John Semper Jr. (born August 14) is an American screenwriter, producer and story editor with numerous credits in animation for television. He is best known for being both producer and head writer on the television series '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series''. Semper is the creative originator of the "

Spider-Verse Spider-Verse is a comic book series issued by Marvel Comics since 2014. Its first major event/storyline started on November 5 in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2014) No. 9 along with an individual issue named ''Spider-Verse Team-Up''. This event ...

", also known as the "Spiderman Multiverse", a storyline propagated in various Spider-Man comics, cartoons and films in the early 21st century.

Education

John Semper Jr. graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1975 with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

Visual The visual system is the physiological basis of visual perception (the ability to detect and process light). The system detects, transduces and interprets information concerning light within the visible range to construct an image and buil ...

and

Environmental Studies Environmental studies (EVS or EVST) is a multidisciplinary academic field which systematically studies human behavior, human interaction with the Natural environment, environment. Environmental studies connects principles from the physical sci ...

Career

Semper has worked for miscellaneous companies as Walt Disney Studios,

Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. (abbreviated as WBA) is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation divis ...

and

Hanna-Barbera Productions Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

during a career which has involved the development of projects for

Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, actor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating ''Fraggle Rock'' ( ...

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

Rob Minkoff Robert Ralph Minkoff (born August 11, 1962) is an American director, animator, and producer. He is best known for co-directing ''The Lion King'' (along with Roger Allers), and live-action films including ''Stuart Little (film), Stuart Little'' (1 ...

and others. Semper created the English-language dialogue for two of

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and serves as honorary chairman. Throughout his career, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Anime, Japanese ani ...

's anime feature films ''

Castle in the Sky also known as ''Laputa: Castle in the Sky'', is a 1986 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was produced by Isao Takahata, animated by Studio Ghibli, and distributed by Toei. The film stars t ...

'' and ''

Kiki's Delivery Service is a 1989 Japanese Anime, animated fantasy film written, produced, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on Eiko Kadono's 1985 novel ''Kiki's Delivery Service (novel), Kiki's Delivery Service''. Animated by Studio Ghibli, the film stars Minami ...

'', and co-wrote the screenplay for the live-action comedy ''

Class Act ''Class Act'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Randall Miller and starring hip-hop duo Kid 'n Play. An urban retelling of Mark Twain's ''The Prince and the Pauper'', the film was written by Cynthia Friedlob and John Semper from a stor ...

''. During the 1990s, Semper was producer/story editor of '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series''. which ran from 1994 to 1998. In 2016, he began writing a

Cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.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 ...

drawn by

Brian Stelfreeze Brian Stelfreeze is an American comic book artist. Stelfreeze is a painter, penciller, inker and colorist and has worked for nearly every major American comic book publisher. He is one of the original members of Atlanta's Gaijin Studios. Career S ...

Spider-Verse

Semper is the first Spider-man artist to involve the storyline of the "

", also known as the "Spiderman Multiverse". The penultimate and finale episodes of his animated Spiderman series, "Spider Wars, Chapter IV: I Really, Really Hate Clones" and "Spider Wars, Chapter V: Farewell, Spider-Man", respectively, involved multiple parallel universe Spider-Man characters convening. This marked the first Spider-Man story involving parallel universes. The work later appeared in various Spider-Man comics, cartoons and

films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...

in the early 21st century, such as the ''Spider-Verse'' movie franchise, and '' Spider-Man: No Way Home''.Cronin, B. (2021). Spider-Man: The animated series producer would like credit for creating the Spider-Verse. CBR. https://www.cbr.com/spider-man-animated-series-john-semper-credit-spider-verse/

''Creeporia''

In 2014, Semper created the family comedy-horror webseries ''Creeporia'' (2014). The character of Creeporia was first introduced in the webseries titled ''Crypt of Creeporia'', a live-action/animated blend of humor and horror. The title role in the original webseries was played by Kommerina DeYoung.

Spider-Man website

As of November 2014, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', Semper started cartoonspiderman.com, which includes behind-the-scenes content, a Facebook page, podcasts about the show, and more information about his work related to the 1994 animated series.

Books

His books include ''The Singular Affair of the Missing Ball: A Sherlock Whippet Mystery'' (Lulu Press, 2005), as well as several books based on his scripts for the TLC/PBS Kids preschool series ''Jay Jay the Jet Plane'', and Kids' WB action/adventure series ''Static Shock''.

Awards

"Day of the Chameleon", an episode Semper wrote for ''Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', earned him a 1995

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origina ...

nomination for Best Individual Achievement for Writing in the Field of Animation. In 1996, the series was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the category Outstanding Animated/Live Action/Dramatic Youth or Children's Series/Special. In 2004, Semper was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for his work on ''

Static Shock ''Static Shock'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the WB Television Network's Kids' WB programming block. ''Static Shock'' ran ...

''.

Screenwriting credits

* series head writer denoted in bold

Television

* ''

Shirt Tales ''Shirt Tales'' are characters that were created in 1980 by greeting card designer Janet Elizabeth Manco and were featured on Hallmark Cards greeting cards. The characters were adapted into a 1982–1983 animated series for television, by Hanna- ...

'' (1983) * '' The Biskitts'' (1983) * ''

The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show ''The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show'', known as ''The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries'' for its second season, is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and the sixth incarnation of the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. ...

'' (1983–1984) * ''

Pink Panther and Sons ''Pink Panther and Sons'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng. The series was originally broadcast on NBC from 1984 to 1985 and moved to ABC in 1986. Friz Freleng ...

'' (1984) * '' Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'' (1984) * ''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...

'' (1984) * ''

Snorks ''Snorks'' is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and SEPP International S.A. in collaboration with 3M France and ran for a total of 4 seasons, consisting of a pilot episode and 65 episodes (108 segments), on N ...

'' (1984–1985) * ''

The Jetsons ''The Jetsons'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC, then later aired in reruns via syndication, with new episodes produc ...

'' (1985) * ''

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo ''The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and the seventh incarnation of the studio's ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. It premiered on , and ran for one season on ABC as a half-hou ...

'' (1985) * ''

Kissyfur ''Kissyfur'' is an American animated children's television series which aired on NBC. Created by Phil Mendez, the series was produced by NBC Productions in cooperation with DIC Animation City. The series was based on a half-hour NBC special cal ...

'' (1985) * ''

MoonDreamers ''MoonDreamers'' is an American short-lived animated television series that aired in 1986 as part of the '' My Little Pony 'n Friends'' lineup. '' My Little Pony'' aired the first 15 minutes and the second half rotated among ''MoonDreamers'', '' ...

'' (1986) * ''

Bionic Six is a 1987 animated television series. It was produced and animated by TMS Entertainment, TMS Entertainment, Inc. and distributed, through first-run syndication, by MCA Inc., MCA TV, years before the latter company became NBCUniversal Television ...

'' (1987) * ''

DuckTales DuckTales refers to: Film and television * ''DuckTales'' (1987 TV series), original TV series ** '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'' * ''DuckTales'' (2017 TV series), reboot TV series Video games * ''DuckTales'' (video game) ...

'' (1987) * '' Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series'' (1987) * ''

The Jim Henson Hour ''The Jim Henson Hour'' is an American television series that aired on NBC in 1989. It was developed as a showcase for The Jim Henson Company's various puppet creations, including the Muppets. Nine of the twelve episodes produced aired on NBC ...

'' (1989) * ''

Kid 'n Play Kid 'n Play is an American hip-hop duo from New York City who were most popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is composed of Christopher Reid ("Kid") and Christopher Martin ("Play") working alongside their DJ, Mark "DJ Wiz" Eastmond. B ...

'' (1990) * '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'' (1994–1998) * ''

The Puzzle Place ''The Puzzle Place'' is an American children's television series produced by KCET in Los Angeles and Lancit Media in New York City. Although production was dated and premiered on two Los Angeles PBS stations, KCET and KLCS, on September 15, 19 ...

'' (1995) * ''

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 ...

'' (1996-1998) * ''

Extreme Ghostbusters ''Extreme Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series, based on the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise, which initially aired from September 1 to December 8, 1997. A sequel to '' The Real Ghostbusters'', which aired from 1986 to 1991 on AB ...

'' (1997) * ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...

'' (1997) * ''

Clifford the Big Red Dog ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' is an American children's book series which focuses on the adventures of an 8-year old blonde haired girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a gigantic, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published ...

'' (2000) * ''

Jay Jay the Jet Plane ''Jay Jay the Jet Plane'' is an American live-action/CGI-animated musical children's television series created by David and Deborah Michel and first aired on TLC and later moved to PBS Kids, with reruns on Qubo and TBN's Smile, which were both s ...

'' (2001) * '' Kong: The Animated Series'' (2001) * ''

'' (2003–2004): seasons 3–4 head writer * ''

Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures ''Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures'' is an American animated television series intended for young children. The show aired from January 12, 2008 to September 27, 2008 on PBS Kids. Premise The show follows a five-year-old girl named Betsy as she ...

'' (2008) * ''

Pink Panther and Pals ''Pink Panther and Pals'' is an American animated television series and a modern adaptation of the classic DePatie-Freleng '' Pink Panther'' shorts from the 1960s. The series was produced by Desert Panther Productions and Rubicon Studios in as ...

'' (2010) * '' The Adventures of Chuck and Friends'' (2010–2011) * ''Creeporia'' (2014) * ''

Justice League Action ''Justice League Action'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero team Justice League. The series is produced by Jim Krieg, Butch Lukic, and Alan Burnett. The show debuted on Cartoon Network UK on N ...

'' (2017)

Films

* ''

'' (1992) * '' Green Lantern: Beware My Power'' (2022)

References

External links

John Semper official siteMarvel Animation Age: John Semper interviews

John Semper Talks ''Static Shock''John Semper
at ComicBookDB.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Semper, John American comics writers African-American film directors African-American screenwriters African-American comics writers American television producers American television writers Place of birth missing (living people) American male screenwriters Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American male television writers 21st-century African-American writers African-American male writers African-American television writers 20th-century African-American writers Harvard College alumni