and the home of ...

, California on an art scholarship. He attended

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It also maintains campuses in Los Angeles and Well, Limburg, Netherlands (Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of Public Speaking, o ...

in Boston, where he earned a BFA degree in

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes beyond the boundaries of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on craft and technique, such as narrative structure, character ...

. During college, he began doing

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

animation scripts for

, and a number of other studios. In 1984, he was hired to work for

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

on several of his animation projects. Dini later returned to the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' universe in 2007 to script several episodes of '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars''.

Career

1980s

Dini wrote episodes for the 1983–1985 animated TV series, ''

'', as well as contributing to interviews on the released box sets of the series. He wrote an episode for the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

'' cartoon in 1983, an episode of the Generation One ''

Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...

'' cartoon series, "The Dweller in The Depths," an episode of the 1985 ''

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), A ...

'' cartoon called "Jungle Trap", and contributed to various episodes of the '' Star Wars: Ewoks'' animated series, several of which included rare appearances from the

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

1990s

In 1989, Dini was hired at

to work on ''

''. Later, he moved on to '' Batman: The Animated Series'', where he worked as a writer, producer and editor, later working on '' Superman: The Animated Series'', ''

'', and ''

''. Dini was the writer for the episode " Heart of Ice", which redefined

Mr. Freeze Mr. Freeze is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Dave Wood and artists Sheldon Moldoff and Bob Kane, the character initially debuted in ''Batman'' #121 (February 1959) as Mr. ...

as a tragic character and won a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program. He continued working with WB animation, working on a number of internal projects, including ''

'' and ''

'', until 2004. In 1989 and 1990, he contributed scripts to the live-action television horror anthology series ''

Monsters A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

'': " One Wolf's Family" and " Talk Nice to Me". Along with

, he created the animated series ''

''. He has earned five

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

awards for his animation work. In a related effort, Dini was the co-author with

Chip Kidd Charles Kidd (born 1964) is an American graphic designer known for Cover art, book covers. Early childhood Born in Shillington, Pennsylvania, Shillington in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Kidd grew up being fascinated and heavily inspired by Am ...

of ''

Batman Animated ''Batman Animated'' is a coffee table book written by Paul Dini and designed by Chip Kidd, about the popular TV show '' Batman: The Animated Series''. It was first published in a hardcover edition in 1998 by Titan Books. A paperback edition of th ...

'', a 1998 non-fiction coffee table book about the animated Batman franchise. Dini and

introduced

in ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as her first appearance was the episode "Joker's Favor" and in 1994, they adapted the character into comics in '' The Batman Adventures: Mad Love'' one-shot. In 1994, Dini and Timm won both the

for Best Single Story and the

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...

for Best Single Issue or Story for ''Mad Love''. Dini won the same Eisner prize the next year as well, for ''Batman Adventures Holiday Special'', (a one-shot with several Christmas-themed stories) with Timm,

Ronnie del Carmen Ronaldo del Carmen (born December 31, 1959) is a Filipino writer, director, storyboard artist, illustrator, and voice actor. He co-directed and co-wrote the story for the Pixar film '' Inside Out'' (2015), for which he was nominated for an Acad ...

, and others. Harley Quinn was integrated into the mainstream DC Comics continuity in the ''Batman: Harley Quinn'' one-shot published in 1999. In ''Batman Beyond'', Dini and Timm co-created

, the teenage Batman of the future, and his supporting cast. Dini has written several comics stories for DC Comics, including an oversized

series illustrated by painter

featuring

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

('' Superman: Peace on Earth''),

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

('' Batman: War on Crime''), Shazam (''

''),

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

('' Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth''), and the

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

(''Secret Origins'' and ''Liberty and Justice''). A hardcover collection of the Dini and Ross stories was published in 2005 under the title ''

The World's Greatest Super-Heroes ''The World's Greatest Super-Heroes'' is a hardcover anthology collection of six oversized graphic novels published by DC Comics and created by artist Alex Ross and writer Paul Dini. The collection was released on July 6, 2005. Publication hi ...

''. Among Dini's original creations is

, the rebellious teen-age daughter of

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

2000s

In 2002, Dini created Sheriff Ida Red, the super-powered

cowgirl A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

star of a series of books set in Dini's mythical town of

Mutant, Texas ''Mutant, Texas: Tales of Sheriff Ida Red'' is a four-issue comic book miniseries created and written by Paul Dini and illustrated by J. Bone, published by Oni Press in 2002. The stories take place in a mythical West Texas town changed by a releas ...

. He collaborated with

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...

on '' Clerks: The Animated Series''. He and Bruce Timm collaborated on the ''Harley and

Ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern ...

'' limited series for DC in 2004. Dini became the writer for DC Comics' ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...

'' as of issue #821 (Sept. 2006) and created a new version of the

Ventriloquist Ventriloquism or ventriloquy is an act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) speaks in such a way that it seems like their voice is coming from a different location, usually through a puppet known as a "dummy". The act of ventrilo ...

in #827 (March 2007). While

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...

was starting a seven-year Batman story on the ''Batman'' title composed of long, interlinking arcs, Dini wrote a number of single-issue stories over the following year as well as two crossovers with Morrison's Batman, one focusing on

the resurrection of Ra's al Ghul "The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul" is an eight issue comic book crossover story arc published by the comic book publishing company DC Comics in 2007 and 2008. It involves the return of notable Batman villain Ra's al Ghul, and is his first appeara ...

and another on the return of

Hush Hush may refer to: Film and television Film * ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young * ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow * ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi *''Hush!'', a 2002 film dir ...

. After Morrison's "

Batman R.I.P. Batman R.I.P. is an American comic book story arc published in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #676–681 by DC Comics. Written by Grant Morrison, penciled by Tony Daniel, and with covers by Alex Ross, the story pits the superhero Batman against t ...

" storyline in 2009, creators were moved around titles and Dini started writing two new Batman titles '' Batman: Streets of Gotham'' and ''

Gotham City Sirens ''Gotham City Sirens'' is an American comic book series that was written by Paul Dini with art by Guillem March and published by DC Comics. The term ''Gotham City Sirens'' refers to three of the most popular female villains inhabiting Gotham City ...

''. ''Streets of Gotham'' started and ended with story arcs about Hush while ''Gotham City Sirens'' focused on the women of Gotham; he wrote the bulk of both titles during their existence including the first and last issue of both. In 2006 he announced that he was writing a hardcover graphic novel starring

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara (), known mononymously as Zatanna, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman (comic book), Hawkman'' #4 (N ...

and

Black Canary Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As one of the earliest female superheroes in the DC Comics universe, the character has made numerous appearances in prominent team-up titles, ...

. In 2004, Dini was on the writing staff for the first season of the

adventure series '' Lost''. The ''Lost'' writers were awarded at the 2006 Writers Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Writing for a Dramatic Television Series. The following year he was the head writer of DC's weekly series, ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

''. Dini co-wrote a draft script for the ill-fated ''

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is a Japanese animated media franchise about a five-member superhero ninja team created by Tatsuo Yoshida and produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The original anime series, which debuted in 1972, was eponymously entitled ''Kagaku Ninja-tai Gatc ...

'' movie, which never saw the light of day and resulted in him leaving the project. Dini wrote a series for

Top Cow Productions Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, an imprint of Image Comics. It was founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992. The company is known for publishing titles such as '' Cyberforce'', '' The Darkness'', ''Sunstone, Wanted,'' and '' Witch ...

, based in a character he created,

. In July 2008, Dini started a partnership with

GoAnimate Vyond (formerly known as GoAnimate until 2018; stylized as ''Go!Animate'' until 2013) is an American cloud-based animated video creation platform created by Alvin Hung in 2007 and developed by the San Mateo, California-based GoAnimate, Inc. ...

to launch his Super Rica & Rashy series on the platform. Dini returned to Batman animated adaptations to write the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' episode "Legends of the Dark Mite". In the same episode, he appeared in an animated form wearing Harley Quinn's costume in a comic book convention parody scene, along with Bruce Timm wearing Joker's costume next to him. He would go on to write several additional episodes for the series, including "

Chill of the Night! "Chill of the Night!" is the eleventh episode of the second season of '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', and the 37th episode overall. The plot follows Batman as he comes closer to confronting Joe Chill, the man who killed his parents. Unbekno ...

", the teaser of which contained a team-up between Batman and

, one of Dini's favorite characters. Dini penned the storyline for the

Rocksteady Studios Rocksteady Studios Limited is a British video game developer based in London. Founded on 13 December 2004, the studio is best known for its work in the ''Batman: Arkham'' series. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Games. History Roc ...

video game '' Batman: Arkham Asylum'', released on August 25, 2009. He wrote three episodes of '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'': "Cloak of Darkness," "Holocron Heist," and "Voyage of Temptation." On February 14, 2008, the first edition of Dini's column, "200 Words with Paul Dini" was released on the iFanboy site.

2010s

Dini is the main creator of the live action drama ''

series. On August 4, 2010, it was confirmed that Dini will be involved in Marvel Comics' upcoming animated series ''

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 Ma ...

'', which aired on Disney XD in 2012. He worked on '' Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'', an animated series centered around the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

and his supporting cast. Dini worked with Rocksteady studios once again to create '' Batman: Arkham City'', which was a sequel to '' Batman: Arkham Asylum''. He wrote a five-issue comic series set in the game continuity. A building in Arkham City is named Dini Towers in tribute. He did not write the storyline of the third Rocksteady game in the series, '' Batman: Arkham Knight'', due to the company not wanting to hire freelance writers for future games. Dini wrote the script for ''Bloodspell'', an original graphic novel starring

and

. He also performed rewrites on Disney's

dark fantasy Dark fantasy, also called fantasy horror, is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporates disturbing and frightening themes. The term is ambiguously used to describe stories that combine horror fiction, horror ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

Maleficent Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who first appears in Walt Disney Productions' animated film, ''Sleeping Beauty (1959 film), Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). Maleficent is the self-proclaimed "Dark lord, Mistress of All Evil" based on the Wic ...

''. His graphic novel '' Dark Night: A True Batman Story'', based on a mugging he experienced in 1993, was published in June 2016. Dini wrote the "Actionland!" chapter in ''Action Comics'' #1000 (June 2018) which was drawn by

José Luis García-López José Luis García-López (born March 26, 1948) is a Spanish people, Spanish-Argentines, Argentine comics artist who works in the United States, particularly in a long-running relationship with DC Comics. In addition to his storytelling art, he pr ...

and

Kevin Nowlan Kevin Nowlan (born 1958) is an American comics artist who works as a penciler, inker, colorist, and letterer. He has been called "one of the few artists who can be called 'artists's artist'", a master of the various disciplines of comic produc ...

. Paul Dini and his wife, magician

Misty Lee Misty Lee is an American voice actress, comedian and magician. Early life Misty Lee was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan, and spent most of her childhood in Detroit, which she credits as inspiration for her unique sense of humor and interest in ...

, created an online interview feature called "Monkey Talk" on

's website,

Quick Stop Entertainment Fred Entertainment (formerly Movie Poop Shoot and later Quick Stop Entertainment) is a pop-culture website. The site was founded as Movie Poop Shoot by director Kevin Smith to promote the 2001 movie '' Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back''. The site se ...

.com. Dini and Misty Lee appeared on Ken Reid's ''TV Guidance Counselor'' podcast on April 6, 2016.

2020s

In September 2020,

announced that Dini would be among the creators of a revived ''Batman: Black and White'' anthology series to debut on December 8, 2020. Dini wrote the prequel to ''

Scoob! ''Scoob!'' is a 2020 American animated mystery comedy film produced by Warner Animation Group, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is a reboot of the theatrical'' Scooby-Doo'' film series and the third theatrical film based on the ...

'', ''Scoob! Holiday Haunt'', set to release through

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

. It was canceled in August 2022 by

Warner Bros. Discovery Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Outline of entertainment, entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It was formed from WarnerMedi ...

Personal life

Dini and his wife

, a magician and voiceover actress, live in Los Angeles. Their two

Boston terrier The Boston Terrier is a breed of dog originating in the United States of America. This "American Gentleman" was accepted in 1893 by the American Kennel Club as a non-sporting breed. Boston Terriers are small and compact with a short tail and ere ...

s, Mugsy and Deuce, were featured in "Anger Management", a 2012 episode of '' The Dog Whisperer'', in which they sought

Cesar Millan César Felipe Millán Favela ( , ; born August 27, 1969) is a Mexican-American dog trainer. His television series '' Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan'' was produced from 2004 to 2012 and has been broadcast in more than 80 countries worldwide. ...

's help with their dogs' behavioral problems. Around this time, Dini began an extensive weight loss and exercise regimen which combined dog obedience training.

Screenwriting credits

Television

Head writer credits are denoted by HW *''

The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle %26 Jeckle ''The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle'' is a 1979–1980 animated television series featuring newly produced Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle cartoons. The series was produced by Filmation, and aired from 1979 to 1980 on CBS ...

'' (1979) *''

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' is an American animated series created by the Filmation studio for Saturday mornings on CBS, starting in 1976. This was the first animated series about the jungle hero. There are 36 episodes produced over four seas ...

'' (1979) *''

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids ''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'' (often referred to simply as ''Fat Albert'') is an educational American animated television series created, produced, and hosted (in live action bookends) by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a nu ...

'' (1980) *''

Sport Billy ''Sport Billy'' is an animated television series produced in 1980 by Filmation in the United States based on a German comic book created by Rolf Deyhle in 1977, whose eponymous hero is a boy who promotes sportsmanship. A single 26-episode season ...

'' (1980) *''

The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! ''The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!'' is an NBC Saturday-morning cartoon produced by Filmation, Filmation Studios in 1981. The half-hour show included two cartoon stories, with a variety of live-action wraparound segments. ''Hero High'' feat ...

'' (1981–1982) *''

Gilligan%27s Planet ''Gilligan's Planet'' is an American Saturday morning animated series produced by Filmation and MGM/UA Television which aired during the 1982–1983 season on CBS. It was the second animated spin-off of the sitcom ''Gilligan's Island'' (the fir ...

'' (1982) *''

The Gary Coleman Show ''The Gary Coleman Show'' is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired on NBC during the 1982–1983 season. The series featured Gary Coleman as the voice of Andy LeBeau, an apprent ...

'' (1982) *''

'' (1983) *''

Mister T Laurence T (born Laurence Tureaud; May 21, 1952), known professionally as Mr. T, is an American actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series ''The A-Team'' and as boxer Cl ...

'' (1983) *''

Saturday Supercade ''Saturday Supercade'' is an American animated television series produced for Saturday mornings by Ruby-Spears Productions. It ran for two seasons on CBS. The show is an anthology series comprising four 11-minute segments based on different vi ...

'' (1983) *''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...

'' (1983) *''

'' (1983–1984) *''

The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show ''The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show'', known as ''The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries'' for its second season, is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and the sixth incarnation of the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. ...

'' (1984) *'' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' (1985) *'' Star Wars: Droids'' (1985) *''

Ewoks The Ewoks (singular: Ewok) are a fictional species of small, furry, mammaloid, bipeds in the ''Star Wars'' universe. They inhabit the forest moon of Endor and live in arboreal huts and other simple dwellings, being seen as primitive in comp ...

'' (1986) HW *''

The Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...

'' (1986) *'' Jem'' (1987) *''

Pound Puppies Pound Puppies is a toy line that was created by Tonka in the 1980s. It later inspired an animated TV special, two animated TV series, and a feature film. Shipments of the toys over five years generated sales of $300 million in 35 countries. The ...

'' (1987) *''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...

'' (1987) *''

Garbage Pail Kids ''Garbage Pail Kids'' is a series of sticker trading cards produced by the Topps Company, originally released in 1985 and designed to parody the '' Cabbage Patch Kids'' dolls, which were popular at the time. Each sticker card features a Garba ...

'' (1988) *''

The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil ''The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil'' is an American animated series. Produced by DIC Entertainment, DIC Animation City, It is a revival of Bob Clampett's ''Beany and Cecil''. Five half-hour episodes aired out of the thirteen in production du ...

'' (1988) HW *'' Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures'' (1990) *''

'' (1990) *''

'' (1990–1992, 1995) *'' Cap%27n O. G. Readmore'' (1992) *'' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995) HW *''

Taz-Mania ''Taz-Mania'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation from 1991 to 1995, broadcast in the United States on Fox Kids where it stars the Tasmanian Devil. Similar to other Warner Bros. cartoons of its time, such as ''An ...

'' (1993) *''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American Animated series, animated Comedy television, comedy Musical film, musical television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation. It originally aired on Fox Broadcasting Company ...

'' (1994) *''

'' (1995) *'' Superman: The Animated Series'' (1996–2000) HW *''

'' (1997–1999) HW *''

'' (1999–2001) HW *'' Clerks: The Animated Series'' (2000) *''

'' (2003) *''

Static Shock ''Static Shock'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the WB Television Network's Kids' WB programming block. ''Static Shock'' ran ...

'' (2003) *''

'' (2003–2005) HW *'' Lost'' (2004) *''

Ozzy %26 Drix ''Ozzy & Drix'' is an American animated television series based on the 2001 film ''Osmosis Jones''. It centers on Osmosis "Ozzy" Jones, a cheeky-chappy white blood cell, and Drix, a level-headed cold pill, who battle germs and viruses inside the ...

'' (2004) *''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'' (2004) *''

'' (2005–2006) HW *'' The Batman'' (2007) *'' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008–2010) *'' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' (2009–2011) *''

Sym-Bionic Titan ''Sym-Bionic Titan'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky (in his fourth collaboration with the channel), Bryan Andrews and Paul Rudish for Cartoon Network. The series focuses on a trio consisting of the alien ...

'' (2010) *''

'' (2010) HW *''

'' (2012–2015) HW *'' Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'' (2013–2015) HW *''

New Looney Tunes ''New Looney Tunes'' (originally titled ''Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production'' in the United States, and ''Bugs!'' in some markets for its first season) is an American animated television series from Warner Bros. Animation based on the character ...

'' (2015) *'' Avengers Assemble'' (2016) *''

The 7D ''The 7D'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation, which premiered on Disney XD on July 7, 2014. It is a re-imagining of the title characters from the 1937 film ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' by ...

'' (2016) *''

Justice League Action ''Justice League Action'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero team Justice League. The series is produced by Jim Krieg, Butch Lukic, and Alan Burnett. The show debuted on Cartoon Network UK on N ...

'' (2016–2017) *''

Creepshow ''Creepshow'' is a 1982 American horror comedy anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, making this film his screenwriting debut. The film's ensemble cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, ...

'' (2019, 2021)

Films

*'' Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation'' (1992) *'' Batman: Mask of the Phantasm'' (1993) *''

Double Dragon is a beat 'em up video game series originally developed and published by Technōs Japan. It began with the release of the arcade game '' Double Dragon'' in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight again ...

'' (1994) *'' Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'' (2000) *''

Chase Me ''Chase Me'' is a 2003 American animated superhero short film based on '' The New Batman Adventures'' (1997-1999). The film was released as a bonus feature on the DVD for '' Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman'' in the U.S. on October 21, 2003, ...

'' (2003) *''

Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo ''Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo'' is a 2010 direct-to-DVD animated comedy horror mystery fantasy film, and the fourteenth entry in a series of direct-to-video animated films based upon the ''Scooby-Doo'' Saturday morning cartoons. The film is d ...

'' (2010) *'' DC Showcase: Catwoman'' (2011) *'' Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Scarecrow'' (2013) *''

Tom and Jerry%27s Giant Adventure Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name. Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tom'' (1973 film), or ''The Bad Bunch'', a blaxploitation film * ''Tom'' (2002 film) ...

'' (2013) *''

'' (2014) (uncredited revisions) *'' Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz'' (2016) *'' Scoob! Holiday Haunt'' (n/a)

Bibliography

Bongo Comics

* ''Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror'' #2, 9 (1996, 2003) * ''

Simpsons Comics The following is a list of comic book series published by Bongo Comics based on the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. The first comic strips based on ''The Simpsons'' appeared in 1991 in the magazine ''Simpsons Illustrated'' (n ...

'' #52, 193 (2000, 2012) * ''Simpsons Comics Winter Wingding'' #1, 3 (2006, 2008)

Dark Horse

* ''

'' vol.2 #1–4 (2004–2005) * ''Jingle Belle: The Fight Before Christmas'' (2005) * ''The Bakers Meet Jingle Belle'' (2006)

DC Comics

* ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' #900, 975, 1000 (2017–2018) * ''

Adventures in the DC Universe While Batman and Superman had their own animated series and comic book follow-ups, the rest of the characters in the appeared in the following comics often. ''The Batman Adventures'' ''The Batman Adventures'' was created as a comic book tie-in ...

'' #3 backup story (1997) * ''Batgirl Adventures'' #1 (1998) * ''Batgirl'' #25 (2018) * ''

'' vol.1 #685 (2009), vol.3 Annual #1 (2016) * '' Batman: Arkham City'' #1–4, 6–7 igital #1–5

rint C mathematical operations are a group of functions in the standard library of the C programming language implementing basic mathematical functions. Different C standards provide different, albeit backwards-compatible, sets of functions. Most of t ...

(2011) * ''Batman: Arkham Unhinged'' #4 (2012) * ''

Batman Black and White ''Batman Black and White'' refers to the comic book limited series published by DC Comics featuring 8-page black and white Batman stories. Volumes 1, 4 and 5 of the series feature all-new stories (published in 1996, 2013–14, and 2020–21, respe ...

'' vol. 2 (2002), vol. 4 #3 (2014), vol. 5 # 1 (2020) * '' Batman: Gotham Knights'' #14 backup story (2001) * ''Batman: Harley and Ivy'' #1–3 (2004) * ''Batman: Harley Quinn'' #1 (1999) * ''Batman: Mr. Freeze'' #1 (1998) * '' Batman: Streets of Gotham'' #1–4, 7, 10–14, 16–21 (2009–2011) * '' Batman: The Adventures Continue'' #1–17 igital #1–8

(2020–2021) * '' Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Two'' #1–7 (2021–2022) * '' Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Three'' #1–8 (2023) * '' Batman: War on Crime'' (1999) * ''

The Batman Adventures ''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman, set in the universe of Batman: The Animated Series and its successors. Overview ''The Batman Adventures'' was created to tie-in with the '' Batman: The Animated Series' ...

'' Annual 1–2, ''Holiday Special'', ''

Mad Love __NOTOC__ Mad Love may refer to: Books *''Mad Love'' (French ''L'amour fou''), collection of poems by André Breton *'' The Batman Adventures: Mad Love'', an Eisner and Harvey award-winning comic by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm * Mad Love (publisher), ...

'' (1994–1995) * ''The Batman and Robin Adventures'' #1–3, 8, 17, Annual 1 (1995–1997) * ''Batman and Superman Adventures: World's Finest'' (1997) * ''Bizarro World'' (2005) * ''Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell'' (2015) * "Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular" #1 (2020) * ''

Countdown to Final Crisis ''Countdown'', also known as ''Countdown to Final Crisis'' for its last 24 issues based on the cover, was a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series published by DC Comics. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of ...

'' #51–1 (2007–2008) * '' Dark Night: A True Batman Story'' (2016) * "DC's Beach Blanket Bad Guys Summer Special" #1 (2018) * ''DC Infinite Halloween Special'' #1 (2007) * ''DC Nuclear Winter Special'' #1 (2018) * ''DC Rebirth Holiday Special'' #1 (2016) * ''DCU Holiday Special'' #1 (2009) * ''

'' #821–828, 831, 833–834, 837–841, 843–850, 852, 1000 (2006–2009, 2019) * ''

'' #1–2, 4–7, 9–11 (2009–2010) * "Harley Quinn 25th Anniversary Special" #1 (2017) * "Harley Quinn 30th Anniversary Special" #1 (2022) * ''Harley Loves Joker'' #1–2 (2018) * ''Harley Quinn'' vol.3 #17–25 backup story (2017) * '' JLA: Liberty and Justice'' (2003) * ''JLA: Secret Origins'' (2002) * "The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular" #1 (2020) * "Secrets of Sinister House" #1 (2019) * ''

'' (2000) * '' Superman: Peace on Earth'' (1998) * '' Superman Adventures'' #1 (1996) * "Tis the Season to Be Freezin'" #1 (2021) * "Krypto the Superdog" #1 (2006) * "Spirit" #9 (2010) * ''Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth'' (2001) * ''Young Monsters in Love'' (2018) * ''Zatanna'' #1–6, 8–11, 13 (2010–2011) * ''Zatanna: Everyday Magic'' (2003)

DC Comics/Archie Comics

* '' Harley & Ivy Meet Betty & Veronica'' #1–6 (2017–2018)

Eclipse Comics

* ''Elvira, Mistress of the Dark'' #1, 8, 61 (1993, 1998)

Image Comics

* ''Jingle Belle: Santa Claus vs. Frankenstein'' (2008) * ''

'' #1–6 (2007–2008) * ''Top Cow Holiday Special/Jingle Belle: Grounded'' (2010) * ''Witchblade Animated'' #1 (2003)

Marvel Comics

* ''Captain America: Red, White, & Blue'' (2002)

Oni Press

* ''Jingle Belle'' #1–2 (1999) * ''Jingle Belle: Jubilee'' (2001) * ''Jingle Belle: The Mighty Elves'' (2001) * ''Jingle Belle: Winter Wingding'' (2002) * ''Jingle Belle's All-Star Holiday Hullabaloo'' (2000) * '' Mutant, Texas: Tales of Sheriff Ida Red'' #1–4 (2002) * ''Oni Double Feature'' #13 (1999) * ''Oni Press Summer Vacation Supercolor Fun Special'' (2000)

Awards

* Two

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

nominations as part of the creation team: ** 1995, Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) ** 1991, Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) * Won seven comics industry Eisner Awards and two Harvey Awards. ** Eisner and

in 1994 for '' The Batman Adventures: Mad Love''; an Eisner for ''Batman Adventures Holiday Special'' in 1995, a Harvey for ''Batman: War on Crime'' in 2000. * He received the Writer's Guild Animation Writing award in 1999, and a second WGA award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing for a Dramatic Television Series in 2006 as a member of the writing team for '' Lost''. * Five-time nominee of the animation industry's

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origina ...

s. *

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at Comic-Con Internati ...

in 2013.

References

External links

Paul Dini's Website

Paul Dini's Blog
* *
Paul Dini
at ComicVine.com
Paul Dini
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
Paul Dini
interviewed on nerdist.com podcast, July 2016 ()
''Write Now!'' issue 4 (June 2003) and issue 5 (July 2003), TwoMorrows Publishing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dini, Paul 1957 births 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century American screenwriters American comics writers American male bloggers American bloggers American male screenwriters American male television writers American writers of Italian descent Annie Award winners DC Comics people Emerson College alumni Inkpot Award winners Living people Screenwriters from New York (state) Television producers from New York City Writers from New York City Writers Guild of America Award winners