Childhood & Early Life
Garth Ennis was born on January 16, 1970, in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. He has no siblings.
He attended the 'Sullivan Upper School' in Holywood. While studying there, Ennis began creating comics that were violent and had dark humor. He would often share them with his friends
Garth Ennis then joined 'Queen's University,' Belfast, to study English literature but dropped out in his first year, to create comics for 'Crisis,' a British comic book anthology/magazine published by 'Fleetway' publications. The comics published in the magazine were for mature, intelligent, and politically and socially aware readers.
Growing up, Ennis also read American stories such as 'Concrete,' 'Watchmen,' and 'Elektra: Assassin.'
Between the middle and the late 1980s, when the comics scene had become a booming industry, Ennis thought of creating a comic centered on Northern Ireland, something that the industry had not explored until then.
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Career
In 1989, Garth Ennis broke into the comic-book-writing scene with the series 'Troubled Souls,' which was featured in 'Crisis.' He collaborated with comic-book illustrator John McCrea on the project. The violent power struggle between the Protestants and the Catholics during the Irish “Troubles,” a tragedy that Ennis had witnessed growing up, was the backdrop of the series.
'Troubled Souls' was followed by a sequel called 'For a Few Troubles More,' featuring 'Dougie' and 'Ivor,' the two supporting characters from the original. The characters eventually became the protagonists of the 'Caliber Comics' series 'Dicks' in 1997 and were later featured in the indie comic book 'Avatar.'
Ennis, along with artist Warren Pleece, then created a religious satire series, 'True Faith,' for 'Crisis.' The series reflected his days in 'Sullivan Upper,' when being an outspoken atheist had made it difficult for him to survive in an evangelical Christian school.
In 1990, 'True Faith' was released as a graphic novel but was withdrawn from the market in the wake of religious protests. Publisher 'Vertigo' later published it in 1997.
Ennis then wrote strips for '2000 AD,' a science-fiction-themed magazine. He wrote for the famous comic character, 'Judge Dredd,' initially created by John Wagner. Some of the notable stories Ennis has written for the character are 'Judgment Day,' 'Muzak Killer,' and 'Emerald Isle.'
Ennis collaborated with comic-book artist Philip Bond for the political and science-fiction-themed series 'Time Flies.'
In 1991, Garth Ennis wrote his first series for the American comic-book publisher 'DC Comics.' Until 1994, he created stories for the ‘DC’ horror–comic series 'Hellblazer.' While working on 'Hellblazer' with illustrator Steve Dillon, he struck up a rapport with him. They became creative partners and later created the iconic 66-issue comic series 'Preacher,' published by 'Vertigo.' The series ran from 1995 to 2000.
Ennis again teamed up with McCrea for the ‘DC’ characters 'The Demon' and 'Tommy Monaghan' (better known as 'Hitman'), which ran for 61 issues, from 1996 to 2001. With Dillon, he created the one-shot comic book 'Heartland,' published by 'Vertigo.'
Ennis has also written 'War Story' for ‘DC.’
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After the series 'Hellblazer' ended, Ennis took a break and resumed the five-part story titled 'Son of Man,' illustrated by John Higgins. Subsequently, Ennis created a string of comic series for 'DC’ and ‘Vertigo,' such as 'Goddess,' 'Bloody Mary,' 'Unknown Soldier,' and 'Pride & Joy.'
He has also written for 'The Darkness' by 'Image Comics,' 'Shadowman' by 'Valiant Comics,' 'The Pro' by 'Image Comics,' and 'Just a Pilgrim' by the 'Black Bull Press.' He wrote '303,' 'Chronicles of Wormwood,' and the Western comic book 'Streets of Glory' for 'Avatar Press.'
Ennis then joined 'Marvel Comics.' The editor-in-chief, Joe Quesada, appointed him to write for the character 'The Punisher.' The initial 12-issue maxiseries saw him working with Dillion, who co-wrote an issue for him when he took a brief break from writing. He eventually wrote for popular 'Marvel' characters such as 'Spider-Man,' 'Ghost Rider,' 'Hulk,' and 'Thor.'
Along with illustrator Darick Robertson, Ennis wrote the 'Marvel' series 'Fury: Peacemaker' and 'Punisher: Born.'
From writing stories with a comical tone, Ennis shifted to writing a more serious series re-launched by the ‘MAX’ imprint of 'Marvel.' Working with ‘MAX,’ Ennis wrote the limited series 'Born and Barracuda' and several one-shots such as 'The End,' 'The Cell,' and 'The Tyger.' He also wrote stories for ‘MAX’s 'The Punisher,' which later influenced the 2008 action–thriller film 'Punisher: War Zone.'
In 2001, Ennis made a comeback to writing for U.K. comics, with 'Judge Dredd.' Unfortunately, his second inning was disappointing, and he could not repeat the success he had achieved earlier.
In 2006, Ennis worked with comic-book artist Darick Robertson for the comic-book series 'The Boys.' After releasing six issues, publisher 'Wildstorm' (A former 'DC Comics' imprint) canceled the series, as 'DC Comics' objected to the content. They felt the series showed the superhero in a bad light. The series was later relaunched by 'Dynamite Entertainment' and ran for 72 issues, until 2012. Ennis also wrote for 'The Authority,' released by 'Wildstorm' imprint, and the spin-off, 'Midnighter,' which was canceled after the release of its first issue.
As his stint with 'The Punisher MAX' ended in 2008, Ennis began writing for the 'Marvel' book series 'War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle,' illustrated by artist Howard Chaykin.
He simultaneously wrote for 'Virgin Comics,' working on a new miniseries for the science-fiction character 'Dan Dare,' created by Frank Hampson. He also worked on the comic book miniseries 'Seven Brothers' (with John Woo). He wrote 'Crossed' for 'Avatar' and created a metaseries of war comics named 'Battlefields.'
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Teaming up with artist Jimmy Palmiotti, Ennis wrote the comic crime series 'Back to Brooklyn' for 'Image Comics.'
The 2011 short movie 'Stitched,' written and directed by Ennis, was a promotional project for a series of the same name by 'Avatar.'
In April 2012, comics imprint 'Dynamite' hired Ennis to write for the original 'The Shadow' series. The following year, he wrote the miniseries 'Red Team' for the imprint. He also collaborated with artist Goran Parlov for the 'Marvel' series 'Fury: My War Gone By.'
In 2014, Ennis resumed writing 'War Stories.' He teamed up with McCrea again in 2015, for the ‘DC’ miniseries 'Six Pack,' featuring the supporting characters from the series 'Hitman.' That year, he wrote the 'Marvel' series 'Where Monsters Dwell,' for the comic-book storyline 'Secret Wars.'
‘AMC’ made a series on Ennis's character 'Preacher,' which premiered in 2016. Similarly, 'Amazon Prime' made a series on 'The Boys,' which released in 2019.
Facts About Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis, the renowned comic book writer, is known for his love of strong, black coffee and can often be found sipping on a cup while working on new projects.
Ennis is a self-proclaimed history buff and enjoys researching and incorporating real-world events into his storytelling, adding depth and authenticity to his work.
Despite his gritty and often violent storytelling style, Ennis has a soft spot for animals and has been involved in supporting various animal welfare organizations over the years.
Ennis has a reputation for being a voracious reader, with a wide range of interests beyond comic books, including literature, history, and politics, which often inspire his work.
In interviews, Ennis has been known to have a dry sense of humor and a no-nonsense approach to discussing his creative process, offering insights that both entertain and enlighten fans of his work.
