Brian Wood was born January 29, 1972, and grew up in the village ofEssex Junction, Vermont,[13][14] where he attended Hiawatha Elementary School[14] andEssex High School.[15] He has described his upbringing as "outdoorsy and active, with regular incidents involving neighborhood bullies and trauma at home." He describes a period of heavy drinking before moving toNew York City to attend college, stating, "I was ejected into the adult world too early, orphaned and lacking a plan, support, or sound judgement."[16] He is a lifelongstutterer,[17][18] has spoken publicly about seeking therapy to deal with childhood trauma[19] and the loss of his mother to cancer.[20]
He moved to New York City in 1991,[21] describing it as "something of a big leap of faith on my part... it was one of those situations where I had hardly any money, and a single backpack full of clothes. I bought a one-way bus ticket fromBurlington, Vermont and kind of burned bridges as I left. I was all-in. Stupid, but committed." He describes working below minimum wage at a skate shop while applying to colleges. "After I hit 21, I got a little bit of money from an inheritance, which paid for my first year of school and a grimy $325/month bedroom on East 3rd Street for a few months," he recounts. He also worked as abike messenger, which instilled in him a love and a knowledge for New York City that would inform many of his future projects.[22]
Wood's first professional work in comics was the five-issuelimited seriesChannel Zero, published byImage Comics in 1998, which began as part of his graduation project forParsons School of Design.Channel Zero is set in adystopian near-future New York City where the tenets of then-MayorRudy Giuliani have grown into a freedom-restricting government initiative called "The Clean Act". The protagonist is Jennie 2.5, a DIY media personality who sets out to stir the complacent population into revolution.Channel Zero was orphaned shortly after Image Comics sold out of the first print run of the collected edition, opting not to return to press, andAiT/Planet Lar acquired it soon afterwards. In 2012 Wood regained the publishing rights andDark Horse Comics took up the publishing, releasing a "Complete Collection" that included the original graphic novel, the prequel seriesChannel Zero: Jennie One withBecky Cloonan, hisPublic Domain design book material, and numerous other extras from the early development of the property.[24][25]
ComicsAlliance has identifiedChannel Zero as "The Unofficial Bible of Comics Activism,"[26] and noted its "eerie prescience" and "represents an arduous, expresslyDIY method of comic book-making that new technology has dramatically changed."[27]Publishers Weekly called it "significant" and "unapologetically experimental," and "Wood is far more interested in trying out a variety of visual techniques than in creating something that is slick and polished. The result is a graphic novel whose form and content could not be more perfectly matched."[28]Bleeding Cool placedChannel Zero within a largercyberpunk movement.[29]
FollowingChannel Zero, Wood took a two-year break from comics. In early 2000, comic book writerWarren Ellis offered Wood a co-writing job onMarvel Comics'Generation X, as part of Ellis'Counter-X run. Wood co-wrote issues #63–70 with Ellis and 71–75 on his own, before the series was canceled as part of incoming Editor-in-ChiefJoe Quesada's attempts to simplify theX-Men franchise. Wood would not work again with Marvel until 2012.[30]
Wood was employed as a staff designer forRockstar Games, designing for video game franchises such asGrand Theft Auto,Midnight Club,Max Payne,Smuggler's Run andManhunt.[31] He nonetheless produced a series of original graphic novels, coinciding with a trend within independent comic publishers that favored that format. The first wasCouscous Express with artist Brett Weldele, an action romp about food delivery people.[32] This was followed by a trilogy of bike messenger books,The Couriers, The Couriers: Dirtbike Manifesto, andThe Couriers: Ballad of Johnny Funwrecker, all drawn byRob G.[33] Several characters are shared betweenCouscous Express andThe Couriers, and in 2012 all four books were collected together and published by Image Comics.[34] Wood created and wrote the limited series'Pounded forOni Press andFight for Tomorrow forDC Comics's imprintVertigo. He also producedPublic Domain andChannel Zero: Jennie One during this time, the first of what will come to be several collaborations with artistBecky Cloonan.[citation needed]
Larry Young'sAiT/Planet Lar heavily promoted Wood during this time, including designating the month of January as "Brian Wood Month" to exclusively offer his titles only.[35] Wood also served as AIT's branding designer and overall creative director for a short period of time, and designed covers for Warren Ellis'Come In Alone,Badlands, andBlack Heart Billy. In January 2007,Intrepid Pictures optioned the feature film rights to Wood and Rob G.'s graphic novelThe Couriers withJavier Grillo-Marxuach set to pen the screenplay.[36]
In 2003, Wood partnered with artistBecky Cloonan to createDemo, an anthology series of twelve 'done-in-one' or 'one-shot' stories about young people with superpowers. Although initially inspired by the aborted NYX project, the series was not traditionally superhero and instead compared emerging powers toautistic themes and tragic love stories.[37] The series was well-received, andWizard, a steadfastly superhero-oriented comics magazine, namedDemo its 2004 "Indie of the Year". The series was also nominated for twoEisner Awards in 2005, for "Best Limited Series" and "Best Single Issue" (for #7, "One Shot, Don't Miss").Thirteen Minutes cites Wood and Demo as " blipping a young artist named Becky Cloonan onto everyone's collective radar screen, and cementing Wood's relationship with this frequent collaborator."[38]
Wood and Cloonan moved Demo from AiT/Planet Lar toVertigo Comics in 2008,[39] announcing a "Volume 2" of the series, upping the total number of short stories to 18.[40] In 2015, Wood and Cloonan took the publishing rights to Dark Horse Comics, producing the single volumeThe Complete Demo.[41]
TheDemo format proved successful so Wood went on to replicate it, with some changes, for his 12-issue seriesLocal atOni Press, which launched in 2005 and was drawn by artistRyan Kelly.[42] NPR named it one of its Best Graphic Novels of the year and called it a "contemporary ballad to the idea of the open road... Megan moves from state to state, dealing with roommates and dead-end jobs and looking for an existence that befits her intelligence and desire for authenticity. She's not a lost cause; she simply chooses, for personal reasons, to drift a while."
Demo was the book with which Wood and Becky Cloonan first gained Vertigo's attention.[43] Editor Will Dennis approached Wood and invited him to pitch, and editorShelly Bond hired Becky Cloonan to illustrate the seriesAmerican Virgin.[44] The inspiration forDMZ had come to Wood in early 2003, at a time when the9-11 incident in New York City and theinvasion of Iraq dominated the U.S. national psyche.[45] Wood had just moved to San Francisco from New York City, and the experience of recalling in that political atmosphere the memories and story ideas he had accumulated over a decade living in the city instigated the creation of the artwork that would become the foundation ofDMZ.[45][46] Initially developed asWartime, a five issue black-and-white miniseries, the comic was consciously a project of importance to Wood, representing a return to the perspective of his breakthrough workChannel Zero, a bleak portrayal of youth culture and anti-authoritarian expression in the repressive environment ofGiuliani-era New York City. After the "Wartime" title had been disqualified as too close a title to a recentBooks Of Magic miniseries, Wood considered a host of alternatives including "Embedded", "No Man's Land" and "The War for New York" before settling on "DMZ".[45]
DMZ launched as a monthly series on August 9, 2005. It ran for seventy-two issues, one of the longest runs in Vertigo history,[47] and was collected in twelve trade paperbacks. A Deluxe Edition of five hardcovers were published in 2014, followed by softcover editions of same in 2016. A two volume compendium set was published in 2020.[48]
In August 2006, DC Comics announced that Wood was signed to an exclusive contract.[49] This was announced at the same time as Wood's second monthly title for Vertigo, the historical seriesNorthlanders.[50] Described as an anthology series that takes a realistic, "street level" looking at Vikings, the series ran for 50 issues before being cancelled due to low sales.[51] It was collected into seven trade paperbacks, and then re-cut into three volumes that presents the stories in a different sequence than originally published.
In 2006, editorShelly Bond announced Minx, a young adult graphic novel imprint aimed at the teenage girl market.[52] Wood and artistRyan Kelly producedThe New York Four for the imprint.[53] Years later, they would return forThe New York Five, published under the Vertigo label. The sequel was nominated for anEisner award in 2012 for Best New Limited Series.[54] In 2014, Wood and Kelly took the books to Dark Horse Comics and produced the collected editionThe New York Four, containing the complete story.[55]
In 2008, Wood was nominated for Best Writer at that year'sEisner Awards, forDMZ,Northlanders, andLocal.[56]
During the term of his exclusivity to DC Comics, Wood also wrote DV8 Gods And Monsters for theWildStorm imprint, and a short run on theSupernatural licensed comic. In 2011, Wood wasrumored to write the relaunchedSupergirl series as part of DC'sNew 52 initiative,[57] but it did not come to pass. This generated some confusion and commentary, particularly after DC's New 52 website inadvertently leaked Wood's name as the series writer.[58][59] Wood stated, "I don't really know what I can and can't say about it, even now. But to answer at least part of your question, I did not turn down "Supergirl." I would have loved to be the writer on "Supergirl." I have over a year's worth of "Supergirl" story outlines and several scripts sitting right here." Soon after, Wood declined to renew his DC Exclusive.[60]
In 2021, Wood reported thatDC Entertainment had renewed theNorthlanders publishing agreement.[61]
In late 2011,Bleeding Cool reported that duringFan Expo Canada, Marvel teased a Brian Wood return in 2012, alongside an image ofWolverine's claw marks.[64]CBR later revealed the project asWolverine & the X-Men: Alpha and Omega, a four issue series with Mark Brooks on art.[65] Wood then took over on the main, "adjective-less" X-Men title starting with #30[66] and wrapping up with #37.[67]
Wood returned in 2013 with the #1 selling relaunch of X-Men with an all-female "A-list" roster: Jubilee, Storm, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Rachel Grey and Psylocke.[68][69]USA Today quoted Wood as saying, "I feel like as far as the X-Men go, the women are the X-Men. Cyclops and Wolverine are big names, but taken as a whole, the women kind of rule the franchise."[70] The reaction to the title was mostly positive,[71] but some took offense at the lack of male characters,[72] and others at the execution.[73] Journalist Laura Hudson interviewed Wood forWired Magazine, and quoted him as saying, ""There's too much cheesecake out there that is sold, or at least marketed, as a 'strong female' character or book when it's anything but, it just reinforces the worst opinions of the most sexist fans, and we gain no new ground. We probably lose ground. I'm not approaching this newX-Men as a 'female book,' but I'm writing it as a high action X-Men comic, and with some luck that will nullify some of these poisonous critics who go looking for something to feel angry/uncomfortable/threatened by."[69] The title was included in theBattle of The Atom miniseries.[74] Wood left the series in 2014 with issue #17, saying, "I left the title on my own accord, no drama, no pressure, just moving on,"[75] and writerG. Willow Wilson took over.[76]
Brian Wood andOlivier Coipel created the Shogo Lee,Jubilee's adopted infant son. He appeared as a time-traveling adult hero Sentinel-X inBattle of the Atom.[77]
Concurrent with the X-Men, Wood also took over monthly writing duties on Ultimate Comics: The X-Men with issue #13.[78] He continued until issue #33.[79] He and artist Paco Medina created the mutant Nomi Blume aka Mach Two.[80] His final work for Marvel during this time was to take over writing theMoon Knight rebootWarren Ellis began. He scripted issues #7-12.[81]
The bulk of Wood's post-DC Comics creator-owned work happened at Dark Horse Comics. After exiting his exclusive contract, Wood signed on to write the publisher's long-runningConan the Barbarian title, adapting the well-loved "Queen of the Black Coast" short story withBecky Cloonan on art. The series ran for 25 issues. Wood also launchedThe Massive, a creator-owned series with artist Garry Brown, depicting a group of environmentalists grappling with an unexplained failing of the earth's ecosystems.[83] After the series conclusion at issue #30,[84] Wood and Brown created the six-issue prequelNinth Wave. In the environmental novelApocalyptic Ecology in the Graphic Novel by Clint Jones, he states, "[The Massive] comes closest to representing the complexity of real destruction in the case of a global catastrophe."[85]
In 2013 Wood was approached by Dark Horse to head up a brand newStar Wars monthly title, one that uses the original cast of the1977 film, a first for the publisher.Star Wars #1 debuted to positive reviews, selling out of its initial print run in 24 hours.[86] Wood wrote the series up until issue #20, when Dark Horse lost the license to Marvel Comics.[87] Wood's run is known for makingPrincess Leia anX-wing pilot, generating a lot of commentary, positive and negative.[88][89][90][91]
Italian artist Andrea Mutti joined Wood in creatingRebels, a historical comic series set during theAmerican Revolutionary War. Wood noted he found it relevant to modern political times. "The first story arc ofRebels is called 'A Well Regulated Militia,' and believe me, that was very specifically chosen to direct confront how loaded that phrase is these days," he says. "TheGreen Mountain Boys were America's firstmilitia, and it's important tome to draw a very clear line between that and the guys that show up to Obama rallies with assault rifles on their backs, using that phrase to justify acting out."[92]Publishers Weekly describes the series' main story as follows "by shorter slices of war that cover other concerns within the conflict, including those of women who played a role in combat, Native Americans who had to navigate the battle to ensure their own survival, and black combatants desiring actual independence in a war that focused on white men's freedom."[93] They followed it up in 2017 with a second volume, titledRebels: These Free and Independent States, dealing with theWar of 1812. "We have the great political divide of the day, often boiled down to the contrast between Hamilton'sFederalist stance and the more states-oriented Democratic-Republicans that Jefferson and Madison pushed for, manifesting in street rallies and back-of-the-pub arguments. We had the piracy in theBarbary states against American merchant ships, the Quasi-War in the Caribbean, John making a couple friends in theabolitionist movement, and the great lead-up to the War of 1812, America's second war with England."[94]
Wood's final creator-owned project during this time wasBriggs Land, a generational crime drama set in an American secessionist community, "the Sopranos as secessionists," Wood said.[95] At the same time as announcing the comic series, theHollywood Reporter announced the property was in development atAMC TV, with Wood both writing and executive producing.[96] Wood said to Bleeding Cool, "I'm writing both, simultaneously. As a comic, its unfolding a little slower, since the 'container' of a 22-page comic is smaller than an hour-long premium cable show, which requires a hell of a lot of story and there's an expectation to get into the meat of it much quicker. In my head, it's two separateBriggs Lands – the one for comics, which is being done one way, and the TV one, which I'm developing differently."[97] There has been no updates on the live action version of the project since Wood posted an image of a completed script.[98]
Wood has written a number of series for theAliens franchise, starting with the 12-issueAliens: Defiance,[100] which introduced the point-of-view character Zula Hendricks,[101][102][103] an ostracized Colonial Marine suffering from injury and under a cloud of suspicion. He saw similarities between Zula andEllen Ripley character, and strived to make the connection on the page. "I did take a hard look at Ripley, especially the Ripley in the original film, to figure out how one makes a Ripley-esque lead character since one of our goals with this comic is to create a ‘classic’ Alien story in the mold of the original film. Zula is cut from the same cloth as the crew of theNostromo: blue collar people just looking ahead to the next paycheck dropped into a terrible situation and needing to struggle their way out of it. Ripley does all that, keeps her wits about her, her humanity, and her cool. I want to instill all of that in Zula, even if it's from a different perspective, that of a soldier. A young, passionate, walking-wounded soldier." The series also featured Ellen's daughter,Amanda Ripley, her first media appearance since theAlien: Isolation video game. "A pre-Isolation Amanda Ripley is [Zula's] only friend." Wood said.[104]
Zula Hendricks, created by Wood and artist Tristan Jones, is canon, featured in the 2019 novelization of the video gameAlien: Isolation[105] and the novelAlien: Prototype.[101]
In September 2018, Dark Horse announcedAliens: Resistance,[106] written by Wood with art by Robert Carey. Set after Defiance, it features Zula Hendricks and Amanda Ripley continuing the search forWeyland-Yutani black ops experiments on thexenomorph.[107] It was followed byAliens: Rescue in 2019[108]
A fourthAlien series,Colonial Marines: Rising Threat, was cancelled prior to publication.[109] It was meant to star Olivia Shipp, a character fromAlien: Echo,[110] a young adult novel byMira Grant.[111]
In June 2018, Wood and hisBriggs Land collaborator Mack Chater launched a new monthly series,Sword Daughter.[112] Described as a Norse - Samurai Cinema revenge mash-up,[113] the team enlistedJosé Villarrubia as colorist. Dark Horse described the series as "a raw and violent story that is a testament to the power of redemption and the resiliency of family, and a visually stunning tribute to samurai cinema." There would be a total of nine issues of the series, published in three hardcovers, titledShe Brightly Burns, Folded Metal, and Elsbeth Of The Island.[114]
Wood also wrote and co-wrote several licensed comics during the late 2010s, EVE Online: Valkyrie,Terminator: Sector War,Mono,John Carter: The End,Planet of The Apes: Memorial, a short story forMegadeth: Death By Design, andRoboCop: Citizens' Arrest.[115] He oversaw a reboot ofRobotech forTitan Comics, writing two volumes of the series before turning the job over toSimon Furman.[116]
A catalog entry forDogs Day End appeared in 2008 from the publisherTop Shelf.[123] Created by Wood with art by Nikki Cook, it never appeared. The catalog described it thusly: "Following up on the time-honored adage "you can't go home again",Dogs Day End details the personal journey of 30-year-old Andrew Maguire, pulled back to the small upstate hometown of his childhood by his mother as she enters the final stages of cancer." Chris Arrant ofCBR asked Wood about it in 2010, and he explained, "A bunch of shit went wrong, ranging from schedule problems to my own writing problems, and after a few years I shelved it for a bit, reworked the story, found a new artist, and tried again. And it was at that point I realized that really the only problem was with me, and my inability to write that goddamn story. I think time's just passed it by, to be honest. I love the idea of it, but I just cannot make it work."[124]
In 2012,Bleeding Cool andMTV reported a list of comic book projects Wood described as never making it off the ground.[125][126] There were severalDC Comics properties on the list -Green Arrow,Supergirl, Superman Beyond, Rima The Jungle Girl, "Gotham: Neighborhood Rebellion aka Catwoman Year 100", and what he termed "The Re-Imagined Wildstorm Universe." Three creator-owned titles are mentioned:QC,Anthem, andStarve. Starve was published by Image Comics in 2015.[127] That same year, Wood was named as the new writer ofTodd McFarlane's "resurrected"Spawn for the #251 relaunch.[128] Shortly after appearing with MacFarlane atNew York Comic Con,[129] Wood announced he was no longer employed on the book, issuing this statement: "For the sake of readers and retailers who read the current Image solicits (March 2015), I just want to sent [sic] out a little PSA and say that I am not the writer of Spawn #251. I'm actually not the writer of the Spawn title after all. I delivered, to spec, the script for February's Spawn Resurrection #1 special but raised objections to the considerable extent to which my script and the larger plot was being rewritten during production. I was then removed from the job. I'm not trying to complain or spark drama, but I do think that the audience and the retailers laying down money for the book should be aware when there is a creative team change, especially this close to the book's release. I'm sorry to anyone who was looking forward to my work on Spawn – its a bummer for me too."[130] Paul Jenkins replaced Wood.[131]
On November 13, 2013, cartoonistTess Fowler publicly accused Wood of sexual harassment in offering her his hotel room number at a bar encounter duringSan Diego Comic-Con in 2003.[143] Later that same month, Wood responded to Fowler with an apology, stating in part, "when she declined, that was the conclusion of the matter for me. There was never an exertion of power, no threats, and no revenge... I think the larger issues of abuse in the comics industry are genuine and I share everyone's concerns. I don't want our difference of accounts to take attention away from that industry-wide discussion that needs to happen." Fowler responded in part, "I've forgiven Brian years ago for the following story... I've moved on from what he did. I never asked for a boycott, or blacklisting, as I am being accused. I actually spoke very openly about the opposite. Brian Wood has every right to be a part of comics. To make books and make a living unhindered. I believe that. I also believe his behavior is a symptom of a much bigger disease."[144]
In August 2019, Laura Hudson accused Wood without evidence of "grabbing" her and "forcing" her into a kiss at a bar in 2007.[145][146] When approached byComics Beat regarding the allegations,Dark Horse issued a statement to The Beat saying, "Effective immediately, Dark Horse will not pursue any new projects with Brian Wood."[147] On August 21, 2020,The Comics Journal reported that following Hudson's employment on theAva DuVernay-helmed adaptation of Wood'sDMZ, she deleted the accusations against Wood.[148]
Channel Zero #1–5 (script and art, 1998) also collected asChannel Zero (tpb, 120 pages, 1998,ISBN1-58240-082-2)
Channel Zero: Dupe (script and art, one-shot containing the 14-pageChannel Zero story previously self-published by Wood, a new 3-page comic story and a 6-page prose story, 1999)
Rebels #1–10 (with Andrea Mutti, Matt Woodson (#7),Ariela Kristantina (#8) andTristan Jones (#10), 2015–2016) collected asRebels: A Well-Regulated Militia (tpb, 262 pages, 2016,ISBN1-61655-908-X)
Rebels: These Free and Independent States #1–8 (with Andrea Mutti,Luca Casalanguida (#7) andJoan Urgell (#8), 2017) collected asRebels: These Free and Independent States (tpb, 208 pages, 2018,ISBN1-5067-0203-1)
^abcGiampaoli, Justin (April 2011)."Introductory Interview". Live from the DMZ. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012. RetrievedFebruary 16, 2012.
