Vita Ayala is an Afro-Puerto Ricancomic book writer from New York City who has worked at Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and small press.They are best known for their work on New Mutants and Wonder Woman.
Career
Ayala's first professionally published comic was DC's New Talent Showcase in 2017.[1] This was the final project for DC's Talent Participation Program led by a number of DC comics talent, like Scott Snyder.[2] Ayala then wrote stories for Batgirl, the Suicide Squad, and Batman Beyond.
In 2018, they announced their first indie comic, Submerged, from Vault Comics, a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth.[3][4] In August, they were announced as the writer for the upcoming book Livewire from Valiant Entertainment,[5] about the character of Amanda McKee/Livewire.
"Amanda is a warrior, but a warrior with a cause. She doesn’t think that people are expendable, but she will do whatever it takes to make sure that the Greater Good (as she sees it) is served. I think she tends to be very much a 'needs of the many' and 'by any means necessary' sort of person, with very few exceptions. But she is growing and learning, and that process of change is what I want to focus on in this first arc of the book."
In 2019, they became the writer for Dynamite'sXena: Warrior Princess comic.[6]
In 2019, they were announced as the writer, alongside artist Germán Peralta, for Age of X-Man: Prisoner X.[7] "To me, Bishop is the perfect mix of historian/detective and action hero, and I wanted to reflect that in the shape of the story."They then became the writer for the new Morbius[8][9][10] ongoing and Nebula mini-series.[11][12][13] Both books were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually canceled.[14] They were then announced, with artist Rod Reis, as the new creative team for New Mutants during the Dawn of X.[15][16] "They are kind of the circle of the Venn diagram of my interests, storywise: headstrong teens/young adults, the potential for horror/heavy stories, found family dynamics, and a true variety of characters (in terms of gender, ethnicity, orientation, etc.)."[17] They were also announced as the writer for the Children of the Atom mini-series.[18][19][20]
Outside of Marvel, in 2019, they were announced as co-writing along with writer Danny Lore the new relaunch of James Bond for Dynamite Entertainment.[21][22] The two then also published the comic Quarter Killer through ComiXology Originals.[23][24] Ayala wrote the "Batgirls" backups for Future State: The Next Batman[25] and, in 2021, became the writer for Static: Season One for the new Milestone Media.[26] "One of the things that I've always really liked about Virgil that I hoped to replicate in a more contemporary way was that he's a weirdo. He's a weird, smart Black kid who plays Dungeons & Dragons with his friends. And he's kind of a fanboy."In 2023, a sequel, Static: Shadows of Dakota, was released.[27][28]
In 2021, they became the co-writer along with Stephanie Williams for Nubia and the Amazons, a companion book to Wonder Woman and prelude to Trial of the Amazons.[29] This book introduced marked the first appearance of a transAmazon.[30][31][32][33] Following Trial of the Amazons, Ayala co-wrote the Nubia: Coronation Special and wrote the one-shot Artemis: Wanted.[34] In addition, Ayala wrote a six-part Batman/Zatanna story for Batman: Urban Legends #11-16.[35]
In 2022–23, they co-wrote with Mariko Tamaki the four-issue mini-series Peter Parker & Miles Morales, Spider-Men: Double Trouble.[36][37] In 2024, they were announced as the writer for the comic adaptation of Tamora Pierce'sSong of the Lioness.[38] They will also write the one-shot Finders//Keepers for Image Comics' The Horizon Experiment, a project run by writer Pornsak Pichetshote and editor Will Dennis.[39][40]
Personal life
Ayala is queer and non-binary.They live in New York City with their wife.[41]
Bibliography
Marvel Comics
2020Ironheart #1-2 (2020)
Black Panther
Shuri #6-7 (2019)
Marvel Action: Black Panther #4-6 (2019)
Ghost-Spider Annual #1 (2019)
Heroes Reborn: Night-Gwen #1 (2021)
Incredible Hulk vol 4 #5, short story "Power Man No More" (2023)
Marvel Comics #1001, short story "This Means War" (2019)
The High Republic Adventures: Galactic Bake-Off Spectacular #1 (2022)
Star Trek: Celebrations #1 (2024)
Image Comics
Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #4 (2017)
The Old Guard: Tales Through Time #6 (2021)
The Silver Coin #9 (2022)
Twisted Romance #2, prose backup (2018)
Razorblades: The Horror Magazine #1 (2022)
Lion Forge Comics
Puerto Rico Strong (2018)
Valiant Entertainment
Livewire #1-12 (2018–2019)
Vault Comics
Submerged #1
Non-Comics Work
Jessica Jones: Playing With Fire, a serialized audiobook from Serial Box (2021). Writers were Vita Ayala, Sam Beckbessinger, Zoe Quinn, Elsa Sjunneson.
