Brian Michael Bendis

Lore & Background

Brian Michael Bendis was born on August 18, 1967, in Cleveland, Ohio to a Jewish-American family. He grew up in University Heights and attended the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland. He decided to become a comic book industry professional at age 13. He attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and worked at a comic book store. He started his career at Caliber Comics, later moving to Image Comics and Oni Comics, before joining Marvel Comics. He has written for Ultimate Spider-Man, New Avengers, Daredevil, and created characters including Miles Morales, Jessica Jones, and Riri Williams. He has won five Eisner Awards. He has also worked in television, video games, and film, and taught courses on graphic novels at the University of Oregon and Portland State University.

Reader's Guide

Brian Michael Bendis is best known as a writer and artist of crime, noir, and superhero comics. His major works include Ultimate Spider-Man, New Avengers, Powers, and Daredevil. He co-created the characters Miles Morales, Jessica Jones, and Riri Williams. He has written several Marvel crossover storylines such as 'Avengers Disassembled,' 'House of M,' 'Secret Invasion,' 'Siege,' and 'Age of Ultron.' He cites influences from David Mamet, Richard Price, and Aaron Sorkin, as well as comic writers Frank Miller and Alan Moore.

Did You Know?

• Bendis wrote every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, including its second iteration Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man.
• He co-created the character Miles Morales with artist Sara Pichelli in 2011.
• Bendis wrote the book 'Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels' published by Random House in 2014.
• He has won five Eisner Awards for his creator-owned work and his Marvel Comics work.