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Kieron Michael Gillen (/ˈɡɪlən/; born 30 September 1975)[3] is a British comic book writer and former video game and music journalist. In comics, Gillen is known for his creator-owned series such as Once & Future (2019–2022), Die (2018–2021), Phonogram (2006–2016), and The Wicked + The Divine (2014–2019), the latter two co-created with artist Jamie McKelvie and published by Image. He is also known for numerous Marvel Comics projects, such as Journey into Mystery, Uncanny X-Men, and Young Avengers in the early 2010s and Star Wars comics in the mid-to-late 2010s including Darth Vader, Star Wars, and co-creation of the character Doctor Aphra who starred in her own ongoing spin-off comic series Star Wars: Doctor Aphra of which Gillen wrote the first 19 issues. He returned to the X-Men in the 2020s with multiple series during the Krakoan Age for the Destiny of X, Sins of Sinister and Fall of X storylines.

Quick Facts Born, Nationality ...
Kieron Gillen
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Gillen at the 2011 New York Comic Con
BornKieron Michael Gillen[1]
(1975-09-30) 30 September 1975 (age 49)
NationalityBritish
Area(s)Writer
Notable works
Phonogram
Uncanny X-Men
Young Avengers
The Wicked + The Divine
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra
AwardsInkpot Award (2016)[2]
kierongillen.com
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Gillen has won the British Fantasy Award twice for Die. He has been nominated for a Hugo Award seven times, once for The Wicked + The Divine, three times for Once & Future, and three times for Die. He also has been nominated five times for a GLAAD Media Award, winning once for Young Avengers.

Career

Journalism

As a reviewer, Gillen has written for publications such as Amiga Power (under the pseudonym "C-Monster"), PC Gamer UK, The Escapist, Wired, The Guardian, Edge, Game Developer, Develop, MCV/Develop, GamesMaster, Eurogamer and PC Format,[citation needed] as well as the PC gaming-oriented website Rock Paper Shotgun,[4] In 2000, Gillen became the first-ever video game journalist to receive an award from the Periodical Publishers Association, for New Specialist Consumer Journalist.[5] Gillen is a fan of the work of the video game developer Warren Spector, having written positive pieces on several Spector's games, most notably Deus Ex and Thief: Deadly Shadows, both produced by Ion Storm.

In addition to his work as a reviewer, Gillen has acted as a guest speaker at numerous video game industry conferences.[6][7] In video game journalism, he created the New Games Journalism manifesto.[8][9][10][11]

He co-founded the British video game journalism website Rock Paper Shotgun in July 2007.[12][13] In a September 2010 post at Rock Paper Shotgun, Gillen announced he was leaving full-time video game journalism to devote his time to comic book writing.[14]

Comics

2003–2013

Gillen's earliest work in comics was published in various British small-press anthologies and Warhammer Monthly. The Guardian highlighted that Gillen and the artist Jamie McKelvie "met in 2003 at a convention where Gillen was selling his first photocopied comics".[15] Between 2003 and 2007, Gillen collaborated with McKelvie on a comic strip for PlayStation Official Magazine – UK, entitled "Save Point", following up with the pop music-themed urban fantasy series Phonogram,[16][15][17] which was described by Gillen as his "first real comic".[18] Veteran comics writer Warren Ellis dubbed the series "one of the few truly essential comics of 2006."[19] The first issue, published by Image Comics, went on sale in August 2006, with the first series running for six issues. The sequel, a series of one-shots subtitled The Singles Club, launched in December 2008.[20]

On 14 April 2008, it was announced Gillen would collaborate with artist Greg Scott to expand on Warren Ellis' newuniversal series with "a story about killing the future" set in 1959.[21] That year, he authored Crown of Destruction, a Warhammer Fantasy comic.[22][23] Further Marvel assignments included a Dazzler short story and a Beta Ray Bill one-shot, which was followed by a three-issue mini-series.[24]

Gillen's workload at Marvel increased in late 2009. At HeroesCon, it was announced he would be writing a tie-in to the "Dark Reign" storyline, the mini-series Dark Avengers: Ares,[25] and, during the 2009 Chicago Comic Con, it was announced he would collaborate with Steven Sanders on S.W.O.R.D, an X-Men spin-off series.[26][27] Gillen took over Thor following a run by J. Michael Straczynski, writing issues #604[28] to 614.[29]

In late 2010, Gillen launched another X-Men spin-off Generation Hope that picked up plot threads from the end of the "Second Coming" storyline.[30][31][32][33][34] Gillen wrote the title for twelve issues before passing it to James Asmus.[35] After co-scripting a few issues of Uncanny X-Men with outgoing writer Matt Fraction, Gillen took over the series with issue #534.1.[36] His time on the title saw the book through the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline, a renumbering to #1 in the wake of the "Schism" storyline, and a tie-in with the "Avengers vs. X-Men" storyline. After finishing his run with issue #20, Gillen penned a five-issue epilogue miniseries AvX: Consequences that dealt with the aftermath of that event.[37]

In 2011, Gillen returned to Marvel's Asgard with a run on Journey into Mystery (the original name of the Thor series, continuing its original numbering), starting with issue #622 and finishing with #645 in October 2012. As part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch, Gillen wrote two books: Iron Man (again taking over from Fraction) with art by his frequent Uncanny X-Men collaborator Greg Land, and Young Avengers with Jamie McKelvie.[37][38]

2014–present

Between 2014 and 2019, Gillen and McKelvie collaborated on The Wicked + The Divine.[39] This Image series won "Best Comic" at the 2014 British Comic Awards[40] and received multiple award nominations such as the 2015 Eisner Award for "Best New Series",[41] the 2018 Eisner Award for "Best Continuing Series"[42] and the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.[43] In 2015, the duo also returned to Phonogram after a long hiatus with the third and final volume titled The Immaterial Girl.[44][45][15] ComicsAlliance highlighted that there was a three year delay between the volume announcement and its release "as everyone involved had rightly become superstars, but it was more than worth the wait".[45] Gillen's other creator-owned work included Three (2013), a mini-series about the helots of Sparta,[46][47][48] and The Ludocrats, initially announced in 2015 as a collaboration between writers Gillen and Jim Rossignol and artist David Lafuente.[49] The series was eventually published in 2020 with art by Jeff Stokely.[50]

From 2015 to 2016, Gillen wrote the 25-issue Star Wars: Darth Vader series for Marvel.[51][52][53] This series introduced the character Doctor Aphra; Gillen had originally planned to have Vader kill Aphra during the story, but realized a way that she could escape and still keep the integrity of both characters.[54] Between 2016 and 2018, he wrote Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #1–#13,[55][56] and then cowrote #14–#19 with Simon Spurrier.[57][58] Gillen also took over writing the Star Wars ongoing series in November 2017 with issue #38; his final issue was #67 in June 2019.[52][59]

Gillen and Stephanie Hans began discussing a collaboration on a creator-owned ongoing comic following their collaboration on Journey Into Mystery. While they started with a different idea, they eventually settled on an idea which would become Die.[60] It premiered in December 2018 and was published by Image Comics.[61][62][63] In September 2021, the series ended its run with twenty issues total.[64] Die won the 2021 British Fantasy Award for "Best Comic / Graphic Novel"[65] and it was a finalist for the Hugo Award in "Best Graphic Story or Comic" three times.[66][67][68] In 2018, Gillen announced that he was preparing a role-playing game based on Die.[62][69] Gillen developed the game and the comic concurrently; ideas he developed for one would then crossover into the other.[70][71] The hardcover edition of the DIE: The Roleplaying Game was released by British publisher Rowan, Rook and Decard in June 2023[72] following a successful Kickstarter campaign in May 2022 where the game was fully funded within 24 hours.[70][73][74]

Between August 2019 and October 2022, Gillen wrote the 30-issue creator-owned series Once & Future with artist Dan Mora.[75][76][77] This series was a finalist for the Hugo Award in "Best Graphic Story or Comic" three times.[67][68][78] In June 2020, Marvel announced that Gillen would write the limited series Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar, the first series in a line of Warhammer comics published by the company.[79] In 2021, Gillen and McKelvie reunited with Batman: Black and White #5 for DC Comics. GamesRadar+ highlighted that they "have worked together on-and-off for the past 17 years" and that the Batman short story was their "first major project together since the conclusion of The Wicked + The Divine in 2019".[16] Gillen commented that he started to do more "work for hire again" due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – "I didn't possibly think my brain could do creator-owned work, with everything that entailed. [...] So, I was certainly open to more work for hire (amongst other projects) and I've been enjoying it".[80]

Also in 2021, Gillen began writing the Eternals ongoing series, illustrated by Esad Ribić.[81] This culminated in the 2022 crossover event A.X.E.: Judgment Day which focused on conflict between the Avengers, the X-Men and the Eternals.[82] In March 2022, as part of the Destiny of X relaunch following A.X.E.: Judgment Day, Gilleon began writing the Immortal X-Men series with artist Lucas Werneck which focused on the Quiet Council of Krakoa;[83][84] this series built plot points for the 2023 event Sins of Sinister.[85][86] The final part of Krakoan Age of the X-Men, the Fall of X, began in 2023 following Sins of Sinister. Gillen is writer on multiple series in this era such as the ongoing Immortal X-Men conclusion, the limited series Rise of the Powers of X (January 2024) with artist R.B. Silva and the limited series X-Men: Forever (March 2024) with artist Luca Maresca.[87][88][89]

At Emerald City Comic Con 2024, Gillen announced a new Image series titled The Power Fantasy with artist Caspar Wijngaard and letterer Clayton Cowles; it is scheduled to release in August 2024. It will be set from 1945 to1999 and focuses on six super powered people that must never come into conflict.[90][91] On the creative origins, Gillen stated that "The Power Fantasy emerged in a similar way to The Wicked + The Divine. I was doing a book at Marvel, and became aware of exactly the sort of things I could do with the reins taken off. As The Wicked + the Divine was to Young Avengers, this is to Immortal X-Men".[90][92]

Awards and accolades

Gillen was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Arts by Staffordshire University in 2019 for his work both as a journalist and a comic book writer.[93]

More information Year, Award ...
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2000 Periodical Publishers Association New Specialist Consumer Journalist — Won [9][94]
2010 Eagle Award Favourite Newcomer Writer — Nominated [95]
2014 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Comic Book Young Avengers Won [96]
British Comic Awards Best Comic The Wicked + The Divine Won [40]
2015 Eisner Award Best New Series Nominated [41]
2016 Inkpot Award — — Won [2]
GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Comic Book The Wicked + The Divine Nominated [97]
2018 Eisner Award Best Continuing Series Nominated [42]
2019 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Comic Book Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Nominated [98]
2020 GLAAD Media Awards The Wicked + The Divine Nominated [99]
British Fantasy Award Best Comic / Graphic Novel Die Won [100]
Hugo Award Best Graphic Story or Comic The Wicked + The Divine, Volume 9: "Okay" Nominated [66]
Hugo Award Best Graphic Story or Comic Die, Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker Nominated [66]
2021 British Fantasy Award Best Comic / Graphic Novel Die, Volume 2: Split the Party Won [101]
Hugo Award Best Graphic Story or Comic Die, Volume 2: Split the Party Nominated [67]
Hugo Award Best Graphic Story or Comic Once & Future, Volume 1: The King is Undead Nominated [67]
2022 British Fantasy Award Best Comic / Graphic Novel Die, Volume 4: Bleed Nominated [102]
Hugo Award Best Graphic Story or Comic Nominated [68]
Hugo Award Best Graphic Story or Comic Once & Future, Volume 3: The Parliament of Magpies Nominated [68]
2023 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Comic Book Immortal X-Men Nominated [103]
ENNIE Awards Best Production Values DIE: The Roleplaying Game Special Edition Nominated [104]
Hugo Award Best Graphic Story or Comic Once & Future, Volume 4: Monarchies in the UK Nominated [78]
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Bibliography

Early work

  • Hit (with Brian Laframboise (#1–2), Natalie Sandells (#3), Jeff Coleman (#4) and Andy Dale (#5), webcomic, 2002–2003)[105]
    • The first five episodes were published in print as a mini-comic compiled and distributed by Gillen himself.[106]
    • The sixth episode (drawn by Wilson Hall) has appeared in Variance Anthology (Variance Press, 2004)
  • Spectators (with Tim Twelves, short 3-page story published online via OPi8, 2002)[107]
  • Panel Bleed (e-zine co-created by Gillen and Charlie Chu, 2002–2004)[108]
  • Everybody Be Cool (column published at Ninth Art, 2002–2003)[109]
  • Webcomics created solely by Gillen and published via Big Robot:
  • Warhammer Monthly (anthology, Black Library):
    • "Herd Instinct" (with David Millgate, in #74, 2003)
    • "The Chosen" (with Steve Pugh, in #83, 2004)
  • Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine #42–89: "Save Point" (with Jamie McKelvie, half-page strip, Future Publishing, 2003–2007)[112]
  • Variance Anthology: "Something's Wrong" (with Charity Larrison, anthology graphic novel, 105 pages, Variance Press, 2004)
  • Commercial Suicide (self-published anthology — co-edited by Gillen and Alex de Campi):
    • Commercial Suicide: "Minister Drill-cock!" (with Asif Khan, 2004)
    • Commercial Suicide Volume 2: "Chimplants" (with Daniel Heard, 2004)
    • Commercial Suicide Volume 3: "Ultimate Pol Pot" (with William Cogan, 2005)
  • Chaos League (with Thomas Veauclin, free one-shot distributed with various gaming magazines, Digital Jesters, 2004)
  • Homo Depressus (with Mark Nicoll, short 5-page story published online via Always Black, 2005)[113]
  • Busted Wonder (with Charity Larrison, webcomic, 2005–2008)[114]
  • Exterminus (with Charity Larrison, infinite canvas webcomic, 2005)[115]
  • Short stories (drawn by Andy Bloor) in anthology graphic novels published by Accent UK:
    • Zombies: "Zombies" (168 pages, 2007, ISBN 0-9555764-0-7)
    • Robots: "Robot" (204 pages, 2008, ISBN 0-9555764-1-5)
    • Western: "The Men Who Built the West" (192 pages, 2009, ISBN 0-9555764-2-3)

Boom! Studios

Image Comics

  • The Complete Phonogram (hc, 504 pages, 2017, ISBN 1-5343-0151-8) collects:
    • Phonogram #1–6 (with Jamie McKelvie, 2006–2007) also collected as Phonogram: Rue Britannia (tpb, 152 pages, 2007, ISBN 1-58240-694-4)
    • Phonogram: The Singles Club #1–7 (with Jamie McKelvie, 2008–2009) also collected as Phonogram: The Singles Club (tpb, 160 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-60706-179-1)
      • Each issue featured one or more short stories (named "b-sides" by Gillen and McKelvie) which are not included in the trade paperback collection:
        • Issue #1 featured "She Who Bleeds for Your Entertainment" (art by Laurenn McCubbin) and "The Power of Love" (art by Marc Ellerby)
        • Issue #2 featured "Wuthering Heights" (art by Emma Vieceli) and "The Singer" (art by Daniel Heard)
        • Issue #3 featured "David Kohl: Phonomancer" (art by Leigh Gallagher) and "Control" (art by Lee O'Connor)
        • Issue #4 featured "The Roses" (art by David Lafuente) and "Theory and Practice" (art by Charity Larrison)
        • Issue #5 featured "Ska Attack Squad" (art by Dan Boultwood)
        • Issue #6 featured "Your Song" (art by P. J. Holden) and "Altantis to Interzone" (art by Adam Cadwell)
        • Issue #7 featured "The Queen is Dead" (art by Nikki Cook) + "Blood Mountain" (art by Becky Cloonan) + "30" (art by Andy Bloor) + "Once in a Lifetime" (art by Sean Azzopardi)
    • Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #1–6 (with Jamie McKelvie, 2015–2016) also collected as Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl (tpb, 168 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-63215-679-2)
      • As with the previous series, each issue featured one or more short stories which are not included in the trade paperback collection:
        • Issue #1 featured "Everything and Nothing" (art by Sarah Gordon) and "Blurred" (art by Clayton Cowles)
        • Issue #2 featured "The Ice Storm" (art by Jamaica Dyer)
        • Issue #3 featured "Black Parade" (art by Christian Wildgoose)
        • Issue #4 featured "I Hate Myself" (art by Julia Scheele) and "Come Out 2nite" (art by Luis Sopelana)
        • Issue #5 featured "Shiny Black Taxi Cab" (art by Rosy Higgins)
        • Issue #6 featured "Modern Love" (art by Tom Humberstone)
  • This is a Souvenir: The Songs of Spearmint & Shirley Lee: "Sweeping the Nation" (with Jamie McKelvie, anthology graphic novel, 208 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-60706-048-5)
  • Liberty Annual '12: "Unleashed" (with Nate Bellegarde, anthology, 2012) collected in CBLDF Presents: Liberty (hc, 216 pages, 2014, ISBN 1-60706-937-7; tpb, 2016, ISBN 1-60706-996-2)
  • Three #1–5 (with Ryan Kelly, 2013–2014) collected as Three (tpb, 146 pages, 2014, ISBN 1-60706-963-6)
  • The Wicked + The Divine (with Jamie McKelvie, Kate Brown (#12), Tula Lotay (#13), Stephanie Hans (#15), Leila del Duca (#16) and Brandon Graham (#17), 2014–2019) collected as:
    • Year One (collects #1–11, hc, 400 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-63215-728-4)
    • Year Two (collects #12–22, hc, 400 pages, 2017, ISBN 1-5343-0220-4)
    • Year Three (collects #23–33, hc, 400 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-5343-0857-1)
    • Year Four (set of two hcs, 510+170 pages, 2020, ISBN 1-5343-1358-3)
      • The first volume collects #34–45 and four spin-off one-shots:
        • The Wicked + The Divine: 1831 (with Stephanie Hans, 2016)
        • The Wicked + The Divine: 455 A.D. (with André Lima Araújo, 2017)
        • The Wicked + The Divine: 1923 (with Aud Koch, 2018)
        • The Wicked + The Divine: 1373 (with Ryan Kelly, 2018)
      • The second volume collects two more spin-off one-shots:
        • The Wicked + The Divine Christmas Annual (with Kris Anka, Rachael Stott, Chynna Clugston Flores, Emma Vieceli and Carla Speed McNeil, 2017)
        • The Wicked + The Divine: The Funnies: "The Wicked + The Canine" (with Erica Henderson) and "Secret Origin" (with Jamie McKelvie, anthology, 2018)
          • Also includes a number of stories from various other creators:
            • "The Wicker + The Divine" (written and drawn by Lizz Lunney)
            • "The Lost God" (written and drawn by Chip Zdarsky)
            • "Gentle Annie vs. the World" (written by Chrissy Williams, drawn by Clayton Cowles)
            • "Making a Difference" (written by Romesh Ranganathan, drawn by Julia Madrigal)
            • "5 Things Everyone Who's Lived with Sakhmet Will Understand" (written and drawn by Hamish Steele)
            • "13 Go Mad in Wiltshire" (written and drawn by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris)
            • "Guilty Pleasure Song" (written by Kate Leth, drawn by Margaux Saltel)
  • Where We Live: A Benefit for the Survivors in Las Vegas: "Critics" (with Jamie McKelvie, anthology graphic novel, 336 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-5343-0822-9)
  • 24 Panels: "Introduction" (with Sean Azzopardi; Gillen was also the curator of this project, anthology graphic novel, 112 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-5343-1126-2)
  • Die #1–20 (with Stephanie Hans, 2018–2021) collected as Die (hc, 656 pages, 2022, ISBN 1-5343-2344-9)
  • The Ludocrats #1–5 (co-written by Gillen and Jim Rossignol, art by Jeff Stokely, 2020) collected as The Ludocrats (tpb, 152 pages, 2020, ISBN 1-5343-1703-1)
  • Image! #7–9: "Closer" (with Steve Lieber, anthology, 2022)

Marvel Comics

Avatar Press

  • Über:
    • Über (with Canaan White, Gabriel Andrade (#12–14) and Daniel Gete, 2013–2015) collected as:
    • Über: Sieglinde (with Gabriel Andrade, one-shot, 2014)
    • Über: Invasion #1–17 (with Daniel Gete, 2016–2018)
      • In 2018, the series went on an indefinite hiatus before the release of the last four issues.[116][117]
      • Issues #1–7 are collected as Über Volume 6 (tpb, 176 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-59291-332-6)
  • God is Dead: Book of Acts Omega: "Alastor: Hell's Executioner" (with German Nobile, anthology one-shot, 2014)
  • Crossed: Badlands #75–80 (with Rafa Lopez, 2015) collected as Crossed Volume 14 (tpb, 160 pages, 2015, ISBN 1-59291-269-9)
  • Mercury Heat (with Omar Francia (#1–3) and Nahuel Lopez, 2015–2017) collected as:
  • Cinema Purgatorio #1–18: "Modded" (with Ignacio Calero (#1–5) and Nahuel Lopez, anthology, 2016–2019)

Other publishers

Game design

References

External links

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