David Bishop | |
|---|---|
| Born | New Zealand |
| Occupation | Editor, comic book writer, novelist |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Period | 1991–present |
| Genre | Comic book,science fiction |
| Website | |
| viciousimagery | |
David James Steven[1] Bishop (born 27 September 1966), also known asD. V. Bishop, is aNew Zealand comic book editor and writer of comics, novels and screenplays. He lives in the United Kingdom.
In the 1990s he edited the UK comics titlesJudge Dredd Megazine (1991–2002)[2][3] and2000 AD (1995–2000).[4]He has since become a prolific screenwriter and novelist, and has won awards for his Cesare Aldo mystery novels which are set in Renaissance Florence.
Bishop was born inCambridge, New Zealand and grew up inAuckland. He studied journalism at Auckland Technical Institute (nowAuckland University of Technology), and worked as a journalist for theNew Zealand Herald. He emigrating to the UK in 1990.[5]
He completed an MA in Screenwriting at Scotland'sEdinburgh Napier University in Scotland in 2007. He helped establish the university's MA Creative Writing programme in 2009, which he headed from 2017-2022. He remains a creative writing lecturer for the programme. He is completing a PhD in Creative Writing at England'sLancaster University, for which he wrote the historical thrillerCity of Vengeance (Pan Macmillan, 2021). His thesis examines the scarcity ofLGBTQ+ sleuths in historical mystery fiction.[5]
In 2017, he was awarded aRobert Louis Stevenson Fellowship byCreative Scotland and theScottish Book Trust.[6]
In 2008, he appeared on 23 May edition of theBBC Onequiz showThe Weakest Link,[7] beating eight other contestants to win more than £1500 inprize money.
Bishop was sub-editor of theJudge Dredd Megazine and ofCrisis,[8] before becoming the editor of theMegazine from 1991 to 2002. He became the editor of2000 AD just before Christmas 1995, staying four and a half years before resigning to become afreelance writer in the summer of 2000.
Bishop was responsible for discovering many new British talents, including:
He also editedJudge Dredd – Lawman of the Future and, with collaboratorRoger Langridge, contributed theinsane asylum-set stripThe Straitjacket Fits in theMegazine.
Since leaving2000 AD in the year 2000, Bishop has enjoyed a successful career as afreelance writer, working on novels ofDoctor Who[14] (includingWho Killed Kennedy, a journalist's point-of-view on the earlyThird Doctor stories),Judge Dredd,Heroes[15] andNikolai Dante, as well as comic strip adventures ofThe Phantom.[16]
The Spacegirls, a parody of theSpice Girls, is on the list of2000 AD's 20 Worst Strips as chosen by fan rating on the official website.[17]
Away fromBritish comics, his work onThe Phantom has won awards for the "Best Phantom story of the year" for European comic publisher Egmont several times. Bishop introduced new characters to the Phantom mythos, such as the pirate queen Kate Sommerset, who grew so popular with readers that Bishop made her the main character of five stories.[citation needed]
In 2006, Bishop also signed on to participate in the writing of stories for American publisherMoonstone Books' two collections of Phantom short stories, called Phantom Prose Anthologies.[citation needed]
Bishop's history of2000 AD, in a series of articles under the nameThrill Power Overload, was revised, expanded and updated in a book version published in 2007 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of2000 AD. After that sold out, a paperback edition was issued in February 2009. An expanded edition with new material by Karl Stock was released in 2017.[18]
Bishop received his first drama scriptwriting credit whenBBC Radio 4 broadcast hisradio playIsland Blue: Ronald in June 2006. In 2007, he won the PAGE International Screenwriting Award in the short film category for his scriptDanny's Toys,[19] and was a finalist in the 2009 PAGE Awards with his scriptThe Woman Who Screamed Butterflies.[20]
In 2010, Bishop received his first TV drama credit on theBBC medical drama seriesDoctors, writing an episode calledA Pill For Every Ill, broadcast on 10 February.[21]
In 2020 he won theSir Julius Vogel Award for Best Dramatic Presentation for his audiobook,The Elysian Blade.
Moving away from science fiction, in 2021 he released his first historical fiction novel under the name D. V. Bishop.[22]City of Vengeance, the first book in the Cesare Aldo mystery series, is set inFlorence in the 1530s. He wrote the book as part of a PhD in Creative Writing at Lancaster University in England, His thesis examines the scarcity of LGBTQ+ sleuths in historical mystery fiction.[5] The novel won the 2022 New Zealand Booklovers Award for Best Adult Novel.[23] It was described by the judges as: "A stunning debut novel [which] seamlessly blends historical fiction with crime thriller... Storytelling centred on intrigue and betrayal doesn't come more polished and captivating than this."[24]
The second novel,The Darkest Sin, won the 2023Crime Writers' Association Historical Dagger.[25]
The third novel,Ritual of Fire, won the 2024Ngaio Marsh Award for best New Zealand crime novel.[26]
The fourth novel,A Divine Fury was a finalist for the 2024McIlvanney Prize in Scotland. Pan Macmillan has announced it will publish the fifth Aldo novel,Carnival of Lies, in 2025.
The Cesare Aldo mysteries:
| Preceded by | Judge Dredd Megazine editor 1991–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | 2000 AD editor 1996–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Judge Dredd Megazine editor 1996–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Judge Dredd Megazine editor 2000–2002 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
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| Other | |
