Personal Life

Matt Wagner was born and raised in rural Pennsylvania (in Amish Country, no less). Fresh out of art school he created a short story about a professional assassin who called himself Grendel and submitted it to little known independent comic book publisher Comico. That short story (published in Comico Primer #2) would lead to one of comics most enduring creator owned characters, and a career that spans over three decades now. Wagner has created stories and artwork for DC, Image, Marvel, and a slew of indy publishers. He is equally versatile with both writing and art, and his work runs the gamut from scripting to covers work, to full on writer/artist duties. Wagner currently lives in Portland Oregon with his wife Barbara Schutz. Barbara is the sister of his friend and long time editor Diana Schutz. Barbara is also the basis of the character Magda in Wagner's series Mage: The Hero Defined.

Career

Matt has done lots of work for many comics companies, but these are the highlights.

Grendel

Matt Wagner's first published work was a Grendel story in the second issue of Comico's anthology comic Comico Primer, in 1982. The following year, Wagner started a Grendel series that lasted only three issues before Comico cancelled it due to financial concerns. The third time was the charm for Grendel, and a new regular series written by Wagner with art by Arnold and Jacob Pander started in 1986. This series ended in 1990 with issue #40 and the demise of Comico in a mess of bankruptcy legalities. It would be two years before Wagner was allowed to work on his own creation, however in 1992 he brought his book to Dark Horse Comics and what would have been issues 41 - 51 were published as Grendel: War Child. Grendel's publication history is all over the map so, here's a handy breakdown:

Comico

• 1982 Comico Primer #2
• 1983 Grendel Vol. 1
• 1985-1986 Mage: The Hero Discovered (Backup story in issues #6-14)
• 1986-1990 Grendel Vol. 2
• 1989 Silverback (Mini-series detailing Argent's origin)

DC

• 1993 Batman/Grendel: Devil's Riddle & Devil's Masque (2 issue mini-series published by DC shortly after Matt Wagner got the Grendel publishing rights back from the Comico implosion.) (Marks the first time DC allowed one of their stable to cross over with a creator owned project).
• 1996 Batman/Grendel: Devil's Bones & Devil's Dance

Dark Horse (In reading order rather than chronological).

• Grendel: Devil By The Deed (Reprints the Mage back up stories) 1993
• Grendel: Devil's Legacy (Reprints Grendel Vol. 2 #1-12) 2000
• Grendel: The Devil Inside (Reprints Grendel Vol. 2 #13-15) 2001
• Grendel: Devil Tracks (Reprints Grendel Vol. 2 #16-17) 1995
• Grendel: Devil Eyes (Reprints Grendel Vol. 2 #18-19) 1995
• Grendel: God And The Devil (Reprints Grendel Vol. 2 #23-33) 2003
• Grendel: Devil's Reign (Reprints Grendel Vol. 2 #34-40) 2004
• Grendel: War Child (actually the first Dark Horse series published, would have been Grendel Vol. 2 #41-51 had the series continued) 1992-1993
• Grendel: Devil Quest (Reprints a series of backup stories by Wagner which ran in Grendel Tales) 1995
• Grendel: Black, White & Red 1998
• Grendel: Red, White & Black 2002
• Grendel: Behold The Devil (Written for the 25th anniversary of Grendel) 2007

In 1993, Matt Wagner opened up the Grendel sandbox for other writers and artists to play in. The result, Grendel Tales, was a series of mini series that ran concurrent with the Dark Horse reprints. Wagner's involvement in these was little more than occasional covers and a running backup feature.

• 1993 Grendel Tales: Four Devils, One Hell
• 1994 Grendel Tales: Devil's Hammer
• 1994 Grendel Tales: The Devil in Our Midst
• 1994 Grendel Tales: Devils and Deaths
• 1994 Grendel Tales: Homecoming
• 1995 Grendel Tales: Devil's Choices
• 1995 Grendel Tales: The Devil May Care
• 1997 Grendel Tales: The Devil's Apprentice

One final little oddball in the sprawling Grendel saga is a two issue mini series published in 1999. Grendel: Devil Child was written by Wagner's sister-in-law Diana Schutz with art by Tim Sale. It fits in well with the Grendel Tales series as Wagner had little to do with it.

Mage

In 1984 Matt Wagner began his semi-autobiographical tale Mage: The Hero Discovered. The initial series ran 15 issues and even though it ended before Comico's collapse, the publishing rights were still tied up in litigation for a few years. A 13 year gap ensued while the rights were ironed out and Wagner waited for his muse to strike. In 1997 he published the second part of his planned Mage trilogy, Mage: The Hero Defined. It lasted 15 issues with a 0 issue reprinting the brief Mage backup stories previously printed in Grendel Vol. 2 #16-19. A third and final chapter Mage: The Hero Denied is planned, however Wagner has not set any firm publishing date.

Mage is, as noted, semi-atuobiographical; Kevin Matchstick stands in for Wagner. He looks like Wagner and has aged (and grown a pony tail and then balded) as Wagner has. Wagner also, interestingly, drew a hitman in an early issue of the first volume of Grendel (before Mage), in such a way that he looks just like Matchstick and himself.

DC

Matt Wagner has enjoyed a long relationship with DC. He has done copious amounts of work for them. What follows are the highlights:

• 1987 The Demon (A 4 issue mini series starring Jack Kirby's creation Etrigan the Demon)
• 1992 Batman: Faces (Serialized as Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight issues #28-30)
• 1993-1998 Sandman Mystery Theatre (issues #1-60)
• 1995 Batman/Riddler: The Riddle Factory
• 1999 Doctor Mid-Nite (A 3 issue mini series, reworking of the classic Dr. Mid-Nite character with John K. Snyder III)
• 2001-2003 Green Arrow (Cover artist on issues #1-12, 14-22, and 26-31)
• 2003 Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity
• 2006 Batman & The Monster Men (A 6 issue mini series written as a sequel to Batman: Year One)
• 2006-2007 Batman and the Mad Monk
• 2008-2011 Madame Xanadu (issues #1-29)

Marvel

• In 2001 Wagner drew his first and only issue for Marvel Comics, Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #1

Indies

• 1989-1990 Lone Wolf And Cub (Reprinted by First Comics, Wagner drew the covers for issues #25-36)
• 2008-2010 Zorro (Dynamite Entertainment issues #1-20)
• 2010-2011 Green Hornet: Year One (Dynamite Entertainment issues #1-12)

Awards

• 1993 Eisner Award for best limited series, Grendel: War Child
• 1999 Eisner Award for best anthology Grendel Black, White & Red
• 1999 Eisner Award for best short story "Devil's Advocate" in Grendel: Black, White & Red

Characters Created

DC

• Husam Al Nar
• Marisol Del Rios
• Doctor Mid-Nite (Cross)
• The Face
• Ice Sickle
• Kanu
• Camilla Marlow
• Nite-Lite
• Betty Reynolds
• Carol Swanson

Indie

Mage series

• The Dragonslayer
• Edsel
• The Grackleflints
• Bartholomew Gretch
• Kirby Hero
• The Hornblower
• Sean Knight
• Kevin Matchstick
• Mirth
• Joe Phat
• The Sprigginflints
• The Sun Twins
• Wally Ut

Grendel Series

• Argent
• Regina Anastasi
• Jupiter Assante
• Laurel Kennedy Assante
• Orion Assante
• Azif A Barouk
• Sherri Caniff
• Pellon Cross
• Benito Emanuel Tomas D'Oro
• Grendel
• Grendel Prime
• Captain Zebra Herriman
• Abner Heath
• Crystal Kennedy
• Brian Li Sung
• Benjamin Martel
• Lucas Ottoman
• Stacy Palumbo
• Hunter Rose
• Jocasta Rose
• Christine Spar
• Detective Elizabeth Sparks
• Larry Stohler
• Tujiro XIV
• Susan Veraghen
• Albert Wiggins