Ben Edlund
 |
| Ben Edlund | |
|---|---|
 Edlund at the San Diego Comic Con in July 2011. | |
| Born | June 17, 1969 Pembroke, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer, Artist |
Ben Edlund (born on June 17, 1969 in Pembroke, Massachusetts) is a comic book artist, writer and television screenwriter. Prior to his involvement in TV, he is perhaps most notable as the creator of the satirical superhero character The Tick. He also serves as executive producer and screenwriter on The CW series Supernatural.
Background
Edlund was born and raised in Pembroke, Massachusetts. He attended Silver Lake Regional High School and was voted by classmates as being "The Most Artistic and Creative Mind" for both the 8th grade and 12th grade yearbook superlatives. At the age of 17, without a driver's license, Edlund was forced to hitch on with friends and frequent their favorite hangouts. One particular destination, the New England Comics store outlet, had spawned Edlund's interest in the comic book medium, which had eventually launched his career in animation and screenwriting.
Creation of The Tick
In 1993, Edlund created his first satirical superhero and signature character, The Tick, who became the mascot for the New England Comics newsletter. Edlund was also offered to create a comic book series based on the character by New England Comics when, due to a production mix-up, the publisher needed a new title fast. Edlund graduated from high school in 1986 and continued on working to create his trademark character while majoring in film and multimedia arts at Massachusetts College of Art. The debut issue of The Tick took a year and a half for Edlund to develop and publish.
When still in college, Edlund was approached by Kiscom, a New Jersey-based toy licensing and design company, that wanted to develop a merchandising off The Tick much like the prominent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a year prior. {{citation}}: Empty citation (help) However, no major television network was willing to accept any plans for an animated series. Finally, Sunbow Entertainment, a small New York-based animation company, paired Edlund up with writer Richard Libmann-Smith. After their original premiere episode was turned down by FOX, the duo had worked tirelessly with little sleep and rest until they finally got approval with a new refined version.
In 1994, The Tick had finally debutted as an animated series on FOX and lasted for nearly 3 seasons. The program led to various toy and merchandising deals, and although this did not match the commercial heights of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, Edlund had expressed content in his character as a "much more decent and sincere proposal and accomplishment".[1] The Tick also reappeared on the FOX network in late 2001 as a short-lived live-action series.
Screenwriting
In the late 1990s, Edlund collaborated with indie filmmaker Lisa Hammer and her husband, Eric Hammer, on the film Crawley. The Hammers would later work with Edlund again during the creation of The Venture Bros. which draws inspiration from The Tick.
In the 2000s, he was employed by Joss Whedon at Mutant Enemy, first on Firefly and then later on the final seasons of Angel, writing and directing the Hugo Award nominated episode, "Smile Time." Edlund credits Whedon with his education on creating character arcs for television.[2] Edlund also had a hand in creating characters for Whedon's successful web-series Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog which he contributed "Bad Horse" and the henchman sidekick "Moist."
In 2005, Edlund served as co-executive producer on Point Pleasant. He also co-wrote the Star Wars: The Clone Wars second season episode "Grievous Intrigue". He also serves as executive producer and screenwriter on the TV series Supernatural.
See also
References
- ^ Reber, Deborah Tick Fever Endures: Ben Edlund Talks About the Evolution of Everyone's Favorite Blue Superhero Animation World Magazine, Issue 2.4 (July 1997). Retrieved on 5-16-09.
- ^ WhedonAge.com (August 1, 2009). "Ben Edlund (Supernatural) @ Comic-Con '09".
External links
- Ben Edlund at IMDb