Matt Wagner (born October 9, 1961) is an American

comics artist 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 comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literar ...

and writer who is best known as the creator of the series ''

Mage Mage most commonly refers to: * Mage (paranormal) or magician, a practitioner of magic derived from supernatural or occult sources * Mage (fantasy) or magician, a type of character in mythology, folklore, and fiction * Mage, a character class in ...

'' and ''

Grendel Grendel is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem ''Beowulf'' (700–1000 AD). He is one of the poem's three antagonists (along with his mother and the dragon), all aligned in opposition against the protagonist Beowulf. He is referred to as b ...

''.

Early life, family and education

Matt Wagner's childhood was spent in central

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

(near

State College, Pennsylvania State College is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough and Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park, Pennsylvania, University Park ...

) and in

Front Royal, Virginia Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was estimated at 15,400 as of 2023. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to beco ...

. His mother was an English teacher, and his father (a World War II veteran) worked for a "synthetic fibers corporation". Even during his grade school years, Wagner knew he wanted to create comic books. He was in the Class of 1979 at Warren County High School in Front Royal, Virginia. For two years he attended college in Virginia at

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

, but he transferred to

art school An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. T ...

Philadelphia College of Art Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 1,603,797 in the 2020 census. The city is the urb ...

Career

Matt Wagner's first published comic book work was '' Comico Primer'' #2 (1982), which was the first appearance of

. In addition to his creator-owned series ''

'' and ''Grendel'', he has worked on comics featuring the

Demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

and

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

as well as such titles as '' Sandman Mystery Theatre''. In 1991, he illustrated part of the " Season of Mists" story arc in

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

's '' The Sandman'' series. He wrote and drew '' Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity'' a

limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...

featuring DC's three major heroes in 2003. He followed it with ''

Batman and the Monster Men ''Batman and the Monster Men'' is an American comic book limited series written and drawn by Matt Wagner with colors by Dave Stewart, published by DC Comics in 2006 and starring the superhero Batman. It, along with its sequel '' Batman and the ...

'' and '' Batman and the Mad Monk''{ in 2006. His other projects include ''

Madame Xanadu Madame Xanadu (Nimue Inwudu) is a fictional character published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Nimue, the sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Sir Thomas Malory's ''Le Morte d'Arthur''. Jeryl Prescott portrays X ...

'' for

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

, with artist Amy Reeder Hadley. He has produced numerous comics covers, including painted ones for ''

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...

'' and has written several ''

Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of me ...

'' limited series for

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...

. Outside comics, Wagner provided art for the 1984 ''

Villains & Vigilantes ''Villains and Vigilantes'' (abbreviated as ''V&V'') is a superhero-themed role-playing game which competed primarily with '' Champions'' and ''Superworld'' in the early to mid-1980s. Origin ''Villains and Vigilantes'' was the first role-playin ...

'' adventure '' Battle Above the Earth'' written by Steven Crow. In April 2022, Wagner was reported among the more than three dozen comics creators who contributed to Operation USA's benefit anthology book, ''Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds'', a project spearheaded by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...

Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier. Its profits were donated to relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees resulting from the February

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. Wagner produced a new Grendel story featuring Hunter Rose for the anthology. Wagner prefers to use

Faber-Castell Faber-Castell AG is a German privately-held multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer of pens, pencils, other office supplies (e.g., staplers, slide rules, erasers, rulers)Faber-Castell InternationalOffice Products and art supplies,Fa ...

's Pitt Artist Pens.

Personal life

Wagner is married to Barbara Schutz, the sister of his editor, Diana Schutz. They have resided in the

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

metro area, including in

West Linn, Oregon West Linn is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A southern suburb within the Portland metropolitan area, West Linn developed on the site of the former Linn City, Oregon, Linn City, which was named after U.S. Senator Lewis F. Linn ...

. Barbara Wagner has worked as an English teacher, like Matt Wagner's mother was. He has mentioned that he has a son.

Awards and nominations

* 1988: ** Nominated for "Best Writer"

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 ...

, for ''

'' ** Won an

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at Comic-Con Internati ...

* 1993: ** Won "Best Finite Series/Limited Series" Eisner Award, for ''Grendel: War Child'' ** Nominated for "Best Writer/Artist" Eisner Award, for '' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'': "Faces" ** Nominated for "Best Cover Artist" Eisner Award, for ''Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'': "Faces" ** Nominated for "Best Inker" Eisner Award, for ''Grendel: War Child'' * 1995: Nominated for "Best Writer" Eisner Award, for '' Sandman Mystery Theatre'' * 1999: ** Won "Best Anthology" Eisner Award, for ''Grendel: Black, White, and Red'' ** Won "Best Short Story" Eisner Award, for "Devil's Advocate" in ''Grendel: Black, White, and Red'' #1 ** Nominated for "Best Writer" Eisner Award, for ''Grendel: Black, White, and Red''

Bibliography

Atomeka Press

* '' A1'' #2 (1989) (story in anthology)

Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund

* ''The True North'' #1 (1988) * ''The True North II'' #1 (1991)

Comico

* ''

'' #1–3 (1983–1984) * ''Grendel'' vol. 2 #1–40 (1986–1990) * ''

'' #1–15 (1984–1986) * ''Magebook'' #1–2 (1985) * ''Primer'' #2, 5 (1982–1983) * ''Silverback'' #1–3 (1989)

Dark Horse Comics

* ''

Dark Horse Presents ''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1986 in comics, 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 in comics, 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was publishe ...

'' #40, 45 (1990) (stories in anthology title) * ''Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special'' #1 (1991) (story in anthology title) * ''Grendel Tales: Devil's Choices'' #1 (1995) * ''Grendel Tales: Devils and Deaths'' #1 (1994) * ''Grendel Tales: Homecoming'' #1–3 (1994–1995) * ''Grendel Tales: The Devil's Hammer'' #1–2 (1994) * ''Grendel: Behold the Devil'' #0, #1–8 (2007–2008) * ''Grendel: Black, White, and Red'' #1–4 (1998–1999) * ''Grendel: Devil's Legacy'' #1–5 (2000) * ''Grendel: War Child'' #1–10 (1992–1993) * '' The Terminator: One Shot'' (1991)

DC Comics

* ''

'' vol. 3 #54 (2018) * ''

The Batman Adventures ''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman, set in the universe of Batman: The Animated Series and its successors. Overview ''The Batman Adventures'' was created to tie-in with the '' Batman: The Animated Series' ...

Annual'' #1 (1994) * '' Batman and the Mad Monk'' #1–6 (2006–2007) * ''

'' #1–6 (2006) * '' Batman Black and White'' #3 (1996) * ''Batman/Grendel'' #1–2 (1993) * ''Batman/Grendel'' vol. 2 #1–2 (1996) * '' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #28–30 (1992) * ''Batman/

Riddler The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #140 in O ...

: The Riddle Factory'' #1 (1995) * '' Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity'' #1–3 (2003) * '' The Demon'' vol. 2 #1–4 (1987) * ''The Demon'' vol. 3 #22 (1992) * '' Doctor Mid-Nite'' #1–3 (1999) * '' The Sandman'' #25 (1991) * ''

Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...

Special'' #1 (Riddler story) (1989) * ''

Who's Who in the DC Universe ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' (1985–87), usually referred to simply as ''Who's Who'', is the umbrella title for a number of comic book series which DC Comics published to catalogue the wide variety of fictional ch ...

'' #4–6, 8, 16 (1990–1992) * ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe '' #6 (1985)

Vertigo

* ''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror comics, horror, fantasy comics, fantasy, and mystery fiction, mystery comics anthology, comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets (DC Comi ...

Halloween Annual'' #1–2 (2009–2010) * ''

'' #1–29 (2008–2011) * '' Sandman Midnight Theatre'' #1 (1995) * '' Sandman Mystery Theatre'' #1–60, ''Annual'' #1 (1993–1998) * ''Vertigo: Winter's Edge'' #1 (1998)

Dynamite Entertainment

* '' Django/

Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...

'' #1–7 (2014–2015) * '' Green Hornet: Year One'' #1–12 (2010–2011) * ''Grendel vs. The Shadow'' (2014) * ''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...

'' #100 (2015) (eight page story) * ''The Shadow: The Death of Margo Lane'' (2016) * ''The Shadow: Year One'' #1–10 (2013–2014) * '' The Spirit'' #1–13 (2015–2016) * ''

'' #1–20 (2008–2010) * ''Zorro Rides Again'' #1–12 (2011–2012)

Image Comics

* ''Mage: The Hero Defined'' #0–15 (1997–1999) * ''Mage: The Hero Denied'' #0–15 (2017–2019)

Legendary Comics

* ''The Tower Chronicles: Dreadstalker'' #1–10 (2014–2015) * ''The Tower Chronicles: Geisthawk'' #1–4 (2012–2013)

Marvel Comics

* '' Savage Hulk'' #1 (1996) * '' Ultimate Marvel Team-Up'' #1 (2001) * ''

Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...

'' vol. 2 #9 (one page) (1989)

References

External links

*
Matt Wagner
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
Matt and Brennan Wagner
on the ''Super Hero Speak'' podcast from

New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to comics, Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, Film, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. With an attendance of 200,00 ...

(NYCC) {{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Matt 1961 births 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists 20th-century atheists 21st-century atheists American atheists American comics artists American comics writers Artists from Portland, Oregon Comic book letterers Comics colorists Comics inkers DC Comics people Inkpot Award winners Living people American role-playing game artists Writers from Portland, Oregon