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[[Image:DMZ17.gif|thumb|right|225px|Cover of [[DMZ (comics)|DMZ]] #17, story and cover art by Brian Wood.]]
[[Image:DMZ17.gif|thumb|right|250px|Cover of [[DMZ (comics)|DMZ]] #17, story and cover art by Brian Wood.]]


'''Brian Wood''' (born January 29, 1972) is a [[writer]], [[illustrator]], and [[graphic designer]] living in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York]]. He is known primarily as a [[comic book creator]]; Wood both writes and illustrates [[graphic novels]] and serialized monthly [[comic books]] for a variety of publishers.
'''Brian Wood''' (born January 29, 1972) is a [[writer]], [[illustrator]], and [[graphic designer]] living in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York]]. He is known primarily as a [[comic book creator]]; Wood both writes and illustrates [[graphic novels]] and serialized monthly [[comic books]] for a variety of publishers.

Revision as of 03:10, 24 December 2006

File:DMZ17.gif
Cover of DMZ #17, story and cover art by Brian Wood.

Brian Wood (born January 29, 1972) is a writer, illustrator, and graphic designer living in Brooklyn, New York. He is known primarily as a comic book creator; Wood both writes and illustrates graphic novels and serialized monthly comic books for a variety of publishers.

During his comics career, Wood held a day job for several years as a staff designer for Rockstar Games, designing for video game franchises such as Grand Theft Auto, Midnight Club and Manhunt. He is also one of the most distinctive graphic designers in the comics industry, having created covers for Warren Ellis's Global Frequency, his own DMZ and many others.

Wood's illustrations have appeared in Punk Planet, Bail Magazine, The SF Bay Guardian, and short films for Nike.

Career in Comics

Born in Essex Junction, Vermont, Wood went on to graduate from Parsons School of Design in 1997 with a Bachelor's Degree in Illustration. His first professional work in comics was the 5-issue miniseries Channel Zero, published by Image Comics in 1997, created as part as a final project for graduation from Parsons. Channel Zero is set in a dystopian near-future New York City where the tenets of Mayor Giuliani have grown into a freedom-restricting government initiative called 'The Clean Act'. The protagonist is Jennie 2.5, a DIY media personality. Channel Zero was orphaned shortly after Image Comics sold out of the first print run of the collection, opting not to return to press. SF-area publisher AIT-PlanetLar acquired it soon afterwards.

Wood then entered a short period of inactivity in comics, working instead at a series of internet design jobs during the "dot-com boom". Warren Ellis lured him back in early 2000, offering him a prime co-writing job on Marvel Comics' Generation X as part of his extended Counter-X gig. Wood co-wrote issues #63-70 with Ellis, and wrote #71-75 solo, when incoming EIC Joe Quesada cancelled the series.

Wood returned to creator-owned comics after that (2001-2003), quickly producing a series of graphic novels and short miniseries, including Couscous Express, The Couriers, and Jennie One for AIT, Pounded for Oni Press, and Fight For Tomorrow for DC/Vertigo. He spent time as Art Director for AIT, creating not only their current logo and branding, but covers for many of the books published during this time. He found time to work again with Warren Ellis, creating 14 covers for the critically-acclaimed Wildstorm series Global Frequency.

In late 2003 Brian Wood teamed up with artist Becky Cloonan and produced Demo, a monthly series that is often considered the start of the current single issue "done in one" format common in indie comics now. Each issue of the 12-issue series was completely stand-alone, printed on high-quality paper and packed with eight pages of "backmatter" in each issue, bonus material that was intentionally left out of the eventual collected edition. Demo was hugely successful at the time, earning two Eisner Award nominations, countless positive press mentions, and multiple editions in foreign languages. The publishing format proved so successful that Wood went on to replicate it, with minor changes, for his 12-issue series Local at Oni Press, drawn by artist Ryan Kelly.

Demo was also a significant creative step forward for Wood, a departure from the action-adventure high concept graphic novels he'd been mostly writing, to serious, more focused human dramas with strong emotional elements, the "comic book equivalent of indie short film", a description often found in interviews with Wood.

2005-6 was the start of a busy time for Brian Wood, with the announcement of the Local and DMZ monthly series, the publication of the long-awaited graphic novel The Tourist from Image Comics. Also published in 2006 was the IDW series Supermarket, which was an instant hit, due in large part to the stellar artwork of Kristian Donaldson, high production values and a variant cover drawn by Wood. The series sold out of multiple printings of the monthly issues, and a collection was promptly published. (Kristian went on to draw DMZ #11, among other things.)

In August 2006, DC announced that Brian Wood has been signed to an exclusive 2-year contract.[1] This contract allows for Wood to complete his current commitments to other publishers, such as Local at Oni Press, and Dogs Day End with Top Shelf.

Wood currently writes and produces covers for DMZ, an ongoing series published by DC/Vertigo, and 12-issue series Local, published by Oni Press. His next major work, announced at the same time as his DC exclusive, will be an ongoing Vertigo series about Vikings, entitled Northlanders.[1]

Bibliography

Comics & Graphic Novels

Short Comics

Design

Film

Awards

  • Eisner Award Nomination for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition (2004)
  • Eisner Award Nomination for Best Cover Artist (for Global Frequency) (2004)
  • Eisner Award Nomination for Best Single Issue (Demo #7) (2005)
  • Eisner Award Nomination for Best Limited Series (Demo) (2005)

References

  1. ^ a b ""WW: Chicago '06: Brian Wood Announces DC Exclusive / New Vertigo Ongoing"". Newsarama. Retrieved September 10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

Preceded by Generation X writer
2000–2001
(with Warren Ellis in 2000) 		Succeeded by
None
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