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Kieron Gillen

Kieron Michael Gillen (/ˈɡɪlən/; born 30 September 1975)[3] is a British comic book writer and former video game and music journalist. In comics, Gillen is known for his creator-owned series such as Once & Future (2019–2022), Die (2018–2021), Phonogram (2006–2016), and The Wicked + The Divine (2014–2019), the latter two co-created with artist Jamie McKelvie and published by Image. He is also known for numerous Marvel Comics projects, such as Journey into Mystery, Uncanny X-Men, and Young Avengers in the early 2010s and Star Wars comics in the mid-to-late 2010s including Darth Vader, Star Wars, and co-creation of the character Doctor Aphra who starred in her own ongoing spin-off comic series Star Wars: Doctor Aphra of which Gillen wrote the first 19 issues. He returned to the X-Men in the 2020s with multiple series during the Krakoan Age for the Destiny of X, Sins of Sinister and Fall of X storylines.

Kieron Gillen
Gillen at the 2011 New York Comic Con
BornKieron Michael Gillen[1]
(1975-09-30) 30 September 1975 (age 48)
NationalityBritish
Area(s)Writer
Notable works
Phonogram
Uncanny X-Men
Young Avengers
The Wicked + The Divine
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra
AwardsInkpot Award (2016)[2]
kierongillen.com

Gillen has won the British Fantasy Award twice for Die. He has been nominated for a Hugo Award seven times, once for The Wicked + The Divine, three times for Once & Future, and three times for Die. He also has been nominated five times for a GLAAD Media Award, winning once for Young Avengers.

Career

Journalism

As a reviewer, Gillen has written for publications such as Amiga Power (under the pseudonym "C-Monster"), PC Gamer UK, The Escapist, Wired, The Guardian, Edge, Game Developer, Develop, MCV/Develop, GamesMaster, Eurogamer and PC Format,[citation needed] as well as the PC gaming-oriented website Rock Paper Shotgun,[4] In 2000, Gillen became the first-ever video game journalist to receive an award from the Periodical Publishers Association, for New Specialist Consumer Journalist.[5] Gillen is a fan of the work of the video game developer Warren Spector, having written positive pieces on several Spector's games, most notably Deus Ex and Thief: Deadly Shadows, both produced by Ion Storm.

In addition to his work as a reviewer, Gillen has acted as a guest speaker at numerous video game industry conferences.[6][7] In video game journalism, he created the New Games Journalism manifesto.[8][9][10][11]

He co-founded the British video game journalism website Rock Paper Shotgun in July 2007.[12][13] In a September 2010 post at Rock Paper Shotgun, Gillen announced he was leaving full-time video game journalism to devote his time to comic book writing.[14]

Comics

2003–2013

Gillen's earliest work in comics was published in various British small-press anthologies and Warhammer Monthly. The Guardian highlighted that Gillen and the artist Jamie McKelvie "met in 2003 at a convention where Gillen was selling his first photocopied comics".[15] Between 2003 and 2007, Gillen collaborated with McKelvie on a comic strip for PlayStation Official Magazine – UK, entitled "Save Point", following up with the pop music-themed urban fantasy series Phonogram,[16][15] which was described by Gillen as his "first real comic".[17] Veteran comics writer Warren Ellis dubbed the series "one of the few truly essential comics of 2006."[18] The first issue, published by Image Comics, went on sale in August 2006, with the first series running for six issues. The sequel, a series of one-shots subtitled The Singles Club, launched in December 2008.[19]

On 14 April 2008, it was announced Gillen would collaborate with artist Greg Scott to expand on Warren Ellis' newuniversal series with "a story about killing the future" set in 1959.[20] That year, he authored Crown of Destruction, a Warhammer Fantasy comic.[21][22] Further Marvel assignments included a Dazzler short story and a Beta Ray Bill one-shot, which was followed by a three-issue mini-series.[23]

Gillen's workload at Marvel increased in late 2009. At HeroesCon, it was announced he would be writing a tie-in to the "Dark Reign" storyline, the mini-series Dark Avengers: Ares,[24] and, during the 2009 Chicago Comic Con, it was announced he would collaborate with Steven Sanders on S.W.O.R.D, an X-Men spin-off series.[25][26] Gillen took over Thor following a run by J. Michael Straczynski, writing issues #604[27] to 614.[28]

In late 2010, Gillen launched another X-Men spin-off Generation Hope that picked up plot threads from the end of the "Second Coming" storyline.[29][30][31][32][33] Gillen wrote the title for twelve issues before passing it to James Asmus.[34] After co-scripting a few issues of Uncanny X-Men with outgoing writer Matt Fraction, Gillen took over the series with issue #534.1.[35] His time on the title saw the book through the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline, a renumbering to #1 in the wake of the "Schism" storyline, and a tie-in with the "Avengers vs. X-Men" storyline. After finishing his run with issue #20, Gillen penned a five-issue epilogue miniseries AvX: Consequences that dealt with the aftermath of that event.[36]

In 2011, Gillen returned to Marvel's Asgard with a run on Journey into Mystery (the original name of the Thor series, continuing its original numbering), starting with issue #622 and finishing with #645 in October 2012. As part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch, Gillen wrote two books: Iron Man (again taking over from Fraction) with art by his frequent Uncanny X-Men collaborator Greg Land, and Young Avengers with Jamie McKelvie.[36][37]

2014–present

Between 2014 and 2019, Gillen and McKelvie collaborated on The Wicked + The Divine.[38] This Image series won "Best Comic" at the 2014 British Comic Awards[39] and received multiple award nominations such as the 2015 Eisner Award for "Best New Series",[40] the 2018 Eisner Award for "Best Continuing Series"[41] and the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.[42] In 2015, the duo also returned to Phonogram after a long hiatus with the third and final volume titled The Immaterial Girl.[43][44][15] ComicsAlliance highlighted that there was a three year delay between the volume announcement and its release "as everyone involved had rightly become superstars, but it was more than worth the wait".[44] Gillen's other creator-owned work included Three (2013), a mini-series about the helots of Sparta,[45][46][47] and The Ludocrats, initially announced in 2015 as a collaboration between writers Gillen and Jim Rossignol and artist David Lafuente.[48] The series was eventually published in 2020 with art by Jeff Stokely.[49]

From 2015 to 2016, Gillen wrote the 25-issue Star Wars: Darth Vader series for Marvel.[50][51][52] This series introduced the character Doctor Aphra; Gillen had originally planned to have Vader kill Aphra during the story, but realized a way that she could escape and still keep the integrity of both characters.[53] Between 2016 and 2018, he wrote Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #1–#13,[54][55] and then cowrote #14–#19 with Simon Spurrier.[56][57] Gillen also took over writing the Star Wars ongoing series in November 2017 with issue #38; his final issue was #67 in June 2019.[51][58]

Gillen and Stephanie Hans began discussing a collaboration on a creator-owned ongoing comic following their collaboration on Journey Into Mystery. While they started with a different idea, they eventually settled on an idea which would become Die.[59] It premiered in December 2018 and was published by Image Comics.[60][61][62] In September 2021, the series ended its run with twenty issues total.[63] Die won the 2021 British Fantasy Award for "Best Comic / Graphic Novel"[64] and it was a finalist for the Hugo Award in "Best Graphic Story or Comic" three times.[65][66][67] In 2018, Gillen announced that he was preparing a role-playing game based on Die.[61][68] Gillen developed the game and the comic concurrently; ideas he developed for one would then crossover into the other.[69][70] The hardcover edition of the DIE: The Roleplaying Game was released by British publisher Rowan, Rook and Decard in June 2023[71] following a successful Kickstarter campaign in May 2022 where the game was fully funded within 24 hours.[69][72][73]

Between August 2019 and October 2022, Gillen wrote the 30-issue creator-owned series Once & Future with artist Dan Mora.[74][75][76] This series was a finalist for the Hugo Award in "Best Graphic Story or Comic" three times.[66][67][77] In June 2020, Marvel announced that Gillen would write the limited series Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar, the first series in a line of Warhammer comics published by the company.[78] In 2021, Gillen and McKelvie reunited with Batman: Black and White #5 for DC Comics. GamesRadar+ highlighted that they "have worked together on-and-off for the past 17 years" and that the Batman short story was their "first major project together since the conclusion of The Wicked + The Divine in 2019".[16] Gillen commented that he started to do more "work for hire again" due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – "I didn't possibly think my brain could do creator-owned work, with everything that entailed. [...] So, I was certainly open to more work for hire (amongst other projects) and I've been enjoying it".[79]

Also in 2021, Gillen began writing the Eternals ongoing series, illustrated by Esad Ribić.[80] This culminated in the 2022 crossover event A.X.E.: Judgment Day which focused on conflict between the Avengers, the X-Men and the Eternals.[81] In March 2022, as part of the Destiny of X relaunch following A.X.E.: Judgment Day, Gilleon began writing the Immortal X-Men series with artist Lucas Werneck which focused on the Quiet Council of Krakoa;[82][83] this series built plot points for the 2023 event Sins of Sinister.[84][85] The final part of Krakoan Age of the X-Men, the Fall of X, began in 2023 following Sins of Sinister. Gillen is writer on multiple series in this era such as the ongoing Immortal X-Men conclusion, the limited series Rise of the Powers of X (January 2024) with artist R.B. Silva and the limited series X-Men: Forever (March 2024) with artist Luca Maresca.[86][87][88]

At Emerald City Comic Con 2024, Gillen announced a new Image series titled The Power Fantasy with artist Caspar Wijngaard and letterer Clayton Cowles; it is scheduled to release in August 2024. It will be set from from 1945 to1999 and focuses on six super powered people that must never come into conflict.[89][90] On the creative origins, Gillen stated that "The Power Fantasy emerged in a similar way to The Wicked + The Divine. I was doing a book at Marvel, and became aware of exactly the sort of things I could do with the reins taken off. As The Wicked + the Divine was to Young Avengers, this is to Immortal X-Men".[89][91]

Awards and accolades

Gillen was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Arts by Staffordshire University in 2019 for his work both as a journalist and a comic book writer.[92]

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2000Periodical Publishers AssociationNew Specialist Consumer Journalist—Won[9][93]
2010Eagle AwardFavourite Newcomer Writer—Nominated[94]
2014GLAAD Media AwardsOutstanding Comic BookYoung AvengersWon[95]
British Comic AwardsBest ComicThe Wicked + The DivineWon[39]
2015Eisner AwardBest New SeriesNominated[40]
2016Inkpot Award——Won[2]
GLAAD Media AwardsOutstanding Comic BookThe Wicked + The DivineNominated[96]
2018Eisner AwardBest Continuing SeriesNominated[41]
2019GLAAD Media AwardsOutstanding Comic BookStar Wars: Doctor AphraNominated[97]
2020GLAAD Media AwardsThe Wicked + The DivineNominated[98]
British Fantasy AwardBest Comic / Graphic NovelDieWon[99]
Hugo AwardBest Graphic Story or ComicThe Wicked + The Divine, Volume 9: "Okay"Nominated[65]
Hugo AwardBest Graphic Story or ComicDie, Volume 1: Fantasy HeartbreakerNominated[65]
2021British Fantasy AwardBest Comic / Graphic NovelDie, Volume 2: Split the PartyWon[100]
Hugo AwardBest Graphic Story or ComicDie, Volume 2: Split the PartyNominated[66]
Hugo AwardBest Graphic Story or ComicOnce & Future, Volume 1: The King is UndeadNominated[66]
2022British Fantasy AwardBest Comic / Graphic NovelDie, Volume 4: BleedNominated[101]
Hugo AwardBest Graphic Story or ComicNominated[67]
Hugo AwardBest Graphic Story or ComicOnce & Future, Volume 3: The Parliament of MagpiesNominated[67]
2023GLAAD Media AwardsOutstanding Comic BookImmortal X-MenNominated[102]
ENNIE AwardsBest Production ValuesDIE: The Roleplaying Game Special EditionNominated[103]
Hugo AwardBest Graphic Story or ComicOnce & Future, Volume 4: Monarchies in the UKNominated[77]

Bibliography

Early work

  • Hit (with Brian Laframboise (#1–2), Natalie Sandells (#3), Jeff Coleman (#4) and Andy Dale (#5), webcomic, 2002–2003)[104]
    • The first five episodes were published in print as a mini-comic compiled and distributed by Gillen himself.[105]
    • The sixth episode (drawn by Wilson Hall) has appeared in Variance Anthology (Variance Press, 2004)
  • Spectators (with Tim Twelves, short 3-page story published online via OPi8, 2002)[106]
  • Panel Bleed (e-zine co-created by Gillen and Charlie Chu, 2002–2004)[107]
  • Everybody Be Cool (column published at Ninth Art, 2002–2003)[108]
  • Webcomics created solely by Gillen and published via Big Robot:
  • Warhammer Monthly (anthology, Black Library):
    • "Herd Instinct" (with David Millgate, in #74, 2003)
    • "The Chosen" (with Steve Pugh, in #83, 2004)
  • Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine #42–89: "Save Point" (with Jamie McKelvie, half-page strip, Future Publishing, 2003–2007)[111]
  • Variance Anthology: "Something's Wrong" (with Charity Larrison, anthology graphic novel, 105 pages, Variance Press, 2004)
  • Commercial Suicide (self-published anthology — co-edited by Gillen and Alex de Campi):
    • Commercial Suicide: "Minister Drill-cock!" (with Asif Khan, 2004)
    • Commercial Suicide Volume 2: "Chimplants" (with Daniel Heard, 2004)
    • Commercial Suicide Volume 3: "Ultimate Pol Pot" (with William Cogan, 2005)
  • Chaos League (with Thomas Veauclin, free one-shot distributed with various gaming magazines, Digital Jesters, 2004)
  • Homo Depressus (with Mark Nicoll, short 5-page story published online via Always Black, 2005)[112]
  • Busted Wonder (with Charity Larrison, webcomic, 2005–2008)[113]
  • Exterminus (with Charity Larrison, infinite canvas webcomic, 2005)[114]
  • Short stories (drawn by Andy Bloor) in anthology graphic novels published by Accent UK:
    • Zombies: "Zombies" (168 pages, 2007, ISBN 0-9555-7640-7)
    • Robots: "Robot" (204 pages, 2008, ISBN 0-955-57641-5)
    • Western: "The Men Who Built the West" (192 pages, 2009, ISBN 0-95557-642-3)

Boom! Studios

Image Comics

  • The Complete Phonogram (hc, 504 pages, 2017, ISBN 1-534-30151-8) collects:
    • Phonogram #1–6 (with Jamie McKelvie, 2006–2007) also collected as Phonogram: Rue Britannia (tpb, 152 pages, 2007, ISBN 1-58240-694-4)
    • Phonogram: The Singles Club #1–7 (with Jamie McKelvie, 2008–2009) also collected as Phonogram: The Singles Club (tpb, 160 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-60706-179-1)
      • Each issue featured one or more short stories (named "b-sides" by Gillen and McKelvie) which are not included in the trade paperback collection:
        • Issue #1 featured "She Who Bleeds for Your Entertainment" (art by Laurenn McCubbin) and "The Power of Love" (art by Marc Ellerby)
        • Issue #2 featured "Wuthering Heights" (art by Emma Vieceli) and "The Singer" (art by Daniel Heard)
        • Issue #3 featured "David Kohl: Phonomancer" (art by Leigh Gallagher) and "Control" (art by Lee O'Connor)
        • Issue #4 featured "The Roses" (art by David Lafuente) and "Theory and Practice" (art by Charity Larrison)
        • Issue #5 featured "Ska Attack Squad" (art by Dan Boultwood)
        • Issue #6 featured "Your Song" (art by P. J. Holden) and "Altantis to Interzone" (art by Adam Cadwell)
        • Issue #7 featured "The Queen is Dead" (art by Nikki Cook) + "Blood Mountain" (art by Becky Cloonan) + "30" (art by Andy Bloor) + "Once in a Lifetime" (art by Sean Azzopardi)
    • Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #1–6 (with Jamie McKelvie, 2015–2016) also collected as Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl (tpb, 168 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-63215-679-2)
      • As with the previous series, each issue featured one or more short stories which are not included in the trade paperback collection:
        • Issue #1 featured "Everything and Nothing" (art by Sarah Gordon) and "Blurred" (art by Clayton Cowles)
        • Issue #2 featured "The Ice Storm" (art by Jamaica Dyer)
        • Issue #3 featured "Black Parade" (art by Christian Wildgoose)
        • Issue #4 featured "I Hate Myself" (art by Julia Scheele) and "Come Out 2nite" (art by Luis Sopelana)
        • Issue #5 featured "Shiny Black Taxi Cab" (art by Rosy Higgins)
        • Issue #6 featured "Modern Love" (art by Tom Humberstone)
  • This is a Souvenir: The Songs of Spearmint & Shirley Lee: "Sweeping the Nation" (with Jamie McKelvie, anthology graphic novel, 208 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-6070-6048-5)
  • Liberty Annual '12: "Unleashed" (with Nate Bellegarde, anthology, 2012) collected in CBLDF Presents: Liberty (hc, 216 pages, 2014, ISBN 1-6070-6937-7; tpb, 2016, ISBN 1-6070-6996-2)
  • Three #1–5 (with Ryan Kelly, 2013–2014) collected as Three (tpb, 146 pages, 2014, ISBN 1-60706-963-6)
  • The Wicked + The Divine (with Jamie McKelvie, Kate Brown (#12), Tula Lotay (#13), Stephanie Hans (#15), Leila del Duca (#16) and Brandon Graham (#17), 2014–2019) collected as:
    • Year One (collects #1–11, hc, 400 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-63215-728-4)
    • Year Two (collects #12–22, hc, 400 pages, 2017, ISBN 1-5343-0220-4)
    • Year Three (collects #23–33, hc, 400 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-5343-0857-1)
    • Year Four (set of two hcs, 510+170 pages, 2020, ISBN 1-5343-1358-3)
      • The first volume collects #34–45 and four spin-off one-shots:
        • The Wicked + The Divine: 1831 (with Stephanie Hans, 2016)
        • The Wicked + The Divine: 455 A.D. (with André Lima Araújo, 2017)
        • The Wicked + The Divine: 1923 (with Aud Koch, 2018)
        • The Wicked + The Divine: 1373 (with Ryan Kelly, 2018)
      • The second volume collects two more spin-off one-shots:
        • The Wicked + The Divine Christmas Annual (with Kris Anka, Rachael Stott, Chynna Clugston Flores, Emma Vieceli and Carla Speed McNeil, 2017)
        • The Wicked + The Divine: The Funnies: "The Wicked + The Canine" (with Erica Henderson) and "Secret Origin" (with Jamie McKelvie, anthology, 2018)
          • Also includes a number of stories from various other creators:
            • "The Wicker + The Divine" (written and drawn by Lizz Lunney)
            • "The Lost God" (written and drawn by Chip Zdarsky)
            • "Gentle Annie vs. the World" (written by Chrissy Williams, drawn by Clayton Cowles)
            • "Making a Difference" (written by Romesh Ranganathan, drawn by Julia Madrigal)
            • "5 Things Everyone Who's Lived with Sakhmet Will Understand" (written and drawn by Hamish Steele)
            • "13 Go Mad in Wiltshire" (written and drawn by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris)
            • "Guilty Pleasure Song" (written by Kate Leth, drawn by Margaux Saltel)
  • Where We Live: A Benefit for the Survivors in Las Vegas: "Critics" (with Jamie McKelvie, anthology graphic novel, 336 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-5343-0822-9)
  • 24 Panels: "Introduction" (with Sean Azzopardi; Gillen was also the curator of this project, anthology graphic novel, 112 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-5343-1126-2)
  • Die #1–20 (with Stephanie Hans, 2018–2021) collected as Die (hc, 656 pages, 2022, ISBN 1-5343-2344-9)
  • The Ludocrats #1–5 (co-written by Gillen and Jim Rossignol, art by Jeff Stokely, 2020) collected as The Ludocrats (tpb, 152 pages, 2020, ISBN 1-5343-1703-1)
  • Image! #7–9: "Closer" (with Steve Lieber, anthology, 2022)

Marvel Comics

Avatar Press

  • Über:
    • Über (with Canaan White, Gabriel Andrade (#12–14) and Daniel Gete, 2013–2015) collected as:
    • Über: Sieglinde (with Gabriel Andrade, one-shot, 2014)
    • Über: Invasion #1–17 (with Daniel Gete, 2016–2018)
      • In 2018, the series went on an indefinite hiatus before the release of the last four issues.[115][116]
      • Issues #1–7 are collected as Über Volume 6 (tpb, 176 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-59291-332-6)
  • God is Dead: Book of Acts Omega: "Alastor: Hell's Executioner" (with German Nobile, anthology one-shot, 2014)
  • Crossed: Badlands #75–80 (with Rafa Lopez, 2015) collected as Crossed Volume 14 (tpb, 160 pages, 2015, ISBN 1-592-91269-9)
  • Mercury Heat (with Omar Francia (#1–3) and Nahuel Lopez, 2015–2017) collected as:
  • Cinema Purgatorio #1–18: "Modded" (with Ignacio Calero (#1–5) and Nahuel Lopez, anthology, 2016–2019)

Other publishers

Game design

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kieron Gillen.
Preceded by Thor writer
2010		Succeeded by
Preceded by Journey into Mystery writer
2011–2012		Succeeded by
Preceded by Uncanny X-Men writer
2011–2012		Succeeded by
Preceded by Iron Man writer
2013–2014		Succeeded by
Preceded by Star Wars writer
2018–2019		Succeeded by
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