Mark Ellis (writer)
Encyclopedia
Mark Ellis is an American
novelist and comic-book writer who under the pen name
James Axler has written scores of books for the Outlanders
paperback
novel series and other books, as well as numerous independent comics
series.
and writer who serves as his business partner.
In the mid-to-late 1980s Ellis worked as the primary writer for Adventure Publications' line of comic magazines, scripting such diverse titles as Ninja Elite, Warriors, Netherworlds, and Star Rangers
, working with longtime comics artist Jim Mooney
on the latter title.
In 1987–1988 Ellis created and scripted Adventure Publications' Death Hawk
, a series that featured the first published work of comics artist Adam Hughes
.
For other comics publishers he wrote The Justice Machine
, a Dynamo story for a T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
revival, as well as short stories for the occasional anthology, such as "A Trip To Necropolis," penciled and inked by Jim Mooney
.
In 1990, Ellis co-founded Millennium Publications
, serving as editor, with his wife and co-founder Melissa Martin as art director
. Millennium gave early exposure to such comics artists as Mike Wieringo
and Darryl Banks
, and utilized such industry veterans as Jim Mooney
and Don Heck
. Its projects included H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness
and a twelve-issue adaptation of Anne Rice
's The Mummy
or Ramses the Damned.
For his company, Ellis conceived and scripted Nosferatu: Plague of Terror
, a four-part series that provided a complete story of the title character's origin quite apart from the Dracula
legend. Ellis also adapted the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
and The Wild Wild West
, and the horror film It! The Terror from Beyond Space
into comics. As well, he adapted the pulp fiction
hero Doc Savage
into the four-part miniseries
Doc Savage: The Monarch of Armageddon.
" series for Harlequin Enterprises's Gold Eagle imprint in 1996, the first entry of which appeared in 1997.
As of 2011, Ellis is the author of 47 books, most of them under the pen name
James Axler
. Although the Axler pseudonym is shared with other writers, primarily the multiple contributors to Gold Eagle's Deathlands
series, Ellis has authored more novels as "James Axler" than any other writer.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist and comic-book writer who under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
James Axler has written scores of books for the Outlanders
Outlanders
Outlanders is a long-running series of science-fiction novels created by Mark Ellis and published by Gold Eagle, an imprint of Harlequin Enterprises.- Plot :...
paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
novel series and other books, as well as numerous independent comics
Alternative comics
Alternative comics defines a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to "mainstream" superhero comics which in the past have dominated the US comic book industry...
series.
Adventure Publications
Before becoming a full-time freelance writer in 1986, Ellis worked as a journalist, newspaper columnist, advertising copywriter and refrigeration engineer. In 1980, he married Melissa Martin, a graphic designerGraphic 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 published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
and writer who serves as his business partner.
In the mid-to-late 1980s Ellis worked as the primary writer for Adventure Publications' line of comic magazines, scripting such diverse titles as Ninja Elite, Warriors, Netherworlds, and Star Rangers
Star Rangers
Star Rangers was a four-issue American science-fiction comic-book series created by writer Mark Ellis and artist Jim Mooney, following the adventures of a military spaceship crew in a 25th century controlled by corporations.-Publication history:...
, working with longtime comics artist Jim Mooney
Jim Mooney
James Noel "Jim" Mooney was an American comic book artist best known as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, and as the signature artist of DC Comics' Supergirl, both during what comics historians and fans call the Silver Age of comic books...
on the latter title.
In 1987–1988 Ellis created and scripted Adventure Publications' Death Hawk
Death Hawk
Death Hawk is a fictional American comic book character, a self-styled salvage expert in the 25th century. The character starred in a namesake, three-issue series series published by Adventure Publications from 1987-1988, created and written by Mark Ellis...
, a series that featured the first published work of comics artist Adam Hughes
Adam Hughes
Adam Hughes is an American comic book artist who has worked for companies such as DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros...
.
For other comics publishers he wrote The 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:...
, a Dynamo story for a T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is a fictional team of superheroes that appeared in comic books originally published by Tower Comics in the 1960s. They were an arm of the United Nations and were notable for their depiction of the heroes as everyday people whose heroic careers were merely their day jobs...
revival, as well as short stories for the occasional anthology, such as "A Trip To Necropolis," penciled and inked by Jim Mooney
Jim Mooney
James Noel "Jim" Mooney was an American comic book artist best known as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, and as the signature artist of DC Comics' Supergirl, both during what comics historians and fans call the Silver Age of comic books...
.
Millennium Publications
Millennium Publications
Millennium Productions was an American independent comic book publishing company founded by Mark Ellis, Melissa Martin and Paul Davis. Initially known as a publisher of licensed properties, Millennium adapted works by Arthur Conan Doyle, Lester Dent, Frank Frazetta, Robert E. Howard, Harlan...
, serving as editor, with his wife and co-founder Melissa Martin as art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
. Millennium gave early exposure to such comics artists as Mike Wieringo
Mike Wieringo
Michael Lance "Mike" Wieringo , who sometimes signed his work under the name Ringo, was an American comic book artist best known for his work on DC Comics' The Flash and Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four....
and Darryl Banks
Darryl Banks
Darryl Banks is a comic book artist. He worked on one of the first painted comic books, Cyberpunk, and teamed with the writer Mark Ellis to revamp the long-running The Justice Machine series for two publishers, Innovation and Millennium....
, and utilized such industry veterans as Jim Mooney
Jim Mooney
James Noel "Jim" Mooney was an American comic book artist best known as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, and as the signature artist of DC Comics' Supergirl, both during what comics historians and fans call the Silver Age of comic books...
and Don Heck
Don Heck
Don Heck was an American comic book artist best known for co-creating the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, and for his long run penciling the Marvel superhero-team series The Avengers during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books.-Early life and career:Born in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New...
. Its projects included H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness
H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness
H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness was a three-part comic book mini-series published by Millennium Publications that followed a group of investigators, the Miskatonic Project, as they confronted the Mi-go, the cunning Fungi from Yuggoth....
and a twelve-issue adaptation of Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
's The Mummy
The Mummy (novel)
The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned, is a 1989 standalone historical-horror novel by Anne Rice. Taking place during the early twentieth century, it follows the collision between a British archeologist's family and a resurrected mummy...
or Ramses the Damned.
For his company, Ellis conceived and scripted Nosferatu: Plague of Terror
Nosferatu: Plague of Terror
Nosferatu: Plague of Terror was a four-part comic series put out by Millennium Publications in 1991-92. Conceived as both a prequel and sequel to F.W. Murnau’s silent film, Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horrors, it was written by Mark Ellis, designed by Melissa Martin, with art provided by Rik Levins,...
, a four-part series that provided a complete story of the title character's origin quite apart from the Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
legend. Ellis also adapted the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
and The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
, and the horror film It! The Terror from Beyond Space
It! The Terror from Beyond Space
It! The Terror from Beyond Space is a 1958 black and white science fiction film directed by Edward L. Cahn.-Plot:The film opens with a nuclear-powered spaceship perched on the cratered surface of an alien world. A voice-over tells us that the year is 1973 and that this is the planet, Mars. This...
into comics. As well, he adapted the pulp fiction
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
hero Doc Savage
Doc Savage
Doc Savage is a fictional character originally published in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. He was created by publisher Henry W. Ralston and editor John L...
into the four-part miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Doc Savage: The Monarch of Armageddon.
"Outlanders" and James Axler
Leaving Millennium in 1993, Ellis went on to create the "OutlandersOutlanders
Outlanders is a long-running series of science-fiction novels created by Mark Ellis and published by Gold Eagle, an imprint of Harlequin Enterprises.- Plot :...
" series for Harlequin Enterprises's Gold Eagle imprint in 1996, the first entry of which appeared in 1997.
As of 2011, Ellis is the author of 47 books, most of them under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
James Axler
James Axler
James Axler is a house name used by the publishing company Gold Eagle Publishing, the action adventure series published by Harlequin Enterprises Ltd....
. Although the Axler pseudonym is shared with other writers, primarily the multiple contributors to Gold Eagle's Deathlands
Deathlands
The Deathlands is a series of novels published by Gold Eagle Publishing. The first novel 'Pilgrimage to Hell' was first published in 1986. This series of novels was first written by Christopher Lowder, under the pen name Jack Adrian. Mr. Lowder became ill after developing the plot and writing most...
series, Ellis has authored more novels as "James Axler" than any other writer.
As James Axler
- Stoneface (1996)
- Demons of Eden (1997)
- Nightmare Passage (1997)
- Exile to Hell (1997)
- Destiny Run (1997)
- Savage Sun (1997)
- Omega Path (1998)
- Parallax Red (1998)
- Doomstar Relic (1998)
- Iceblood (1998)
- Hellbound Fury (The Lost Earth Saga, Book 1) (1999)
- Night Eternal (The Lost Earth Saga, Book 2) (with Mel Odom) (1999)
- Outer Darkness (The Lost Earth Saga, Book 3) (1999)
- Armageddon Axis (1999)
- Encounter (with Laurence James & Alan Philipson) (1999)
- Wreath of Fire (with Mel Odom) (2000)
- Shadow Scourge (2000)
- Hell Rising (2000)
- Doom Dynasty (The Imperator Wars, Book 1) (2000)
- Tigers of Heaven (The Imperator Wars, Book 2) (2001)
- Purgatory Road (The Imperator Wars, Book 3) (2001)
- Tomb of Time (2001)
- Devil in the Moon (The Dragon Kings, Book 1) (2002)
- Dragoneye (The Dragon Kings, Book 2) (2002)
- Far Empire (2002)
- Equinox Zero (2002)
- Talon and Fang (Heart of the World, Book 1) (2003)
- Sea of Plague (Heart of the World, Book 2) (2003)
- Mad God's Wrath (2004)
- Mask of The Sphinx (2004)
- Evil Abyss (2005)
- Children of The Serpent (2005)
- Cerberus Storm (2005)
- Aftermath (2006)
- Rim of The World (2006)
- Hydra's Ring (2006)
- Skull Throne (2007)
- Satan's Seed (2007)
- Dark Goddess (2007)
- Grailstone Gambit (2008)
- Ghostwalk (2008)
- Warlord of the Pit (2009)
- Audio Guide to Outlanders (2011)
Other books
- Shreek Show (1989)
- H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in DarknessH. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in DarknessH.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness was a three-part comic book mini-series published by Millennium Publications that followed a group of investigators, the Miskatonic Project, as they confronted the Mi-go, the cunning Fungi from Yuggoth....
(1994) - Hellfire Trigger (1998) — a Mack BolanMack BolanMack Bolan, alias The Executioner, is a fictional character who has been serialized in over six hundred novels with sales of more than 200 million, according to Amazon.com. Created by Don Pendleton, Bolan made his first appearance on the printed page in 1969's War Against the Mafia...
novel - Devil's Guard (1998) — a Mack BolanMack BolanMack Bolan, alias The Executioner, is a fictional character who has been serialized in over six hundred novels with sales of more than 200 million, according to Amazon.com. Created by Don Pendleton, Bolan made his first appearance on the printed page in 1969's War Against the Mafia...
novel - The Everything Guide to Writing Graphic Novels (with Melissa Martin) (2008)
- Cryptozoica (2010)
- The Green HornetThe Green HornetThe Green Hornet is an American radio and television masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell, in 1936. Since his radio debut in the 1930s, the Green Hornet has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media...
Chronicles (2010) - The Avenger The Justice Inc. Files (2011)
- The Dead ManThe Dead ManThe Dead Man was a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD by writer John Wagner and artist John Ridgway, published in black and white in 1989–90. Although it was not billed as a Judge Dredd story, it was set in Judge Dredd's world in 2112, and featured a new character called the Dead Man...
: The Coffin Worm (2011) - Enter The SaintSimon TemplarSimon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
(2011) - Honey West (2011)
Comics and graphic novels
- The Justice MachineJustice MachineThe 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:...
: Object of Power (2011) (Moonstone BooksMoonstone BooksMoonstone Books is an American comic book, graphic novel, and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and prose anthologies as well as horror and western tales....
) - Death HawkDeath HawkDeath Hawk is a fictional American comic book character, a self-styled salvage expert in the 25th century. The character starred in a namesake, three-issue series series published by Adventure Publications from 1987-1988, created and written by Mark Ellis...
: The Soulworm Saga (2008) (Millennial Concepts/Transfuzion) - H.P. Lovecraft's The Miskatonic Project: The Whisperer in Darkness(2008) (Millennial Concepts/Transfuzion)
- Mr. Holmes & Dr. Watson: Their Strangest Cases (2008) (Millennial Concepts/Transfuzion)
- The New Justice MachineJustice MachineThe 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:...
:Top Gear Edition, Volume One(2009)(Millennial Concepts) - H.P. Lovecraft's The Miskatonic Project: Bride of Dagon(2009) (Millennial Concepts/Transfuzion)
- Nosferatu: Plague of Darkness (2009) (Millennial Concepts)
- Star RangersStar RangersStar Rangers was a four-issue American science-fiction comic-book series created by writer Mark Ellis and artist Jim Mooney, following the adventures of a military spaceship crew in a 25th century controlled by corporations.-Publication history:...
: The Spur (2011) (Millennial Concepts) - Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AgentsT.H.U.N.D.E.R. AgentsT.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is a fictional team of superheroes that appeared in comic books originally published by Tower Comics in the 1960s. They were an arm of the United Nations and were notable for their depiction of the heroes as everyday people whose heroic careers were merely their day jobs...
(Deluxe) - Star Rangers(Adventure Publications)
- Ninja Elite (Adventure Publications)
- Warriors(Adventure Publications)
- Death Hawk (Adventure Publications)
- Netherworlds(Adventure Publications)
- Adventurers Book II (Adventure Publications)
- The New Justice Machine, Volume One (Innovation)
- Angry Shadows (Innovation)
- The Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
(Millennium Publications) - Doc SavageDoc SavageDoc Savage is a fictional character originally published in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. He was created by publisher Henry W. Ralston and editor John L...
(Millennium Publications) - H.P. Lovecraft's CthulhuCthulhuCthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
(Millennium Publications) - The Mummy Archives (Millennium Publications)
- Weird Tales Illustrated (Millennium Publications)
- The New Justice Machine, Volume Two (Millennium Publications)
- It! The Terror from Beyond SpaceIt! The Terror from Beyond SpaceIt! The Terror from Beyond Space is a 1958 black and white science fiction film directed by Edward L. Cahn.-Plot:The film opens with a nuclear-powered spaceship perched on the cratered surface of an alien world. A voice-over tells us that the year is 1973 and that this is the planet, Mars. This...
(Millennium Publications) - The Man From U.N.C.L.E.The Man from U.N.C.L.E.The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
(Millennium Publications) - Nosferatu: Plague of TerrorNosferatu: Plague of TerrorNosferatu: Plague of Terror was a four-part comic series put out by Millennium Publications in 1991-92. Conceived as both a prequel and sequel to F.W. Murnau’s silent film, Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horrors, it was written by Mark Ellis, designed by Melissa Martin, with art provided by Rik Levins,...
(Millennium Publications) - The Collector's Dracula (Millennium Publications)
- Paladin Alpha (Firstlight Publications)
- Thresherz(Firstlight Publications)
- R.A.Z.E.(Firstlight Publications)
External links
- Comicspace.com Select comics work by Mark Ellis
- JamesAxler.com (fan site)
- "Mark Ellis: Writer of Death Hawk & Nosferatu: Plague of Terror" (interview), Jazma Online, April 14, 2007. WebCitation archive.
- "Transfuzion Publishing and Millennial Concepts Join Forces", Transfuzion press release, July 9, 2008. WebCitation archive.