Merge:Mark Millar

Mark Millar (born December 24 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer born in Coatbridge. A resident of Glasgow, Scotland, his most known works include The Authority, Ultimate X-Men and The Ultimates.

1990s
Millar was inspired to become a comic writer after meeting Alan Moore at a signing session at AKA Books and Comics in the mid 1980s. However it wasn't until experiencing financial problems after his parents died that he decided to drop out of university and take up writing professionally.

His first job as a professional comic book writer was with Trident Comics in 1990, writing Saviour with Daniel Vallely providing art. Saviour proved to be one of Trident Comics most popular titles. It provided a mix of postmodernist storytelling, religion, satire and superhero action Millar later became known for.

During the early 1990s, Millar worked on titles such as 2000 AD, Sonic the Comic and Crisis. In 1993, Millar, Grant Morrison and John Smith created a controversial eight-week run on 2000 AD called The Summer Offensive. It was during this run that Millar and Morrison wrote their first major story together, the highly controversial strip Big Dave.

Millar's British work brought him to the attention of DC Comics, and in 1994 he started working on his first American comic, Swamp Thing. The first four issues of Millar's run were co-written by Grant Morrison allowing Millar to settle into the title. Although his work brought critical acclaim to the ailing title, the book was cancelled at the end of his run.

2000 onwards
In 2000 Millar received his big break by replacing Warren Ellis on The Authority for DC's Wildstorm imprint. Keeping the so-called "widescreen" aspects of Ellis's title, Millar and artist Frank Quitely added a more polemic style to the story and took the book to new heights, increasing sales and gathering many awards at home and abroad.

The title was a huge hit for Millar and Wildstorm but suffered from self-censorship from DC, which caused friction between Millar and Warner Bros, especially DC publisher Paul Levitz. After the events of 9/11, DC became more sensitive to violence and scenes of destruction in titles such as The Authority. With shipping delays and artwork alterations, Millar became increasingly frustrated by DC's objections to his polemic style and story content on the title. As a result, he resigned from DC in 2001. His Superman: Red Son story was printed shortly after his departure. During his sabbatical in late 2005, he mended his fences with Levitz & DC comics.

During 2001 Millar launched Ultimate X-Men for Marvel Comics Ultimate imprint. This imprint was created to make popular Marvel characters more accessible to new readers by rebooting them, erasing their often decades-long histories and starting from scratch.

Millar further expanded the Ultimate line in 2002 with The Ultimates, the Ultimate version of Marvel's The Avengers title. This book proved even more successful than Ultimate X-Men outselling it from the very first issue.

Millar earned a reputation as an often controversial writer. The title Trouble provided just such controversy with its depictions of teenage sex and its suggestions that the characters in the title were younger versions of Spider-Man characters such as May Parker. Trouble was originally considered by Marvel's editorial group as the possible origin of Spider-Man, but after the book was not received very well by many comic book fans the story was declared not "official" Marvel continuity.

Millar left Ultimate X-Men and wrote Marvel Knights Spider-Man in 2004, as well a run on Wolverine with artist John Romita Jr.. He wrote the first six issues of Ultimate Fantastic Four with Brian Michael Bendis. After the arcs by Warren Ellis and Mike Carey, Millar returned to Ultimate Fantastic Four and has taken the book back to the top of the charts.

In a 2005 interview with BBC Radio Scotland, Millar discussed his "dream project," teaming up with top science fiction and comic book writers to create a 21st century version of Karl Marx's book Das Kapital, with each writer tackling a different aspect of modern life. Millar said that his personal pick would be the educational system.

In 2006, Millar, joined by artist Steve McNiven, began writing Marvel's summer crossover Civil War. This maxi-series has become the biggest success of Millar's career with sales exceeding any Marvel comic since the speculator boom of the early 1990s. As a result, Millar extended his exclusive contract with Marvel to mid-2008.

Millarworld
In 2004, amid a customary storm of self-publicity, Millar launched a creator-owned line called Millarworld that was published simultaneously by four different, competing comic book companies. One book, The Unfunnies, published by Avatar Comics has not yet been completed, apparently due to legal delays. Wanted, published by Top Cow, with artist J.G. Jones is now in production as a motion picture. Chosen, published by Dark Horse, was an updating of Millar's Saviour. A fourth planned Millarworld title, Run, to be released through Image Central with slated artist Ashley Wood, was never released. The writer has hinted that another Millarworld title will be published once his other commitments are up to date.

As of 2005, Millar had gained mainstream attention for a variety of publicity-themed antics including a lost bet for US$5,000 with Harry Knowles regarding the casting of the lead actor in the next Superman movie (a huge publicity stunt to promote his run on Wolverine), and an attempt to talk Eminem into starring in a leading role in the movie version of Wanted that resulted in a strong rebuke from Eminem's management.

Millar announced 1st November 2005 he would be taking a six-month sabbatical from comics work to rest up after being diagnosed with Crohn's Disease while in America. Future plans include a second set of titles under the Millarworld banner. He has also stated that The Unfunnies will be completed, along with a re-release of the first two issues.

Writer profile
Mark Millar is one of the most popular writers in modern comics, though he remains a controversial figure. His fans praise him for clever, provocative and edgy plots, which often have a social undercurrent, while his detractors point to an overuse of shock tactics and a tendency towards polemicism. He is also praised for his ability to inject new life into preexisting characters, such as those featured in The Authority, Ultimates, Ultimate X-Men or Superman. Moreover, Millar is also noted for writing strong practicing homosexual and bisexual characters, such as Apollo, Midnighter, Swift, Jenny Sparks, Ultimate Colossus or the Ultimates version of Jarvis. His detractors have noted his recurring use of gratuitous use of sex and violence and his attraction to big money, high-profile projects.

UK Publishers

 * Insiders (in Crisis # 54-59)
 * Saviour
 * Red Razors Series One (in Judge Dredd Megazine vol.1 #8-15, 1991)
 * Red Razors One-Shots (in Judge Dredd 1992 Special & 1992 Judge Dredd Yearbook, 1991)
 * Big Dave
 * Judge Dredd
 * Sonic the Comic

US publishers
(sorted by year of publication, when available)


 * Skrull Kill Krew


 * Swamp Thing


 * The Flash


 * Superman Adventures


 * DC Tangent: The Superman


 * The Authority #13-20, 22 & 27-29 (Wildstorm). 12-issue run.


 * Jenny Sparks (Wildstorm, 2000). 5-issue miniseries.


 * Ultimate X-Men #1-12, 15-33 & Ultimate War #1-4 (Marvel, 2000-2003). Issues #13-14 were a fill-in 2-issue story written by Chuck Austen.  Ultimate War was published as a separate mini-series, but later collected as Ultimate X-Men Volume 5: Ultimate War TPB.


 * The Ultimates #1-13 (2002-2004) & The Ultimates 2 #1-13 (Marvel). With artist Bryan Hitch.


 * Superman: Red Son (DC, 2003). 3-issue prestige miniseries.


 * Wanted (Image/Top Cow, 2003-2004). 6-issue creator-owned miniseries with artist J.G. Jones


 * Chosen (Dark Horse, 2004). 3-issue creator-owned miniseries.


 * The Unfunnies (Avatar Press, 2004). Unfinished 4-issue miniseries, only the initial issues were published.


 * Ultimate Fantastic Four #1-6 (2003-2004). 6-issue story arc initially co-written with Brian Michael Bendis, who wrote the most part of the later issues of the story.


 * Marvel Knights Spider-Man #1-12 (Marvel, 2004-2005). 12-issue run with artists Terry Dodson (#1-4,6-7 & 9-10) and Frank Cho (#5 & 8).


 * Wolverine #20-32 (2004-2005). 13-issue run with artists John Romita Jr. (#20-31) & Kaare Andrews (#32)


 * Ultimate Fantastic Four #21-32 (2005-2006). 12-issue run with artist Greg Land


 * Civil War #1-7 (2006-2007). With artist Steve McNiven

Stories in 2000 AD

 * "Silo" (in 2000 AD #706-711, 1990)
 * "Robo-Hunter" (in 2000 AD #723-734 & 1991 Sci-Fi Special, 1991)
 * "Robo-Hunter" (in 1992 2000 AD Yearbook & 2000 AD #750-759, 1991)
 * "Tales from Beyond Science" (in 2000 AD #774, 776 & Winter Special #4, 1992)
 * "Robo-Hunter" (in 2000 AD #792-802 & 1993 2000 AD Yearbook, 1992)
 * "Robo-Hunter" (in 2000 AD #813-816, 819-822 & 825-827, 1992-93)
 * "Purgatory" (in 2000 AD # 834-841, 1993)
 * "Tharg's Terror Tales: The Tooth Fairy" (in 2000 AD # 839, 1993)
 * "Maniac 5" (in 2000 AD # 842-849, 1993)
 * "Tharg's Terror Tales: The Uncanny Dr. Doctor" (in 2000 AD # 860, 1993)
 * "The Grudge-Father" (in 2000 AD # 878-883, 1994)
 * "Robo-Hunter" (in 2000 AD #881-884, 1994)
 * "Babe Race 2000" (in 2000 AD # 883-888, 1994)
 * "Tales from Beyond Science: The Man Who Created Space" (in 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special, 1994)
 * "Tharg's Terror Tales: Milk & Honey" (in 2000 AD #895, 1994)
 * "Babe Race 2000" (in 2000 AD 1995 Yearbook, 1994)
 * "Red Razors Series Two" (in 2000 AD #908-917, 1994)
 * "Maniac 5" (in 2000 AD #956-963, 1995)
 * "Red Razors: Rites of Passage" (in 2000 AD #971, 1995)
 * "Janus: Psi-Division" (in 2000 AD #980-984 & 1024-1031, 1996-97)