View source for Bill Willingham

{{short description|American writer and artist of comics (born 1956)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox comics creator
| image         = 10.13.12BillWillinghamByLuigiNovi1.jpg
| image_size    = 
| caption       = Willingham at the 2012 [[New York Comic Con]]
| birth_name    = William Willingham
| birth_date    = {{Birth year and age|1956}}<!--sourced from VIAF data-->
| birth_place   = [[Fort Belvoir, Virginia]], U.S.
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| area          = 
| write         = y
| pencil        = y
| ink           = y
| alias         = 
| notable works = ''[[Elementals (Comico Comics)|Elementals]]''<br> ''[[Fables (comics)|Fables]]''
| awards        = 
}}
'''William Willingham''' (born 1956<!--sourced from VIAF data-->) is an American writer and artist of comics, known for his work on the series ''[[Elementals (Comico Comics)|Elementals]]'' and ''[[Fables (comics)|Fables]]''.

==Career==
William Willingham was born in [[Fort Belvoir, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.lambiek.net/artists/w/willingham_bill.htm|title= Bill Willingham|date= |publisher= [[Lambiek|Lambiek Comiclopedia]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121015161314/https://www.lambiek.net/artists/w/willingham_bill.htm|archive-date= October 15, 2012|url-status= live}}</ref> During his father's military career the family also lived in Alaska, California, and finally three years in Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billwillingham.com/about/ |title=About| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222150723/http://www.billwillingham.com/about/ |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |author=Bill Willingham |website=billwillingham.com|access-date=February 15, 2014}}</ref> Willingham got his start from the late 1970s to early 1980s as a staff artist for [[TSR, Inc.]], where he illustrated a number of their [[role-playing game]] products. He was the cover artist for the ''AD&D Player Character Record Sheets'', ''[[Against the Giants]]'', ''[[Secret of Bone Hill]]'', the [[Gamma World]] book ''[[Legion of Gold]]'', and provided the back cover for ''[[Scourge of the Slave Lords|In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords]]''. He was an interior artist on ''[[White Plume Mountain]]'', ''[[Scourge of the Slave Lords|Slave Pits of the Undercity]]'', ''[[Ghost Tower of Inverness]]'', ''Secret of the Slavers Stockade'', ''Secret of Bone Hill'', ''[[Palace of the Silver Princess]]'', ''[[Isle of Dread]]'', ''[[The Mansion of Mad Professor Ludlow]]'',<ref name=A2>{{cite web|title=Dragon Magazine #42|work=[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]|url=https://annarchive.com/files/Drmg042.pdf}}</ref> ''Food Fight'',<ref name=A>{{cite web|title=Dragon Magazine #44|work=[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]|url=https://annarchive.com/files/Drmg044.pdf}}</ref> ''[[Scourge of the Slave Lords|In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords]]'', the original ''[[Fiend Folio]]'', ''[[Descent into the Depths of the Earth]]'', ''[[Scourge of the Slave Lords|Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords]]'', ''Against the Giants'', ''[[Queen of the Spiders]]'', ''[[Realms of Horror]]'', and the second and third editions of the ''[[Top Secret (role-playing game)|Top Secret]]'' role-playing game. He also wrote and illustrated a couple of 1982 adventures for the game ''[[Villains & Vigilantes]]'' for [[Fantasy Games Unlimited]], ''[[Death Duel with the Destroyers]]'' and ''[[The Island of Doctor Apocalypse]]''.<ref name="designers">{{Cite book|author=Shannon Appelcline|title=Designers & Dragons|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|year=2011| isbn= 978-1-907702-58-7|pages=75}}</ref> Willingham also produced the alien race design artwork for the original ''[[Master of Orion]]'' video game.<ref>{{cite video|title=Master of Orion Developer Diaries #2|date=September 10, 2015|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmDbv-KZUfM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/SmDbv-KZUfM |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

He first gained attention for his 1980s comic book series ''[[Elementals (Comico Comics)|Elementals]]'' published by [[Comico: The Comic Company|Comico]], which he both wrote and illustrated; this series featured the Destroyers characters from his ''Villains & Vigilantes'' adventures as guest-stars.<ref name="designers"/> He contributed stories to ''[[Green Lantern]]'' and started his own independent, black-and-white comic book series ''[[Coventry (comics)|Coventry]]'' which lasted only 3 issues.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/bill-willingham-1798212276 |title=Bill Willingham |last=Robinson |first=Tasha |date=August 6, 2007 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |access-date=March 11, 2015}}</ref> He also produced the [[pornography|pornographic]] series ''[[Ironwood (comics)|Ironwood]]'' for [[Eros Comix]].

In the late 1990s, Willingham produced the 13-issue ''[[Pantheon (Lone Star Press)|Pantheon]]'' for [[Lone Star Press]] and wrote a pair of short novels about the modern adventures of the hero [[Beowulf (hero)|Beowulf]], and a fantasy novel ''[[Down the Mysterly River]]'' published by the [[Austin, Texas]] writer's collective, [[Clockwork Storybook]], of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s, he began writing for [[DC Comics]], including the [[Limited series (comics)|limited series]] ''[[Proposition Player]]'', a pair of limited series about the Greek [[Witchcraft|witch]] [[List of characters in The Sandman#Thessaly|Thessaly]] from ''[[Sandman (Vertigo)|The Sandman]]'', and the series ''[[Fables (comics)|Fables]]''.<ref name="vert-fabl">{{Citation |last=Irvine |first=Alex |author-link=Alexander C. Irvine |contribution=Fables |editor-last=Dougall |editor-first=Alastair |title=The Vertigo Encyclopedia |pages=72–81 |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |place=New York |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7566-4122-1 |oclc=213309015}}</ref> In 2003, ''Fables'' won the Will Eisner Comic Industry awards for best serialized story and best new series.<ref name=contemp>{{cite book |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3414100314.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610190301/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3414100314.html |url-status = dead|archive-date=June 10, 2014 |title=Willingham, Bill 1956– |series=[[Contemporary Authors]] |date=January 1, 2005 |access-date=June 29, 2013|via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}</ref>

He describes himself as "rabidly pro-Israel" and says that ''Fables'' "was intended from the beginning" as a metaphor for the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]], although he argues that ''Fables'' is not "a political tract. It never will be, but at the same time, it's not going to shy away from the fact that there are characters who have real moral and ethical centers, and we're not going to apologize for it."<ref>{{cite web|last=Deppey|first=Dirk|date=September 18, 2006|title=Bill Willingham (excerpts)|url=http://www.tcj.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=410&Itemid=48|url-status=dead|access-date=July 31, 2007|archive-date=September 30, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930023639/http://www.tcj.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=410&Itemid=48}}</ref>

Willingham worked on the ''[[Robin (comics)|Robin]]'' series from 2004 to 2006, and established ''[[Shadowpact]]'', a title spun off his ''[[Day of Vengeance]]'' limited series. He also wrote ''[[Jack of Fables]]'', an ongoing spin-off of his Fables series, co-written by [[Lilah Sturges]].<ref name="vert-jack">{{Citation |last=Irvine |first=Alex|contribution=Jack of Fables |editor-last=Dougall |editor-first=Alastair |title=The Vertigo Encyclopedia |pages=100–101 |publisher =Dorling Kindersley|place=New York |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7566-4122-1 |oclc=213309015}}</ref> At the 2007 [[Comic Con International]], he announced that he would be writing ''[[Salvation Run]]'', a mini-series about supervillains who are banished to an inhospitable prison planet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/DC/SalvationRun.html |title=SDCC '07: Bill Willingham on ''Salvation Run''|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929125221/http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/DC/SalvationRun.html |archive-date=September 29, 2007 }}. [[Newsarama]]. July 27, 2007</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/Baltimore_07/DCU_panel.html |title=Baltimore Comic Con '07 – DC Universe Panel|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512053815/http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/Baltimore_07/DCU_panel.html |archive-date=May 12, 2008}}. Newsarama. September 9, 2007</ref> He handed over the writing to Sturges after two issues because of illness.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=12393 "EXCLUSIVE: Willingham Explains 'Salvation Run' Departure"]. [[Comic Book Resources]]. January 28, 2008</ref> He worked on ''[[DCU: Decisions]]'', a four-issue mini-series that deals with [[Green Arrow]]'s endorsement of a political candidate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=156482 |title=Dan Didio on ''DCU: Decisions''|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514003946/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=156482 |archive-date=May 14, 2008}}. Newsarama. May 9, 2008</ref> Again with Sturges, he began writing the Vertigo series ''[[House of Mystery (Vertigo)|House of Mystery]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=147423 |title=Sturges & Willingham on the New House of Mystery|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091216001338/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=147423 |archive-date=December 16, 2009 |publisher=Newsarama |date=February 20, 2008}}</ref> and DC's ''[[Justice Society of America]]'' with issue #29.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19602 "Talking JSA With Willingham & Sturges"]. Comic Book Resources. January 19, 2009</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081230160142/http://www.newsarama.com/comics/081226-jsa-willingham-sturges.html Willingham and Sturges Talk Justice Society of America]. Newsarama. December 26, 2008</ref>

In 2009, Willingham agreed to write for ''[[Angel: After the Fall|Angel]]'' by [[IDW Publishing]], initiated a new storyline titled "Immortality for Dummies".<ref>[https://archive.today/20120913090422/http://www.tfaw.com/blog/2009/10/07/bill-willingham-talks-about-angel-fables/?qt=ea_BillWillwiki1 Bill Willingham Talks About ''Angel'' & ''Fables''], TFAW.com, October 7, 2009</ref>

In late 2010 (with cover dates January–April 2011), Willingham wrote the four-issue mini-series ''[[Warriors Three]]'' for [[Marvel Comics]], illustrated by Neil Edwards.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=Vaneta |title=BILL WILLINGHAM Explores Marvel Mythology in WARRIORS THREE |url=https://www.newsarama.com/6432-bill-willingham-explores-marvel-mythology-in-warriors-three.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328134348/http://www.newsarama.com/6432-bill-willingham-explores-marvel-mythology-in-warriors-three.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 28, 2016 |access-date=5 May 2019 |work=[[Newsarama]] |date=November 3, 2010 |language=en}}</ref>

At 2013 [[New York Comic Con]] it was announced that Willingham would be writing a seven-part mini series for [[Dynamite Entertainment]] (with art by [[Sergio Fernandez Davila]]).<ref>{{cite web|title=NYCC EXCLUSIVE: Willingham Unites Heroes in "Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure"|author=Sunu, Steve|date=October 9, 2013|publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]]|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=48357}}</ref> The series is ''Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure'' and includes some of Dynamite's licensed and public domain characters in a [[steampunk]] setting. The series was released in January 2014, and a collected edition was published in January 2015.<ref>{{cite book |last=Willingham |first=Bill |title=Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure |publisher=Dynamite Entertainment |location=Mt. Laurel, NJ |year=2015 |isbn=9781606905944}}</ref>

In September 2023, Willingham put his ''Fables'' series into the [[public domain]] after a dispute with DC Comics over publishing and media rights for ''Fables''.<ref name="av-14sep2023">{{cite news |last1=Schimkowitz |first1=Matt |title=He couldn't afford to sue DC Comics, so Bill Willingham put Fables in the public domain |url=https://www.avclub.com/bill-willingham-says-fables-is-in-the-public-domain-now-1850841102 |access-date=September 14, 2023 |work=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=September 14, 2023}}</ref> DC has since responded that ''Fables'' is wholly owned by them and the company will take appropriate action to protect its intellectual property.<ref name="cbr-15sep2023">{{cite news |last1=Cronin |first1=Brian |title=DC Releases a Statement on Fables - It is 'Not in the Public Domain' |url=https://www.cbr.com/fables-dc-statement-not-public-domain/ |access-date=September 16, 2023 |work=[[Comic Book Resources]] |date=September 15, 2023}}</ref>

==Works==
The issues listed include those where writing credits are for at least one story included in the issue.

{| class="wikitable"
! Title !! width=60|Issue(s) !! width=250|Cover Dates!!width=100|Publisher
|-
|''[[Justice Machine]] Annual''||#1||1983||Texas Comics
|-
|''[[Elementals (Comico Comics)|Elementals]]''||#1–23||1984&nbsp;– March 1988||Comico
|-
|''[[Justice Machine]] Featuring [[Elementals (Comico Comics)|The Elementals]]''||valign="top"|#1–4||valign="top"|May–August 1986||valign="top"|Comico
|-
|''[[Elementals (Comico Comics)|Elementals]] Special''||#2||January 1989||Comico
|-
|valign="top"|''[[Elementals (Comico Comics)|Elementals]]'' vol. 2||#1–16<br>#18–22||March 1989&nbsp;– May 1991<br>June 1991&nbsp;– March 1992||valign="top"|Comico
|-
|''Morningstar Special''||#1||1990||Comico
|-
|''Time Wankers''||#4–5||April–August 1991||Fantagraphics
|-
|valign="top"|''[[Ironwood (comics)|Ironwood]]''||valign="top"|#1–11||valign="top"|1991||Fantagraphics, Eros Comix imprint
|-
|''[[Elementals (Comico Comics)|Elementals]]: Sex Special''||#1||1991||Comico
|-
|''[[Elementals (Comico Comics)|Elementals]]: Ghost of a Chance''||#1||December 1995||Comico
|-
|''[[Elementals (Comico Comics)|Elementals]]: The Vampire's Revenge''||#2||August 1996||Comico
|-
|''[[Coventry (comics)|Coventry]]''||#1–3||November 1996&nbsp;– July 1997||Fantagraphics
|-
|valign="top"|''Mythography''||#2, #4||February, June 1997||valign="top"|Bardic Press
|-
|''[[Pantheon (Lone Star Press)|Pantheon]]''||#1–13||May 1998&nbsp;– August/September 1999||Lone Star Press
|-
|''[[Pantheon (Lone Star Press)|Pantheon]]: Ancient History''||#1||August/September 1999||Lone Star Press
|-
|valign="top"|''[[Flinch (DC Comics)|Flinch]]''||valign="top"|#7||valign="top"|December 1999||DC Comics, Vertigo imprint
|-
|valign="top"|''[[Proposition Player]]''||valign="top"|#1–6||valign="top"|December 1999 May 2000||DC Comics, Vertigo imprint
|-
|valign="top"|''[[The Dreaming (comics)|The Dreaming]]''||valign="top"|#55||valign="top"|December 2000||DC Comics, Vertigo imprint
|-
|''[[The Sandman spinoffs#The Sandman Presents|The Sandman Presents: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Dreams... But Were Afraid To Ask]]''||valign="top"|#1||valign="top"|July 2001||valign="top"|DC Comics, Vertigo imprint
|-
|''[[The Sandman spinoffs#The Sandman Presents|The Sandman Presents: The Thessaliad]]''||valign="top"|#1–4||valign="top"|March–June 2002||valign="top"|DC Comics, Vertigo imprint
|-
|''[[Fables (Vertigo)|Fables]]''||valign="top"|#1–162||valign="top"|July 2002&nbsp;– Ongoing||DC Comics, Vertigo imprint
|-
|''[[X-Men Unlimited]]''||#49||August 2003||Marvel Comics
|-
|''[[Legends of the Dark Knight|Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight]]''||#168||August 2003||DC Comics
|-
|''Robin'' vol. 2||#121–147||February 2004&nbsp;– April 2006||DC Comics
|-
|''[[The Sandman spinoffs#The Sandman Presents|The Sandman Presents: Thessaly: Witch for Hire]]''||valign="top"|#1–4||valign="top"|April–July 2004||DC Comics, Vertigo imprint
|-
|valign="top"|''[[Batman (comic book)|Batman]]'' Vol. 1||#631–633, #643–644||October–December 2004, Early–Late October 2005||valign="top"|DC Comics
|-
|''[[Day of Vengeance]]''||#1–6||June–November 2005||DC Comics
|-
|''[[Day of Vengeance#Day of Vengeance Special: The Ninth Age of Magic|Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special]]''||#1||March 2006||DC Comics
|-
|''[[Shadowpact]]''||valign="top"|#1–16||valign="top"|July 2006&nbsp;– 2007||valign="top"|DC Comics
|-
|''[[Jack of Fables]]''||valign="top"|#1–50||valign="top"|September 2006&nbsp;– March 2011||DC Comics, Vertigo imprint
|-
|valign="top"|''[[Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall]]''||||valign="top"|2006||DC Comics, Vertigo imprint
|-
|''DCU Infinite Holiday Special''||#1||February 2007||DC Comics
|-
|valign="top"|''[[Peter and Max: A Fables Novel]]''||||valign="top"|2009||DC Comics, Vertigo imprint
|-
|''[[Justice Society of America]]'' (vol. 3)||#29–40||2009–2010||DC Comics
|-
|valign="top"|''[[Angel: After the Fall|Angel: Immortality for Dummies]]''||#28–32||valign="top"|2010||IDW Publishing
|-
|valign="top"|''[[Warriors Three]]''||#1–4||valign="top"|January–April 2011||[[Marvel Comics]]
|-
|valign="top"|''Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure''||#1–7||valign="top"|2014||[[Dynamite Entertainment]]
|-
|valign="top"|''Lark's Killer''||#1–10||valign="top"|2017–2018||1First Comics
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|25em}}

===Sources===
* {{cite web|url=http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=512 |title=Bill Willingham at Pen & Paper RPG Database|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016200123/http://pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=512 |archive-date=October 16, 2007}}

==External links==
* {{official website}}
* {{comicbookdb|type=creator|id=364|title=Bill Willingham}}
* {{isfdb name|48011}}
* {{LCAuth|no2002027903|Bill Willingam|62|}}

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box| title=''[[Robin (comics)|Robin]]'' writer| before=[[Jon Lewis (cartoonist)|Jon Lewis]]| after=[[Adam Beechen]]| years=2004–2006}}
{{Succession box| title=''[[Batman]]'' writer| before=[[Judd Winick]]| after=[[Judd Winick]]| years=2004–2005}}
{{Succession box| title=''[[Shadowpact]]'' writer| before=none| after=[[Matthew Sturges]]| years=2006–2007}}
{{Succession box| title=''[[Justice Society of America]]'' writer| before=[[Geoff Johns]]| after=[[James Dale Robinson]]| years=2009–2010}}
{{S-end}}

{{Fables}}
{{D&D topics}}
{{Eisner Award for Best Writer}}
{{Inkpot Award 2000s}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willingham, Bill}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American artists]]
[[Category:20th-century American writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American artists]]
[[Category:21st-century American writers]]
[[Category:American comics artists]]
[[Category:American comics writers]]
[[Category:American fabulists]]
[[Category:American fantasy artists]]
[[Category:American fantasy writers]]
[[Category:American role-playing game artists]]
[[Category:Artists from Virginia]]
[[Category:Date of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Eisner Award winners for Best Writer]]
[[Category:Fables (comics)]]
[[Category:Inkpot Award winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Fort Belvoir, Virginia]]
[[Category:Writers from Virginia]]