Brian Michael Bendis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brian Michael Bendis |
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Bendis at Midtown Comics in 2019
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| Born | August 18, 1967 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Writer, Artist |
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Notable works
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Jinx Torso Powers Ultimate Spider-Man Alias Daredevil The New Avengers House of M Secret Invasion Siege All-New X-Men Age of Ultron Civil War II |
| Awards | Five Eisner Awards including:
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| Spouse(s) | Alisa |
| Children | 4 |
Brian Michael Bendis (born August 18, 1967) is a famous American comic book writer and artist. He is known for creating many popular comic book stories and characters.
Bendis started his career writing and drawing crime comics. Later, he moved into the world of superheroes. At Marvel Comics, he helped launch the Ultimate Spider-Man series in 2000. This comic was a huge hit with new readers. He also brought back the Avengers team with New Avengers in 2004.
He wrote many big Marvel storylines like "House of M" and "Secret Invasion". Brian Michael Bendis also helped create popular characters like Riri Williams (Ironheart), Miles Morales (a new Spider-Man), and Jessica Jones. He has won five Eisner Awards, which are like the Oscars for comic books.
Besides comics, Bendis has worked on TV shows, video games, and movies. He has also taught classes about graphic novels at universities.
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Becoming a Comic Creator
Brian Michael Bendis was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 18, 1967. He grew up in University Heights. When he was 13, he decided he wanted to work in the comic book industry. He started making his own comics, even a story about Punisher versus Captain America.
He was a big fan of Marvel Comics. His favorite artists included George Pérez, John Romita, Sr., John Romita, Jr., and Jack Kirby. He also loved crime comics and film noir, which is a style of movie with a dark, mysterious mood. These influences helped shape his unique writing style.
At 19, Bendis went to the Cleveland Institute of Art. He also worked at a comic book store. He sent many of his comics to companies, but he soon realized it was hard to get noticed that way.
Starting His Comics Career
Bendis began his career as an artist, drawing for local newspapers. He enjoyed writing crime fiction for graphic novels. Soon, he started both writing and drawing his own stories. He worked for a company called Caliber Comics.
At Caliber, he met other comic creators who became his friends. He published his first independent crime comics there, like Fire and A.K.A. Goldfish. His well-known early work, Jinx, started in 1996. It was about a bounty hunter in a crime story.
Bendis often talks about how he worked as a "graphic artist for almost twelve years." For nine of those years, he lived like a "starving artist," meaning he didn't have much money.
Moving to Image and Oni Comics
In 1996, Bendis moved to Image Comics. His crime comics, including Jinx, were published there. At Image, he also wrote Sam and Twitch, which was set in the Spawn universe. This job taught him how to work with characters owned by other companies.
In 1998, Bendis co-wrote and drew Torso with Marc Andreyko. In 2000, he created Fortune and Glory for Oni Comics, which was a comic about his own life.
That same year, he launched Powers with artist Michael Avon Oeming. This series was about police officers in a world full of superheroes. Powers won many awards, like the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Awards.
Working with Marvel Comics
Brian Michael Bendis was hired by Marvel Comics to write Ultimate Spider-Man. This new series started in 2000 and was made for a new generation of readers. Bendis took Spider-Man's original story and expanded it into seven issues. The comic became a bestseller, often selling more copies than the main The Amazing Spider-Man comic.
Bendis and artist Mark Bagley worked together on 111 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man. This was one of the longest partnerships in American comic book history. Bendis also wrote other comics in the Ultimate line, like Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men. In 2011, Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli created Miles Morales, a new version of Ultimate Spider-Man.
In 2001, Bendis took over writing Daredevil. He wrote 55 issues of the series with artist Alex Maleev. Also in 2001, he helped start Marvel's adult comic line, MAX, with Alias. This series featured a former superhero named Jessica Jones who became a private detective.
In 2004, Bendis wrote the "Avengers Disassembled" storyline, which changed the Avengers team. This led to him launching The New Avengers. He also wrote major Marvel events like "House of M" (2005) and "Secret Invasion" (2008). These stories had a huge impact on the Marvel Universe.
After "Secret Invasion," Bendis launched Dark Avengers. In 2009, he and Alex Maleev started a new Spider-Woman comic. This was the first comic to be released online as a "motion comic" at the same time it was printed.
Bendis also wrote the "Siege" crossover series in 2009. This story ended the "Dark Reign" storyline. After "Siege," Bendis relaunched both Avengers and New Avengers.
In 2010, Bendis launched Scarlet, his first new comic that he owned himself in over ten years. He also wrote Takio and Brilliant. In 2012, he started writing a new Avengers comic called Avengers Assemble. This series brought back the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Bendis finished his time on Avengers and New Avengers in 2012. After Marvel's "Marvel NOW!" relaunch, Bendis wrote All New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men. He also continued writing Guardians of the Galaxy.
He wrote the "Age of Ultron" storyline in 2013, which was a big crossover event. In 2014, Bendis published a book called Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels. He also taught a course on writing graphic novels at the University of Oregon.
Working with DC Comics
In November 2017, Brian Michael Bendis announced he would be working only for DC Comics. His first work for DC was in Action Comics #1000 (June 2018). He then wrote The Man of Steel limited series and relaunched the Superman series in 2018. He also took over writing Action Comics.
In 2021, Bendis announced he was working on an animated Legion of Super-Heroes TV show for HBO Max. This show will be based on his comic book series.
Other Creative Work
Besides comics, Bendis has worked on many other projects.
He was a writer for the 2003 animated Spider-Man show, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, which aired on MTV. He also wrote for the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series, which started in 2012.
Bendis was a developer and writer for the TV show based on his comic, Powers. This show ran for two seasons on PlayStation Network.
His video game work includes writing for Ultimate Spider-Man by Activision. He also wrote for Marvel's online game, Marvel Heroes.
In film, he wrote screenplays for adaptations of his comics A.K.A. Goldfish and Jinx. In 2014, he wrote the story for the Disney Infinity 2.0 video game.
How He Writes
When Brian Michael Bendis creates new characters, he often starts with someone he knows in real life. He then builds on that idea, letting the character grow naturally. For example, his version of Aunt May in Ultimate Spider-Man looks a lot like his own mother.
Family Life
Bendis met his wife, Alisa, in 1995. They got married within a year. Alisa Bendis helps manage JINXWORLD, which is the company for Bendis's own comics. They have four children. Their oldest daughter is Olivia. They adopted two younger daughters, Tabatha and Sabrina. In 2013, they had a son named London.
Awards and Recognition
Brian Michael Bendis has received many awards for his work:
- 1999 Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition
- 2001 Eisner Award for Best New Series (for Powers)
- 2002 Eisner Award for Best Writer (for Powers, Alias, Daredevil, and Ultimate Spider-Man)
- 2003 Eisner Award for Best Writer (for Powers, Alias, Daredevil, and Ultimate Spider-Man)
- 2003 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series (for Daredevil)
- 2000 Cleveland Press "Excellence in Journalism" Award
- 2000 Wizard Magazine Best Writer of the Year
- 2001 Wizard Magazine Best Writer of the Year
- 2002 Wizard Magazine Best Writer of the Year
- 2003 Wizard Magazine Best Writer of the Year
- 2002 Comics Buyer's Guide Best Writer of the Year
- 2003 Comics Buyer's Guide Best Writer of the Year
- 2004 Comics Buyer's Guide Best Writer of the Year
- 2005 E3's People's Choice Award for Activision's Ultimate Spider-Man video game
- 2010 Inkpot Award
He has also been nominated for many other awards, including several Eisner Awards.
Images for kids
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Bendis at Midtown Comics in 2019
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Bendis in February 2006
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Bendis (far right) at a 2010 signing in Manhattan
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Bendis and his wife Alisa at Midtown Comics
See also
In Spanish: Brian Michael Bendis para niños
