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Marguerite Bennett

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Marguerite Bennett
BornOctober 21, 1988 (1988-10-21) (age 36)
Virginia, U.S.
Area(s)Writer
Notable works
DC Comics Bombshells, Batwoman, Angela, Josie and the Pussycats, InSeXts, Animosity
AwardsGLAAD Media Award nominee 2016, 2017
evilmarguerite.tumblr.com

Marguerite Bennett (born 1988)[1] is an American comic book writer. She has worked on Bombshells, Angela, Josie and the Pussycats, and her creator-owned books InSeXts and Animosity. Her work has been recognised for her depiction of female relationships,[2] and her representation of LGBTQ stories and characters earned nominations for a GLAAD Media Award in 2016[3] and 2017.[4]

Biography

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Marguerite Bennett was born October 21, 1988, in Virginia,[1][5] and graduated Maggie L. Walker Governor's School in 2006,[6] the University of Mary Washington in 2010, and Sarah Lawrence College, completing a two-year MFA writing program,[5] where her work included working on prose, including children's literature and horror[7] and left with a "couple of finished novels and a collection of short stories".[5]

Her first exposure to comics was through Batman: The Animated Series which she saw in daycare, aged around 6, and recalls it had a 1930s feel with Batman looking like a villain who "had been a bad guy and so was now catching other bad guys in order to be a good guy again".[8] As she grew up, she also drew on characters' depictions in video games and books she obtained through relatives and others and continued to dip in and out of comics while juggling academic study and other commitments as she grew up and moved into college.[7] Bennett states she developed a deep appreciation from an early age of how text and art work together in comics and how they enable storytelling to take risks and developed powerful stories which leave "lasting impressions on readers".[6]

She currently lives in Los Angeles.[6] She has stated that Batwoman is her favorite DC character, Quasimodo is her favorite literary character, Belle is her favorite Disney character, and The Fall is her favorite movie.[9]

Career

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While at Sarah Lawrence College, she took Scott Snyder's graphic novel writing course during her second semester in 2013.[7] This led to her debut in comics, after being approached by Snyder to ask if she wanted to work with him on a Batman Annual. After completing this, while finishing her MFA and working two jobs, she continued to work with DC and wrote single issue stories for Lobo, Batgirl and Talon in 2013 and 2014. This led to being part of the writing team for the 26-issue weekly Earth 2: World's End, starting at the end of 2014, with Daniel H. Wilson and Mike Johnson, with art by Ardian Syaf, Danny Miki, and Jorge Jimenez.[10]

At Marvel Comics, Bennett completed single stories in the Amazing X-Men Annual, the Death of Wolverine series, and Nightcrawler. Her first ongoing series was Angela: Asgard's Assassin in 2015,[11] followed by two limited series starring the same character, one of which was in the 1602 Universe as part of the "Secret Wars" storyline. Also tying in with that story, Bennett wrote the five-issue limited series Years of Future Past with artist Mike Norton.

Bennett worked with writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Jorge Molina to launch A-Force in 2015, featuring Marvel's first all-female team of Avengers.[12] Bennett said there was no validation or event as to how the women were in charge, but that "they were the best fit for these roles and demands of their world".[13]

Back at DC, Bennett was a vocal fan of the DC Bombshells character designs – and following the positive reaction to the 2014 variant covers used across DC titles, she was approached by editor Jim Chadwick about the possibility of making a comic.[14] The resulting series, DC Comics Bombshells, is set in an alternate history around World War II. Bennett explored traditional genres and mediums of the 1940s such as radio shows and propaganda films to provide a realistic history for the Bombshells franchise.[15] Key to the characters is that none of the women are derived from a male version or counterpart and states that she wanted a cast representing the experiences of all women – "queer characters, women of color, women of different faiths, women of different nations, women of all ages and from all places in life"[16] – but without overt or tokenistic labelling. Acknowledging the importance of these aspects, she explains that "We were able to complete this whole new world that wasn't just one thing because no woman is just one thing. So they each got to have a distinct voice, a distinct personality".[15]

The run has been noted for its female core cast, but also the portrayal of LGBT characters and depicting of the nuances of female friendship, family and relationships,[17] rather than stereotypes. She reflects on this, saying "If you write stories that tell folks that queer people can live without shame, they just might grow up believing it".[2] Bombshells will run for 100 "digital first" installments, and be followed by a sequel series in fall 2017, Bombshells United, focusing on the same core cast in an alternative World War II history.[18]

In addition to her work on the character in Bombshells, Bennett wrote the Batwoman character in Detective Comics issues 948 and 949 in 2017 as part of the DC Rebirth relaunch, co-writing with James Tynion IV with art by Steve Epting, followed by a regular Batwoman series. She describes working on the character as a "literal dream come true",[19] describing her as her favourite heroine.

As well as the ongoing Bombshells and Batwoman, Bennett has written one-shot stories of female characters in the DC universe, including Lois Lane – a character she finds has great "audacity in the face of danger"[1] – and a new version of the Joker's Daughter.

Outside of Marvel and DC, Bennett has worked on some well-known characters with other publishers. For Dynamite Comics' 2015 "Sword of Sorrow" event, Bennett wrote a three-issue series featuring Red Sonja and Jungle Girl.[20] She then wrote the first six-issue arc of Red Sonja in 2016,[21] entitled "The Falcon Throne". As part of Archie Comics' New Riverdale relaunch, she wrote the second volume of Josie and the Pussycats with Cameron DeOrdio with artist Audrey Mok. Bennett admires how all versions of those character emphasise their friendship as the "foundation of their journey, music, and story".[22] Following the events in BOOM's Shattered Grid Event in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic, Bennett will be taking over, starting a new series called "Beyond the Grid" featuring a team up of Rangers from different franchises.[23]

Creator-owned work

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Bennett has also moved into creator-owned comics work. InSeXts was launched by Aftershock Comics in 2015 and saw Bennett collaborating with artist Ariela Kristantina. Building on a story she contributed to Rachel Deering's 2014 anthology In The Dark, Bennett describes it as erotic horror involving a pair of lovers, with insectoid transformations and body horror themes. It is set during Victorian times, a period she states she is preoccupied and fascinated with, albeit without a love of the period. The series is ongoing and has multiple arcs planned.[24]

Bennett's second creator owned work, Animosity, launched in 2016. It explores the effects of animals gaining the intelligence of humans, centered on a young girl and a dog.[25] This ongoing features art and colour by Rafael de Latorre, Juan Doe and Rob Schwager. An associated limited series, Animosity: The Rise started in early 2017 and with art by Juan Doe.[26] A companion series, Animosity: Evolution will launch in October 2017 with art by Eric Gapstur.[27]

Works

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DC Comics

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Marvel Comics

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Aftershock Comics

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  • InSeXts #1-13, 2016–2017, with Ariela Kristantina, Bryan Valenza and Jessica Kholinne
  • Animosity #1-28, 2016–2020, with Rafael de Latorre and Rob Schwager
  • Animosity: The Rise #1–3, 2017, with Juan Doe
  • Animosity: Evolution #1-10, 2017–2019, with Eric Gapstur and Rob Schwager

Archie Comics

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Dynamite

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  • Swords of Sorrow: Red Sonja & Jungle Girl, #1–3, 2015, with Mirka Andolfo, Elisa Ferrari and Vincenzo Salvo
  • Red Sonja, (#1–6), 2016, with Aneke and Diego Galindo

Emet

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  • Beauties one-shot, 2015, with Trungles

Other publishers

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  • Into The Dark, 2013: contribution to anthology edited by Rachel Deering
  • Ghastly Tales, 2016: 3 short horror stories with art by Varga Tomi, published by A Wave Blue World
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, 2018-2019: Beyond the Grid arc in issues #31-39, published by Boom! Studios
  • The Lot, 2021: #1-4 with art by Renato Guedes, published by BAD IDEA
  • M.O.M.: Mother of Madness, 2021: #1-4 co-created and co-written with Emilia Clarke with art by Leila Leiz, published by Image Comics

References

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  1. ^ a b c Tony Guerrero (November 8, 2013). "Exclusive Interview: Marguerite Bennett on Lois Lane One-Shot & Joker's Daughter One-Shot". Comic Vine. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Silverman, Riley (June 15, 2017). "Bombshells and Batwomen: An interview with Marguerite Bennett". Syfy. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  3. ^ . She has been publicly criticized for her writing style as being that to akin the quality of a high school student, which tainted which her "Growing bi representation GLAAD Media Award nominations". GLAAD. January 27, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  4. ^ Knapp, JD (May 6, 2017). "28th GLAAD Media Awards: Complete List of Winners". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Vaneta Rogers (June 24, 2013). "BATMAN ANNUAL #2 Writer: From Graduation to Gotham City". Newsarama. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Chad Anderson (January 18, 2017). "Q&A: Marguerite Bennett". richmondmagazine.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c Kiel Phegley (August 6, 2013). "Marguerite Bennett Gets Villainous With "Batman" & "Lobo"". CBR. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  8. ^ "MARGUERITE BENNETT: NEWEST FEMALE WRITER ON BATMAN". Dark Knight News. May 13, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  9. ^ Jill Pantozzi (August 8, 2013). "The Mary Sue Exclusive: Marguerite Bennett Interview & Batgirl #25 Cover Reveal". themarysue.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  10. ^ Dan Casey (April 17, 2014). "Exclusive: DC Comics Unveils Earth 2: World's End Weekly Series | Nerdist". Nerdist. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  11. ^ Dave Richards (July 25, 2014). "SDCC Exclusive: Gillen & Bennett Balance Bloody Debts in "Angela: Asgard's Assassin"". CBR. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  12. ^ Chris Arrant (February 6, 2015). "MARVEL Announces All-Female Avengers Team – A-FORCE". Newsarama. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  13. ^ Dave Richards (February 20, 2015). "Bennett Assembles Battleworld's Mightiest Heroes in "A-Force"". CBR. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  14. ^ Tim Beedle (August 13, 2015). "Bringing the Bombshells to Life: An Interview with Marguerite Bennett". DC. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Marguerite Bennett talks DC Bombshells at SDCC16". YouTube. July 22, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  16. ^ Aaron Barksdale (August 20, 2015). "DC Comics' 'Bombshells' Is A Blast From The Past But With Queer Characters". HuffPost. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  17. ^ Jamie Lovett (May 22, 2017). "DC Comics Bombshells Getting A New Ongoing Series". DC. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  18. ^ "DC Comics: Bombshells Returns with New Series, Bombshells United". CBR. June 12, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  19. ^ Albert Ching (October 21, 2016). "Interview: Marguerite Bennett Explores Batwoman's Lost Years in New Solo Series". CBR. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  20. ^ "Dynamite Announces Sword of Sorrows Event Crossover with Red Sonja, Vampirella & More". Newsarama. February 15, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  21. ^ Albert Ching (November 25, 2015). "Interview: Gail Simone Guides 'Blockbuster Update' of Red Sonja, Vampirella and Dejah Thoris". CBR. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  22. ^ Bell, Crystal (September 27, 2016). "Josie And The Pussycats Are Back — And They're More Real Than Ever". MTV News. Archived from the original on September 28, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  23. ^ "New 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' Team Revealed".
  24. ^ Steve Morris (September 17, 2015). "Bennett's Shape-Shifting, Victorian Horror Series "InSeXts" Also Has Kissing". CBR. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  25. ^ Anthony Couto (May 17, 2016). "Bennett & de Latorre's "Animosity" Explores Intelligent Animals Out for Revenge". CBR. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  26. ^ Ellie Collins (October 10, 2016). "Aftershock Announces 'Blood Blister' and 'Animosity: The Rise'". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  27. ^ Rich Johnson (July 11, 2017). "Marguerite Bennett Talks About Her Second Ongoing Animosity Series From AfterShock Comics – Animosity: Evolution". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  28. ^ "DC and Rooster Teeth Announce New Details For Upcoming Gen:LOCK And RWBY Comics". DC. July 5, 2019.
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