Brian Wood (comics)

Early career (1997–2003)

Wood's first professional work in comics was the 5-issue miniseries Channel Zero, published by Image Comics from 1997–98, created as part of a final project for graduation from Parsons School of Design. Channel Zero is set in a dystopian near-future New York City where the tenets of Mayor Giuliani have grown into a freedom-restricting government initiative called 'The Clean Act'. The protagonist is Jennie 2.5, a DIY media personality. Channel Zero was orphaned shortly after Image Comics sold out of the first print run of the collection, opting not to return to press. AiT/Planet Lar acquired it soon afterwards.

Wood was absent from comics for two years, working at a series of Internet design jobs during the dot-com boom. In early 2000, Warren Ellis offered Wood a co-writing job on Marvel Comics' Generation X, as part of Ellis's Counter-X run (in which Ellis served as "Plotmaster"). Wood co-wrote issues #63–70 with Ellis, and wrote #71–75 on his own. The series was canceled as part of incoming editor-in-chief Joe Quesada's attempts to simplify the X-Men franchise.

Wood returned to creator-owned comics between 2001 and 2003, producing several graphic novels and miniseries, including Couscous Express, The Couriers, and Jennie One for AIT, Pounded for Oni Press, and Fight For Tomorrow for DC's imprint Vertigo. He was employed as AIT's art director for roughly six months, creating not only their current logo and branding, but covers for many of the books they published during this time. He also found time to work again with Ellis, creating 14 covers for the Wildstorm series Global Frequency.

Demo and Local (2003–2005)

In late 2003, Wood quit his staff job at Rockstar Games and teamed with artist Becky Cloonan to create the monthly series Demo. Each of the 12 issues told its own complete story, and included eight pages of "backmatter", bonus material that was intentionally left out of the eventual collected edition. The Demo format proved so successful that Wood went on to replicate it, with minor changes, for his 12-issue series Local at Oni Press, begun in 2005 and drawn by artist Ryan Kelly. Local differs from Demo in that it includes a focal character, Megan McKeenan, whose character arc is gradually traced through the series, although she is not always the protagonist within each issue. This difference has led Local down its own path; Wood refers to it as "transcending its 'done in one' format to really be about Megan's story, her life, that progression over time".

2005–2006

2006 saw the publication of the graphic novel The Tourist from Image Comics, and Supermarket, a 4-issue series from IDW co-created and drawn by Kristian Donaldson.

The DC / Vertigo exclusive years (2006–2011)

In August 2006, DC Comics announced that Wood was signed to an exclusive contract.

Wood co-created DMZ, a critically acclaimed ongoing series from Vertigo for which he is best-known, Northlanders, a historical-fiction series set during the Viking Age, The New York Four and The New York Five, a young adult series, and a new Demo miniseries. For DC/Wildstorm, he wrote a DV8 miniseries with Rebekah Isaacs, and a Supernatural miniseries with Grant Bond. DMZ and Northlanders have both received Deluxe omnibus reprints in both hardcover and paperback.

In August 2011, Wood discussed the conclusion of Northlanders, the ending of his exclusive and regular work for DC Comics, and the rumors he was working on a Supergirl series for the New 52.

Marvel Comics (2012–2014)

Shortly after his DC Comics exclusive ended, Wood wrote a series of X-Men comics for Marvel, starting with the Wolverine & The X-Men: Alpha and Omega miniseries. He was then announced as the ongoing writer of the "adjectiveless" X-Men title and penned issues #30–37. He signed on to Ultimate Comics: X-Men and wrote issues #13–33. When his X-Men book was cancelled and relaunched as an all-female title, he was announced as the writer and wrote #1–17 of that series. In 2014 he signed on to Moon Knight to write issues #6–12

Image Comics (2012–)

Wood returned to Image Comics with an omnibus edition of The Couriers, followed by three new monthly series: Mara with Ming Doyle, Starve with collaborators Danijel Zezelj and Dave Stewart, and Black Road with Garry Brown.

Dark Horse Comics (2012–)

Wood shifted the bulk of his creator owned work to Dark Horse Comics following his time at DC Comics. He created and authored the five-volume The Massive, The Massive Ninth Wave (prequel), Rebels, a historical series set during the American Revolution, and Briggs Land, an ongoing crime series set within an American secessionist movement.

Wood also brought the Channel Zero, Demo, and The New York Four properties to Dark Horse, who collected and printed them in comprehensive omnibus editions.

For the company, he did a 25-issue stint on Conan the Barbarian, a 20-issue run on Star Wars, and a miniseries leading into the release of the Eve: Valkyrie virtual reality video game. In 2016, Wood and artist Tristan Jones launched Aliens: Defiance, a new monthly series in the mold of the original 1979 film. It ran for 12 issues.

In 2017, Dark Horse has announced that Wood and Andrea Mutti are returning for a second Rebels series, entitled These Free and Independent States.

Video game career

Wood is credited as co-writing 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, created by Navid Khonsari.

Film and television career

Wood is credited as writing two web series in 2012 for Geek & Sundry. An adaptation of three The Massive short stories and an adaptation of the first story arc of his and Becky Cloonan's Conan the Barbarian.

Wood is credited as producing the short film Future Imperfect.

In 2016 Wood commenced work on Briggs Land, writing both a monthly comic book for Dark Horse Comics and a television show for AMC Networks. He is also serving as an executive producer on the series.

Design

Filmography

Awards