Michael Avon Oeming
Encyclopedia
Michael Avon Oeming is an American
comic book creator
, both as an artist and writer. He is known for using a stark art style to tell stories with sophisticated and mature subject matter.
, having written or drawn several projects centering on the Norse gods. He frequently collaborates with long-time friend Bryan J. L. Glass
, and with Brian Michael Bendis
. He is part of the M.O.B. crew of comic book creators, along with David Mack
, Brian Bendis and Daniel Berman.
His 1998 comic book Bulletproof Monk was made into a film of the same name
.
Recent projects include The Mice Templar
from Image Comics
which he has drawn and co-authored with Bryan J.L. Glass. In an interview with comic book website Project Fanboy
, Oeming confirmed that he is also working on a creator owned project, RAPTURE, with his wife Taki Soma for Dark Horse Comics
.
Oeming is currently at work on the third volume of Powers
from Icon Comics
with Brian Bendis.
Oeming noted for his arm wrestling
fund raising for the non-profit charity Hero Initiative.
As of 2010, he is employed as a staff member of Valve Software, working on Left 4 Dead
, Team Fortress 2
and Portal 2
webcomic
s.
for "Best New Series" in 2001 for Powers
.
Michael received the Eagle Award
in 2006 for Favorite WQriter/Artist.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
comic book creator
Comic book creator
A comic book creator is someone who creates a comic book or graphic novel.The production of a comic book by one of the major comic book companies in the U.S...
, both as an artist and writer. He is known for using a stark art style to tell stories with sophisticated and mature subject matter.
Career
Oeming is a fan of ancient mythologyMythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, having written or drawn several projects centering on the Norse gods. He frequently collaborates with long-time friend Bryan J. L. Glass
Bryan J. L. Glass
Bryan J. L. Glass is an American comic book creator, and writer.-Bibliography:Glass' writing credits include:* Quixote: A Novel : A modern day retelling of Don Quixote published in 2005...
, and with Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
. He is part of the M.O.B. crew of comic book creators, along with David Mack
David W. Mack
David W. Mack is an American comic book artist and writer, best known for his creator-owned series Kabuki. Mack is known for his unique painted and collage-like work...
, Brian Bendis and Daniel Berman.
His 1998 comic book Bulletproof Monk was made into a film of the same name
Bulletproof Monk
Bulletproof Monk is a 2003 action film starring Chow Yun-fat, Seann William Scott and Jaime King. The film was directed by Paul Hunter. It is loosely based on the comic book by Michael Avon Oeming....
.
Recent projects include The Mice Templar
The Mice Templar
The Mice Templar is an American comic book series created by Bryan J. L. Glass, and Michael Avon Oeming that is published by Image Comics. The series is an anthropomorphic fantasy tale which that follows the struggles of a small group of mice against an evil tyrant king.The series has been...
from Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
which he has drawn and co-authored with Bryan J.L. Glass. In an interview with comic book website Project Fanboy
Project Fanboy
Project Fanboy is an American website that publishes news, interviews and reviews about the American comic book industry. In addition, the site is host to comic-book fan voted awards...
, Oeming confirmed that he is also working on a creator owned project, RAPTURE, with his wife Taki Soma for Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
.
Oeming is currently at work on the third volume of Powers
Powers (comics)
Powers is an American creator-owned police procedural comic book series by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming. The series' first volume was published by Image Comics from 2000 to 2004...
from Icon Comics
Icon Comics
Icon Comics is an imprint of Marvel Comics for creator-owned titles, designed to keep select "A-list" creators producing for Marvel rather than seeing them take creator-owned work to other publishers.-History:...
with Brian Bendis.
Oeming noted for his arm wrestling
Arm wrestling
Arm wrestling is a sport with two participants. Each participant places one arm on a surface with their elbows bent and touching the surface, and they grip each other's hand...
fund raising for the non-profit charity Hero Initiative.
As of 2010, he is employed as a staff member of Valve Software, working on Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead is a cooperative first-person shooter video game. It was developed by Turtle Rock Studios, which was purchased by Valve Corporation during development. The game uses Valve's proprietary Source engine, and is available for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and Mac OS X...
, Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. A sequel to the original mod Team Fortress based on the Quake engine, it was first released as part of the video game compilation The Orange Box on October 10, 2007 for Windows...
and Portal 2
Portal 2
Portal 2 is a first-person puzzle-platform video game developed and published by Valve Corporation. The sequel to the 2007 video game Portal, it was announced on March 5, 2010, following a week-long alternate reality game based on new patches to the original game...
webcomic
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
s.
Personal life
Oeming has a son and currently resides in Seattle with his second wife, fellow writer/artist Taki Soma.Writing
Oeming's writing credits include:- Space Slutz (script and art, pornographic parody of Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
) - Hammer of the Gods (script and art, with co-author Mark WheatleyMark Wheatley (comics)Mark Wheatley is an American illustrator, writer, editor, and publisher in the comic book field. Wheatley's comic book and pulp creations include Breathtaker, Mars, and Blood of the Innocent, all illustrated by his frequent collaborator Marc Hempel...
, 5-issue limited series, Insight Studios Group, February–November 2001) - Bastard Samurai (script and inks, with co-author Miles Gunter and pencils by Kelsey Shannon, 3-issue mini-series, Image Comics, April–August 2002)
- ThorThor (Marvel Comics)Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
#80-84: "Ragnarok" (with co-author Daniel Berman and art by Andrea Di VitoAndrea Di Vito-Biography:Di Vito was born in Rome, and showed a love for drawing from an early age. His first published work appeared in the form of two short stories in the Italian magazine L'intrepido. He was first published in America in Marvel Comics' Marvel Shadows and Light, with one of his pinups...
, Marvel Comics, August–December 2004, tpb, December 2004, ISBN 0785115994) - Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray BillBeta Ray BillBeta Ray Bill is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Thor #337 and was created by writer-artist Walt Simonson....
(with co-author Daniel Berman and art by Andrea Di Vito, Marvel Comics, 6-issue limited series, March–August, 2005) - Thor: Blood OathThor: Blood OathThor: Blood Oath is a 6-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in September to December 2005 and is written by Michael Avon Oeming, with art by Scott Kolins....
(with art by Scott KolinsScott KolinsScott Kolins is an American illustrator, writer and creator for 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 writer.-Biography:...
, 6-issue limited series, Marvel Comics, November 2005 - February 2006) - AresAres (comic book)Ares is a 2006 Marvel Comics comic book limited series starring the character of the same name is written by Michael Avon Oeming and pencilled by Travel Foreman.-Plot summary:...
(with pencils by Travel ForemanTravel Foreman-Biography:Travel Foreman gained attention with his work on Com.x’s Cla$$war, where he replaced original series artist Trevor Hairsine. He quickly moved on to work at Marvel Comics, illustrating the Supreme Power spin-off mini-series, Doctor Spectrum, and a Juggernaut story written by Lee Barnett...
, 5-issue limited series, Marvel Comics, March–July 2006, tpb, ISBN 978-0785119913) - HighlanderHighlander (comics)Highlander was a thirteen-issue comic book limited series that was first released in 2006 and ran for one year ending in 2007. It is written by Brandon Jerwa and Michael Avon Oeming in close collaboration with David Abramowitz, who was Creative Consultant in charge of the writing on Highlander:...
(with co-author Brandon JerwaBrandon JerwaBrandon Jerwa is an American comic book writer and musician currently residing in Seattle, Washington. Jerwa is best known for his work on comic tie-ins for several prominent licensed properties, including Battlestar Galactica, Highlander, G.I. Joe and Army of Darkness. Jerwa also collaborates...
and art by Lee Moder, 4-issue mini-series, Dynamite EntertainmentDynamite EntertainmentDynamite Entertainment is an American comic book company that primarily publishes licensed franchises of adaptations of other media. These include adaptations of film properties such as Army of Darkness, Terminator and RoboCop, literary properties such as Zorro, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in...
, July 2006 - February 2007) - The Cross Bronx (script and art, with co-author Ivan BrandonIvan BrandonIvan Brandon is a writer/editor known for his work on titles such as DC Comics' Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape and Kobra and Marvel Comics' Secret Invasion...
, 4-issue mini-series, Image Comics, September–December 2006) - Wings of AnansiAnansiAnansi the trickster is a spider, and is one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore.He is also known as Ananse, Kwaku Ananse, and Anancy; and in the Southern United States he has evolved into Aunt Nancy. He is a spider, but often acts and appears as a man...
- Blood River (co-writer with Dan Berman)
- Quixote : A modern day retelling of Don Quixote (co-writer with Bryan Glass)
- Red SonjaRed SonjaRed Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword, is a fictional character, a high fantasy sword and sorcery heroine created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith, and loosely based on Red Sonya of Rogatino in Robert E. Howard's 1934 short story "The Shadow of the Vulture"...
- Six (co-written with Dan Berman)
- Parliament Of Justice
- God Complex (co-written with Daniel Berman with art by John Broglia, 6-issue limited series, December 2009 - May 2010)
Art
His art credits include:- Judge Dredd #1-5 (with writer Andrew Helfer, DC Comics, August–December 1994)
- Atomic RoboAtomic RoboAtomic Robo is a comic book series depicting the adventures of the eponymous character, created by 8-Bit Theater writer Brian Clevinger and artist Scott Wegener.-Publication history:...
- Bastard Samurai
- Bluntman and ChronicBluntman and ChronicBluntman and Chronic are characters appearing in an fictional eponymous comic book series seen in the movies Chasing Amy and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Actual Bluntman and Chronic comic books based on the fictional movie comic book series were published after the release of Jay and Silent Bob...
- B.P.R.D.: The Soul of VeniceB.P.R.D.: The Soul of Venice and Other StoriesB.P.R.D.: The Soul of Venice and Other Stories is the second trade paperback collection in the Dark Horse Comics B.P.R.D. series created by Mike Mignola which collects the series of four one-shot comic books written by a variety of guest writers and artists and published bi-monthly to alternate...
- Hammer of the Gods
- Bulletproof Monk (pencils, with writer Brett Lewis, Image Comics, 1998–1999, tpbTrade paperback (comics)In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
, 2002, ISBN 1582402442) - PowersPowers (comics)Powers is an American creator-owned police procedural comic book series by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming. The series' first volume was published by Image Comics from 2000 to 2004...
(with Brian Michael BendisBrian Michael BendisBrian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
, Icon ComicsIcon ComicsIcon Comics is an imprint of Marvel Comics for creator-owned titles, designed to keep select "A-list" creators producing for Marvel rather than seeing them take creator-owned work to other publishers.-History:...
, 2000-present) - AvengersAvengers (comics)The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
(inking) - DaredevilDaredevil (Marvel Comics)Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
(inking) - Judge DreddJudge DreddJudge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
: "Straight Eye for the Crooked Guy" (with Robbie MorrisonRobbie MorrisonRobbie Morrison is a British comics writer most known for his work in 2000 AD and as the co-creator of popular character Nikolai Dante .-Biography:...
, in 2000 AD Prog 2006, December 2005) - Parliament of Justice
- Ship of Fools
- Six
- The Foot SoldiersThe Foot SoldiersThe Foot Soldiers is a post-apocalyptic superhero comic book written by Jim Krueger and with art by Mike Oeming. It concerns a world where traditional super-heroes once existed, but have since been killed by oppressive robotic beings who rule what's now a totalitarian society...
- What If...What If (comics)What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
Thor - The Cross Bronx
- The Mice TemplarThe Mice TemplarThe Mice Templar is an American comic book series created by Bryan J. L. Glass, and Michael Avon Oeming that is published by Image Comics. The series is an anthropomorphic fantasy tale which that follows the struggles of a small group of mice against an evil tyrant king.The series has been...
- CatwomanCatwomanCatwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
- The Team Fortress 2Team Fortress 2Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. A sequel to the original mod Team Fortress based on the Quake engine, it was first released as part of the video game compilation The Orange Box on October 10, 2007 for Windows...
web comics, up until the release of Loose Canon, when he was moved to the Left 4 Dead team. - The SacrificeThe Sacrifice (Left 4 Dead)The Sacrifice is a digital comic book created by Valve Corporation based on the Left 4 Dead video game, detailing the events of the main characters from it, namely Zoey, Louis, Francis, and Bill, after the chronological final campaign, Blood Harvest. It accompanies a campaign in both Left 4 Dead...
, a webcomic based on Left 4 DeadLeft 4 DeadLeft 4 Dead is a cooperative first-person shooter video game. It was developed by Turtle Rock Studios, which was purchased by Valve Corporation during development. The game uses Valve's proprietary Source engine, and is available for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and Mac OS X... - Takio (with Brian Michael Bendis, 96 page graphic novelGraphic novelA graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
, Icon Comics, March 2011, ISBN 978-0785153269) - Lab Rat web comics, chain between the first and the second chapter of the game
Awards
Oeming has won the Eisner AwardEisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
for "Best New Series" in 2001 for Powers
Powers (comics)
Powers is an American creator-owned police procedural comic book series by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming. The series' first volume was published by Image Comics from 2000 to 2004...
.
Michael received the Eagle Award
Eagle Award
There are several distinctions and recognitions known as the Eagle Award.*Eagle Award, the highest rank of the Zambia Scouts Association*Eagle Award, the highest award given to a civilian by the National Guard of the United States...
in 2006 for Favorite WQriter/Artist.
Interviews
- April 2006 Interview with the Outhouse
- September 2006 interview about his Omega Flight work, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
- Marvel Gazette Interview
- Interview about The Rapture at Things From Another World