J. M. DeMatteis
| J. M. DeMatteis | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Marc DeMatteis December 15, 1953 Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer |
| Pseudonym(s) | Michael Ellis[1] Wally Lombego |
John Marc DeMatteis (born December 15, 1953) is an American writer of comic books.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early career
Born in Brooklyn, DeMatteis graduated from Midwood High School[citation needed] and Empire State College[citation needed]. He worked as a music critic before getting his start in comic books at DC Comics in the late 1970s. He contributed to the company's line of horror comics notably with the creation of the Creature Commandos in Weird War Tales #93 (November 1980)[2] and I…Vampire in House of Mystery #290 (March 1981).[3] DeMatteis and artist Brian Bolland produced a backup story titled "Falling Down to Heaven" in Madame Xanadu, DC's first attempt at marketing comics specifically to the "direct market" of fans and collectors.[4] He began writing for Marvel Comics in 1980 on The Defenders, and had a lengthy run on Captain America, paired with penciler Mike Zeck.
[edit] 1980s
In 1987, DeMatteis and Zeck re-teamed for the "Kraven's Last Hunt" arc that ran throughout Marvel's then three Spider-Man titles. DeMatteis and illustrator Jon J. Muth created the graphic novel Moonshadow, for Marvel's Epic line. DeMatteis followed this with Blood: A Tale, a hallucinatory vampire story drawn by Kent Williams, and the 1986 Doctor Strange graphic novel Into Shambhala.
Moving back to DC, DeMatteis succeeded Gerry Conway as writer of the superhero-team title Justice League of America. When that series was cancelled in the wake of the company-wide crossover Legends, DeMatteis stayed through its relaunch as Justice League International, scripting over the plots of Keith Giffen.
JLI took such lesser-known DC characters as Martian Manhunter, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Mister Miracle, Captain Atom, and Power Girl and turned the then-current preoccupation with "grim 'n' gritty" superheroes on its head. The lighthearted series emphasized the absurd aspects of people with strange powers, wearing colorful costumes, volunteering to fight evildoers. While the League had its serious side and often faced world-threatening villains, it also featured such characters as the lovably inept G'Nort, the worst Green Lantern in the Corps; Mr. Nebula, the interplanetary decorator; the Injustice League, a bunch of bumbling losers; and a flock of homicidal penguins who had been hybridized with piranhas.
[edit] 1990s
DeMatteis stayed with JLI for five years, often scripting its spin-offs (such as a Mister Miracle solo title, or a European branch of the Justice League). DeMatteis also contributed tales of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Doctor Fate (reinventing the character in a 1980s miniseries with Keith Giffen, which was followed by a series penciled by Shawn McManus) to DC.
Back at Marvel, DeMatteis again succeeded Conway, this time as writer of The Spectacular Spider-Man in 1991, taking the series in a grimmer, more psychologically oriented direction. In collaboration with regular artist Sal Buscema, DeMatteis' story arc The Child Within (#178-184) featured the return of the Harry Osborn Green Goblin. Spider-Man's battle with the Goblin continued in The Osborn Legacy in #189 and came to an end when Harry died in The Best Of Enemies! (#200).
In the mid-1990s, DeMatteis took over from David Michelinie as writer of The Amazing Spider-Man for a run that included the apparent death of Peter Parker's Aunt May and the beginnings of the "Clone Saga" arc. DeMatteis as well worked on such characters as Doctor Strange, Daredevil, Man-Thing, and the Silver Surfer.
DeMatteis helped launch DC's mature-audience Vertigo imprint, writing the graphic novels Mercy and Farewell, Moonshadow (a sequel to the Epic Comics series), the miniseries The Last One, and the 15-issue series Seekers Into The Mystery, the story of a Hollywood screenwriter on a journey of self-discovery and the search for universal truths.
DeMatteis wrote an autobiographical, digest-sized miniseries Brooklyn Dreams, published by DC's Paradox Press imprint. DeMatteis' most personal work, it was later collected in one volume under the Vertigo imprint.
[edit] 21st century
In the 2000s, DeMatteis redefined the Spectre, through the character of Hal Jordan, as a spirit of redemption rather than of vengeance. DeMatteis co-scripted the "Gods of Gotham" storyline in Wonder Woman #164-166 (Jan-March 2001) with Phil Jimenez.[5] In 2003, with Giffen, he revived the Justice League International for the mini-series Formerly Known as the Justice League. The series won Giffen, DeMatteis and artist Kevin Maguire an Eisner Award.[6] The team followed this with "I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League" arc in JLA Classified and, at Marvel, a five-issue run of The Defenders. In 2006, DeMatteis and Giffen began work on two original superhero comedy series, Hero Squared and Planetary Brigade for Boom! Studios.[7] DeMatteis teamed with veteran artist Mike Ploog to create the CrossGen fantasy comic Abadazad (May 2004). The following year, Ploog and DeMatteis announced they were collaborating on a five-issue miniseries, Stardust Kid, from the Image Comics imprint Desperado Publishing.[7] The series moved to Boom! Studios in 2006.
The Walt Disney corporation acquired Abadazad for its Hyperion Books for Children imprint.[7] The first two books in the series — Abadazad: The Road to Inconceivable[8] and Abadazad: The Dream Thief[9] — were released June 2006. The third book — Abadazad: The Puppet, The Professor and The Prophet[10] — was released in the United Kingdom in 2007,[citation needed] after which Hyperion canceled the series.[citation needed]
In 2008, DeMatteis became editor-in-chief of Ardden Entertainment, guiding the launch of a new Flash Gordon comic book series. In 2009, he wrote a five-issue comic book limited series, illustrated by Mike Cavallaro, The Life and Times of Savior 28, which was released by IDW Publishing in 2009.[11] He also wrote the Metal Men back-up story in the new Doom Patrol [12][13] and returned to Marvel Comics for a number of new Spider-Man stories. In 2010, DeMatteis reunited once again with frequent collaborator Keith Giffen for a run on the comic book series Booster Gold.
In June 2010 DeMatteis's children's fantasy novel, Imaginalis, was published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.[14]
[edit] Other media
DeMatteis has also written for television, having scripted episodes of the 1980s incarnation of The Twilight Zone, the syndicated series The Adventures of Superboy and Earth: Final Conflict, as well as for the animated series The Real Ghostbusters, Justice League Unlimited, Legion of Super-Heroes, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Sym-Bionic Titan, and ThunderCats.
Also a musician, DeMatteis released one album in the late 1990s, How Many Lifetimes?.
[edit] Awards
- 2004: Won the "Best Humor Publication" Eisner Award, for Formerly Known as the Justice League, with Keith Giffen, Kevin Maguire, and Josef Rubinstein[6]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Elam, Christopher. "Tales of Michael Ellis & Ted P. Skimmer," Christopher Elam's OWARI (Oct. 14, 2009).
- ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. "A battalion of horror icons created by the U.S. government to aid the American war effort made its debut in an off-beat story by writer J. M. DeMatteis and penciler Pat Broderick."
- ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 193 "Writer J. M. DeMatteis unveiled vampire/vampire hunter Andrew Bennett with the help of artist Tom Sutton in The House of Mystery #290."
- ^ Catron, Michael (June 1981). "DC Taps Fan Market for Madame Xanadu". Amazing Heroes (1): 25. "Madame Xanadu, a 32-page/$1.00 comic that marks DC's first attempt at marketing comics specifically to fans and collectors, went on sale in early April. The book contains a 25-page tale by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers entitled "Dance for Two Demons" and a seven-page fantasy story by J. Marc DeMatteis and Brian Bolland."
- ^ Cowsill, Alan "2000s" in Dolan, p. 298 "The 'Gods of Gotham' storyline marked the start of Phil Jimenez's run on the series as artist and writer (with J. M. DeMatteis on board as co-scripter for the first arc)."
- ^ a b 2004 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
- ^ a b c Talking "Abadazad," "Hero Squared," Music and More with J.M DeMatteis, Comic Book Resources, May 1, 2006
- ^ DeMatteis, J. M.; Ploog, Mike (2006). Abadazad The Road to Inconceivable. Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 142310062X.
- ^ DeMatteis, J. M.; Ploog, Mike (2006). Abadazad: The Dream Thief. Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 1423100646.
- ^ DeMatteis, J. M.; Ploog, Mike (2007). Abadazad The Puppet, the Professor and the Prophet. Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 000723340X.
- ^ Word Balloon: J.M. DeMatteis - Savior 28 and More, Newsarama, March 16, 2009
- ^ J.M. DeMatteis Finds His Inner Magnus on "Doom Patrol", Comic Book Resources, February 18, 2009
- ^ Back to the Shop: J.M. DeMatteis on the Metal Men, Newsarama, April 9, 2009
- ^ DeMatteis, J. M. (2010). Imaginalis. Katherine Tegen Books. ISBN 0061732869.
[edit] References
- J. M. DeMatteis at the Grand Comics Database
- J. M. DeMatteis at the Comic Book DB
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: J. M. DeMatteis |
- Creation Point (DeMatteis' blog)
- J.M. Dematteis on wookieepedia.
[edit] Interviews
- DeMatteis interview, NPR: The Roundtable (August. 2010)
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This section includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2009) |
- Major Spoilers Podcast (April 2009)
- Live Fanboy Radio Interview
- DeMatteis and Mike Ploog interview, NPR: All Things Considered (Sept. 2006)
- Comicsintheclassroom.net (Sept. 2006)
- Word Balloon Podcast (June 2006)
- TheComicFanatic.com (Dec. 2004)
- PopImage (Oct. 2001)
- PopImage (Jan. 2001)
- J.M DeMatteis along with Tom DeFalco Interviewed by Pete of Pete's Basement- 26:40- Time stamp. J.M. talks about his favorite Spidey story.
- J.M DeMatteis along with Mike Cavallaro Interviewed by Adam of Pete's Basement- 19:31- Time stamp. J.M talks about Savior 28.
| Preceded by Roger Stern |
Captain America writer 1981 |
Succeeded by David Anthony Kraft |
| Preceded by David Anthony Kraft |
Captain America writer 1982–1984 |
Succeeded by Mike Carlin |
| Preceded by Simon Jowett |
Man-Thing writer 1997–1999 |
Succeeded by Hans Rodionoff |
| Preceded by David Michelinie |
The Amazing Spider-Man writer 1994–1995 |
Succeeded by Tom DeFalco |
| Preceded by Scott Lobdell |
X-Factor (vol. 1) writer 1993–1994 |
Succeeded by Todd DeZago |
| Preceded by D.G. Chichester |
Daredevil writer 1995–1996 |
Succeeded by Karl Kesel |
