Mark Ellis (writer)
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Mark Ellis is an American novelist who resides in Newport, Rhode Island with his wife of 28 years, Melissa Martin. Before becoming a full-time freelance writer in 1986, Ellis worked as a journalist, newspaper columnist, advertising copywriter and refrigeration engineer.
His freelance feature work has appeared in dozens of publications over the years, ranging from comics to sports to popular culture.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Adventure Publications
In the mid-to-late 1980s Ellis worked as the primary writer for Adventure Publications' line of comic magazines, scripting such diverse titles as Ninja Elite, Warriors, Netherworlds, and Star Rangers, working with legendary comics artist Jim Mooney on the latter title.
In 1987–1988 Ellis created and scripted Adventure Publications' Death Hawk, a series that featured the first published work of fan-favorite artist Adam Hughes, and is thought by some fans to have served as partial inspiration for the Firefly TV series.[citation needed]
For other comics publishers he wrote The Justice Machine, a Dynamo story for a T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents revival, as well as short stories for the occasional anthology, such as the highly-regarded "A Trip To Necropolis," penciled and inked by Jim Mooney.
[edit] Millennium Publications
In 1990, Ellis co-founded Millennium Publications, where, as editor, he interfaced with Anne Rice, Harlan Ellison, Doug Wildey, Frank Frazetta and other well known members of the science-fiction/fantasy creative community. In his editorial capacity and working in tandem with art director (and co-founder Melissa Martin), Ellis gave now-established comics artists such as Mike Wieringo and Darryl Banks their first steady exposure. He also worked with comics legends Jim Mooney and Don Heck on a number of projects, including H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness, which featured the first appearance of The Miskatonic Project, and Lakota.
He conceived and scripted the critically-acclaimed Nosferatu: Plague of Terror, a four-part series which provided a complete story of the title character's origin quite apart from the Dracula legend.
Ellis also adapted The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the cult-classic horror film It! The Terror from Beyond Space into comics.
During his time with Millennium, teamed with Darryl Banks, Ellis scripted a four-part series based on The Wild Wild West TV series, the plot of which was optioned for feature film development, and Doc Savage: The Monarch of Armageddon, a four-part limited series which is considered to be the best and most faithful of the many comic adaptations of that classic character. The Comics Buyer's Guide Catalog of Comic Books refers to the Ellis/Banks treatment as the one "to come closest to the original, capturing all the action, humanity and humor of the original novels."
[edit] Post-Millennium
Leaving Millennium in 1993, Ellis went on to create the popular Outlanders series for Harlequin Enterprises's Gold Eagle imprint in 1996, the first entry of which appeared in 1997. Outlanders has attracted a devoted fan-following due in part to the colorful villains and intriguing female characters who populate the series. The adventure series has sold over a million copies to date.
Ellis is the author of 45 novels, most of them under the pen-name of James Axler. Although the Axler pseudonym is shared with other writers, primarily the multiple contributors to Gold Eagle's Deathlands series, Ellis has authored more novels as "James Axler" than any other writer.[citation needed]
Mark Ellis has been featured in Starlog magazine, Comics Scene Magazine and Fangoria magazine. He has also been interviewed by Robert Siegel for NPR's All Things Considered.
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] As James Axler
- Stoneface (1996)
- Demons of Eden (1997)
- Nightmare Passage (1997)
- Exile to Hell (1997)
- Destiny Run (1997)
- Savage Sun (1997)
- Omega Path (1998)
- Parallax Red (1998)
- Doomstar Relic (1998)
- Iceblood (1998)
- Hellbound Fury (The Lost Earth Saga, Book 1) (1999)
- Night Eternal (The Lost Earth Saga, Book 2) (with Mel Odom) (1999)
- Outer Darkness (The Lost Earth Saga, Book 3) (1999)
- Armageddon Axis (1999)
- Encounter (with Laurence James & Alan Philipson) (1999)
- Wreath of Fire (with Mel Odom) (2000)
- Shadow Scourge (2000)
- Hell Rising (2000)
- Doom Dynasty (The Imperator Wars, Book 1) (2000)
- Tigers of Heaven (The Imperator Wars, Book 2) (2001)
- Purgatory Road (The Imperator Wars, Book 3) (2001)
- Tomb of Time (2001)
- Devil in the Moon (The Dragon Kings, Book 1) (2002)
- Dragoneye (The Dragon Kings, Book 2) (2002)
- Far Empire (2002)
- Equinox Zero (2002)
- Talon and Fang (Heart of the World, Book 1) (2003)
- Sea of Plague (Heart of the World, Book 2) (2003)
- Mad God's Wrath (2004)
- Mask of The Sphinx (2004)
- Evil Abyss (2005)
- Children of The Serpent (2005)
- Cerberus Storm (2005)
- Aftermath (2006)
- Rim of The World (2006)
- Hydra's Ring (2006)
- Skull Throne (2007)
- Satan's Seed (2007)
- Dark Goddess (2007)
- Grailstone Gambit (2008)
- Ghostwalk (2008)
- Warlord of the Pit (2009)
[edit] Other books
- Shreek Show (1989)
- H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness(1994)
- Hellfire Trigger (1998) — a Mack Bolan novel
- Devil's Guard (1998) — a Mack Bolan novel
- The Everything Guide to Writing Graphic Novels (with Melissa Martin) (2008)
[edit] Comics and graphic novels
- Death Hawk: The Soulworm Saga (2008) (Millennial Concepts/Transfuzion)
- H.P. Lovecraft's The Miskatonic Project: The Whisperer in Darkness(2008) (Millennial Concepts/Transfuzion)
- Mr. Holmes & Dr. Watson: Their Strangest Cases (2008) (Millennial Concepts/Transfuzion)
- The New Justice Machine:Top Gear Edition, Volume One(2009)(Millennial Concepts)
- H.P. Lovecraft's The Miskatonic Project: Bride of Dagon(2009) (Millennial Concepts/Transfuzion)
- Nosferatu: Plague of Darkness (2009) (Millennial Concepts)
- Star Rangers: The Spur (2009) (Millennial Concepts)
- Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (Deluxe)
- Star Rangers(Adventure Publications)
- Ninja Elite (Adventure Publications)
- Warriors(Adventure Publications)
- Death Hawk (Adventure Publications)
- Netherworlds(Adventure Publications)
- Adventurers Book II (Adventure Publications)
- The New Justice Machine, Volume One (Innovation)
- Angry Shadows (Innovation)
- The Wild Wild West (Millennium Publications)
- Doc Savage (Millennium Publications)
- H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu (Millennium Publications)
- The Mummy Archives (Millennium Publications)
- Weird Tales Illustrated (Millennium Publications)
- The New Justice Machine, Volume Two (Millennium Publications)
- It! The Terror from Beyond Space (Millennium Publications)
- The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Millennium Publications)
- Nosferatu: Plague of Terror (Millennium Publications)
- Paladin Alpha (Firstlight Publications)
- Thresherz(Firstlight Publications)
- R.A.Z.E.(Firstlight Publications)
