Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles The Flash, Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright as well as his work on Captain America, Fantastic Four and Daredevil for Marvel. Other comics publishers he has done work for include Fantagraphics, Event, Top Cow, Dynamite, and Archie Comics.
From August 2007 to December 2010, Waid served as Editor-in-Chief and later Chief Creative Officer of Boom! Studios, where he also published his creator-owned series Irredeemable and Incorruptible.
In October 2018, Waid joined Humanoids Publishing as Director of Creative Development before being promoted to Publisher in February 2020. Waid left Humanoids to return to freelancing in 2022.
Early life Waid was born in Hueytown, Alabama. He stated in a 2000 interview that "the single most influential-to-my-craft story I ever read" was Adventure Comics #369–370 (1968), the two-part "Legion of Super-Heroes" story by Jim Shooter and Mort Weisinger that introduced the villain Mordru.
Career 1980s–1990s Waid entered the comics field during the mid-1980s as an editor and writer on Fantagraphics Books' comic book fan magazine, Amazing Heroes. Waid's first comic book story "The Puzzle of the Purloined Fortress", an eight-page Superman story, was published in Action Comics #572 (Oct. 1985).
In 1987, Waid was hired as an editor for DC Comics where he worked on such titles as Action Comics, Doom Patrol, Infinity, Inc., Legion of Super-Heroes, Secret Origins, and Wonder Woman, as well as various one-shots including Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. With Gotham by Gaslight, and in tandem with writer Brian Augustyn, Waid co-created DC's Elseworlds imprint.
In 1989 Waid left editorial work for freelance writing assignments. He worked for DC's short-lived Impact Comics line where he wrote The Comet and scripted dialogue for Legend of the Shield.
In 1992 Waid began the assignment which would bring him to wider recognition in the comics industry, when he was hired to write The Flash by editor Brian Augustyn. Waid stayed on the title for an eight-year run. He wrote a Metamorpho limited series in 1993 and created the character known as Impulse in The Flash (vol. 2) #92 (July 1994).Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 265: "The brainchild of writer Mark Waid and artist Mike Wieringo, Impulse burst onto the scene at quite a pace." Impulse was launched into his own series in April 1995 by Waid and artist Humberto Ramos.Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 270 In November of that same year, Waid and Howard Porter collaborated on the Underworld Unleashed limited series, which served as the center of a company-wide crossover storyline.Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 271: "The villains of the [DC Universe] underwent their own extreme makeovers in Underworld Unleashed, a three-issue miniseries by writer Mark Waid and artist Howard Porter."
His first major project for Marvel Comics was as one of the writers of the "Age of Apocalypse" crossover. He later co-created the Onslaught character for the X-Men line.Manning "1990s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 279: "First appearing in this issue [X-Men (vol. 2) #53] by writer Mark Waid with pencils by Andy Kubert, Onslaught's emergence would spell doom for many of the Marvel heroes"
Marvel editors Ralph Macchio and Mark Gruenwald hired him as Gruenwald's successor as writer of Captain America, during which Waid was paired with artist Ron Garney. Waid and Garney garnered critical praise for their run on the title, remaining on it until the title was relaunched with a different creative team as part of the 1996–1997 "Heroes Reborn" storyline. Rob Liefeld offered Waid the opportunity to script Captain America over plots and artwork by his studio, but Waid declined. That storyline ran a full year, after which Waid and Garney returned to the title for another relaunched series, Captain America volume 3, issues #1–23.Manning "1990s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 288: "Writer Mark Waid began what many fans still consider to be the ultimate run on the Captain America title with this series penciled by Ron Garney." Waid also wrote the short-lived spin-off series Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty from 1998 to 1999, having written 10 of the 12 issues (skipping issues #7 and 10).
In 1996, Waid and artist Alex Ross produced the graphic novel Kingdom Come.Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 273: Under the limitless possibilities of DC's Elseworlds label, Ross and Waid crafted a tale of biblical proportions." This story, set in the future of the DC Universe, depicted the fate of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and other heroes as the world around them changed. It was written in reaction to the "grim and gritty" comics of the 1980s and 1990s. DC Comics writer and executive Paul Levitz observed that "Waid's deep knowledge of the heroes' pasts served them well, and Ross' unique painted art style made a powerful statement about the reality of the world they built." Many of the ideas introduced in Kingdom Come were later integrated into the present-day DC Universe, and Waid himself wrote a follow-up to the series, The Kingdom.Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 286: "Writer Mark Waid returned to the kingdom he helped envision with this series of specials designed as a sequel to the hit miniseries Kingdom Come."
Waid and writer Grant Morrison collaborated on a number of projects that would successfully reestablish DC's Justice League to prominence. Waid's contributions included JLA: Year One,Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 282: "It was up to writers Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn and artist Barry Kitson to fill in the blanks. With their twelve-issue maxiseries JLA: Year One, the trio examined the early days of the team...JLA: Year One proved a success, and cleaned up decades of convoluted comic history." as well as work on the ongoing series. The two writers developed the concept of Hypertime to explain problems with continuity in the DC Universe, which was first introduced in The Kingdom.
2000s
Waid collaborated with artists Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary on JLA and the JLA: Heaven's Ladder (Oct. 2000) one-shot.Cowsill, Alan "2000s" in Dolan, p. 297: "Artist Bryan Hitch made full use of the book's extra-large format... Written by Mark Waid, Heaven's Ladder dealt with religion and the afterlife."JLA: Heaven's Ladder at the Grand Comics Database
In 2000, Waid co-wrote a series named Empire with Barry Kitson, whose protagonist was a Doctor Doom-like supervillain named Golgoth who had defeated all superheroes and conquered the world. The series was originally published by Gorilla Comics, a company formed by Waid, Kurt Busiek and several others, but the company folded after only two issues were published. Empire was completed under the DC Comics label in 2003 and 2004. Waid wrote the first year of Crossgen's Ruse series.
Waid began an acclaimed run as writer of Marvel's Fantastic Four in 2002 with his former Flash artist Mike Wieringo, with Marvel releasing their debut issue, Fantastic Four vol. 3 #60 (Oct. 2002) at the promotional price of 9 cents U.S. By June 2003, Marvel publisher Bill Jemas tried to convince Waid to abandon his "high-adventure" approach to the series, and making the book into, in Waid's words, "a wacky suburban dramedy where Reed's a nutty professor who creates amazing but impractical inventions, Sue's the office-temp breadwinner, the cranky neighbor is their new 'arch-enemy,' etc." Waid, who felt that this was too much of a departure from what he had been hired to write, initially declined. After some discussion with editor Tom Brevoort, Waid found a way to make the requested changes, but by then, the decision had been made to fire Waid and Wieringo from the series. The resulting fan backlash led to Waid and Wieringo's reinstatement on the title by that September. Waid and Wieringo completed their run on Fantastic Four with issue #524 (May 2005), by which time the previously relaunched series had returned to its original numbering.
In 2003 Waid wrote the origin of the "modern" Superman with Superman: Birthright, a twelve-part limited series which was meant to be the new official origin story of the Man of Steel.Cowsill "2000s" in Dolan, p. 310: "Superman's post-Crisis on Infinite Earths origin had remained lore since John Byrne's seminal Man of Steel series in 1986, but by 2003 it was time for an update." Birthright contained several characters and elements from the Silver and Modern Age Superman comic books and homages to Superman: The Movie and the Smallville television series.
Waid returned to writing Legion of Super-Heroes in December 2004, teaming again with Barry Kitson.Cowsill "2000s" in Dolan, p. 318: "Top writer Mark Waid and artist Barry Kitson joined forces to relaunch one of DC's best-loved super-teams." He finished his run on the series with issue #30 (July 2007). In 2005, Waid signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. He co-wrote the 52 limited series with Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, and Keith GiffenCowsill "2000s" in Dolan, p. 325: "The title was masterminded by writers Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid, with Keith Giffen providing art breakdowns." that lasted for one year and covered the events that take place during the year in the DC Universe following Infinite Crisis. Another project for DC was a new launch of The Brave and the Bold with artist George Pérez,Cowsill "2000s" in Dolan, p. 329: "Writer Mark Waid and artist George Pérez teamed up to relaunch one of DC's best-loved titles, The Brave and the Bold." and a brief return to The Flash.
On July 27, 2007, at San Diego Comic-Con, Boom! Studios announced that Waid would join Boom! as Editor-in-Chief the following month. As his non-creator assignments at DC lapsed, he stated that all his future creator-owned work will be with Boom!.
Waid was promoted to Chief Creative Officer of BOOM! Studios in August 2010. That December, Waid announced he would be leaving that role, and return to freelance work, though he would continue writing for the publisher.
In the late 2000s Waid worked on the Spider-Man creative team, writing several issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, including a meeting between Spider-Man and Stephen Colbert in The Amazing Spider-Man #573 (Dec. 2008).
2010s
Waid scripted the opening of "The Gauntlet" storyline in issue #612 (Jan. 2010).Cowsill "2010s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 327: "Written by Mark Waid and drawn by Paul Azaceta, the two-part opening mixed the real-world drama of the economic meltdown with some Spidey action." Waid wrote the Doctor Strange mini-series Strange, and several series for Boom! Studios, notably Irredeemable with artist Peter Krause and its spinoff Incorruptible. In July 2011 Marvel relaunched a monthly Daredevil series with Waid on writing duties. Waid and artist Paolo Rivera garnered positive reviews for their work on the title, and earned multiple 2012 Eisner Awards, including Best Continuing Series and Best Single Issue for issue #7. In addition, Waid won Best Writer for his work on Daredevil, as well as his work on Irredeemable, and Incorruptible. Waid received a "Best Writer" Harvey Award as well for his Daredevil work. In November 2012, Waid and artist Leinil Francis Yu launched The Indestructible Hulk series for Marvel.
In 2011, Waid established a free digital comics website Thrillbent, launching the site with the title Insufferable.Tabrys, Jason (May 28, 2014). "Mark Waid Talks Thrillbent, Empire, Daredevil, and More". Den of Geek! An essay posted on October 2, 2013, by Waid, titled "An Open Letter To Young Freelancers", generated attention within the comics industry with The Hollywood Reporter describing it as "an important commentary on business practices that are in a state of flux at publishers both large and small."