By Comix
Comics and moral corruption have gone hand and hand for as long there have been youth to corrupt. Any writer with a bit of chutzpah in their inkwell have faced the slings and arrows of censorship. From the early 1940’s-50’s horror magazines that got shut down after the code to modern horror banned them from libraries for being too violent, there will always be something to set off the moral right. As of today, that seems to be Garth “The Menace” Ennis, the powerhouse behind the tasteful comics Crossed and Preacher. For a man who has seriously pushed the boundaries of good taste, he has surprisingly not only kept finding work, but is considered to be one of the most talented writers of the new comic era. I, for one, completely agree. I have spent enough time on the pages of Brutal as Hell praising the work of Ennis that perhaps it’s time he got his own article. Also, I’m trying to get his nickname to catch on.
Not much is known about his early life, so I will make it up. Mr. Ennis was born in 1970 to a demon mother and a goat who met on the hilltops of Northern Ireland under a full moon. When he was born, a pack of wolves adopted him and made him their king, teaching him the ways of the wild. After spending his youth terrorizing the countryside with his canine brethren, his mother appeared to him one night and spoke to him in words of blood. “Go forth, young warrior, and spread your word to the human world.” He quickly learned the English tongue and, at age nineteen, set towards civilization with stories so morally demonic, that he has earned praise, awards, and a respected career. He is often seen mumbling, “these humans have no taste,” as he shines his collection of pirate gold.
Anyway, his first comic really was at nineteen and was called Troubled Souls, a series published in Britain in 1989. It spawned a sequel, For a Few More Troubles, and two of the characters ended up finding themselves in another comic of his years later. He also wrote another series for Crisis called True Faith, a satire about his religious childhood, and both started his long career of ruining people’s days. Both comics were eventually attempted to be put together for a graphic novel and got properly shutdown by the Brits, later to be released by DC/Vertigo. After the British invasion (and a run on Judge Dredd), Ennis continued on to American shores and took over as writer for DC/Vertigo’s Hellblazer in the early 90’s. For the second half of his run, he was partnered up with long time collaborator Steve Dillon, and both went on to create the critically-acclaimed Preacher. Thanks to Preacher, Ennis found himself an instant celebrity and began working not only for DC/Vertigo but for Image Comics (The Darkness) and Valiant Comics (Shadowman). From here on out, he was a self-made man.
Ennis went on to create some of the most notable comics in horror, crime, and war tales. Of course, there is his run on The Punisher, in which he took creative control of the character and literally put him through Hell and back. He also wrote for Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, and a Thor comic in which the muscly stud of a God fights zombies. He also revamped DC’s War Stories, each illustrated by a different artist. Ennis, of course, also did (and is doing) his own original comics as well, most notably The Boys, about a group of rogue CIA agents who monitor superheroes and make sure they don’t terrorize the globe with their powers. While that series has ended, his other ongoing series Crossed, about sex crazed zombies, is still going strong. This guy has literally done everything, but his most current works in comic shops now are The Shadow for Dynamite Entertainment, Stitched for Avatar Press, while still making regular appearances in Crossed.
Alright, so I know that’s a lot to take in, let’s just say that he is incredibly busy. In fact, check out his bibliography for the full list of everything he’s done. But I’m telling you, I’m looking at you straight and telling you, this man is amazing. His stories are deep, bizarre, and sometimes, completely whacked out. He writes like a man possessed and never fails to deliver. If you’re a horror fan, you can’t go wrong with Crossed or his Hellblazer run; if you want more crime action, The Punisher and Judge Dredd are good; and if you just feel like insulting Christianity, Wormwood and Preacher are fantastic. There’s even something for the ladies in the form of Jennifer Blood, and War Stories and War is Hell for all you war fanatics! See, a little something for everyone. In fact, he’s got plans to come out with a kids book for your little mouth-breathers, so be sure to grab that one as well. Now, go forth and spread the name of Garth “The Menace” Ennis.