Bill Willingham
Encyclopedia
Bill Willingham is an American
writer
and artist
of comics
.
, where he illustrated a number of their role-playing game
products. He was the cover artist for the AD&D Player Character Record Sheets, Against the Giants
, Secret of Bone Hill, the Gamma World
book Legion of Gold, and provided the back cover for In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords
. He was an interior artist on White Plume Mountain
, Slave Pits of the Undercity, Ghost Tower of Inverness
, Secret of the Slavers Stockade, Secret of Bone Hill, Palace of the Silver Princess
, Isle of Dread
, In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords, the original Fiend Folio
, Descent into the Depths of the Earth
, Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords, Against the Giants, Queen of the Spiders
, Realms of Horror, and the second and third editions of Top Secret
. He also wrote and illustrated a couple of adventures for the game Villains & Vigilantes for Fantasy Games Unlimited
.
He first gained attention for his 1980s comic book series Elementals published by Comico
, which he both wrote and drew, however the series had trouble maintaining a consistent schedule, and Willingham's position in the industry remained spotty for many years. He contributed stories to Green Lantern
and started his own independent, black-and-white comic book series Coventry
which lasted only 3 issues. He also produced the pornographic
series Ironwood
for Eros Comix
.
In the late 1990s, Willingham reestablished himself as a prolific writer. He produced the 13-issue Pantheon for Lone Star Press and wrote a pair of short novel
s about the modern adventures of the hero Beowulf
, and a fantasy novel Down the Mysterly River published by the Austin, Texas
writer's collective, Clockwork Storybook
, of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s, he began writing extensively for DC Comics
, including the limited series
Proposition Player
, a pair of limited series about the Greek
witch
Thessaly from The Sandman
, and most notably the popular series Fables.
Willingham worked on the Robin
series from 2004
to 2006
, and established Shadowpact
, a title spun off his Day of Vengeance
limited series. He also wrote Jack of Fables
, an ongoing spin-off of his Fables series, co-written by Matthew Sturges
. At the 2007 Comic Con International, he announced that he would be writing Salvation Run
, a mini-series about supervillains who are banished to an inhospitable prison planet. Unfortunately, he had to hand over the writing to Sturges after two issues because of illness. He will also be working on DCU: Decisions, a four-issue mini-series that deals with Green Arrow
's endorsement of a political candidate and, again with Sturges, is writing the Vertigo series House of Mystery
and DC's Justice Society of America
with issue #29.
In 2009, Willingham agreed to write for Angel
by IDW Publishing
, kicking off a new storyline titled "Immortality for Dummies."
. He frequently interacts with fans on the Fabletown message boards
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
of comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
.
Career
Willingham got his start in the late 1970s to early 1980s as a staff artist for TSR, Inc.TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
, where he illustrated a number of their role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
products. He was the cover artist for the AD&D Player Character Record Sheets, Against the Giants
Against the Giants
Against the Giants is an adventure module written by Gary Gygax and published by TSR in 1981 for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. It combines the G series of modules previously published in 1978: Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, and Hall of...
, Secret of Bone Hill, the Gamma World
Gamma World
Gamma World is a science fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by James M. Ward and Gary Jaquet, and first published by TSR in 1978. It borrowed heavily from James M. Ward's earlier product, Metamorphosis Alpha.-Setting:...
book Legion of Gold, and provided the back cover for In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords
Scourge of the Slave Lords
Scourge of the Slave Lords is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published by TSR, Inc. in 1986...
. He was an interior artist on White Plume Mountain
White Plume Mountain
White Plume Mountain is an adventure module for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, written by Lawrence Schick and published by TSR in 1979...
, Slave Pits of the Undercity, Ghost Tower of Inverness
Ghost Tower of Inverness
The Ghost Tower of Inverness is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting. The module's title refers to an ancient magical tower located in the southern Abbor-Alz Hills...
, Secret of the Slavers Stockade, Secret of Bone Hill, Palace of the Silver Princess
Palace of the Silver Princess
Palace of the Silver Princess is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set. It was written in 1980 by Jean Wells, and published in 1981 with an orange cover. Palace of the Silver Princess contains a single adventure laid out in a format suitable for a single gaming session...
, Isle of Dread
Isle of Dread
The Isle of Dread is an adventure for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The adventure, module code X1, was originally published in 1981. Written by David "Zeb" Cook, and Tom Moldvay, it is among the most widely circulated of all Dungeons & Dragons adventures due to its inclusion as part of...
, In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords, the original Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio is the title shared by three products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
, Descent into the Depths of the Earth
Descent into the Depths of the Earth
Descent Into the Depths of the Earth is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game coded D1–2. It was written by Gary Gygax, and combines two previously published modules from 1978, the original Descent into the Depths of the Earth and Shrine of the Kuo-Toa...
, Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords, Against the Giants, Queen of the Spiders
Queen of the Spiders
Queen of the Spiders is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 and is a compilation of seven previous related modules, often referred to as a "supermodule." Together, the seven adventures form an integrated campaign that...
, Realms of Horror, and the second and third editions of Top Secret
Top Secret (role-playing game)
Top Secret is an espionage-themed role-playing game written by Merle M. Rasmussen and first published in 1980 by TSR, Inc.-Top Secret :...
. He also wrote and illustrated a couple of adventures for the game Villains & Vigilantes for Fantasy Games Unlimited
Fantasy Games Unlimited
Fantasy Games Unlimited, often referred to as just FGU, is a publishing house for both table-top and role-playing games. They have no in-house design teams and rely on submitted material from outside talent.-History:...
.
He first gained attention for his 1980s comic book series Elementals published by Comico
Comico Comics
Comico: The Comic Company was an American comic book publisher, headquartered in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Its best-known comics include the Robotech adaptations, the Jonny Quest continuation written by co-creator Doug Wildey, and Matt Wagner's Mage: The Hero Discovered and Grendel...
, which he both wrote and drew, however the series had trouble maintaining a consistent schedule, and Willingham's position in the industry remained spotty for many years. He contributed stories to Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
and started his own independent, black-and-white comic book series Coventry
Coventry (comics)
Coventry is a Fantagraphics comic book mini-series by Bill Willingham. Coventry is a fictitious state in an alternate history version of the United States of America in which magical and legendary powers, creatures, villains and heroes are real and a part of everyday life. Coventry ran for only 3...
which lasted only 3 issues. He also produced the pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
series Ironwood
Ironwood (comics)
Ironwood is a pornographic comic book series written and drawn by Bill Willingham in the 1990s, published in the United States by Eros Comix. It ran for 11 issues...
for Eros Comix
Eros Comix
Eros Comix is an adult-oriented imprint of Fantagraphics Books, established in 1990 to publish pornographic comic books. Eros Comix sells anime videos, DVDs, adult comic books, and books of erotic art and photography...
.
In the late 1990s, Willingham reestablished himself as a prolific writer. He produced the 13-issue Pantheon for Lone Star Press and wrote a pair of short novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s about the modern adventures of the hero Beowulf
Beowulf (hero)
Beowulf is a legendary Geatish hero and later turned king in the epic poem named after him, one of the oldest surviving pieces of literature in the English language.-Etymology and origins of the character:...
, and a fantasy novel Down the Mysterly River published by the Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
writer's collective, Clockwork Storybook
Clockwork Storybook
Clockwork Storybook was a writer's collective and independent book publisher based in Austin, Texas. It specialized in the fantasy, horror and adventure genres.-History:...
, of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s, he began writing extensively for DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, including the limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
Proposition Player
Proposition Player
Proposition Player was a six-issue American comic book limited series created by writer Bill Willingham and artist Paul Guinan, published by the American comic book label Vertigo imprint of DC Comics.-Plot:...
, a pair of limited series about the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
witch
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
Thessaly from The Sandman
Sandman (Vertigo)
The Sandman is a comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics. Beginning with issue #47, it was placed under the imprint Vertigo. It chronicles the adventures of Dream , who rules over the world of dreams. It ran for 75 issues from January 1989 until March 1996...
, and most notably the popular series Fables.
Willingham worked on the Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
series from 2004
2004 in comics
-February:*February 6: Marvel Enterprises and Electronic Arts announce a multi-year agreement in which EA will develop a new generation of fighting video games pitting Marvel superheroes against a new, original set of EA heroes....
to 2006
2006 in comics
-January:*January 1, 2006: Newsweek offer a look back at 2005 through editorial cartoons. *January 2, 2006: The Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman starts a blog to detail his creative process...
, and established Shadowpact
Shadowpact
The Shadowpact is a group of magic-based heroes who fought against the Spectre in the 2005 limited series Day of Vengeance, published by DC Comics. They are a sort of Justice League for the supernatural elements of the DC Universe...
, a title spun off his Day of Vengeance
Day of Vengeance
Day of Vengeance is a six-issue comic book limited series written by Bill Willingham, with art by Justiniano and Walden Wong, published in 2005 by DC Comics.-Publication history:...
limited series. He also wrote Jack of Fables
Jack of Fables
Jack of Fables was a spin-off of the comic book Fables, both of which were published by DC Comics as part of that company's Vertigo imprint. It shows the adventures of Jack Horner after his exile from Fabletown. A preview of the series was shown in Fables #50, and the series itself debuted in July...
, an ongoing spin-off of his Fables series, co-written by Matthew Sturges
Matthew Sturges
Matthew Sturges is an American writer of comics and fantasy novels.-Biography:Sturges is best known for the Eisner-award nominated Jack of Fables from DC/Vertigo...
. At the 2007 Comic Con International, he announced that he would be writing Salvation Run
Salvation Run
Salvation Run is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie in to the company's major event series Final Crisis in 2008.-Premise:The premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R...
, a mini-series about supervillains who are banished to an inhospitable prison planet. Unfortunately, he had to hand over the writing to Sturges after two issues because of illness. He will also be working on DCU: Decisions, a four-issue mini-series that deals with Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
's endorsement of a political candidate and, again with Sturges, is writing the Vertigo series House of Mystery
House of Mystery (Vertigo)
House of Mystery is an occult and horror-themed comic book anthology series based on the classic House of Mystery series that ran from 1951 to 1983...
and DC's Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
with issue #29.
In 2009, Willingham agreed to write for Angel
Angel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season...
by IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
, kicking off a new storyline titled "Immortality for Dummies."
Personal life
He currently lives in MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. He frequently interacts with fans on the Fabletown message boards
As writer
The issues listed include those where writing credits are for at least one story included in the issue.| Title | |Issue(s) | |Cover Dates | |Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justice Machine Justice Machine The Justice Machine is a fictional team of superheroes originally created by Michael Gustovich and appearing in comic books from many small publishers in the 1980s and 1990s.-Publication history:... Annual |
#1 | 1983 | Texas Comics |
| Elementals | #1-23 | 1984-March 1988 | Comico |
| Justice Machine Justice Machine The Justice Machine is a fictional team of superheroes originally created by Michael Gustovich and appearing in comic books from many small publishers in the 1980s and 1990s.-Publication history:... Featuring The Elementals |
#1-4 | May 1986-August 1986 | Comico |
| Elementals Special | #2 | January 1989 | Comico |
| Elementals vol. 2 | #1-16 #18-22 |
March 1989 May 1991 June 1991-March 1992 |
Comico |
| Morningstar Special | #1 | 1990 | Comico |
| Time Wankers | #4-5 | April 1991-August 1991 | Fantagraphics |
| Ironwood Ironwood (comics) Ironwood is a pornographic comic book series written and drawn by Bill Willingham in the 1990s, published in the United States by Eros Comix. It ran for 11 issues... |
#1-11 | 1991 | Fantagraphics, Eros Comix imprint |
| Elementals: Sex Special | #1 | 1991 | Comico |
| Elementals: Ghost of a Chance | #1 | December 1995 | Comico |
| Elementals: The Vampire's Revenge | #2 | August 1996 | Comico |
| Coventry Coventry (comics) Coventry is a Fantagraphics comic book mini-series by Bill Willingham. Coventry is a fictitious state in an alternate history version of the United States of America in which magical and legendary powers, creatures, villains and heroes are real and a part of everyday life. Coventry ran for only 3... |
#1-3 | November 1996-July 1997 | Fantagraphics |
| Mythography | #2 #4 |
February 1997 June 1997 |
Bardic Press |
| Pantheon | #1-13 | May 1998-August/September 1999 | Lone Star Press |
| Pantheon: Ancient History | #1 | August/September 1999 | Lone Star Press |
| Flinch Flinch (DC Comics) Flinch was a Vertigo Comics horror anthology.It ran 16 issues from June 1999 until January 2001 and featured the talents of Jim Lee, Bill Willingham, Frank Quitely and many others. Rumors of being canceled seemed to plague the book throughout its printing... |
#7 | December 1999 | DC Comics, Vertigo imprint |
| Proposition Player Proposition Player Proposition Player was a six-issue American comic book limited series created by writer Bill Willingham and artist Paul Guinan, published by the American comic book label Vertigo imprint of DC Comics.-Plot:... |
#1-6 | December 1999 May 2000 | DC Comics, Vertigo imprint |
| The Dreaming The Dreaming (comics) The Dreaming is a fictional place, a comic book location published by DC Comics. The Dreaming first appeared in the Sandman vol. 2 #1, , and was created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth. The Dreaming is the domain of Dream of the Endless.... |
#55 | December 2000 | DC Comics, Vertigo imprint |
| The Sandman Presents: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Dreams… But Were Afraid To Ask | #1 | July 2001 | DC Comics, Vertigo imprint |
| The Sandman Presents: The Thessaliad | #1-4 | March 2002 - June 2002 | DC Comics, Vertigo imprint |
| Fables (Currently still in publication.) |
#1-Present | July 2002–Present | DC Comics, Vertigo imprint |
| X-Men Unlimited X-Men Unlimited -Volume 1:The purpose of this title was to run stories that fit between the main X-Men comics. The stories included all characters from the X-titles, and the issues were collections of short stories... |
#49 | August 2003 | Marvel Comics |
| Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Legends of the Dark Knight Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, commonly referred to as simply Legends of the Dark Knight is a DC comic book featuring Batman. It was launched in 1989 with the popularity of the Batman movie, following on from Frank Miller's Batman: Year One... |
#168 | August 2003 | DC Comics |
| Robin vol. 2 | #121-147 | February 2004-April 2006 | DC Comics |
| The Sandman Presents: Thessaly: Witch for Hire | #1-4 | April 2004-July 2004 | DC Comics, Vertigo imprint |
| Batman | #631-633 #643-644 |
October 2004-December 2004 Early October 2005-Late October 2005 |
DC Comics |
| Day of Vengeance Day of Vengeance Day of Vengeance is a six-issue comic book limited series written by Bill Willingham, with art by Justiniano and Walden Wong, published in 2005 by DC Comics.-Publication history:... |
#1-6 | June 2005-November 2005 | DC Comics |
| Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special | #1 | March 2006 | DC Comics |
| Shadowpact Shadowpact The Shadowpact is a group of magic-based heroes who fought against the Spectre in the 2005 limited series Day of Vengeance, published by DC Comics. They are a sort of Justice League for the supernatural elements of the DC Universe... |
#1-#16 | July 2006-2007 | DC Comics |
| Jack of Fables Jack of Fables Jack of Fables was a spin-off of the comic book Fables, both of which were published by DC Comics as part of that company's Vertigo imprint. It shows the adventures of Jack Horner after his exile from Fabletown. A preview of the series was shown in Fables #50, and the series itself debuted in July... |
#1-#50 | September 2006–March 2011 | DC Comics, Vertigo imprint |
| Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall | 2006 | DC Comics, Vertigo imprint | |
| DCU Infinite Holiday Special | #1 | February 2007 | DC Comics |
| Peter and Max: A Fables Novel | 2009 | DC Comics, Vertigo imprint | |
| Angel: Immortality for Dummies Angel: After the Fall Angel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season... |
#28 - #32 | 2010 | IDW Publishing |
External links
- Children's & Household Tales: 'Fables', ExpressExpress (newspaper)Express is a free daily newspaper distributed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is in a tabloid format and is printed every weekday and distributed at Washington Metro stations and other locations throughout the Washington metropolitan area. It is owned and printed by The Washington...
, June 17, 2008 - Article at www.avclub.com
- Article at www.comicvine.com