Kelly Thompson

Summary

Kelly Thompson is an American writer of novels and comic books. She is best known for the Jem and the Holograms comic with co-creator and artist Sophie Campbell, a modern re-imagining of the 1980s cartoon of the same name; the Eisner-nominated Marvel comic Hawkeye with artist Leonardo Romero, which stars Kate Bishop; and Captain Marvel featuring Carol Danvers with artist Carmen Carnero and colorist Tamra Bonvillain. Her other works include the novel The Girl Who Would Be King and comic series A-Force, West Coast Avengers, Jessica Jones and Mr and Mrs X. She is also the co-creator of the character Jeff the Land Shark with Daniele Di Nicuolo.

Kelly Thompson
Alma materSavannah College of Art and Design
Occupations
  • Author
  • comic book writer
  • comics critic
Years active2009–present
Notable workHawkeye
Jessica Jones
Captain Marvel
Rogue & Gambit
X-Men
It's Jeff!
Website1979semifinalist.com

Early life edit

Thompson stated she had "been writing in some way shape or form for about as long as [she] can remember."[1] Thompson graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in Sequential Art.[2][3]

Comics career edit

What is life but laughing and crying? It's what we got [...] I want to lighten things up with jokes because I want to make you laugh and then I want to break your heart and then I want to make you laugh again.

Kelly Thompson, 2016 interview with Vox[4]

CBR edit

Thompson got her start in the comics industry as staff writer for the website CBR, where she worked from 2009 to 2015 writing reviews and She Has No Head!, a column centered around women in comics.[2]

IDW Publishing edit

In 2014, IDW Publishing announced Thompson would write their new Jem and the Holograms comic with artist Sophie Campbell, a modern re-imagining of the cartoon.[5] Thompson wrote the comic for two years, with the first issue released in March 2015 and concluding with issue #26 on June 14, 2017.[6][7]

Boom! Studios edit

In 2016, Thompson and Brenden Fletcher wrote a spin-off six-issue Power Rangers mini-series titled Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink for Boom! Studios.The mini-series was focused on the Pink Ranger.[8]

Marvel Comics edit

During the 2015 "Secret Wars" storyline, Thompson co-wrote her first Marvel comic, a four issue tie-in series titled Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps with Kelly Sue DeConnick.[9] She also wrote the solo series of Kate Bishop, the second Hawkeye. It followed Bishop, who opened her own detective company on the west coast of the United States.[10] For her work on Hawkeye, Thompson was nominated for an Eisner for best continuing series in 2018.[11] The series was cancelled by Marvel after 16 issues in 2018.[12]

In January 2018, Marvel Comics announced it had signed Thompson to an exclusive contract.[13] That same month, the first issue of Thompson's Rogue & Gambit was released, which had been announced ahead of New York Comic Con 2017.[14] It followed Rogue and Gambit, who reignite their relationship while investigating the disappearance of mutants at a vacation resort.[15] Following the success of Rogue & Gambit, Thompson wrote the series Mr. and Mrs. X about Rogue and Gambit as a married couple following their surprise wedding in X-Men Gold #30.[16][17]

Thompson wrote a five-issue Nancy Drew comic, which followed the titular character as a 17-year-old who has to return to the home she'd left behind and solve a mystery that involves childhood friends and someone who's out to end Nancy's crime-fighting career permanently with her death. It was published by Dynamite in 2018.[18] Starting July 2018, Thompson took over Jessica Jones from Brian Michael Bendis.[19] Jessica Jones was the first line of 'digital original'-only titles, which were primarily focused on Marvel characters who have their own television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They were 40-page sized issues released every month over the course of three months, and were later released as physical trade paperbacks.[20][21]

In October 2018, Marvel announced announced she also would write the new ongoing Captain Marvel series featuring Carol Danvers with artist Carmen Carnero and colorist Tamra Bonvillain.[22] The first issue was released on January 9, 2019 and sold more than a hundred thousand copies, Thompson's first comic to reach this milestone.[23][24] Starting in March 2019, Thompson also wrote a five-issue Sabrina the Teenage Witch miniseries for Archie Comics,[25] which concluded in September of that same year.[26] The miniseries was met with critical acclaim and it won 2019's IGN People's Choice award.[27][28] Thompson was also co-writer of the X-Men storyline "X-Men: Disassembled".[29]

That same month, the team responsible for the Captain Marvel ongoing series was added to the first issue of the all-female Marvel Fearless anthology.[30] The four-issue mini-series explored various female superheroes, including Invisible Woman, Storm, Captain Marvel, Millie the Model and Jessica Jones. Every issue is created entirely by women, including variant covers, and the first issue was released in July 2019.[31]

Thompson was one of the writers on a Spider-Man story called Amazing Spider-Man: Full Circle #1. The comic followed Peter Parker, who goes on a globe-hopping adventure.[32] It was released on October 23, 2019.[33]

She created the character of Jeff the Landshark in West Coast Avengers and wrote a Marvel Unlimited-exclusive solo title, It's Jeff!, starting 2021.[34]

DC Comics edit

In 2023, Thompson announced she would be writing a new Birds of Prey series for DC Comics.[35]

Independent work edit

In 2021, Thompson launched a deal with Substack to create exclusive comics, such as Black Cloak, with artwork done by her Jem collaborator Meredith McClaren, and The Cull, with art done by Mattia de Lulis.[36] In 2022, it was announced that Black Cloak would receive a print release via Image Comics in January 2023.[37] In May 2023, it was announced that The Cull would also a print release via Image, with the first issue set to release August that same year.[38]

Awards edit

For her work on Hawkeye, Thompson was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series in 2018.[11][39] A year later, she was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best writer for her work on Nancy Drew (Dynamite); Hawkeye, Jessica Jones, Mr. & Mrs. X, Rogue & Gambit, Uncanny X-Men and West Coast Avengers (Marvel).[40] In 2021, she won an Eisner Award for Best New Series for her work on Black Widow.

Activism edit

In June 2019, Thompson joined the Shots Fired project to raise money to combat gun violence. The comic was published by Comicker Press, and was scheduled to be released later that year after a successful Kickstarter funding campaign. The proceeds from the book's sale went to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the Community Justice Reform Coalition.[41]

Works in other media edit

In 2012, she launched a Kickstarter campaign for her first novel, The Girl Who Would Be King. The crowdfunded campaign reached $26,478, 330% of its original goal, and was released in September of that same year. The story involves two girls with extraordinary powers, one who uses them for good, one for bad, who are about to meet for the first time.[42][43][44] In 2014, the novel was optioned for a movie adaptation by Logan Pictures. Thompson told io9, "We had a lot of interest in the book. I think we had at least half a dozen legitimate companies inquiring about the rights. We also had some more intimate interest from writers and smaller producers, a couple film agents also came calling."[43][45]

Bibliography edit

Books edit

  • The Girl Who Would Be King 368 pages, 2012, ISBN 978-0-9882-6973-6
  • Storykiller 286 pages, 2014, ISBN 978-0-9916-4925-9

Comics edit

IDW Publishing edit

  • Jem and the Holograms #1-26 (March 2015-June 2017)
    • Volume 1: Showtime (tpb, 152 pages, 2015, ISBN 1-63140-395-8) collects:
    • Volume 2: Viral (tpb, 152 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-63140-579-9) collects:
      • "Viral" (with Emma Vieceli, in #7-9, 2015)
      • "Rio Pacheco Boy Reporter" (with Corin Howell, in #10, 2015)
      • Jem and the Holograms Outrageous Annual 2015 (with among other artist, 2015)
      • Jem and the Holograms Holiday Special (with Amy Mebberson, 2015)
    • Volume 3: Dark Jem (tpb, 136 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-63140-683-3) collects:
      • "Dark Jem" (with Sophie Campbell, in #11-16, 2016)
    • Volume 4: Enter The Stingers (tpb, 152 pages, 2017, ISBN 1-63140-837-2) collects:
      • "Ch-ch-changes" (with Jen Bartel, in #17-18, 2016)
      • "Enter the Stingers" (with Meredith McClaren, in #19-23, 2016-2017)
    • Volume 5: Truly Outrageous (tpb, 124 pages, 2017, ISBN 1-6314-0914-X) collects:
      • "Truly Outrageous" (with Gisele Lagace, in #24-26, 2007)
      • Jem and the Holograms Outrageous Annual 2017 (with various artists, 2017)
  • Ghostbusters: Deviations, one-shot (with Nelson Daniel, March 2016) collected in Deviations: In a World... Where Everything Changed (tpb, 136 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-63140-675-2)
  • Constance & Nano: Engineering Adventure #1, one-shot (with by Nicoletta Baldari, October 2016)
  • Jem: The Misfits #1-5 (with Jenn St-Onge, December 2016-June 2017)

Image comics edit

  • The Cull #1-5 (August 2023-January 2024)

Dark Horse Comics edit

  • Creepy #20, "Verto" (with Ramon Bachs, April 2015)
  • Heart in a Box (seven-issue limited series with Meredith McClaren, May–July 2015, tpb, 160 pages, 2015, ISBN 1-61655-694-3)

Marvel Comics edit

  • Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps (four-issue limited series with Kelly Sue DeConnick, David López, Laura Braga and Paolo Pantalena June–September 2015, collected in Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps, tpb, 120 pages, 2015, ISBN 0-78519-865-2)
  • A-Force vol. 2 #2-10 (February 2016-October 2016)
    • Volume 1: Hypertime #2-4 (with G. Willow Wilson and Jorge Molina, tpb, 146 pages, 2016, ISBN 0-7851-9605-6)
    • Volume 2: Rage Against the Dying of the Light #5-10 (with Ben Caldwell and Paulo Siqueira, tpb, 136 pages, 2017, ISBN 0-7851-9606-4)
  • Star Wars Annual vol. 2 #2 (with Emilio Laiso, November 2016)
  • Hawkeye vol. 5 #1-16 (November 2016-March 2018)
    • Volume 1: Anchor Points #1-6 (with Leonardo Romero and Michael Walsh, tpb, 136 pages, 2017, ISBN 1-3029-0514-7)
    • Volume 2: Masks #7-12 (with Leonardo Romero and Michael Walsh, tpb, 136 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-3029-0515-5)
    • Volume 3: Family Reunion #13-16 and Generations: Hawkeye & Hawkeye #1 (with Leonardo Romero and Stefano Raffaele, tpb, 112 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-3029-1097-3)
  • Generations: The Archers #1 (with Stefano Raffaele, August 2017) collected in Generations (hc, 328 pages, 2017, ISBN 1-3029-0847-2)
  • Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Captain Phasma #1-4 (with Marco Checchetto, September–October 2017) collected in Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Captain Phasma (tpb, 112 pages, 2017, ISBN 0-7851-9455-X)
  • Rogue & Gambit #1-5 (with Pere Pérez, January–May 2018) collected in Rogue & Gambit: Ring of Fire (tpb, 112 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-3029-1160-0)
  • Jessica Jones (July 2018-May 2019)
    • Volume 1: Blind Spot #1-3 (with Mattia de Iulis, tpb, 192 pages, 2018, ISBN 1-3029-1292-5)
    • Volume 2: Purple Daughter #1-3 (with Mattia de Iulis, tpb, 136 pages, 2019, ISBN 1-3029-1511-8)
  • Mr. & Mrs. X #1-12 (July 2018-June 2019)
    • Volume 1: Love And Marriage #1-6 (Oscar Bazaldua, tpb, 136 pages, 2019, ISBN 1-3029-1351-4)
    • Volume 2: Gambit and Rogue Forever #7-12 (Oscar Bazaldua, tpb, 136 pages, 2019, ISBN 1-3029-1352-2)
  • West Coast Avengers #1-10 (August 2018-April 2019)
    • Volume 1: Best Coast #1-5 (with Stefano Caselli, tpb, 144 pages, 2019, ISBN 1-3029-1345-X)
    • Volume 2: City of Evils #6-10 (with Daniele di Nicuolo and Gang Hyuk Lim, tpb, 112 pages, 2019, ISBN 1-3029-1346-8)
  • Captain Marvel #1-50 (January 2019-June 2023)
    • Volume 1: Re-Entry #1-5 (with Carmen Carnero & Annapaola Martello, tpb, 144 pages, 2019, ISBN 1-3029-1687-4)
    • Volume 2: Falling Star #6-11 (with Carmen Carnero & Annapaola Martello, tpb, 136 pages, 2020, ISBN 1-3029-1688-2)
    • Volume 3: The Last Avenger #12-16 (with Lee Garbett, tpb, 112 pages, 2020, ISBN 1-3029-2308-0)
    • Volume 4: Accused #17-21 (with Francesco Manna & Cory Smith, tpb, 2020, ISBN 1-3029-2562-8)
    • Volume 5: The New World #22-26 (with Lee Garbett and Belen Orgeta, tpb, 2021, ISBN 1302925954)
    • Volume 6: Strange Magic #27-30 (with David Lopez and Jacopo Camagni, tpb, 2021 ISBN 1302925962)
    • Volume 7: The Last of the Marvels #31-36 (with Takeshi Miyazawa and Sergio Davila, tpb, 2022, ISBN 1302928848)
  • Uncanny X-Men #1-10 (with Matthew Rosenberg, Ed Brisson, Mahmud Asrar and R. B. Silva, November 2018 - January 2019) collected in Uncanny X-Men: X-Men Disassembled (tpb, 248 pages, 2019, ISBN 1-3029-1486-3)
  • Deadpool #1-10 (November 2019-January 2021)
    • Volume 1: Hail to the King #1-6 (with Chris Bachalo & Gerardo Sandoval, tpb, 112 pages, 2019, ISBN 1-3029-2103-7)
    • Volume 2: #7-10 (with Gerardo Sandoval, tpb, 112 pages, 2021, ISBN 1-3029-2104-5)
  • Black Widow #1-15 (September 2020-April 2022)

DC Comics edit

  • Harley Quinn: Black, White, and Redder #2 ("Origin Stories for Dummies", with Annie Wu, 2023)
  • Birds of Prey #1-present (with Leonardo Romero, September 2023-present)

Dynamite Comics edit

  • Nancy Drew #1-5 (with Jenn St-Onge, June – October 2018) collected in Nancy Drew: The Palace Of Wisdom (tpb, 128 pages, 2019, ISBN 1-5241-0849-9)

Boom! Studios edit

Archie Comics edit

References edit

  1. ^ Kelly Thompson (18 July 2012). "Women in comics interview: Kelly Thompson" (Interview). Interviewed by Tali Adina. Talking Comic Books. Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b Arrant, Chris (May 21, 2019). "The Secret Origin of MARVEL's KELLY THOMPSON". Newsarama. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  3. ^ "About Kelly Thompson". 1979semifinalist.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  4. ^ Kelly Thompson (June 7, 2016). "Kelly Thompson is one of the best new talents in comic books" (Interview). Interviewed by Alex Abad-Santos. Vox. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  5. ^ "Jem and the Holograms Comic Gets a Creative Team". Movies. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  6. ^ Colline, Elle (January 25, 2017). "'Jem And The Holograms' Ends With Issue #26, But Kelly Thompson Promises More To Come". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  7. ^ White, Brett (Dec 2, 2014). "IDW Announces "Jem And The Holograms" From Thompson And Campbell". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  8. ^ Brown, Tracy (February 16, 2015). "Exclusive The Pink Ranger is getting her own comic book series". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  9. ^ Jusino, Teresa (April 13, 2015). "Marvel's Captain Marvel & Carol Corps Welcomes Jem's Kelly Thompson As Co-Writer". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  10. ^ Serrao, Nivea (December 14, 2016). "Marvel's Hawkeye: Kelly Thompson on bringing Kate Bishop to the West Coast". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Whitbrook, James (April 26, 2018). "Here Are Your 2018 Eisner Award Nominees". Io9. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  12. ^ Carson, Alan (January 17, 2019). "Every Major Comic Cancelled By Marvel". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  13. ^ Chet Markus, Tucker (19 January 2018). "Marvel announces exclusive agreement with Kelly Thompson" (Press release). Marvel Comics. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  14. ^ Gerding, Stephen (October 6, 2017). "Marvel's Legion, Rogue & Gambit Creative Teams Revealed". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  15. ^ Marnell, Blair (February 1, 2018). "Exclusive preview: Kelly Thompson sends Rogue and Gambit into couples therapy". SyFyWire. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  16. ^ Gene Gustines, Gene (June 19, 2018). "Two Say 'I Do' in X-Men Gold, but Not the Pair Fans Were Expecting". New York Times. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  17. ^ Polo, Susana (June 20, 2018). "Everything you need to know about the X-Men wedding's big plot twist". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  18. ^ McMillan, Graeme (March 5, 2018). "Nancy Drew Returns Via Comic Books in June". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  19. ^ Staley, Brandon (July 19, 2018). "Bendis Asked Kelly Thompson to Take Over Jessica Jones Before He Left Marvel". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  20. ^ Grunenwald, Joe (January 16, 2019). "PREVIEW: JESSICA JONES is back today – but you may not have even heard about it". ComicsBeat. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  21. ^ Nolan, L.D. (July 19, 2018). "Kelly Thompson Clarifies Jessica Jones' New Series' Info". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  22. ^ Gustines, George Gene (October 2, 2018). "Captain Marvel to Get New Comic Series Ahead of Big-Screen Debut". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  23. ^ Miller, John Jackson. "January 2019 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  24. ^ Parrish, Jordan (January 4, 2019). "CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 Preview Teams Up Carol and Jessica". ComicsVerse. Archived from the original on April 29, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  25. ^ Holub, Christian (November 14, 2018). "Sabrina the Teenage Witch is getting a new, non-'chilling' comic series". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  26. ^ Sava, Oliver (September 17, 2019). "Sabrina The Teenage Witch goes full fantasy hero in her latest reimagining". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
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  28. ^ Yehl, Joshua (December 14, 2019). "Best Comic Book Series of 2019". IGN. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  29. ^ Downey, Meg (January 16, 2019). "Marvel's X-Men Disassembled event just made good on its name". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  30. ^ Arrant, Chris (June 17, 2019). "CAPTAIN MARVEL Team Join FEARLESS #1". Newsarama. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  31. ^ Puc, Samatha (July 19, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW: FEARLESS #1 chronicles the lives of Marvel's fiercest women". ComicsBeat. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  32. ^ Terror, Jude (July 16, 2019). "Amazing Spider-Man: Full Circle Gathers All-Star Creative Team in October". Bleeding Cool News. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  33. ^ Marnell, Blair (October 18, 2019). "Exclusive Preview: Amazing Spider-Man: Full Circle #1". SuperHeroHype. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  34. ^ "Are you aboard the Jeff the Land Shark bandwagon yet?". 17 November 2021.
  35. ^ Writer, Graeme McMillan Staff (2023-06-05). "Birds of Prey returns for the Dawn of DC featuring a whole new team". Popverse. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  36. ^ Richards, Dave (2021-09-28). "Kelly Thompson Launches Substack Imprint With Black Cloak & The Cull". CBR. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  37. ^ "Black Cloak mixes magic and sci-fi for the first big comic of 2023". Popverse. 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  38. ^ "SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN MEETS THE GOONIES IN UPCOMING MINISERIES THE CULL LAUNCHING THIS AUGUST". Image Comics. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  39. ^ "2018 Eisner Awards Nominations". Comic-Con International. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  40. ^ James, Whitbrook (April 26, 2019). "Here Are Your 2019 Eisner Awards Nominees". Gizmodo. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  41. ^ Arrant, Chris (June 12, 2019). "SCOTT SNYDER, KELLY THOMPSON, More Take Part In Anti-Gun Violence Project". Newsarama. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  42. ^ Lawson, Corrina (July 14, 2012). "The Girl Who Would Be King: Two Young Superheroes on a Collision Course". Wired. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  43. ^ a b Bricken, Rob (June 18, 2014). "io9 Favorite The Girl Who Would Be King Will Be A Movie!". io9. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  44. ^ Thompson, Kelly (August 6, 2012). "What I Learned From My Kickstarter Campaign". Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  45. ^ Armitage, Hugh (June 22, 2014). "Kelly Thompson's The Girl Who Would Be King optioned for film". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.