In 2018, King received theEisner Award for Best Writer for his work onBatman andMister Miracle, sharing the award withMarjorie Liu.
In January 2023,DC Studios co-chairman and co-CEOJames Gunn announced that King would be one of the architects of the newDC Universe media franchise of films and television. In this franchise, King'sSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow miniseries is set to be adapted into the filmSupergirl (2026), while King serves a co-creator of theHBO seriesLanterns.
King primarily grew up in Southern California. His mother worked in the film industry ,which inspired his love of storytelling. He interned at bothDC andMarvel Comics during the late 1990s. He studied both philosophy and history atColumbia University, graduating in 2000. He identifies as "half-Jewish, half-American".[1]
King interned both atDC Comics andMarvel Comics, where he was an assistant toX-Men writerChris Claremont, before joining theCIA counterterrorism unit after9/11.[2][3] King spent seven years as a counterterrorism operations officer for the CIA before quitting to write his debut novel,A Once Crowded Sky, after the birth of his first child.[4][5]
A Once Crowded Sky, King's debut superhero novel with comics pages illustrated byTom Fowler, was published on July 10, 2012, by Touchstone, an imprint ofSimon & Schuster, to positive reception.[6][7][8]
In 2014, King was chosen to co-writeGrayson for DC Comics, along withTim Seeley and Mikel Janin on art. After penningNightwing No. 30, King, Seeley, and Janin launchedGrayson in May 2014, featuringDick Grayson leaving behind his Nightwing persona at age 22 to become Agent 37, aSpyral spy.[9][10] King and Seeley plotted the series together and traded issues to script separately, with King providing additional authenticity through his background with theCIA.[11][12]
A relaunch of classic DC Comics seriesThe Omega Men was published in June 2015 by King and debut artist Barnaby Bagenda, as part of the publisher's relaunch DC You.[13][14] The series follows a group of rebels fighting an oppressive galactic empire, and featureWhite LanternKyle Rayner.[15] The Omega Men, created in 1981, are DC's cosmic equivalent to Marvel'sGuardians of the Galaxy, though significantly more obscure.[16] King's and Bagenda's use of the nine-panel grid, popularized byAlan Moore's andDave Gibbons'Watchmen, has been praised by reviewers.[17]
In San Diego Comic-Con 2015,Vertigo revealed a new creator-owned project written by King with art by Mitch Gerads titledThe Sheriff of Baghdad.[18] The project, a crime series in the vein of Vertigo titles likePreacher andScalped, was set to launch in late 2015, and was inspired by King's time in Iraq as part of the CIA.[19] Initially an eight-issue miniseries, it was later re-titledThe Sheriff of Babylon and expanded into an ongoing series.[20][21] The first issue launched in December 2015 to critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its "deeply personal" storytelling and the "intriguing" and "captivating" personalities of its characters.[22][23] That same year, DC announced "Robin War", a crossover storyline set for December that would run for five weeks through titlesGrayson,Detective Comics,We Are Robin, andRobin: Son of Batman; King was set to orchestrate the crossover's story-line and pen two one-shots to open and close the series.[24]
As part ofMarvel Comics'All-New, All-Different relaunch, King was announced as the writer ofThe Vision, a new ongoing following the titular character and his newly created family, with artist Gabriel Hernández Walta, coloristJordie Bellaire, and covers byMike del Mundo, launching in November 2015.[25][26][27]The Vision has been well received by the public, with reviewers calling the series one of Marvel's "biggest surprises" and praising the narration, art, and colors.[28][29]
In September 2015, DC cancelled King'sThe Omega Men, along with four other titles, with the series ending with issue seven.[30] After negative fan response to the cancellation,Jim Lee, DC's co-publisher, announced that they would be bringing backThe Omega Men through at least issue 12.[31] Lee described the decision to cancel the series as "a bit hasty," crediting the book's critical acclaim and fan social media reactions as the reason the title would go on for the planned 12-issue run.[32]
King penned aGreen Lantern one-shot that ties into the "Darkseid War" storyline, titled "Will You Be My God?", which James Whitbrook ofio9 praised as "one of the best" Green Lantern stories.[33]
King and co-writer Tim Seeley announced they would leaveGrayson after issue No. 18, with King clarifying on Twitter that they were working on something "big and cool" and needed time.[34] King and Seeley officially left the series in February with issue No. 17, with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly taking over for its last three issues with issue No. 18 in March.[35]
DC Comics announced in February 2016 that King had signed an exclusivity deal with the publisher, which would see him writing exclusively for DC and Vertigo.[36][37] King revealed via his Twitter account that he would stay onThe Vision as writer through issue 12, finishing the story arc he had planned from the beginning.[38][39]
In March 2016, it was announced that King would be writing the main bi-weeklyBatman series beginning with a new No. 1, replacing long-time writerScott Snyder, as part of DC's Rebirth relaunch that June.[40] King has stated that his run would be 100 issues total, with the entirety being released twice-monthly, though this was later curtailed to 85 issues and 3 annuals, with a 12 issue followup maxiseriesBatman/Catwoman to finish the story.[41]
In August 2017, King and regular collaborator Mitch Gerads launched the first issue of theirMister Miracle series, with a planned total run of twelve issues.[42] In June 2018 DC Comics announced King would be writingHeroes in Crisis, a limited series centering around a concept he introduced inBatman.[43]
In May and June 2019, King, Jim Lee, andCW series actressesNafessa Williams,Candice Patton, andDanielle Panabaker toured five U.S. military bases inKuwait with theUnited Service Organizations (USO), where they visited the approximately 12,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in that country as part of DC's 80th anniversary of Batman celebration.[46]
In September 2020,DC Comics announced that King would be among the creators of a revivedBatman: Black and White anthology series to debut on December 8, 2020.[47] From 2021 to 2022, King was the writer on the eight-issue miniseriesSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow with artistBilquis Evely.[48] David Harth, forCBR, commented that sinceOmega Men, "King has mostly stayed away from sci-fi, going for a more psychological take on superheroes instead". Harth highlighted thatSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow "is very much a sci-fi epic" and that the series is "even more imaginative thanOmega Men's sci-fi, as it has King flexing his muscles in different ways".[49]
In March 2023, it was announced that King would be writing the newWonder Woman relaunch as a part ofDawn of DC.[53]
In July 2023, it was announced that King would work on a new creator-owned series forBoom! Studios, withPeter Gross serving as the illustrator. The series would later be revealed to beAnimal Pound, a modern reimagining ofGeorge Orwell'sAnimal Farm set in an animal shelter.[54][55]
In May 2024, it was announced that King would be the writer and the executive producer of the television seriesLanterns forDC Studios alongsideDamon Lindelof and Chris Mundy.[56] In June 2024,HBO gave an eight-episode, straight-to-series order to the series.[57] Per the official logline, the series follows “new recruitJohn Stewart and Lantern legendHal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.”[58]
Nightwing vol. 2 #30: "Setting Son" (co-written by King andTim Seeley, art by Javier Garrón,Jorge Lucas and Mikel Janín, 2014)
Collected inNightwing: Setting Son (tpb, 200 pages, 2014,ISBN1-4012-5011-4)
Grayson #1-17 (co-written with Tim Seeley, art by Mikel Janín, Stephen Mooney (#7, 14,Annual No. 1,Futures End one-shot), Álvaro Martínez (Annual #2), 2014–2016) collected as:
Agents of Spyral (collects #1–4 and theGrayson: Futures End one-shot, hc, 160 pages, 2015,ISBN1-4012-5234-6; tpb, 2016,ISBN1-4012-5759-3)
Includes "The Candidate" short story (co-written by King and Tim Seeley, art by Stephen Mooney) fromSecret Origins vol. 3 No. 8 (anthology, 2015)
We All Die at Dawn (collects #5–8 andAnnual No. 1, tpb, 160 pages, 2016,ISBN1-4012-5760-7)
Issue No. 22 is scripted by Joshua Williamson from a plot by King and Williamson.
Batman Vol 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles (collects #25–32; tpb, 200 pages, 2017,ISBN1-4012-7361-0)
Batman Vol 5: The Rules of Engagement (collects #33–37 andAnnual No. 2; tpb, 160 pages, 2018,ISBN1-4012-7731-4)
Batman Vol 6: Bride or Burglar? (collects #38–44; tpb, 168 pages, 2018,ISBN1-4012-8027-7)
Batman Vol 7: The Wedding (collects #45–50; tpb, 176 pages, 2018,ISBN1-4012-8338-1)
Includes "Your Big Day" short story (art by Clay Mann) fromDC Nation (one-shot, 2018)
Batman Vol 8: Cold Days (collects #51–57; tpb, 176 pages, 2018,ISBN1-4012-8352-7)
Batman Vol 9: The Tyrant Wing (collects #58–60; tpb, 152 pages, 2019,ISBN1-4012-8844-8)
Includes "True Strength" short story (art by Mikel Janín) fromBatman Secret Files No. 1 (anthology, 2018)
Batman Vol 10: Knightmares (collects #61–63 and 66–69; tpb, 176 pages, 2019,ISBN1-77950-158-7)
Batman Vol 11: The Fall and the Fallen (collects #70–74; tpb, 144 pages, 2019,ISBN1-77950-160-9)
Batman Vol 12: City of Bane Part 1 (collects #75–79; hc, 176 pages, April 2020)
Batman Vol 13: City of Bane Part 2 (collects #80–85; and Batman Annual #4; hc, 220 pages, July 2020)
Batman: City of Bane – The Complete Collection (collects #75–85 and Annual No. 4; tpb, 344 pages, 2020,ISBN1-77950-595-7)
Batman by Tom King Book 1 (collects Batman: Rebirth one-shot, #1-6 and 9-22, The Flash #21-22, and Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1, tpb, 560 pages, 2024)
Collected in Oversized Hardcovers as:
Batman: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition – Book 1 (collects Batman: Rebirth one-shot and #1–15; ohc, 379 pages, August 2017)
Batman: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition – Book 2 (collects #16–32 and Batman Annual #1; ohc, 428 pages, June 2018)
Batman: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition – Book 3 (collects #33–44 and Batman Annual #2; ohc, 311 pages, December 2018)
Batman: The Deluxe Edition – Book 4 (collects #45–57 and a story from DC Nation #0; ohc, 339 pages, July 2019)
Batman: The Deluxe Edition – Book 5 (collects #58–69; ohc, 278 pages, July 2020)
Batman: The Deluxe Edition – Book 6 (collects #70–85 and Batman Annual #4 and Batman: Secret Files #2; ohc, 379 pages, July 2022)
Batman by Tom King and Lee Weeks: Deluxe Edition (Collects #51–53, #67, Batman Annual #2, and Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1, ohc, 184 pages, November 2020)
DC 100-Page Comic Giant: Superman #3–10, 12–15: "Up in the Sky" (withAndy Kubert, anthology, 2018–2019). Reprinted as a regular-sized 6-issue limited series under the title Superman: Up in the Sky (2019–2020). Collected As.
Batman/Catwoman #1–12, (with Clay Mann andLiam Sharp (#7–9), December 2020 – June 2022) andBatman/Catwoman Special (withJohn Paul Leon,Bernard Chang and Mitch Gerads, January 2022). Collected as.
Batman/Catwoman (collects #1–12, Batman Annual #2 and Batman/Catwoman Special, 424 pages; hc, December 2022; tpb, February 2025)
Human Target vol. 4 #1–12 (with Greg Smallwood, November 2022 – February 2023). Collected as.
Human Target Book 1 (collects #1–6; hc, September 2022; tpb, October 2023).
Human Target Book 2 (collects #6–12; hc, July 2023; tpb, July 2024)
Danger Street #1–12 (with Jorge Fornés, December 2022 – December 2023). Collected as.
Danger Street Book 1 (collects #1–6, 198 pages; tp, November 2023)
Danger Street Book 2 (collects #7–12, 184 pages; tp, May 2024)
Jenny Sparks #1–6 (with Jeff Spokes, August 2024 – Present). Collected as.
Jenny Sparks: Be Better (collects #1–6, 216 pages; tpb, May 2025)
