The name of American author Tom King is well known to comic book fans. He collaborates with the largest publishers of this genre - "Marvel" and "DC Comics". The writer believes comics are extremely important to people. He calls them the modern successors of Westerns, which, in turn, have taken over from mythological plots. And Tom sees the main task of the comic book author in creating that chaos and tension that do not allow the reader to break away from the exciting story ahead of time.
Biography
Tom King was born in 1978 to Jewish Americans. He grew up in Los Angeles, California. From childhood, the boy wanted to become a writer. Tom's mom, who worked at a film studio, was skeptical of his hobby. King also considered a lawyer's career, but eventually entered Columbia University, where he studied history and philosophy. He graduated in 2000.
Tom did not give up his dream to the end, so to gain experience he went on an internship at the publishers "Marvel" and "DC Comics", specializing in the release of comics. He learned the basics of the profession from the famous writer Christopher Claremont, who invented many of the characters in the X-Men comic strip. This author also owns the best-selling comic of all time.
King's plans changed dramatically in the aftermath of the infamous September 11, 2001 attacks. He was so shocked by what happened that he went to the CIA website, urged to act and help. Tom soon worked for the CIA's counterterrorism unit. In an interview, he called this experience in his life "amazing."
King stayed in the CIA for 7 years. Personal circumstances prompted him to think about changing jobs. Tom's wife was expecting their first child, and he had a year's trip abroad. He realized that he could not be away from his family for so long and arranged a year's vacation. So the writer had time to return to what he loved. He worked on his first superhero novel and enjoyed being a father.
Just a year later, he had an agent to represent Tom's interests in negotiations with publishers. And he had to make the difficult decision to leave the CIA. “There are things that I love and there are things that are impossible. When I think about leaving my children, it's impossible,”King commented on his decision after a while.
Since then, in the writer's personal life, everything is going well. He lives with his family in Washington DC and has three children.
Creativity: debut novel
Tom King's first (and so far only) novel A Once Crowded Sky was published on June 10, 2012 by Touchstone. The illustrations for the book were made by Canadian animation artist Tom Fowler.
The novel takes place in the city of Arcadia. The world has once again been saved from the apocalypse. All superheroes have united to fight evil, but to win they have to part with their magical powers.
One of the main characters - the robot hero Ultimate - tries to get used to the life of an ordinary person, leaving behind won battles and lost friends. When a new threat looms over the city, he rushes to the rescue without hesitation. Alas, without its amazing abilities, Ultimate is practically useless. But he has a former friend and ally Penaltimate, who refused to sacrifice magical power to save the world. Now he has become the most powerful man in the world. Ultimate is forced to turn to the only superhero who is still able to influence the outcome of the battle.
One reader of A Once Crowded Sky wrote in his review of the novel: “More than anything, this is like a beautifully written love letter to the very art of comics with a storytelling, which tells what it's like to live in a world gripped by an endless status quo. so common in comics. "Another fan called King's work "a deeply sad, highly original exploration of the personal costs and moral dilemmas created by the loss of superhuman powers." In general, the novel caused controversy among comic book fans, although it definitely did not go unnoticed.
Creativity: comics
Meanwhile, King's writing career is picking up steam. He is invited to co-write with writer Tim Seeley to work on a series of comics about the superhero Dick Grayson. Tom King's experience with the CIA came in handy to explain the spy line of the plot.
The writer worked on a series of works dedicated to both well-known and new comic book heroes:
- Dick Grayson
- superhero team "The Omega Men";
- superheroes "Teen Titans";
- Batman
- Mister Miracle;
- Kamandi;
- The Vision.
For the most part, the writer is engaged in the development of plots about comic book heroes already well known to readers. One of King's original series is The Sheriff of Babylon, which was first released in December 2015. Readers are invited to immerse themselves in a fascinating investigation into the murder of an Iraqi police officer, led by military consultant and former police officer Chris Henry. In 2004, Tom King was in Iraq as a CIA officer, and he undoubtedly benefited from this experience to create a credible narrative.
Comic "The Sheriff of Babylon" was warmly received by the public, praised for its "deeply personal" storytelling, "intriguing" and "charming" personalities. The largest print media published positive reviews:
- the weekly American culture and style magazine New York;
- British newspaper "The Guardian";
- international men's magazine "GQ".
In February 2016, Tom King signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics, according to which he was no longer able to collaborate with Marvel on the series dedicated to The Vision. After that, he set about creating a new cycle of works about Batman, replacing the former author Scott Snyder. In total, about a hundred issues are planned, which are released twice a month. At the moment, the work on the series is not over yet.
In the summer of 2018, DC Comics announced the release of the Heroes in Crisis comic. The idea for the plot came to Tom King when he was hospitalized with a panic attack and on the same day he learned about the death of his beloved grandmother. In the new series, he wants to address the issue of the emotional costs of superheroes and examine the impact of violence on society. The first issue went on sale on September 26, 2018.
In July 2018, Tom King received the prestigious Eisner Prize for Best Writer. This award recognizes outstanding achievement in American comics.
