| Warren Ellis | |
|---|---|
 Ellis at the 2010San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Warren Girard Ellis (1968-02-16)16 February 1968 (age 58) |
| Area | Writer |
Notable works | Transmetropolitan The Authority Planetary Hellblazer Global Frequency Red Fell Iron Man: Extremis Nextwave Thunderbolts FreakAngels Supergod Moon Knight Trees Injection James Bond |
| Awards | Eagle Award |
| warrenellis | |
Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is an English comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, includingTransmetropolitan (1997–2002),Global Frequency (2002–2004) andRed (2003–2004), which was adapted into the feature filmsRed (2010) andRed 2 (2013). Ellis is the author of the novelsCrooked Little Vein (2007) andGun Machine (2013) and the novellaNormal (2016).
A prolific comic book writer, Ellis has written severalMarvel series, includingAstonishing X-Men,Thunderbolts,Moon Knight and the "Extremis" story arc ofIron Man, which was the basis for theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmIron Man 3 (2013). Ellis createdThe Authority andPlanetary forWildStorm, and wrote a run ofHellblazer forVertigo andJames Bond forDynamite Entertainment. Ellis wrote the video gamesHostile Waters (2001),Cold Winter (2005), andDead Space (2008). He also wrote the animated TV movieG.I. Joe: Resolute (2009), wrote the English version ofMarvel Anime (2010–2011), and served as the head writer onNetflix seriesCastlevania (2017–2021).
Ellis is well known forsociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which coverstranshumanist (most notablynanotechnology,cryonics,mind transfer andhuman enhancement) andfolkloric themes, often in combination with each other. He is a humanist and former patron ofHumanists UK, a charity focused on promotinghumanism and advancingsecularism.[1] He is a resident ofSouthend-on-Sea, England.
Ellis was born inEssex in February 1968. He has stated that the televised broadcast of theMoon landing is his earliest coherent memory.[2] He was a student at the South East Essex Sixth Form College, commonly known as SEEVIC. He contributed comic work to the college magazineSpike along with Richard Easter, who also later followed a career in writing.[citation needed]
Before starting his career as a writer, he worked in a book and stationery store, a pub, in bankruptcy, in a record shop, and lifted compost bags.[3]
Ellis's writing career started in the British roleplaying magazine 'Adventurer' for which he wrote the 1920sCthulhu mythos strip 'Whiplash' throughout 1986. This was followed by a six-page short story published in 1990 in independent magazineDeadline. Other early works include aJudge Dredd short and aDoctor Who one-pager. His first ongoing work,Lazarus Churchyard withD'Israeli, appeared inBlast!, a short-lived British magazine.
By 1994, Ellis had begun working forMarvel Comics, where he took over the seriesHellstorm: Prince of Lies with issue number 12, which he wrote until its cancellation after issue number 21. Other notable early Marvel work includes writing for theMarvel 2099imprint, most notably in a storyline in which a futuristicDoctor Doom took over the United States, and a run onExcalibur, asuperhero series set in Britain. He also wrote a four-issue arc ofThor called "Worldengine", in which he dramatically revamped both the character and book (though the changes lasted only as long as Ellis's run), and wroteWolverine with artistLeinil Francis Yu.
Ellis then started working forDC Comics,Caliber Comics andImage Comics'Wildstorm studio, where he wrote theGen13 spin-offDV8 and took overStormwatch, a previously action-oriented team book, to which he gave a more idea- and character-driven flavor[citation needed]. He wrote issues 37–50 with artistTom Raney, and the 11 issues of volume two with artistsOscar Jimenez andBryan Hitch. Hitch and he followed that with theStormwatch spin-offThe Authority, a cinematic super-action series for which Ellis coined the term "widescreen comics".
In 1997, Ellis startedTransmetropolitan, acreator-owned series about an acerbic"gonzo" journalist in a dystopian future America, co-created with artistDarick Robertson and published by DC'sHelix imprint. When Helix was discontinued the following year,Transmetropolitan was shifted to theVertigo imprint, and remained one of the most successful nonsuperhero comics DC was then publishing.[4]Transmetropolitan ran for 60 issues (plus a few specials), ending in 2002, and the entire run was later collected in a series of trade paperbacks. It remains Ellis's largest work to date.
Planetary, another Wildstorm series by Ellis andJohn Cassaday, launched in 1999, as did Ellis's short run on the DC/Vertigo seriesHellblazer.[5] He left that series when DC announced, following theColumbine High School massacre, that it would not publish "Shoot", aHellblazer story aboutschool shootings, although the story had been written and illustrated prior to the Columbine massacre.[6][7]Planetary concluded in October 2009 with issue 27.
Ellis returned to Marvel Comics as part of the company's "Revolution" event, to head the "Counter-X" line of titles. This project was intended to revitalise theX-Men spin-off booksGeneration X,X-Man, andX-Force, but it was not successful and Ellis stayed away from mainstream superhero comics for a time.[citation needed]
In 2002, Ellis startedGlobal Frequency, a 12-issuelimited series for Wildstorm, and continued to produce work for various publishers, including DC,Avatar Press,AiT/Planet Lar,Cliffhanger andHomage Comics.
In 2004, Ellis came back to mainstream superhero comics. He took overUltimate Fantastic Four andIron Man for Marvel under a temporary exclusivework for hire contract.
Toward the end of 2004, Ellis released the "Apparat Singles Group", which he described as "An imaginary line of comics singles. Four imaginary first issues of imaginary series from an imaginary line of comics, even". The Apparat titles were published by Avatar, but carried only the Apparat logo on their covers.
In 2006, Ellis worked for DC onJack Cross, which was not well received and was subsequently cancelled. For Marvel, he worked onNextwave, a 12-issue limited series. He also worked on theUltimate Galactus trilogy. Ellis also took over theThunderbolts monthly title, which deals with the aftermath of the Marvel Civil War crossover.[8]
In honour of the 20th anniversary of Marvel'sNew Universe in 2006, Ellis and illustratorSalvador Larroca created a new series that reimagines the New Universe under the titlenewuniversal. The first issue was released on 6 December 2006.[9]
Ellis continued to work on several projects for different publishers, includingDesolation Jones (for DC/Wildstorm) andBlackgas andBlack Summer (for Avatar Press).[10] Ellis also wrote an episode ofJustice League Unlimited entitled "Dark Heart".
Ellis's first prose novel,Crooked Little Vein, was published in mid-2007 byWilliam Morrow (an imprint ofHarperCollins).
Ellis has described himself as "a notorious pain in the arse for getting involved in book design".[11] According to a comment made in the first issue ofFell, he has more trade paperbacks in print than anyone else in the American comic industry.
On 29 July 2007, Ellis announced two new projects for Avatar Press:FreakAngels, a free long-form webcomic illustrated by Paul Duffield, andIgnition City, a five-issue miniseries.[12] He also has five other current series with Avatar:Anna Mercury,[13][14]No Hero,[15] along with two long seriesDoktor Sleepless andGravel.
The first quarter of 2009 had the release ofG.I. Joe: Resolute, a series of webisodes written by Warren Ellis and later released on DVD in December.
He worked with D'Israeli again in 2010–2011 for a one-off comic,SVK, to be published by BERG, a London consultancy firm. It uses a UV torch to reveal the thoughts of the characters in the story.[16][17]
In 2010, a documentary film on Ellis,Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, was announced for 2011 completion. Its co-producerSequart Organization also plans on publishing, in 2011, three books studying Ellis's work: onPlanetary,Transmetropolitan and Ellis's overall career. Sequart has dubbed this push "The Year of Ellis."[18]
Ellis's second novel, hardboiled detective thrillerGun Machine, was released on 3 January 2013 byMulholland Books.[19] The novel follows a Manhattan detective investigating a murder, which expands into the hunt of a serial killer.Gun Machine hitTheNew York Times Best Sellers list and received mostly positive reviews.[20][21][22] In June 2013, Ellis announced on his website that he would be ending his relationship with Mulholland Books due to "continuing issues" and cancelling the release of his short story "Dead Pig Collector".[23][24] In July 2013, "Dead Pig Collector" was picked up byFarrar, Straus and Giroux and published as a digital original.[25][26]
In March 2014, Ellis relaunchedMoon Knight for Marvel, with art byDeclan Shalvey and colors byJordie Bellaire.[27] The series received critical acclaim and helped establish Moon Knight as a major character in the Marvel Universe.[28][29][30] Ellis ended his run after six issues, after which the series was taken on by writerBrian Wood.[31]Trees, a new creator-owned comics collaboration between Ellis and artist Jason Howard, debuted in May 2014 throughImage Comics.[32] The science fiction series explores a world in which aliens have invaded Earth, but completely ignored humans.[33] The first story arc concluded in January 2015,[34] and was followed by a second volume,Trees: Two Forests, which ended its run in August 2016.[35] A third volume is planned.
Ellis joined main writerKelly Sue DeConnick to co-write two issues of herCaptain Marvel series in early 2015.[36] In May 2015, Ellis reteamed with hisMoon Knight collaborators Shalvey and Bellaire to publishInjection withImage Comics.[37] The creator-owned science-fiction series follows the members of a think tank given the task of improving the future, who deal with mistakes made after trying to prevent human innovation from dying off.[38][39] Three volumes ofInjection have been released.
Ellis launched a new ongoing comics series featuringJames Bond in November 2015, published byDynamite Entertainment in partnership withIan Fleming Publications and illustrated by Jason Masters.[40][41]James Bond depicts the original character from theIan Fleming novels, as opposed to the one inthe films, but is set in present day.[40] The first story arc, "Vargr", was followed in June 2016 with a second arc titled "Eidolon".[42] Ellis stepped down from the series after 12 issues in December 2016 and was succeeded as writer byBenjamin Percy.[42] As part ofMarvel'sAll-New All-Different relaunch, Ellis wrote the seriesKarnak, following the eponymous Inhuman character.[43] The series debuted in October 2015 with art by Gerardo Zaffino to positive reviews.[44][45]Karnak suffered several delays[46][47] which resulted in Zaffino being replaced by Roland Boschi.[48] The series ended its six-issue run in February 2017.[49]
Normal, Ellis's new novella, was serialized as four digital installments beginning in July 2016.[50][51] It was published as a single volume byFarrar, Straus and Giroux in November 2016.[52] The near-future thriller follows the residents of an asylum for futurists as they investigate a disappearance.[53] The novella received a mostly positive reception, with reviewers praising its plot, humor and commentary on the future.[54][55][56]
In October 2016, Ellis launchedShipwreck, a new six-issue comics miniseries with artistPhil Hester, published by AfterShock Comics.[57] The series follows the survivor of a shipwreck trying to find out what happened after he washes up on another world.[58] Though Ellis has left open the possibility of expanding the book past six issues, he said he is focused finishing the story as planned first.[57]
Despite rarely returning to his early work,[59] in October 2016,DC Comics announced a relaunch of the WildStorm publishing line as a new imprint curated by Ellis.[60] Taking a similar approach toGerard Way'sYoung Animal imprint, DC asked Ellis to write a main series, titledThe Wild Storm, and curating others set in the same universe.[61] The series begins a completereboot of the WildStorm Universe, with Ellis saying his goal is for the imprint to be new reader-friendly.[59]The Wild Storm debuted in February 2017 with art by John Davis-Hunt.[61] In his newsletterOrbital Operations, Ellis stated that he has a two-year plan for the series.[62] Three more WildStorm series are expected to follow.[63]
In 2017,Netflix launched aCastlevania animated television series adaptation, written and produced by Ellis.[64] Ellis had been previously hired to write a screenplay forCastlevania: Dracula's Curse, an animated film based onCastlevania III: Dracula's Curse.[65][66] The first season of theCastlevania TV series was released in 2017,[67] and seasons 2 through 4 were released during the period of 2018 to 2021.[68][69] Executive producerAdi Shankar confirmed that Ellis would be writing every episode.[70]
In 2012, Ellis announced he would publish a nonfiction book, tentatively titledSpirit Tracks, withFarrar, Straus, and Giroux.[71] The book is "about the future of the city, the ghosts that haunt it and the science-fiction condition we live in." It is based on a talk Ellis gave in Berlin at a conference titled "Cognitive Cities", which was based on a series of posts on his website.[72] At Image Expo 2015,Heartless, a new creator-owned comic book with Ellis'sSupreme: Blue Rose collaboratorTula Lotay, was announced.[73] As of May 2024[update],Heartless has yet to be released, though Ellis has commented in 2016 that Lotay and he are working on it at their "own pace".[74]
Finality, a new webcomic written by Ellis and illustrated byColleen Doran, was announced in September 2016.[75] Set to be published byWebtoon in 2017, the 26-issue weekly series follows a middle-aged female detective working a murder mystery.[76]
In 2020, anime streaming platformCrunchyroll announced that it was adapting thewebcomicFreakAngels as one of the first Crunchyroll Originals anime TV series.[77]
In 2006, Ellis was hired to develop a science-fiction television series forAMC titledDead Channel,[78][79] but the project was put on hiatus.[80] The series followed a television network executive who discovers the existence of aliens and decides to turn the discovery into a reality show.[81]Listener, a near-future science fiction novel, was planned as Ellis's next book afterCrooked Little Vein.[82][83] The novel has since been lost and cancelled.[84][85]
Wastelanders, a web-based "end-of-the-world" collaboration with directorJoss Whedon, was postponed due to Whedon's work onThe Avengers.[86] Ellis and British producerVivek Tiwary developed an adventure thriller television miniseries titleAscension, withIdris Elba in talks to star,[87] though nothing has come of the project.
Adaptations of Ellis's works have frequently been planned, to limited success. Ellis andCully Hamner's miniseries,Red, has been loosely adapted as two films:Red (2010) andRed 2 (2013), written by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber, produced byLorenzo di Bonaventura and starringBruce Willis,Morgan Freeman andHelen Mirren.[88][89][90] The sequel was simply inspired by the comics as no source material exists outside the original miniseries.[91] The Hoebers were commissioned to write a third installment in 2013,[92] though no further developments have occurred since. A television series based on theRed film franchise, produced by di Bonaventura and written the Hoeber brothers, was announced as in development in 2015.[93] TheIron Man "Extremis" story arc written by Ellis was used as the primary influence on the plot of theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmIron Man 3, directed byShane Black.[94][better source needed] Elements of "Extremis" were also used in the firstIron Man film.[95]
Global Frequency has been at various stages of adaptation since its publication. A television pilot written byJohn Rogers was produced in 2005,[96] but development ended after it was leaked.[97] Several more attempts to bring the limited series to television include writersScott Nimerfro in 2009,[98] andRockne S. O'Bannon in 2014,[99] though none have materialized.Gravel was at one point being developed withTim Miller attached as director,[100] with Ellis commissioned to write the first draft of the screenplay and serving as executive producer.[101]Black Summer has also been optioned as a feature film.[102] Ellis's comics collaboration withChris Sprouse,Ocean, has been optioned,[103] and Ryan Condal hired to write a screenplay.[104] Ellis's novelGun Machine has been set up as a television series first with writer Dario Scardapane atFox in 2012,[105] and later in 2014 at the now-defunctXbox Entertainment, with a script by Brett Conrad.[106] In 2016, it was announced thatNBCUniversal had optioned the rights to Ellis and Jason Howard'sTrees and would be developing it as a television series withTom Hardy's production company.[107]
In 2013, Ellis spoke at theHowTheLightGetsIn festival in Hay. In his first talk, titled Our Hopeless Future and Other Comedy, he discussed the power of Twitter and how it can 'break' other people's websites. In the second, Thinking Differently, he explored how the internet revolution is changing people's lives and asked whether it is changing how people think. A festival regular, he has returned in subsequent years to debate the risks and rewards of artificial intelligence with physicistStephen Hawking and collaboratorRoger Penrose.[108]
Ellis is a contributor of nonfiction articles and columns to magazines and websites. He has been a columnist forSuicideGirls,[109]Reuters,[110]Vice,[111]Wired UK,[112] andEsquire.[113] From 1995 to 1999, he wrote an email list titledFrom the Desk of, where he wrote about various subjects including the comic industry and his work.From the Desk of was collected in two print volumes by Avatar Press.[114] When technical issues forced that list to shut down in 2001, Ellis started a new email list,Bad Signal, which was described as "anarchy in your mailbox to brighten up your day".[115]Bad Signal was replaced in 2012, two years after its closing, byMachine Vision;[116] Ellis endedMachine Vision alongside his relationship with his publisherMulholland Books a year later.[117] Since 2013, Ellis has been writing the weekly email newsletterOrbital Operations,[118] which features work updates and thoughts on books, comics and current events.[119] As of late 2015,Orbital Operations had 13,000 subscribers.[120]
In 2007, Ellis launched the now-defunct message boardWhitechapel as a companion to hiswebcomicFreakAngels,[121] though it rapidly evolved into his internet home.[122] He is frequently referred to as "The Boss", "Stalin", "The Love Swami" or "Internet Jesus" on these forums.[123] Ellis maintains a blog at his personal website, thought it is rarely updated. Beginning in 2014, he wrote regularly atMorning.Computer.[124][125] In 2015, Ellis publishedCunning Plans, an ebook collection of talks he gave at technology and futurism conferences.[120]
In June 2020, several women (including musicianMeredith Yayanos, artist Zoetica Ebb, and photographer Jhayne Holmes) publicly accused Ellis of sexual coercion and manipulation, in having engaged in simultaneous relationships with several of them without the others' knowledge.[126][127][128]The Daily Beast reported that "by 19 June, over 60 women had joined a group organized by Holmes, all of them accusing Ellis of a largely consistent pattern of behavior".[128]The Guardian later reported that "roughly 100 women have come forward, while 33 of them have composed written statements, supported by emails and text messages, which have been seen byThe Guardian".[129] These testimonials were posted together on a website, SoManyofUs.com, in July 2020 and contain allegations of "manipulation,gaslighting, coercion, and other forms ofemotional abuse" attributed to Ellis.[129][130]
Ellis responded, writing that he had not considered that others would see him as having "a position of power and privilege", and adding: “I have hurt many people that I had no intention of hurting. I am culpable. I take responsibility for my mistakes. I will do better and for that, I apologize."[127][131] DC Comics subsequently announced a two-page story written by Ellis would not be included in an upcoming anthology, at his request.[132][133][130] Ellis ended his long-running email newsletter, which he had published under various titles since 1995.[134]
In mid-July 2020, an article inThe Guardian reported "Ellis responded to these accounts with self-pity and what seemed to be genuine contrition. [...] Ellis insists that the problem was relationship trouble, 'not predatory behaviour', but concedes that '[t]here is a differing of perception here, and I've been listening to it'. He said he was going to try therapy on the advice of friends".[129]The Hollywood Reporter later reported Ellis would not be returning toCastlevania for subsequent seasons and that a planned Batman comic would no longer be moving forward.[135]
In June 2021, a week afterBen Templesmith announced he would be collaborating with Ellis for new issues ofFell,Image Comics announced they would not be publishing the series following negative reaction from within the industry.[136]An update on SoManyofUs.com informed that Ellis reached out to the site’s managers to say he was willing to engage in conversation or mediation.[137] Ellis reactivated his dormant website to inform subscribers about this development.
In an update in January 2022, SoManyofUs.com reported that their members have been in a mediated dialogue with Ellis since August 2021 and that they were making progress in what was described as “a guided transformative justice process”.[138] In February 2022, Ellis relaunched his newsletter, in which he linked to the SoManyofUs.com update and website.[139] On January 19, 2023, SoManyOfUs.com once again updated the site, alleging that Ellis "took none of the steps we hoped he would", and also stating "we do not anticipate our involvement in any progress he might make in the future."[140]
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Justice League Unlimited | Writer | Writer (Episode: "Dark Heart") | [143] |
| 2007 | Revisioned: Tomb Raider | Writer | Writer (Episodes: "Angel Spit: Part 2", "Angel Spit: Part 1") | [144] |
| 2009 | G.I. Joe: Resolute | Writer | Writer (11 episodes) | [145] |
| 2010 | Marvel Anime: Iron Man | Story | Story (12 episodes) | [146] |
| 2011 | Marvel Anime: Wolverine | Story | Story (12 episodes) | [146] |
| Marvel Anime: X-Men | Story | Story (12 episodes) | [146] | |
| Marvel Anime: Blade | Story | Story (12 episodes) | [146] | |
| 2017–2021 | Castlevania | Writer | Writer (32 episodes) | [147][148] |
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Hostile Waters | Writer | [149] | |
| 2005 | Cold Winter | Writer | [150] | |
| 2008 | Dead Space | Writer | WithRick Remender andAntony Johnston | [151] |
| Preceded by | Excalibur writer 1994–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Thor writer 1995–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Stormwatch writer 1996–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Wolverine writer 1997–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Hellblazer writer 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by n/a | The Authority writer 1999–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Brian Michael Bendis Mark Millar | Ultimate Fantastic Four writer 2004–2005 | Succeeded by Mark Millar |
| Preceded by | Iron Man writer 2005–2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Thunderbolts writer 2007–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Astonishing X-Men writer 2008–2010 | Succeeded by Daniel Way Christos Gage |
| Preceded by | Secret Avengers writer 2011–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Brian Michael Bendis | Moon Knight writer 2014 | Succeeded by |
