Matt Kindt (born 1973) is an American
comic book writer,
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary an ...
, and
graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for publishe ...
. His early
creator-owned
In the United States, creator ownership in comics is an arrangement in which the comic book creator retains full ownership of the material, regardless of whether the work is self-published or published by a corporate publisher.
In some fields of ...
works were
spy fiction
Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intellige ...
, and their success led to mainstream
work for hire
A work made for hire (work for hire or WFH), in copyright law in the United States, is a work that is subject to copyright and is created by employees as part of their job or some limited types of works for which all parties agree in writing to the ...
projects in
superhero fiction and other genres. His work has been nominated for
Eisner Awards
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
and
Harvey Awards
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 the successor to the Kirby Awards that wer ...
. In the comic industry, he is best known for his work on ''
MIND MGMT'', the
Valiant Entertainment superhero universe, and ''
BRZRKR'', the first issue of which is the highest-selling single issue of the 21st century.
Early life
Kindt was born in 1973 in
Cheektowaga, New York
Cheektowaga () is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town has grown to a population of 89,877. The town is in the north-central part of the county, and is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. The town is the ...
and currently resides in
Webster Groves, Missouri
Webster Groves is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 22,995 at the 2010 census.
The city is home to the main campus of Webster University.
Geography
Webster Groves is located at ...
. He worked in the local
mini-comics scene from a young age, self-publishing his own copyshop zines since 1990. In 1995 he obtained a degree in art from
Webster University
Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. It offers undergraduate and graduate program ...
in St. Louis.
Career
Kindt has stated that he creates comic books because he enjoys the "magical" effect created by the combination of words and pictures. His target audience for his books are his wife and daughter, who did not grow up enjoying comics as he did.
[Moffitt, Kelly (February 23, 2016)]
"Beyond superhero comics, St. Louis is host to many comic artists tackling diverse subjects"
STL Public Radio Retrieved February 24, 2016.
In 2001,
Top Shelf Productions
Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, originally owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. Now an imprint of IDW Publishing, Top Shelf is based in Marietta, Georgia.
Top Shelf pu ...
published ''
Pistolwhip'', which Kindt created with Jason Hall. The book was critically well-received, nominated for the prestigious
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 the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...
the next year, and featured in
Time Magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on M ...
's Top 10 list for Graphic Novels. He has illustrated two ''Pistolwhip'' spin-offs (''Mephisto and the Empty Box'' and ''Pistolwhip 2'') and written his own, 300-page graphic novel, ''Two Sisters'', as well as maintaining a regular webcomic set in the ''Sisters'' universe, called ''Super Spy''. In 2006, Kindt announced on his blog that he would be writing an experimental novel called ''The End of the World''. The book has been completed, but Kindt now plans to adapt it into a graphic novel.
[Bradley, Drew (April 17, 2013)]
Minding MIND MGMT – Another chat with Matt Kindt
" Multiversity Comics (Accessed May 30, 2013) In 2007, the collected ''Super Spy'' was published by Top Shelf. 2008 saw the collected ''Super Spy'' nominated for the
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
for Best Graphic Novel: Reprint. In March 2010, a ''Super Spy'' short story appeared on Dark Horse's ''
Dark Horse Presents
''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by American company Dark Horse Comics from 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was published on MySpace, ...
''
MySpace web comic. Kindt released ''
Revolver'' in 2010, published by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...
'
Vertigo
Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties ...
imprint. His ongoing series ''
MIND MGMT'', ''
Pastaways'', and ''
Dept. H'' were released by Dark Horse Comics.
In 2021, Kindt partnered with actor
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in ''Youngblood'' (1986). H ...
and artist
Ron Garney
Ron Garney is an American comic book writer/artist, known for his work on books such as ''JLA (comic book), JLA'', ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Silver Surfer'', ''Hulk'', ''Daredevil (Marvel Comics series), Daredevil'' and ''Captain America (com ...
to create ''
BRZRKR'' through
Boom! Studios
Boom! Studios (styled BOOM! Studios) is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States.
History
Origins
In the early 2000s, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in Ho ...
. The book's release received wide media coverage and became the highest-ordered monthly comic book in the
Direct Market
The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for American comic books. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by Phil Seuling. The network currently consists of:
* four major comic distributors:
** Lunar ...
since 1991.
Awards
* 2002:
:Nominated for "Best Graphic Album of Original Work"
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 the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...
, for ''Pistolwhip''
:Nominated for "Best New Talent" Harvey Award
* 2005: Nominated for "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition"
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
, for ''Pistolwhip'' and ''2 Sisters''
* 2007: Nominated for "Best Publication Design" Eisner Award, for ''
Lost Girls''
2007 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
at the Comic Book Awards Almanac
* 2008: Nominated for "Best Graphic Album: Reprint" Eisner Award, for ''Super Spy''
Bibliography
Top Shelf Productions
*'' Pistolwhip'' (with Jason Hall):
**''Pistolwhip'' (w/a, graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
, 128 pages, 2001, )
**''Mephisto and the Empty Box'' (a, one-shot, 2001)
**''Pistolwhip and the Yellow Menace'' (a, graphic novel, 144 pages, 2003, )
*'' Super Spy'' (w/a):
**''2 Sisters'' (w/a, graphic novel, 336 pages, 2004, )
**''Super Spy'' (w/a, a collection of webcomics ran from 02/06 through 02/07, 336 pages, 2007, )
**''Super Spy: The Lost Dossiers'' (w/a, graphic novel, 88 pages, 2010, )
Dark Horse Comics
*'' Dark Horse Maverick: Happy Endings'': "January" (a, with Jason Hall, anthology graphic novel, 96 pages, 2002, )
*'' Michael Chabon Presents: The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist'' #4: "Chain Reaction" (w/a, 2004) collected in ''Michael Chabon Presents the Amazing Adventures of the Escapist Volume 2'' (tpb, 160 pages, 2004, )
*''3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man'' (hc, 192 pages, 2009, )
*'' MySpace Dark Horse Presents'' #24–25, 32 (w/a, 2009) collected as ''3 Story: Secret Files of the Giant Man''
*'' Reset'' #1 (cover only, 2012)
*'' MIND MGMT'' #0–35 (w/a, 2012–2015)
**''NEW MGMT'' #1 (2015)
*'' Pastaways'' #1–9 (with artist Scott Kolins
Scott Kolins is an American illustrator, writer, and creator of multiple different superhero and science fiction comic books. His main credits are as a penciler but he is an established inker as well as colorist and has some credits as a write ...
, 2015-2016)
*"Poppy! and the Lost Lagoon" (with artist Brian Hurtt, 2016)
*''Ether'' #1–5 (with artist David Rubin, 2016-2017)
*'' Dept. H'' #1–24 (w/a, coloring by Sharlene Kindt, 2016-2018)
*''Ether: The Copper Golems'' #1–5 (with artist David Rubin, 2018)
*"BANG!", 2020
*"Crimson Flower" #1-4 (with artist Matt Lesniewski, 2021)
*"Fear Case" #1-4 (with artist Tyler Jenkins, 2021)
DC Comics/Vertigo
*'' Revolver'' (w/a, graphic novel, 192 pages, 2010, )
*'' Sweet Tooth'' (a, with Jeff Lemire
Jeff Lemire (; born March 21, 1976) is a Canadian comic book writer, artist, and television producer. He is the author of critically acclaimed titles including the '' Essex County Trilogy'', '' Sweet Tooth'', and ''The Nobody''. His written work i ...
):
** "Prelude: Lost Trails" (with Nate Powell and Emi Lenox, in #19, 2011) collected in ''Endangered Species'' (tpb, 176 pages, 2012, )
** "The Taxidermist" (in #26–28, 2011–2012) collected in ''Unnatural Habits'' (tpb, 160 pages, 2012, )
*'' JSA 80-Page Giant'' '11: "City of Light & Magic" (w, with Victor Ibáñez
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* Victor (1951 film), ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* Victor (1993 film), ...
, 2011)
*'' My Greatest Adventure'' #1–6: "Uncanny Valley" (with Scott Kolins
Scott Kolins is an American illustrator, writer, and creator of multiple different superhero and science fiction comic books. His main credits are as a penciler but he is an established inker as well as colorist and has some credits as a write ...
, 2011–2012)
*'' Men of War'' (w):
**''Men of War: Uneasy Company'' (tpb, 256 pages, 2012, ) includes:
*** "Knife Fight!" (with Patrick Scherberger, in #5, 2012)
*** "Monster in My Pocket" (with Jeff Lemire and Thomas Derenick, in #8, 2012)
*'' Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.'' #0, 10–16 (w, with Alberto Ponticelli
Alberto is the Romance version of the Latinized form (''Albertus'') of Germanic ''Albert''. It is used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The diminutive forms are ''Albertito'' in Spain or ''Albertico'' in some parts of Latin America, Albertin ...
, June 2012 – January 2013)
*''Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...
'' vol 4, #24–30 (October 2013 – March 2014)
Valiant Entertainment
* ''Unity
Unity may refer to:
Buildings
* Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building
* Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper
* Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England
* Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a ...
'' #0–25 (w, 2013–2015)
** ''Unity (Volume 1): To Kill A King'' (tpb, collects #1–4, 128 pages, 2014, )
** ''Unity (Volume 2): Trapped By Webnet'' (tpb, collects #5–8 + X-O Manowar #5, 112 pages, 2014, )
** ''Unity (Volume 3): Armor Hunters'' (tpb, collects #8–11, 112 pages, 2014, )
** ''Unity (Volume 4): The United'' (tpb, collects #12–14 + #0 + Harbinger: Faith #0, 128 pages, 2015, )
** ''Unity (Volume 5): Homefront'' (tpb, collects #15–18, 112 pages, 2015, )
** ''Unity (Volume 6): The War-Monger'' (tpb, collects #19–22, 112 pages, 2015, )
** ''Unity (Volume 7): Revenge of the Armor Hunters'' (tpb, collects #23–25, 112 pages, 2016, )
** ''Unity Deluxe Edition 1'' (hc, collects #0–14, 400 pages, 2015, )
* '' Rai'' (w, 2014-ongoing)
** ''Rai (Volume 1): Welcome to New Japan'' (tpb, collects #1–4, 112 pages, 2014, )
** ''Rai (Volume 2): Battle For New Japan'' (tpb, collects #5–8, 112 pages, 2015, )
** ''Rai (Volume 3): The Orphan'' (tpb, collects #9–12, 112 pages, 2016, )
** ''Rai Deluxe Edition 1'' (hc, collects #1–12, 352 pages, 2016, )
* '' The Valiant'' #1–4 (co-written with Jeff Lemire
Jeff Lemire (; born March 21, 1976) is a Canadian comic book writer, artist, and television producer. He is the author of critically acclaimed titles including the '' Essex County Trilogy'', '' Sweet Tooth'', and ''The Nobody''. His written work i ...
, 2015)
** ''The Valiant'' (tpb, 112 pages, 2015, )
** ''The Valiant Deluxe Edition'' (hc, 160 pages, 2015, )
* ''Divinity
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine< ...](_blank)
'' (w):
** ''Divinity'' #1–4 (2015)
*** ''Divinity (Volume 1)'' (tpb, 112 pages, 2015, )
** ''Divinity II'' #1–4 (2016)
** ''Divinity III: Stalinverse'' #1–4 (2016)
* ''Ninjak
Ninjak is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by Valiant Comics. The original incarnation of the character was created by Mark Moretti and Joe Quesada, The character was first introduced as a ninja and spy in the Valiant Comic ...
'' (w, 2015-ongoing)
** ''Ninjak (Volume 1): Weaponeer'' (tpb, collects #1–5, 176 pages, 2015, )
** ''Ninjak (Volume 2): The Shadow Wars'' (tpb, collects #6–9, 144 pages, 2016, )
* ''Book of Death
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...
: Fall of Ninjak'' #1 (w, one-shot, 2015)
* '' 4001 A.D.'' #1–4 (w, 2016)
* ''X-O Manowar
X-O Manowar (Aric of Dacia) is a fictional superhero co-created by writers Jim Shooter and Steve Englehart, and artists Bob Layton and Barry Windsor-Smith.
The eponymous comic book series published by Valiant Comics has sold more than 8 million c ...
'' #1-26 (2017-2019)
BOOM! Studios
*''Grass Kings'' (with artist Tyler Jenkins, 2017)
*''Black Badge'' (with artist Tyler Jenkins, 2018)
*"Folklords" (with artist Matt Smith, 2020)
*'' BRZRKR'' (with co-writer Keanu Reeves and artist Ron Garney, 2021)
Bad Idea
* "Hero Trade: Hero for Sale", one-shot (with artist David Lapham, 2020) - ashcan released under the publishing pseudonym ''Buttoned Up Comics''
* ''ENIAC'' #1-4 (with artist Doug Braithwaite, 2021)
* ''Whalesville x Rocks and Minerals'', one-shot, (with artists Adam Pollina and Tony Millionaire, 2021)
* ''Hero Trade: Passive/Aggressive -'' (with artist David Lapham, 2021)
* ''Refuse x Last Resort'', one-shot, (with artist Marguerite Sauvage, 2021)
Other publishers
*'' SPX'' '02: "Jocko Flocko" (w/a, CBLDF, 2002)
*'' Postcards'': "The History of a Marriage" (a, with Harvey Pekar
Harvey Lawrence Pekar (; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010) was an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality, best known for his autobiographical '' American Splendor'' comic series. In 2003, the series inspired a ...
and Joyce Brabner, graphic novel, 160 pages, Villard Books
Villard, also known as Villard Books, is a publishing imprint of Random House, one of the largest publishing companies in the world, owned by Bertelsmann since 1998 and grouped in Penguin Random House since 2013. It was founded in 1983. Villard b ...
, 2007, )
*'' The Tick's 20th Anniversary Special Edition'': "World War Spoon" (w/a, New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...
, 2007)
*''Awesome: The Indie Spinner Rack Anthology'': "The Misery Index" (w/a, graphic novel, 208 pages, Evil Twin, 2007, )
*''Strange Tales
''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their debuts in ''Strange Tales''. It was a showcase for the science ...
'' #2: "Black Widow" (w/a, Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics
* ...
, 2009) collected in ''ST'' (hc, 192 pages, 2010, ; tpb, 2010, )
*'' Wolverine and the X-Men'' #27.AU (w, Marvel Comics, 2013)
*''Marvel Knights Spider-Man'' #1–5 (w, Marvel, 2014)
*'' Madman: All-New Giant-Size Super Ginchy Special!'': "On the Road" (w/a, one-shot, Image
An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensio ...
, 2011)
*''The Tooth'' (with Cullen Bunn and Shawn Lee), graphic novel, 200 pages, Oni Press
Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's merger with Lion Forge Comics. The merged company, Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Gr ...
, 2011,
*''Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes'', First Second, 2013
Notes
References
*
External links
*
*
*Wilkinson, Will
"Thinking in Comics: A Roundtable on the Present and Future of the Graphic Novel featuring Matt Kindt, Hope Larson, Nate Powell, Dash Shaw, James Sturm, Jillian Tamaki, and Will Wilkinson"
Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts.
*
at St. Louis Business Journal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kindt, Matt
1973 births
Living people
American comics artists
American graphic designers
Artists from St. Louis
People from Cheektowaga, New York
People from Webster Groves, Missouri
Webster University alumni