Joseph Torres, better known as J. Torres (born 1969), is a Filipino-born Canadian

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

writer. He is known for his run on

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

' ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...

'' as well as his two

Forest of Reading The Forest of Reading is Canada's largest recreational reading program, featuring ten award programs and run by the Ontario Library Association (OLA). Programs are primarily geared towards French and English readers in kindergarten to grade twelve ...

Honour Books, the graphic novels Planet Hockey (2021) and Stealing Home (2022). He has also done some writing for animation and television, most notably Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Early life

Torres was born in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

and raised in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Quebec where he was educated at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

. Before writing comic books, Torres was an ESL instructor. He is married, has two children, and currently resides in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario.

Career

Comics

Torres debuted with the semi-autobiographical ''Copybook Tales'', first published by

Slave Labor Graphics Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) is an American independent comic book publisher, well known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat adult comics. Creators associated with SLG over the years include Evan Dorkin, Roman Dirge, Sarah Dyer, Woodrow Phoen ...

in the early 90s and then later collected and reprinted by

Oni Press Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon, best known for publishing such series as '' Scott Pilgrim'' and ''Rick and Morty''. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's ...

. He next wrote ''Siren'', a three-part miniseries published by

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

. Both titles were co-created with artist Tim Levins whom Torres had first met in high school. In 2002, Oni published ''Alison Dare'', co-created by J. Bone, the first of a number of critically acclaimed all-ages titles for both the writer and publisher. ''Sidekicks'' with

Takeshi Miyazawa Takeshi Miyazawa (born April 19, 1978) is a comic book artist who was born in Canada and attended Queen's University in Ontario to study art. His art style incorporates a manga sensibility. He is the co-creator of Marvel Comics character Amadeus C ...

came next, followed by ''Jason and the Argobots'' with

Mike Norton Mike Norton is an American comic book artist and writer, known for his work on '' Battlepug''. Early life Mike Norton first discovered comics as a child when his father gave him a copy of ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #163, before he was old enoug ...

, and ''Days Like This'' with

Scott Chantler Scott Chantler (born February 9, 1972) is a Canadian cartoonist and illustrator known for his historical and children's fantasy graphic novels. Early life Chantler was born in Deep River, Ontario, Canada. He attended the University of Waterloo in ...

. Following a short time at Marvel, working titles such as ''

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

'', ''X-Men: Ronin'', and ''

X-Men Unlimited ''X-Men Unlimited'' is the name of several comic book titles published by Marvel Comics. An anthology title, it features stories that focus less on the main continuity and more on peripheral events occurring with the X-Men characters. The first t ...

'', Torres wrote the ''

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

'' tie-in comic ''

''. He also wrote for several other children-focused comics, including ''

The Batman Strikes! ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'', ''

Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century ''Legion of Super Heroes'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation, adapted from the DC Comics series of the same name. It debuted on September 23, 2006, and centers on a young Superman's adventures in the ...

'', and the creator-owned ''Family Dynamic''. During this time, Torres also contributed to more mature titles, such as '' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'', ''

Blue Beetle Blue Beetle is the name of three superheroes appearing in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the rights to the ...

'', ''

Ninja Scroll is a 1993 Japanese animated ''jidaigeki''- ''chanbara'' film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, starring the voices of Kōichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono, Daisuke Gōri, Toshihiko Seki and Shūichirō Moriyama. The film ...

'', ''

Wonder Girl Wonder Girl is the alias of multiple list of superheroines, superheroines featured in comic books published by DC Comics. They are associated with the superheroine Wonder Woman and possess Amazons (DC Comics), Amazonian powers. The Wonder Girl a ...

'', and ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

''. His subsequent credits include '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' for DC, ''

WALL-E ''WALL-E'' (stylized with an interpunct as ''WALL·E'') is a 2008 American animated Romance film, romantic science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton, produced b ...

'' for

Boom Studios Boom! Studios (stylized as BOOM! Studios), is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher. They are headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The company is a subsidiary of Random House division of Penguin Random House sin ...

, and ''

Power Lunch ''Power Lunch'' is a television business news program on CNBC, airing between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Eastern Time. It is presented by Brian Sullivan and Kelly Evans. History Bill Griffeth anchored the program alone from 1996 to 2002. Caruso-Ca ...

'' for Oni Press. He also wrote for and helped edit the ''

Yo Gabba Gabba ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a Children's television series, children's Musical film, musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz (producer), Scott Schultz and developed by Kay Wilson Stallings. The series is about five cos ...

: Comic Book Time'' anthology for Oni and the ''True Patriot'' Canadian superhero anthology. Torres wrote the ''

Rick and Morty ''Rick and Morty'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated science fiction Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The series follows the misadvent ...

'' comic '' Rick and Morty Presents: The Vindicators'' (2018), published by

with art by CJ Cannon.

Other media

In 2006, Torres penned the '' Degrassi: Extra Credit'' series of graphic novels from

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

as well as contributed writing to the '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' animated and live action webisodes (a.k.a. ''Degrassi Minis''). Although the Extra Credit series underperformed, despite being the first graphic novel advertised on Canadian network television, they helped increase Torres' profile especially in the book industry. Torres has also written chapter books and activity books for Scholastic and

Simon Says Simon Says is a children's game for three or more players. One player takes the role of "Simon" and issues instructions (usually physical actions such as "jump in the air" or "stick out your tongue") to the other players, which should be foll ...

, short stories and comic strips for magazines including Kayak, YTV's ''Whoa'', and

Nickelodeon Magazine ''Nick Magazine'' is a defunct American children's magazine inspired by the children's television network Nickelodeon. Its first incarnation appeared in 1990 and was distributed at participating Pizza Hut restaurants; the version of the magazine ...

(to which he contributed ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' comics). He was also a staff writer on the ''

Rugrats ''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil, and their day-to-d ...

'' daily syndicated newspaper comic strip. His animation credits include ''

Oh No! It's An Alien Invasion ''Oh No! It's An Alien Invasion'' is a Canadian animated television series which first aired on August 3, 2013, with its first season of 26 episodes. The series was created by Philippe Ivanusic-Vallee and Peter Ricq and produced by Nelvana in ass ...

'', ''

Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi ''Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi'' is an American animated series created by Sam Register and produced by Renegade Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, which aired on Cartoon Network from 2004 to 2006. The series stars fictionalized and animated versions ...

'', '' Edgar & Ellen'', ''

League of Super Evil ''League of Super Evil'' (initialized as ''L.O.S.E.'' or ''LOSE'') is a Canadian animated comedy television series co-created by Philippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Davila LeBlanc and Peter Ricq and developed by Asaph Fipke. Inspired by a comedy sketch ...

'', and
Adventure Comics
' for the DC Kids YouTube channel.

Awards

The comics Torres has worked on have earned nominations for the prestigious

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

('' Alison Dare''), "Best Title for Younger Readers" (2003),

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...

(''Sidekicks'', 2001), and

Shuster Award The Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards (or Joe Shuster Awards) are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, and comics retailers and publishers by Canadians. The awards ...

for which he has been nominated six times. He won the Shuster for "Outstanding Canadian Writer" in 2006 for his work on ''Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'', ''Love as a Foreign Language'', and ''Teen Titans Go''. His graphic novels ''Days Like This'' and ''Lola: A Ghost Story'' were also listed by

YALSA The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...

in 2004 and 2010 respectively. “Bigfoot Boy: Into the Woods" was a 2012 Junior Library Guild selection and also named one o
Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books 2012.
Other awards: Bigfoot Boy: The Sound of Thunder, 2014 Shuster Award Nominee Brobots and the Kaiju Kerfuffle, 2016 Parents' Choice Award Brobots and the Mecha Malarkey, 2018 Shuster Award Nominee Planet Hockey: First Star of the Game, 2021 Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Honour Book Stealing Home, 2021 ALA Best Graphic Novels for Children, 2022 Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Honour Book, 2023 Hackmatack Reader's Choice Book Award

Bibliography

* ''Brobots'' (with Sean Dove,

) ** ''Vol 1: ...and the Kajiu Kerfuffle!'' () ** ''Vol 2: ...and the Mecha Marlarkey!'' () * ''The Copybook Tales'' (with Tim Levins,

, ) * ''Days Like This'' (with

, ) * ''Jason and the Argobots'' (with

): ** ''Vol. 1: Birthquake'' () ** ''Vol. 2: Machina Ex Deus'' () * ''

'' #1–2, 5–6, 11, 13 and 17–19 * ''Love As A Foreign Language Omnibus 1'' () * ''Ninja Scroll'',

Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions (stylized as WildStorm) is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi to publish through Image Comics, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC C ...

, 2006=2007, tpb, July 2007

* ''Scandalous'' (with

, ) * ''Sidekicks: The Transfer Student'' (with

, ) * '' Teen Titans Go! (2004 comic series), Teen Titans Go! Digest'' (with

Todd Nauck Todd Nauck ( ) is an American comic book creator, comic book artist and writer. Nauck is most notable for his work on ''Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,'' ''Young Justice'' and his own creation, ''Wildguard (comics), Wildguard''. Career Nauck's ...

): ** ''Vol. 1: Truth, Justice, Pizza'' () ** ''Vol. 2: Heroes on Patrol'' () ** ''Vol. 3: Bring It On'' () ** ''Vol. 4: Ready for Action'' () ** ''Vol. 5: On the Move'' () ** ''Vol. 6: Titans Together'' () (Trade Paperback, but continued the issue numbering) * ''X-Men: Ronin (

Marvel Mangaverse The ''Marvel Mangaverse'' is a series of comic books published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2002, with a sequel, ''New Mangaverse'', released in 2006. The series is set in an alternate universe to the Marvel universe, where its characters are ...

)'' (with Makoto Nakatsuka,

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, ) * ''

'' (by Various, Marvel Comics, )

Notes

External links

* *

Interviews

Stealing Home @ CBC BooksArchie's Holiday Magic InterviewInterview with SesaArts Magazine about Planet HockeyInterview with cIndycenter.com PodcastInterview with WiredPublishers Weekly interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, J. Canadian comics writers Filipino emigrants to Canada Naturalized citizens of Canada Living people Writers from Manila Writers from Montreal Writers from Toronto Year of birth missing (living people) Joe Shuster Award winners for Outstanding Writer McGill University alumni