| Chris Claremont | |
|---|---|
 Claremont at the 2016New York Comic Con | |
| Born | Christopher S. Claremont (1950-11-25)November 25, 1950 (age 74) London, England |
Notable works | Uncanny X-Men New Mutants Captain Britain Excalibur Wolverine Fantastic Four Ms. Marvel Iron Fist X-Treme X-Men |
| Awards | Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award: 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990 Eagle Award: 1979 and 1980 Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame (2015) |
| Spouse(s) | Bonnie Wilford (?–?) Beth Fleisher (current) |
| Children | 2 |
| chrisclaremont | |
Christopher S. Claremont[1][2] (/ˈklɛərmɒnt/; born November 25, 1950) is an Americancomic book writer and novelist. Claremont worked for 16 years onUncanny X-Men from 1975 to 1991, longer than that of any other writer,[3] during which he is credited with developing strong female characters as well as introducing complex literary themes into superhero narratives, turning the once underachieving comic into one ofMarvel's most popular series.[4][5][6] During his tenure,X-Men was the best-selling comic book in the world.[7]
During his tenure at Marvel, Claremont co-created theX-Men charactersRogue,Psylocke (Betsy Braddock),Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat,Phoenix, theBrood,Lockheed,Shi'ar,Shi'ar Imperial Guard,Mystique,Destiny,Selene,William Stryker,Lady Mastermind,Emma Frost,Sage,Siryn,Jubilee,Rachel Summers,Madelyne Pryor,Moira MacTaggert,Lilandra Neramani,Shadow King,Cannonball,Warpath,Mirage,Wolfsbane,Karma,Cypher,Sabretooth,Empath,Sebastian Shaw,Donald Pierce,Avalanche,Pyro,Legion,Nimrod,Gateway,Strong Guy,Proteus,Mister Sinister,Marauders, thePurifiers,Captain Britain,Sunspot,Forge, andGambit.
Claremont wrote the stories "The Dark Phoenix Saga" and "Days of Future Past", on which he collaborated withJohn Byrne.[8] He developed the character ofWolverine.X-Men #1, the 1991 spinoff series premiere that Claremont co-wrote withJim Lee, is the bestselling comic book of all time, according toGuinness World Records. In 2015, Claremont and hisX-Men collaborator John Byrne were entered into theWill Eisner Award Hall of Fame.
Claremont was born inLondon, England.[9][10] His father was an internist and his mother was a pilot and caterer.[5] Claremont isJewish on his mother's side, and lived in akibbutz inIsrael during his youth.[11][12] His family moved to the United States when he was three years old,[13] and he was raised primarily onLong Island. Alienated by the sports-oriented suburbs,[5] his grandmother purchased for him a subscription toEagle when he was a child, and he grew up readingDan Dare, finding them more exciting than theBatman andSuperman comics of the 1950s and early 1960s.[13] He read works by science fiction writers such asRobert Heinlein, as well as writers of other genres such asRudyard Kipling andC. S. Forester.[5]
Claremont initially did not view the comic book industry as the place where he would make his career, as he believed the dwindling readership to be a sign that the industry was dying, and found the material being published to be uninteresting.[13] Instead, when he began atBard College, he did so as a political theorist, studying acting and political theory,[5][14][15] and writing novels with the hope of becoming a director. His first professional sale was a prose story.[13] He graduated in 1972.[14][15]
Claremont's career began in 1969, as a college undergraduate, when he was hired as a gofer/editorial assistant atMarvel Comics. His first professional scripting assignment wasDaredevil #102 (Aug. 1973). As an entry into regular comics writing, Claremont was given the fledgling feature "Iron Fist" inMarvel Premiere as of issue #23 (Aug. 1975). He was joined two issues later by artistJohn Byrne. The Claremont/Byrne team continued to work together when the character received its own self-titled series in November 1975. This title lasted 15 issues.
Though his acting career did not yield great success, he functioned well at Marvel, where he obtained a full-time position. One of the first new characters created by Claremont wasMadrox the Multiple Man inGiant-Size Fantastic Four #4 (Feb. 1975).[16] Marvel's editor-in-chief at the time,Len Wein, who recognized Claremont's enthusiasm for the new X-Men that Wein andDave Cockrum had created in 1975, hired Claremont, a relatively young writer, to take over the series as ofissue #94 (May 1975),[17] reasoning that doing so would not draw opposition from other writers, given the book's poor standing. Claremont approached the job as amethod actor, developing the characters by examining their motives, desires and individual personalities. This approach drew immediate positive reaction. According to former Marvel editor-in-chiefBob Harras, "He lived it and breathed it. He would write whole paragraphs about what people were wearing. He really got into these people's thoughts, hopes, dreams." Claremont's take on the series has been likened to writing "theGreat American Novel about complex characters who just happened to fly", incorporating surprise character developments and emotional nuances amid the operatic battles that otherwise typified American superhero comics.[5] By his own admission,[18] Claremont acquired a reputation for taking a long time to resolve plot threads, and longtime X-Men editorLouise Simonson recounted that whenever she was at a loss for story ideas, "All I'd have to do was go through all of the plot threads that he had left for the last year or two."[19]
Claremont introduced new supporting characters to theX-Men series includingMoira MacTaggert in issue #96[20] andLilandra Neramani in #97.[21]Jean Grey a.k.a. Marvel Girl, one of Marvel's first female heroes, underwent a dramatic transformation into the extremely powerful Phoenix in issue #101.[22] Issue #107 (Oct. 1977) saw the introduction of theStarjammers[23] as well as the departure of artist Dave Cockrum. Claremont began his collaboration with artist John Byrne in the following issue.[24]
During his 17 years asX-Men writer, Claremont wrote or co-wrote many classic X-Men stories, such as "The Dark Phoenix Saga"[25] and "Days of Future Past".[26] Comics writers and historians Roy Thomas andPeter Sanderson observed that "'The Dark Phoenix Saga' is to Claremont and Byrne what the 'Galactus Trilogy' is to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It is a landmark in Marvel history, showcasing its creators' work at the height of their abilities."[27] Comics historianLes Daniels noted that "The controversial story created a sensation andThe X-Men became the comic book to watch."[28] In 2010,Comics Bulletin ranked Claremont and Byrne's run onThe X-Men second on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels".[29] Claremont and artistFrank Miller crafted aWolverine limited series in 1982.[30] With artistWalt Simonson, Claremont producedThe Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans in 1982, anintercompany crossover between the top-selling Marvel and DC titles.[31][32] TheNew Mutants were introduced by Claremont andBob McLeod inMarvel Graphic Novel #4 (Dec. 1982)[33] and received their own ongoing series soon after. The secondX-Men film was loosely based on his 1982X-Men graphic novelGod Loves, Man Kills.[34]
Besides his work onX-Men and its spinoffs, Claremont wroteMarvel Team-Up,[35]Spider-Woman[36] andMs. Marvel[37] during this time. He and artistJohn Bolton created theMarada the She-Wolf character in 1981.[38] Claremont's stories forMarvel Team-Up included the cast ofNBC'sSaturday Night Live appearing in issue #74 (Oct. 1978)[39][40] and the introduction ofKarma, a character who later joined theNew Mutants, in #100 (Dec. 1980).[41] Claremont helped launch theMarvel Fanfare title in March 1982.[42]
Claremont co-created numerous other important female X-Men characters, includingRogue,[43]Betsy Braddock,[44]Mariko Yashida,[45]Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat,Phoenix,Mystique,Lady Mastermind,Emma Frost,Siryn,Rachel Summers,[26]Madelyne Pryor,[46]: 211 andJubilee.[46]: 241 He co-created such notable male characters asSabretooth,Pyro,Avalanche,Strong Guy,Captain Britain,[47]Forge,[46]: 218 Mister Sinister, andGambit.
Claremont launched variousX-Men spin-offs, beginning withThe New Mutants in 1982. The spinoffsExcalibur[48] andWolverine,[46]: 239 initially written by Claremont, followed in 1987 and 1988, respectively.X-Men crossover stories written by Claremont during the latter half of his tenure on the series include "Mutant Massacre",[46]: 228 "Fall of the Mutants",[46]: 236 and "X-Tinction Agenda".[49] In 1991, Marvel launched a secondX-Men title simply calledX-Men with Claremont and pencilerJim Lee as co-writers.[50]X-Men #1 is still the bestselling comic book of all-time, with sales of over 8.1 million copies (and nearly $7 million), according toGuinness World Records, which presented honors to Claremont at the 2010San Diego Comic-Con.[51][52][53][54] The sales figures were generated in part by publishing the issue with four different variant covers which showed different characters from the book (and later a fifthgatefold cover that combined all four), large numbers of which were purchased by retailers, who anticipated fans and speculators who would buy multiple copies in order to acquire a complete collection of the covers.[55] Claremont left the series after the first three-issue story arc, due to clashes with editor Bob Harras.[5]
The 1990s saw Claremont diversify his comics work, as he wrote for other publishers, and wrote his own creator-owned properties. In December 1991, he sent artistWhilce Portacio a proposal to illustrate Claremont's project,The Huntsman, as a creator-owned project, and when the then-new comics publisherImage Comics was announced in 1992, Claremont was named as one of its founders. However, the project was canceled when Portacio decided instead to doWetworks. Claremont attempted to find other artist for the series, but all those in whom he was interested were either drawingX-Men or had their own projects with Image, and thus he did not become one of Image's founders.[56] In 1992 he wrote the graphic novelStar Trek: Debt of Honor, which was illustrated byAdam Hughes.Stan Lee interviewed Claremont for episode 7 of the 1991–92 documentary seriesThe Comic Book Greats.[57]
In 1993, he began writing the 12-issue miniseriesAliens/Predator: Deadliest of the Species forDark Horse Comics, which was completed in 1995. That year saw a decline in his comics output, however, as he turned his focus to writing novels, citing frustration with how the comics industry had become dominated by artists and editors.[56] In 1994, he wrote issues #10–13 of Jim Lee andBrandon Choi's series,WildC.A.T.s at Image Comics, in which he finally introduced his creator-owned character, Huntsman.[58]
In 1995, Claremont began writing his creator-owned series,Sovereign Seven, which was published byDC Comics, running for 36 issues until 1998.
In 1998, Claremont returned to Marvel as editorial director and the regular writer ofFantastic Four, where he createdValeria Richards. The book was pencilled by artistSalvador Larrocca and inked byArt Thibert for the entirety of his duration on the series. Claremont's run onFantastic Four would last for 29 issues and 2 annuals, making it his longest tenure on a title outside of the X-Men.[59] Despite outselling books such asAmazing Spider-Man andBatman,[60] Claremont was fired by editorBobbie Chase in early 2000, a decision that he was angered by.[61] Claremont also wroteThe Fantastic 4th Voyage of Sinbad in 2001, a one shot starring the Fantastic Four on an adventure withSinbad the Sailor. The comic was pencilledPascual Ferry.
In 2000, as part of the company's "Revolution" event, he wroteUncanny X-Men andX-Men until he moved toX-Treme X-Men, again working with penciller Salvador Larroca. He returned toUncanny X-Men again for a two-year run starting in 2004, while teaming up with his formerExcalibur collaborator and artist,Alan Davis.
In 2004, Claremont was co-writer onJLA issues #94–99, the "Tenth Circle" story arc forDC Comics, which reunited him with his formerUncanny X-Men artistJohn Byrne, withJerry Ordway as inker.
In 2007, Claremont returned toNew Excalibur, writing a story arc in which the characterNocturne has a stroke. He has completed his first arc onExiles, addingBetsy Braddock to the team.
In 2008 Claremont wrote the miniseriesGeNEXT, followed by its 2009 sequel,GeNext: United. He was the writer of anX-Men Forever series[62] which was set in analternate universe, and focuses on the present day lives of the X-Men in a reality where Magneto never returned following the destruction ofAsteroid M inX-Men #3 (December 1991). In 2010, Claremont collaborated with Italian comics artistMilo Manara onX-Women.[63]
As of 2014 Claremont was under an exclusive contract for Marvel. In April of that year, Marvel launched aNightcrawler series with Claremont as writer, which he finished in March 2015.[64][65] He re-united with his formerNew Mutants artistBill Sienkiewicz for the oneshotNew Mutants: War Children in 2019.
According to writer/editorPaul Levitz, Claremont's complex story structures "played a pivotal role in assembling the audience that enabled American comics to move to more mature and sophisticated storytelling, and the graphic novel."[4] Claremont's editor on the series,Louise Simonson, attributes the X-Men's success to his approach to the characters: "Chris took them very seriously. They were real people to him."[19]
As the writer ofX-Men, Claremont became known for certain characteristic phrases, such as Wolverine's saying, "I'm the best there is at what I do. And what I do...isn't very nice", which became closely associated with the character.[66]
In a 2009Slate article, Grady Hendrix called Claremont the "soapiest writer in comic books.... The classic Claremont pose is either a character, head hung in shame with two enormous rivers of tears running down the cheeks as he or she delivers a self-loathing monologue, or a character with head thrown back and mouth open in a shout of rage, shaking tiny fists at heaven and vowing that the whole world will soon learn about his or her feelings." Hendrix goes on to state "The genius of Chris Claremont was that he made mutants a generic stand-in for all minorities".[67] "I'm an immigrant," said Claremont in 2014, describing his affinity with outsiders. After arriving in the United States from England, he was beaten up "because I looked like a geek." His emphasis on the theme of prejudice resonated with readers as theX-Men series rose in popularity.[6]
In 1987 Claremont began writing genre novels. His first was a science fiction trilogy about female USAF pilot/astronaut Nicole Shea, consisting ofFirst Flight (1987),Grounded! (1991), andSundowner (1994). Claremont co-wrote theChronicles of the Shadow War trilogy,Shadow Moon (1995),Shadow Dawn (1996), andShadow Star (1999), withGeorge Lucas, which continued the story of Elora Danan from the movieWillow. Claremont was a contributor to theWild Cards anthology series.
Claremont made a cameo appearance in the opening scene of the 2006 filmX-Men: The Last Stand, for which he is credited as "Lawnmower man". He made a cameo appearance as a Congressional committee member alongside fellow comic book writerLen Wein in an early scene in the 2014 filmX-Men: Days of Future Past.
In December 2010 Claremont appeared at a book signing atBorders atPenn Plaza in Manhattan as part of a series of events nationwide to commemorateWorld AIDS Day, with 25% of the proceeds of books sold at the event donated to Lifebeat, a nonprofit organization that educates young people onHIV/AIDS prevention.[8]
In July 2011 Claremont signed a deed of gift toColumbia University'sRare Book & Manuscript Library, donating his archives of all his major writing projects over the previous 40 years to the Library's nascent comics archives collection, forming the foundation of a research collection focusing on New York City-based cartoonists and comics writers. Following the examination and processing of the materials, which include notebooks, correspondence, early story drafts, plays, novels, comic books and materials from Claremont's early training in the theater and his career as an actor, Claremont's archive will be housed at theRare Book & Manuscript Library inButler Library, separate from the graphic novels collection, and will be open to anyone who demonstrates a need for its use, with a Finding Aid being made available online. Claremont's longtime editorLouise Simonson said, "his papers will provide many clues, not only to the evolving way comic books are created and presented, but also how they are perceived, licensed, bought and sold in America and around the world."[4]
A symposium called Comic New York was held March 24–25, 2012 at Columbia University'sLow Memorial Library to mark the occasion, which was organized by Graphic Novels Librarian Karen Green, Professor Jeremy Dauber, and editorDanny Fingeroth.[4] A discussion between Claremont and Simonson held in recognition of Claremont's gift was the keynote event of the symposium, which focused on the intertwined histories of American comics and New York City, which has served both as a breeding ground for creators and the home of the Big Two publishers, Marvel and DC.[68] Signings and panel discussions with other creators, scholars and academics of the comics medium were held during the two-day event. Among the other creators in attendance werePaul Levitz,Al Jaffee,Peter Kuper,Denis Kitchen,Molly Crabapple,John Romita,John Romita Jr.,Irwin Hasen,Miss Lasko-Gross andDean Haspiel.[69]
In the mid-1970s, Claremont was married to Bonnie Wilford.[70] Following the dissolution of that marriage, he married Beth Fleisher,[4] with whom Claremont co-authoredDragon Moon. Fleisher is the cousin (through marriage) of editorDan Raspler, who was the editor onJLA during the six-issue "Tenth Circle" story arc Claremont and John Byrne wrote in 2004.[71] Claremont and Fleisher have twin sons.[72]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(May 2020) |
All that changed however in the mid 1970s when writer Chris Claremont came on board. Despite his non-Jewish-sounding name, this London-born, New York-raised lad is Jewish… he even spent time on an Israeli kibbutz in his youth.
In this issue, new Marvel writer Chris Claremont and artist John Buscema introduced Madrox the Multiple Man, a mutant who could duplicate his body over and over.
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)The issue, written by longtimeX-Men scribe Chris Claremont and drawn by Walter Simonson [was]...one of the most well-received crossovers of its time – or of any time for that matter – the team-up was a huge success.
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Chris was her third husband
| Preceded by | Daredevil writer 1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Uncanny X-Men writer 1975–1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by n/a | Captain Britain writer 1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Man-Thing writer 1980–1981 (with fill-ins by Dickie Mackenzie and J. M. DeMatteis) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by n/a | New Mutants writer 1983–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by n/a | Excalibur writer 1987–1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by n/a | Wolverine writer 1988–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Louise Simonson | X-Factor writer 1991 | Succeeded by Peter David |
| Preceded by n/a | X-Men vol. 2 writer 1991 | Succeeded by John Byrne |
| Preceded by | Wolverine writer 1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Scott Lobdell | Fantastic Four writer 1998–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Uncanny X-Men writer 2000–2001 | Succeeded by Scott Lobdell |
| Preceded by Alan Davis | X-Men vol. 2 writer 2000–2001 | Succeeded by Scott Lobdell |
| Preceded by | Uncanny X-Men writer 2004–2006 | Succeeded by |