Joseph Kelly (born 1971) is an American comic book writer, penciler and editor who has written such titles as Deadpool, Uncanny X-Men, Action Comics, and JLA, as well as award-winning work on The Amazing Spider-Man and Superman.As part of the comics creator group Man of Action Studios, Kelly is one of the creators of the animated seriesBen 10.
Career
Kelly attended Freeport High School and went on to receive his MFA at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he still teaches Writing for Animation/Writing for Comics.At NYU, he was recruited into Marvel Comics' editor James Felder's Stan-hattan Project, a program that trained potential comic book writers at the university.After six months of working in the class, Felder offered Kelly a job scripting Fantastic Four 2099 over a Karl Kesel plot.[1] Kelly took the assignment, but his first published work for Marvel was 1996's 2099: World of Tomorrow
In 1997, Kelly began his first monthly assignment, Deadpool, initially pencilled by Ed McGuinness. The title was immediately well received by fans and critics. At one point it was due to be canceled with #25, but a write-in and Internet campaign by fans led Marvel to reverse their decision. Kelly left the title with #33 in 1999. In 1997, Kelly also became the writer of Daredevil, on which he was accompanied by well-known Daredevil artist Gene Colan.
At around the same time he produced a Daredevil/Deadpool '97 Annual with artist Bernard Chang which pitted the two characters against each other and was generally well received. Kelly left Daredevil with #375 in 1998.
Kelly's next major Marvel assignment was in late 1997, at the company's then bestselling title, X-Men, where he worked with penciller Carlos Pacheco.However, Kelly's stint on the title, and his friend Steven T. Seagle's run on sister title Uncanny X-Men, was cut short when the creators quit, blaming constant editorial interference. Kelly's last issue was #85 in 1999.
Kelly then began to work for Marvel's competitor DC Comics, specifically their Action Comics title starring Superman with #760 in October 1999.He stayed on the title for almost five years (up until #813, May 2004), working mainly with penciller Pasqual Ferry.
During this run he authored "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?" in Action Comics #775, which introduced The Elite (an Authority-like team of anti-heroes) and their leader Manchester Black.That issue was called "the single best issue of a comic book written in the year 2001" by Wizard Magazine.
In December 2000, Kelly had a short stint as writer on the Superboy comic (#83–93), again mostly working with his Action Comics collaborator Ferry.
In 2002 he began a long run on DC's JLA (#61–93) comic book with penciller Doug Mahnke.After their run on that title finished the same creative team launched a twelve-issue limited series Justice League Elite featuring some of the characters from Action Comics #775.[2][3]
Also in 2002, DC published Green Lantern: Legacy – The Last Will & Testament of Hal Jordan, a hardcover graphic novel by Kelly and artists Brent Anderson and Bill Sienkiewicz, which looked back at the life and career of Hal Jordan, who at that point was the Spectre.(Early in his career, Kelly had described working with Sienkiewicz as his dream collaboration.[1]) An interview with Kelly also appeared in the first volume of Writers on Comic Scriptwriting from Titan Books.Kelly has produced three creator-owned works: Steampunk, pencilled by Chris Bachalo and published by DC through Wildstorm'sCliffhanger imprint in 2000 (a second part, Drama Obscura, brought closure to the story, but Kelly has said he intends to eventually continue the book); M. Rex with penciller Duncan Rouleau, which was published by the now-defunct Avalon Studios (it was canceled after two issues); and Ballast, with penciller Ilya, a one-shot published by Active Images.[4]In 2004 he collaborated with artist Ariel Olivetti on a Space Ghost series, published by DC, which depicted the character with a serious space opera tone and, for the first time, revealed his origins.[5] Next up is a similar mini-series, this time starring Jonny Quest.
Kelly is a part of the Man of Action collective of creators (along with Joe Casey, Duncan Rouleau, Steven T. Seagle), who created the series Ben 10, currently airing on Cartoon Network. Around the same time Ben 10 began to air, he was also hired as a story editor on TMNT: Fast Forward. With Man of Action Studios, he is also a Supervising Producer on Disney/Marvel's Disney XD series, Ultimate Spider-Man.
Kelly has written DC's Supergirl and Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man.He has published creator-owned work through Image Comics, including Four Eyes[6] and I Kill Giants,[7] as well as a graphic novelDouglas Fredericks and the House of They.[8]
Kelly wrote the Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes episode "My Neighbour Was a Skrull" featuring the Skrulls, as well as the series premiere of Chaotic, a new animated series based on the trading card game. He also co-wrote Darksiders, a video game for THQ.
In 2007, he shot a short film, Brother's Day, which was a selection in the Brooklyn International Film Festival.
Fantastic Four #5: "Strange Tidings" (script by Kelly from a plot by Karl Kesel, art by Matt Ryan, 1996)
World of Tomorrow #1–8 (co-written by Kelly and Ben Raab, art by Pasqual Ferry, Jason Armstrong, David Brewer, Karl Moline (#3–4) and Yancey Labat (#4), 1996–1997)
Daredevil:
Over the Edge #10: "The Politics of Infamy" (with Stephen B. Jones, anthology, Marvel Edge, 1996)
Daredevil (with Pasqual Ferry (#358), Cary Nord (#365 and 375), Gene Colan, Ariel Olivetti and Richie Acosta (#373), 1996–1998) collected as:
Purgatory and Paradise (includes #358, tpb, 504 pages, 2019, ISBN 1-302-91879-6)
Widow's Kiss (collects #365–375, -1 and Daredevil/Deadpool Annual '97, tpb, 504 pages, 2015, ISBN 0-7851-9297-2)
Ben Raab is credited for "plot assist" in #373 and Chris Claremont is credited for "story assist" in #375.
Issue #374 is co-written by Kelly and Jonathan Barron from a plot by Kelly.
Wolverine Annual '96: "The Golden Temple" (with Tommy Lee Edwards, co-feature, 1996)
Juggernaut: "A Night in Spite" (with Duncan Rouleau, one-shot, 1997)
Deadpool (with Ed McGuinness, Aaron Lopresti (#-1), Shannon Denton, Pete Woods, Walter A. McDaniel, Anthony Williams (#22), Yancey Labat (#0) and David Brewer (#33), 1997–1999) collected as:
James Felder is credited for "plot assist" on issues #20 and 26.
Deadpool Classic Volume 4 (collects #0, 18–25 and Deadpool/Death Annual '98, tpb, 296 pages, 2011, ISBN 0-7851-5302-0)
Deadpool Classic Volume 5 (collects #26–33 and the Baby's First Deadpool Book one-shot, tpb, 272 pages, 2011, ISBN 0-7851-5519-8)
Deadpool by Joe Kelly Omnibus (collects #0–33, -1, Annual '97 and '98, Baby's First Deadpool Book and the short story from Deadpool vol. 2 #900, hc, 1,160 pages, 2014, ISBN 0-7851-8559-3)
X-Men: The Hunt for Professor X (includes #80–84, tpb, 368 pages, 2015, ISBN 0-7851-9720-6)
X-Men: The Magneto War (includes #85, tpb, 504 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-302-91376-X)
Uncanny X-Men #359: "Power Play" (co-written by Kelly and Steven T. Seagle, art by Chris Bachalo and Ryan Benjamin, 1998) collected in X-Men Blue: Reunion (tpb, 328 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-302-90953-3)
Deadpool vol. 2 #900: "Pinky Swear" (with Rob Liefeld, co-feature, 2009) collected in Deadpool: Dead Head Redemption (tpb, 240 pages, 2011, ISBN 0-7851-5649-6)
Deadpool vol. 3 #27: "The Niagara Bride" (with Paco Medina, co-feature, 2014) collected in Deadpool: The Wedding (tpb, 168 pages, 2014, ISBN 0-7851-8933-5)
Deadpool: The End (with Mike Hawthorne, one-shot, 2020) collected in Marvel: The End (tpb, 200 pages, 2020, ISBN 1-302-92499-0)
Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII (with Adam Kubert, mini-series, 2024) [9]
Spider-Man:
Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #7–9: "The Bridge" (with Bart Sears and Andy Smith, 1999) collected in Spider-Man: Webspinners — The Complete Collection (tpb, 480 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-302-90681-X)
The Amazing Spider-Man:
Crime and Punisher (hc, 136 pages, 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3393-3; tpb, 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3417-4) includes:
The Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #1: "Death of a Wise Guy" (with Chris Bachalo, anthology, 2008)
"Hammerhead: Family Ties" (with Chris Bachalo, in #575–576, 2008–2009)
"J. Jonah Jameson! I Name Thee Murderer!" (with Barry Kitson, co-feature in #577, 2009)
American Son (hc, 136 pages, 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3870-6; tpb, 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4083-2) collects:
"American Son" (with Phil Jimenez, Paulo Siqueira and Marco Checchetto, in #595–599, 2009)
Died in Your Arms Tonight (hc, 192 pages, 2009, ISBN 0-7851-4459-5; tpb, 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4485-4) includes:
"Violent Visions" (with Max Fiumara, co-feature in #600, 2009)
Return of the Black Cat (hc, 168 pages, 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4249-5; tpb, 2010, ISBN 0-7851-3868-4) includes:
"The Long-Term Arrangement" (with Mike McKone and Adriana Melo, in #606–607, 2009)
"This Man, This [Expletive Deleted]" (with Eric Canete, in #611, 2010)
The Gauntlet Volume 1 (hc, 176 pages, 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4264-9; tpb, 2010, ISBN 0-7851-3871-4) includes:
"The Other Woman" (with J. M. Ken Niimura, co-feature in #612, 2010)
The Gauntlet Volume 2 (hc, 160 pages, 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4265-7; tpb, 2010, ISBN 0-7851-3872-2) includes:
"Rage of the Rhino" (with Max Fiumara) and "The Walk" (with Javier Pulido, in #617, 2010)
The Gauntlet Volume 3 (hc, 136 pages, 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4611-3; tpb, 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4612-1) includes:
"Rhino: Endangered Species" (with Max Fiumara, in #625, 2010)
Grim Hunt (hc, 192 pages, 2010, ISBN 0-7851-4617-2; tpb, 2011, ISBN 0-7851-4618-0) collects:
Spider-Man: Grim Hunt — The Kraven Saga (with Michael Lark, one-shot, 2010)
"Grim Hunt" (with Michael Lark, Marco Checchetto and Matthew Southworth, in #634–637, 2010)
Origin of the Species (hc, 232 pages, 2011, ISBN 0-7851-4621-0; tpb, 2011, ISBN 0-7851-4622-9) includes:
"Norah's Last Night in NYC" (with J. M. Ken Niimura, co-feature in #647, 2010)
Spider-Man/Deadpool #1–5, 8–10, 13–14 and 17–18 (with Ed McGuinness, 2016–2017) collected as Spider-Man/Deadpool by Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness (hc, 264 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-302-90372-1)
Non-Stop Spider-Man #1–5 (with Chris Bachalo, Dale Eaglesham (#1) and Gerardo Sandoval + Cory Smith (#5), 2021) collected as Non-Stop Spider-Man: Big Brain Play (tpb, 128 pages, 2022, ISBN 1-302-92748-5)
Superman: The City of Tomorrow Volume 2 (tpb, 504 pages, 2020, ISBN 1-77950-312-1) includes:
Image Comics
M. Rex #1–2 (with Duncan Rouleau, Avalon Studios, 1999)
Elephantmen:
"Captain Stoneheart and the Truth Fairy" (with Chris Bachalo, in #7, 2007) collected in Volume 1: Wounded Animals (hc, 168 pages, 2007, ISBN 1-58240-691-X; tpb, 2008, ISBN 1-58240-934-X)
This issue was reprinted in a separate volume with bonus material and a CD featuring a reading of the story as Captain Stoneheart and the Truth Fairy (hc, 80 pages, 2008, ISBN 1-58240-865-3)
"Planet of the Ungulates" (with Peter Gross, co-feature in The Pilot one-shot, 2007) collected in Volume 2: Fatal Diseases (hc, 168 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-60706-088-4; tpb, 2010, ISBN 1-60706-177-5)
I Kill Giants #1–7 (with J. M. Ken Niimura, 2008–2009) collected as I Kill Giants (tpb, 184 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-60706-092-2; hc, 300 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-60706-172-4)
Four Eyes:
Four Eyes #1–4 (with Max Fiumara, 2008–2010) collected as Volume 1: Forged in Flames (tpb, 96 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-60706-292-5)
Four Eyes: Hearts of Fire #1–4 (with Max Fiumara and Rafael Ortiz (#2–3), 2016) collected as Volume 2: Hearts of Fire (tpb, 104 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-63215-806-X)
Other publishers
Occupational Hazards #2: "Lavalava and the Holes" (script by Rick Beckley from a story by Kelly, art by Vatche Mavlian, anthology, CD Comics, 2000)
Active Images:
Ballast (with ILYA, graphic novel, 52 pages, 2005, ISBN 0-9766761-2-5)
The Nightmarist (as editor; written and drawn by Duncan Rouleau, graphic novel, 180 pages, 2006, ISBN 0-9766761-8-4)
Our Worlds at War: Secret Files: "They Call Me Zed" (with Alberto Saichann, co-feature in one-shot, 2001)
"The Gift" (with Brandon Badeaux, in #783, 2001)
"Joker: Last Laugh — Whose Mind is It Anyways?" (with Duncan Rouleau, in #784, 2001)
"Demento" (with Duncan Rouleau, in #785, 2002)
"Red" (with Pasqual Ferry, in #786, 2002)
"Jikei Ketsuki: Mercy, Love and Blood" (with Pasqual Ferry, in #787–788, 2002)
"Man and Beast" (with Duncan Rouleau, in #789–790, 2002)
"Big City, Little Man" (with Pasqual Ferry, in #792, 2002)
Superman: Ending Battle (tpb, 192 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2259-5) includes:
"Ending Battle" (with Duncan Rouleau, in #795–796, 2002)
"Superego" (with Renato Arlem, in #797, 2003)
"Lost Hearts, Part Four: Heartsong" (with Pasqual Ferry, in #798, 2003)
"The Cage" (with Carlos Meglia, in #799, 2003)
"A Hero's Journey" (with Pasqual Ferry, Duncan Rouleau and various artists, in #800, 2003)
"The Harvest" (with Tom Raney (#801), Tom Derenick (#802) and Pasqual Ferry, in #801–805, 2003)
"Hungry Ghost" (with Pasqual Ferry, in #806–808, 2003)
"The Creeping Death" (with Pasqual Ferry, in #809, 2004)
Superman: The Man of Steel — Believe (digest-sized tpb, 128 pages, 2013, ISBN 1-4012-4705-9) includes:
"Walking Midnight" (with Pasqual Ferry, Kano, Duncan Rouleau, Dave Bullock and Renato Guedes, in #810, 2004)
Superboy vol. 3 #83–93 (with Pasqual Ferry, Paco Medina (#86–87) and Carlo Barberi (#89); issues #87–90 and 92–93 are co-written by Kelly and Eddie Berganza, 2001)
Adventures of Superman:
"Superman: The Dailies 2002 — The Most Bizarro Case of All — Part 8 of 8" (with Carlos Meglia, co-feature in #600, 2002)
"Lost Hearts, Part Two: Heartbroken" (with Dwayne Turner, in #611, 2003)
Superman: Godfall (hc, 112 pages, 2004, ISBN 1-4012-0376-0; tpb, 2004, ISBN 1-4012-0236-5) collects:
"Godfall, Parts 1 and 4" (co-written by Kelly and Michael Turner, art by Talent Caldwell, in Action Comics #812–813, 2004)
"Godfall, Parts 2 and 5" (co-written by Kelly and Michael Turner, art by Talent Caldwell, in Adventures of Superman #625–626, 2004)
"Godfall, Parts 3 and 6" (co-written by Kelly and Michael Turner, art by Talent Caldwell, in Superman vol. 2 #202–203, 2004)
Superman: Infinite Crisis (tpb, 128 pages, 2006, ISBN 1-4012-0953-X) collects:
"This is Your Life, Part 2" (with Ed Benes, Dan Jurgens, Ian Churchill, Phil Jimenez, Tom Derenick, Renato Guedes, Lee Bermejo and Doug Mahnke, in Action Comics #836, 2006)
"This is Your Life, Part 3" (with Ed Benes, Tom Derenick, Karl Kerschl, Duncan Rouleau, Dale Eaglesham and Ed McGuinness, in Adventures of Superman #649, 2006)
Supergirl vol. 4 (with Ian Churchill, Ron Adrian (#8), Joe Benitez (#11), Alé Garza and Adam Archer (#18), 2006–2007) collected as:
Issue #7 is scripted by Kelly from a story by Greg Rucka; issue #16 is scripted by Kelly from a story by Mark Sable.
The Girl of Steel (includes #7–10, tpb, 304 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-4012-6093-4)
Breaking the Chain (collects #11 and 13–19, tpb, 272 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-4012-6467-0)
Includes the "All I Want for Christmas..." short story (art by Alé Garza) from DCU Infinite Holiday Special (one-shot, 2007)
Superman/Batman:
Volume 3 (tpb, 296 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-4012-6480-8) includes:
Annual #1: "Stop Me If You've Heard This One..." (with Ed McGuinness, Ryan Ottley, Sean Gordon Murphy and Carlo Barberi, 2006)
Volume 4 (tpb, 352 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-4012-6385-2) includes:
Annual #2: "The Unexamined Life..." (with Scott Kolins, 2008)
Sorcerer Kings (hc, 160 pages, 2011, ISBN 1-4012-3266-3; tpb, 2012, ISBN 1-4012-3446-1) includes:
"Who Would Win?" (co-written by Kelly and his son Jack, art by Ed Benes, in #78, 2011)
Steampunk (with Chris Bachalo, Cliffhanger, 2000–2002) collected as:
Manimatron (collects #1–5 and the Steampunk: Catechism prelude one-shot, tpb, 160 pages, 2001, ISBN 1-56389-762-8)
Drama Obscura (collects #6–12, tpb, 176 pages, 2003, ISBN 1-4012-0047-8)
Wonder Woman vol. 2 #170: "She's a Wonder" (with Phil Jimenez, 2001) collected in Wonder Woman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Volume 1 (tpb, 192 pages, 2007, ISBN 1-4012-1216-6)
Batman: Gotham Knights #17: "A Moment in the Light" (with Aaron Wiesenfeld, co-feature, 2001) collected in Batman: Black and White Volume 3 (hc, 288 pages, 2007, ISBN 1-4012-1531-9; tpb, 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1354-5)
Green Lantern: Legacy — The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan (with Brent Anderson, graphic novel, hc, 106 pages, 2002, ISBN 1-56389-864-0; sc, 2004, ISBN 1-4012-0365-5)
9-11 Volume 2: "Wake Up" (with Scott Kolins, anthology graphic novel, 224 pages, 2002, ISBN 1-56389-878-0)
Justice League of America:
JLA (with Doug Mahnke, Yvel Guichet, Lewis LaRosa (#76), Duncan Rouleau (#80–82) and ChrisCross (#83 and 90), 2002–2004) collected as:
The Deluxe Edition Volume 6 (collects #61–76, tpb, 432 pages, 2015, ISBN 1-4012-5136-6)
The Deluxe Edition Volume 7 (collects #78–90, tpb, 416 pages, 2015, ISBN 1-4012-5528-0)
Justice League Elite (with Doug Mahnke, 2004–2005) collected as:
Volume 1 (collects #1–4 and Action Comics #775, tpb, 208 pages, 2005, ISBN 1-4012-0481-3) collects:
Includes JLA #100 that set up then-upcoming Justice League Elite spin-off series (written by Kelly, art by Doug Mahnke, 2004)
Includes the "Same Coin" short story (art by Doug Mahnke) from JLA Secret Files & Origins 2004 (one-shot, 2004)
Volume 2 (collects #5–12, tpb, 192 pages, 2007, ISBN 1-4012-1556-4)
JLA/Cyberforce (with Doug Mahnke, one-shot, co-published by DC and Top Cow, 2005)
Mega Man: Fully Charged #1–6 (as "creative consultant"; written by A. J. Marchisello and Marcus Rineheart, drawn by Stefano Simeone, Boom! Studios, 2020–2021)
Claire's Hair (with Andie Desiderio, a digitalpicture book published via Panel Syndicate, 2021)[10]
