View source for John Wagner

{{short description|American-born British comics writer (born 1949)}}
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{{Infobox comics creator
| image         = John Wagner SFX Weekender 2012.jpg
| caption       = Wagner in 2012
| alt           = 
| birth_name    = John Alexander Wagner<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://johnwagner.co.uk/a-life-in-comics-part-1/|title=A LIFE IN COMICS part 1 - John Wagner|date=18 January 2025}}</ref>
| birth_date    = {{birth year and age|1949}}
| birth_place   = [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| area          = Writer
| cartoonist    = 
| write         = y
| art           = 
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| ink           = 
| edit          = y
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| alias         = John Howard<br />T.B. Grover<br />Mike Stott<br />Keef Ripley<br />Rick Clark
| signature     = <!-- very optional -->
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| notable works = ''[[Judge Dredd]]''<br>''[[Strontium Dog]]''<br>''[[The Last American (comics)|The Last American]]''<br>''[[The Bogie Man (comic book)|The Bogie Man]]''<br>''[[A History of Violence (comics)|A History of Violence]]''<br>''[[Button Man]]''
| collaborators  = [[Pat Mills]]<br>[[Alan Grant (writer)|Alan Grant]]<br>[[Carlos Ezquerra]]
| awards        = [[Eagle Award (comics)|Eagle Award]] (x3)<br />[[UK Comic Art Award]] (x4)<br />[[National Comics Award]] (x4)<br />[[Inkpot Award]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot/|title=Inkpot Awards}}</ref>
| website       = 
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}}
'''John Alexander Wagner''' (born 1949) is an American-born British [[comics writer]]. Alongside [[Pat Mills]], he helped revitalise [[British comics]] in the 1970s, and continues to be active in the British comics industry, occasionally also working in American comics. He is the co-creator, with artist [[Carlos Ezquerra]], of the character [[Judge Dredd]].

Wagner started his career in editorial with [[D. C. Thomson & Co.]] in the late 1960s before becoming a freelance writer and a staff editor at [[IPC Media|IPC]] in the 1970s. He has worked in children's humour and girls' adventure comics, but is most notable for his boys' adventure comics; he helped launch ''[[Battle Picture Weekly]]'' (1975), for which he wrote "Darkie's Mob", and ''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]]'' (1977), for which he created numerous characters, including Judge Dredd, [[Strontium Dog]], [[Robo-Hunter]] and [[Button Man]]. In the 1980s, he and co-writer [[Alan Grant (writer)|Alan Grant]] wrote prolifically for IPC's ''2000 AD'', ''Battle'', ''[[Eagle (comic)|Eagle]]'', ''[[Scream! (comics)|Scream!]]'' and ''[[Roy of the Rovers]]''. They also wrote for [[DC Comics]]' ''[[Batman]]'' in the U.S., created a series of Batman and Judge Dredd team-up comics, and started the British independent comic ''[[The Bogie Man (comics)|The Bogie Man]]''. Judge Dredd has twice been adapted for film, and [[David Cronenberg]] adapted Wagner's graphic novel ''[[A History of Violence (comics)|A History of Violence]]'' into the [[A History of Violence|2005 film of the same name]]. Wagner continues to write for ''2000 AD'' and ''[[Judge Dredd Megazine]]''.

==Biography==

===Early life and career===
[[File:Patridge's Patch from Jet.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Patridge's Patch", from ''Jet'', co-written with [[Pat Mills]], illustrated by [[Mike Western]], 1971.]]
Wagner was born in [[Pennsylvania]], U.S., in 1949,<ref name=mh>Colin M. Jarman and Peter Acton, ''Judge Dredd: The Mega History'', Lennard Publishing, 1995</ref>{{rp|p. 10}} the product of a war marriage. When Wagner was twelve his parents separated and his mother returned to [[Greenock]] in Scotland with the children.<ref name=courier>Jack McKeown, [http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/article/24712/dredd-3d-fans-owe-a-debt-to-the-wormit-thrill-shed.html "Dredd 3D fans owe a debt to the Wormit Thrill Shed] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113221417/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/article/24712/dredd-3d-fans-owe-a-debt-to-the-wormit-thrill-shed.html |date=13 November 2012 }}, ''The Courier'', 4 September 2012</ref><ref>Steven McKenzie, [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-19014995 Scotland's influence on 2000AD's Judge Dredd], BBC Scotland, 14 August 2012</ref> Wagner describes himself as "a pretty badly adjusted youth" in America, fighting and getting into trouble, and says he "benefited a lot from the added discipline of life in Scotland."<ref name=courier />

When he left school he joined a printing company, going to college on day release, until his aunt showed him an advert for editorial assistants at [[D. C. Thomson & Co.]] in Dundee.<ref name=Logan>W. R. Logan, [http://www.2000ad.nu/classof79/jw_interview.htm Interview with John Wagner] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060518064701/http://www.2000ad.nu/classof79/jw_interview.htm |date=18 May 2006 }}, Class of '79 (undated)</ref> He got the job, starting in the Fiction department,<ref name=courier /> and went on to become chief sub-editor of the romance comic ''[[Romeo (comics)|Romeo]]'',<ref name=Logan /> and also wrote horoscopes.<ref name=Grant1>David Bishop, "Interrogation: Alan Grant Part One", ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #266, 8 January 2008, pp. 16–22</ref> He and [[Pat Mills]], a fellow sub-editor, left to go freelance in 1971, and began submitting scripts to London's [[IPC Media|IPC]],<ref name=BBA1>David Bishop, "Blazing Battle Action" part 1, ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' No. 209, 28 August 2003, pp. 72–78</ref> working from Mills' garden shed in [[Wormit]], Fife.<ref name=courier /><ref name=QA>David Bishop, "John Wagner: The Quiet American", ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #250, 17 October 2006, pp. 24–30</ref> Starting with humour titles like ''[[Cor!!]]'' and ''[[Whizzer and Chips]]'',<ref name=Logan /> they also went on to write for girls' and boys' adventure comics, including strips like "Yellowknife of the Yard", about a Native American detective in London, drawn by [[Doug Maxted]], for ''[[Valiant (comics)|Valiant]]'';<ref>Lew Stringer, [http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/christmas-comics-valiant-1971.html Christmas Comics: ''Valiant'' 1971], Blimey! It's Another Blog About Comics!, 17 December 2009</ref> "Partridge's Patch", about a friendly rural policeman and his dog, drawn by [[Mike Western]], for ''Jet'';<ref>[http://petergraycartoonsandcomics.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/partridges-patch-from-jet-comic.html Mike Western's Partridge's Patch from ''Jet'' comic], Peter Gray's Comics, 16 April 2010</ref> "The Can-Do Kids" for ''[[Lion (comics)|Lion]]'',<ref name=trip>Dean Simons, "The Father of Judge Dredd", ''Tripwire'', November 2012, pp. 13–16</ref> and boarding school serial "School for Snobs" for ''[[Tammy (comics)|Tammy]]''. IPC managers John Purdie and John Sanders began to take notice.<ref name=mh />{{rp|pp. 10–11}}

After nine months their writing partnership broke up, and Wagner moved to London to join IPC's staff, editing [[British girls' comics|girls' titles]] ''Sandie'' and ''[[Princess Tina]]'' until 1973,<ref name=QA /> when both were merged into other titles.<ref name=Logan /> After that he quit comics for a time, taking a variety of jobs,<ref name=QA /> including as caretaker of an estate in the Scottish Highlands<ref name=Grant1 /> and dredging on a barge.<ref name=VI>David Bishop, [http://viciousimagery.blogspot.co.uk/2007/01/john-wagner-talks-about-battle-picture.html John Wagner talks about ''Battle Picture Weekly''], Vicious Imagery, 30 January 2007</ref>

===''Battle'', ''Valiant'' and ''Action''===
[[File:Darkie's mob.jpg|thumb|275px|right|"Darkie's Mob", illustrated by [[Mike Western]], from ''[[Battle Picture Weekly]]'']]
In the autumn of 1974 Pat Mills had been tasked with developing ''[[Battle Picture Weekly]]'', a new war-themed title for IPC to compete with D. C. Thomson's ''[[Warlord (DC Thomson)|Warlord]]''. He asked Wagner to join him and help develop characters.<ref name=BBA1 /> Mills and Wagner were dissatisfied with the sanitised nature of boys' comics<ref name=QA /> and wanted to make them harder-hitting, with more working-class heroes.<ref name=BBA1 /> They devised the opening line-up themselves,<ref name=QA /> with the assistance of [[Gerry Finley-Day]],<ref name=BBA1 /> before farming the stories out to other writers.<ref name=QA /> The title was launched with a cover date of 8 March 1975,<ref name=BBA1 /> and was a hit.<ref name=QA />

Wagner continued to write for girls' comics, including scripting gymnastics strip "Bella at the Bar" for ''[[Tammy (comics)|Tammy]]'',<ref>[http://www.booksmonthly.co.uk/bella.html Brave Bella Barlow, ''Tammy''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Most Popular Heroine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804141851/http://www.booksmonthly.co.uk/bella.html |date=4 August 2017 }}, Books Monthly (undated)</ref> and was appointed editor of the ailing boys' weekly ''[[Valiant (comics)|Valiant]]''. Characters he created for this title included the tough New York City cop "[[One-Eyed Jack (comics)|One-Eyed Jack]]",<ref name=QA /> drawn by [[John Cooper (artist)|John Cooper]], which was inspired by the film ''[[Dirty Harry]]'' and became the comic's most popular character,<ref name=BBC>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1820832.stm "I invented Judge Dredd"], BBC, 28 February 2002</ref> and "Soldier Sharp", drawn by [[Joe Colquhoun]], about a cunning coward in [[World War II]]. Both strips transferred to ''Battle'' when ''Valiant'' was merged into it in 1976, with One-Eyed Jack leaving the police and becoming a spy.<ref name=BBA2>David Bishop, "Blazing Battle Action" part 2, ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' No. 210, 23 September 2003, pp. 72–79</ref>

Wagner then quit editorial and returned to freelance writing.<ref name=QA /> In 1976–77 he wrote "[[Darkie's Mob]]" for ''Battle'', a violent series about a renegade British captain leading a group of lost soldiers in a personal war against the Japanese in [[Burma]] during World War II, drawn by [[Mike Western]], which became one of the comic's most popular strips,<ref name=BBA2 /> although Wagner has since said he regrets "some of the jingoistic, racist language" used.<ref name=EFA>Ian Wheeler, "John Wagner: The Story Man", ''Eagle Flies Again'' issue 11, Winter 2004, pp. 5–6</ref> A collected edition was published by [[Titan Books]] in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://titanbooks.com/4466-darkies-mob-the-secret-war-of-joe-darkie/|title=Darkie’s Mob - The Secret War of Joe Darkie|website=Titan Books}}</ref> Other strips he wrote for ''Battle'' included "Joe Two Beans" (1977), about a mute Native American soldier in the Pacific Campaign, drawn by [[Eric Bradbury]], and the naval series "HMS Nightshade" (1978–79), drawn by Western.<ref name=BBA2 /> For Mills' short-lived, controversial title ''[[Action (comics)|Action]]'' he scripted the boxing strip "Blackjack".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sevenpennynightmare.co.uk:80/?p=656|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202192139/http://www.sevenpennynightmare.co.uk/?p=656|url-status=dead|title=The Whole Story: Blackjack – Action - The Sevenpenny Nightmare|archivedate=2 February 2012|website=www.sevenpennynightmare.co.uk}}</ref> During this time he shared a flat on Camberwell New Road in London with future ''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]]'' editor [[Steve MacManus]].<ref name=Logan />

===''2000 AD''===
In 1976 Mills brought Wagner in as script adviser for the new science fiction comic he was developing, ''2000 AD''. Wagner suggested the new title needed a cop story, and his proposal, "[[Judge Dredd]]", took the ''Dirty Harry'' archetype further, imagining a violent lawman, empowered to dispense justice on the spot in a future New York. Artist [[Carlos Ezquerra]] was asked to visualise the character, but Wagner initially hated the elaborate look Ezquerra came up with, thinking it "way over the top". When a proposed buy-out of ''2000 AD'' that would have improved creators' terms and conditions fell through, Wagner walked away from the comic,<ref name=TPO>David Bishop, ''Thrill Power Overload'', Rebellion, 2002–2009</ref>{{rp|pp. 12–13}} leaving Mills to develop the character by commissioning stories from freelancers.<ref name=QA /> The first published episode appeared in issue 2, based on a script by Peter Harris, rewritten by Mills<ref name=mh />{{rp|p. 48}} and drawn by [[Mike McMahon (comics)|Mike McMahon]], which alienated Ezquerra.<ref name=TPO />{{rp|pp. 22–24, 31}} Wagner returned to write the character from issue 9,<ref name=TPO />{{rp|34}} and has written the majority of Judge Dredd stories since.<ref name=QA /> Ezquerra returned in 1982 to draw the "[[The Apocalypse War|Apocalypse War]]" storyline,<ref name=TPO />{{rp|p. 87}} and continued to draw the character semi-regularly until his death in 2018.

Wagner created two long-running series in 1978. One, "[[Robo-Hunter]]", a private detective-style character who specialised in robot-related cases, was initially drawn by José Ferrer, but his pages were partly redrawn by [[Ian Gibson (comics)|Ian Gibson]], who became the strip's regular artist.<ref name=TPO />{{rp|p. 49}} The other, "[[Strontium Dog]]", a sci-fi western about a bounty hunter in a future where mutants are an oppressed minority forced into doing such dirty work, was created by Wagner and Ezquerra for ''[[Starlord (comics)|Starlord]]'',<ref name=QA /> a short-lived sister title to ''2000 AD'' with higher production values.<ref name=TPO />{{rp|pp.39–41}} ''Starlord'' was later merged into ''2000 AD'', bringing "Strontium Dog" with it.<ref name=QA />

===''Doctor Who''===
During their writing partnership, Wagner and Mills had submitted story ideas to the [[BBC]] for the TV series ''[[Doctor Who]]'' in the 1970s,<ref name=dw>Dave Gibbons, Pat Mills, John Wagner and Steve Moore, ''Doctor Who: The Iron Legion'', Panini Books</ref> but Wagner eventually dropped out, tired of the endless rewrites requested, an experience which turned him off TV writing.<ref name=QA /> Mills' involvement came to an end when the show's script editor changed. Artist [[Dave Gibbons]] was aware of this, and when he was offered the chance to draw the lead strip in ''[[Doctor Who Weekly]]'' in 1979, he suggested them as writers. The pair wrote four eight-part serials, based on their unmade TV scripts. They adapted them separately, Wagner scripting "City of the Damned" and "Dogs of Doom", and Mills scripting "The Iron Legion" and "The Star Beast", although all were credited to "Mills & Wagner".<ref name=dw />

===Partnership with Alan Grant===
[[File:Loz wag.png|thumb|John Wagner at a comic convention in New York City in 1992.]]
From 1980 to 1988 he wrote in partnership with [[Alan Grant (writer)|Alan Grant]], an old friend and former D. C. Thomson and ''2000 AD'' sub-editor with whom he was sharing an old farmhouse in Essex, although most stories were credited to Wagner alone (under one of his pseudonyms) or Grant alone – whichever of them typed the script up got the cheque.<ref name=Logan /><ref name=AG2>David Bishop, "Interrogation: Alan Grant" part 2, ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #267, 5 February 2008, pp. 16–22</ref> Wagner (as John Howard or T. B. Grover) was credited with "Judge Dredd", and Grant with the less frequent "Robo-Hunter", "Strontium Dog", and the Judge Dredd spin-off "[[Anderson, Psi Division]]", while some strips, like the [[Citizens Band Radio|CB]]-inspired space haulage comedy "[[Ace Trucking Co.]]", were credited to "Grant/Grover". "Judge Dredd" was credited to "Wagner/Grant" starting in 1986.<ref>''2000 AD'' prog 493, IPC Magazines Ltd, cover date 25 October 1986</ref>

Other pseudonyms were created, at the insistence of publisher John Sanders, to disguise how prolific the two writers were.<ref name=TPO />{{rp|p. 96}} For the revived ''[[Eagle (comic)|Eagle]]'' they wrote "[[Doomlord]]", "Joe Soap", "[[Computer Warrior]]", "The Fists of Danny Pyke",<ref name=AG2 /> "[[Manix]]" and "[[The House of Daemon]]"; for ''[[Scream! (comics)|Scream!]]'' they wrote "[[The Thirteenth Floor (comic strip)|The Thirteenth Floor]]",<ref>Alex Frith, {{cite web|url=http://www.2000adreview.co.uk/newsite/mambo/content/view/299/54/ |title=Review of ''The Thirteenth Floor'' reprint collection |access-date=2008-05-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080217052803/http://www.2000adreview.co.uk/newsite/mambo/content/view/299/54/ |archive-date=17 February 2008 }}, 2000 AD Review (undated, via Internet Archive)</ref> for ''[[Roy of the Rovers]]'' they wrote "Dan Harker's War",<ref name=AG2 /> and for ''Battle'' they wrote "Invasion 1984".<ref>David Bishop, "Blazing Battle Action" part 4, Judge Dredd Megazine No. 212, 18 November 2003, pp. 72–79</ref> During this time Wagner wrote the documentary strip "Fight for the Falklands" for ''Battle'', without Grant who had no interest in war stories,<ref name=AG2 /> and "[[Dan Dare]]" with [[Pat Mills]] for ''Eagle''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&Comic=Specials&choice=DANDARE|title=BARNEY -- thrill zone|website=www.2000ad.org}}</ref>

Wagner and Grant became part of the so-called "[[British Invasion (comics)|British Invasion]]" of American comics during the 1980s. In 1987 their first title, a mini-series called ''[[Outcasts (DC Comics)|Outcasts]]'', was published by [[DC Comics]] with [[Cam Kennedy]] as artist. ''Outcasts'' was well received, though it never sold in great quantities, and this success led to the pair writing [[Batman]] in the pages of ''[[Detective Comics]]'' from issue 583, largely with [[Norm Breyfogle]] on art duties.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/alan-grant-batman-and-beyond-interview|title= Alan Grant on Batman and Beyond|first= Jeffery|last= Klaehn|date= December 2009|publisher= Graphicnovelreporter.com|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130116132248/http://graphicnovelreporter.com/content/alan-grant-batman-and-beyond-interview|archive-date= 16 January 2013|url-status= dead|df= dmy-all}}</ref> Grant and Wagner introduced the [[Ventriloquist (character)|Ventriloquist]] in their first Batman story<ref>{{cite book|last=Manning|first= Matthew K.|editor-last = Dolan|editor-first = Hannah|chapter= 1980s|title = DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=2010|isbn= 978-0-7566-6742-9|page= 235|quote = In February [1988], the Batman crossed paths with Scarface and the Ventriloquist in ''Detective Comics'' No. 583 by writer John Wagner and Alan Grant and artist Norm Breyfogle.}}</ref> and the [[Ratcatcher (comics)|Ratcatcher]] in their third.<ref>{{cite book|last= Manning|first= Matthew K.|editor-last = Dougall|editor-first = Alastair|chapter= 1980s|title= Batman: A Visual History|publisher= [[Dorling Kindersley]]|year= 2014|page= 171|isbn= 978-1465424563|quote= Writers John Wagner and Alan Grant and artist Norm Breyfogle introduced the Ratcatcher in this two-part story.}}</ref> The pair also created the bleak nuclear dystopia ''[[The Last American (comics)|The Last American]]'' for [[Epic Comics]] with longtime Dredd artist [[Mike McMahon (comics)|Mike McMahon]].<ref name=AG2 /> Arguments over the direction of that title and the ending of the Judge Dredd story "[[Oz (Judge Dredd story)|Oz]]" led to the end of their writing partnership<ref name=TPO />{{rp|pp. 123–124}} and they split their work between them: Wagner kept "Judge Dredd", while Grant continued "Strontium Dog" and "Anderson, Psi Division" and became the sole writer of ''Detective Comics''.<ref name=AG2 /> Although the two continued to collaborate from time to time, they never resumed a full-time partnership.

===Creators' rights===
In 1987, IPC's comics division was sold to [[Robert Maxwell]] as [[Fleetway Publications]]. John Davidge was appointed as publishing director in 1989, and within a matter of weeks was confronted by Wagner, who emptied a large bag of Judge Dredd merchandise onto his desk, pointed out he had received no royalties for any of it, and threatened a creator walk-out over the issue. Davidge, whose background was in magazine and book publishing, was shocked, and introduced written contracts and [[Creator ownership in comics|royalty payments for comic creators]].<ref name=mh />{{rp|p. 121}}<ref name=TPO />{{rp|pp. 129–130}}

===''The Bogie Man'' and the 1990s===
One series Wagner and Grant did continue writing together was ''[[The Bogie Man (comic book)|The Bogie Man]]'', about an escaped mental patient who thinks he's [[Humphrey Bogart]], or rather a composite of the characters he played, and constructs imaginary cases by associating random events with events in Bogart films. They had previously pitched the series, unsuccessfully, to DC before writing ''Outcasts''.<ref name=AG2 /> It was first published as a four-part miniseries by the Scottish independent [[Fat Man Press]] in 1989, intending to tie in with [[Glasgow]]'s position as [[European City of Culture]] in 1990, and further stories followed from other publishers.

Wagner and Grant were named as consulting editors on a new title, the ''[[Judge Dredd Megazine]]'', in 1990. Wagner did most of the development work, and wrote three of the five strips in the opening line-up, including "[[America (Judge Dredd story)|America]]", illustrated by [[Colin MacNeil]], which examined the totalitarian nature of the [[Judge (2000 AD)|Judge system]] through the story of a young woman who becomes a pro-democracy terrorist, and "Young Death: Boyhood of a Superfiend", with art by [[Peter Doherty (comics)|Peter Doherty]], which told the origin of Dredd's arch-enemy [[Judge Death]] in humorous style.<ref name=TPO />{{rp|pp.138–140}} While his efforts were concentrated on Dredd in the ''Megazine'', Wagner took a break from writing the character in ''2000 AD'', replaced by [[Garth Ennis]],<ref name=TPO />{{rp|p. 141}} [[Grant Morrison]],<ref name=TPO />{{rp|p. 162}} [[Mark Millar]] and others. He did not resume writing for ''2000 AD'' for more than three years.<ref name=TPO />{{rp|p. 167}}

Wagner was initially involved in ''[[Toxic!]]'', an independent weekly anthology launched in 1991, but, aside from two ''Bogie Man'' serials co-written with Grant, most of his proposed stories were rejected and he withdrew from the project.<ref name=TPO />{{rp|pp. 142–143}} One such proposal, "Al's Baby", a comedy about a male mob hitman who becomes pregnant, drawn by [[Carlos Ezquerra]], ran in the ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' in 1991.<ref name=TPO />{{rp|p. 194}} Another, "[[Button Man]]", a contemporary urban gladiator thriller drawn by [[Arthur Ranson]], was published in ''2000 AD'' in 1992.<ref name=TPO />{{rp|p. 154}} Both spawned sequels.

Wagner and Grant reunited in 1992 for ''[[Judgement on Gotham]]'', a hit graphic novel teaming up Judge Dredd and [[Batman]], co-published by Fleetway and DC and featuring painted art by [[Simon Bisley]].<ref name=TPO />{{rp|pp. 150–152}} Further team-ups between Dredd and Batman followed, but were beset by production delays.<ref name=Grant3>David Bishop, "Interrogation: Alan Grant" part 3, ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #268, pp. 16–22</ref>

In the mid-1990s Wagner worked on a number of licensed properties for [[Dark Horse Comics]] in the US, including ''[[Aliens (Dark Horse Comics publications)|Aliens]]'', ''[[Star Wars]]'' &ndash; notably solo stories starring [[Boba Fett]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darkhorse.com/news/interviews.php?id=643 |title=Interview with John Wagner and Cam Kennedy |access-date=2006-11-15 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712001024/http://www.darkhorse.com/news/interviews.php?id=643 |archive-date=12 July 2007 }}, Dark Horse Comics, 1997 (via Internet Archive)</ref> and the comics strand of the multimedia project ''[[Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire|Shadows of the Empire]]'' &ndash; and ''[[Xena: Warrior Princess (comics)|Xena: Warrior Princess]]''.<ref>[http://westfieldcomics.com/wow/low/low_int_033.html John Wagner interview], Westfield Comics, July 1999</ref> In 1997 he wrote his first original [[graphic novel]], ''[[A History of Violence (comics)|A History of Violence]]'', a contemporary thriller about an unassuming small-town man whose background in gang crime comes back to haunt him, drawn by [[Vince Locke]] for the [[Paradox Press]] imprint of [[DC Comics]].<ref name="vert-ency">{{Citation  | last = Irvine | first = Alex | author-link = Alexander C. Irvine | contribution = A History of Violence | editor-last = Dougall  | editor-first = Alastair  | title = The Vertigo Encyclopedia  | pages = 87 | publisher = [[Dorling Kindersley]]  | place = New York  | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-0-7566-4122-1 | oclc = 213309015}}</ref> It was nominated for the [[Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Scenario]] in 2006.

===21st century===
In 2000 Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra revived "[[Strontium Dog]]" (main character Johnny Alpha had been killed off in 1990 in a story written by Alan Grant),<ref name=TPO />{{rp|p. 135}} based on a treatment Wagner had written for an abortive TV pilot.<ref name=TPO />{{rp|p. 211}} Initially, stories were set before the character's death in a revised continuity, but 2010's "The Life and Death of Johnny Alpha" brought Johnny back from the dead.<ref>Tony Ingram, [http://www.brokenfrontier.com/lowdown/p/detail/mutant-mayhem-in-milton-keynes-the-life-and-death-of-johnny-alpha-strontium-dog/ Mutant Mayhem in Milton Keynes: The Life and Death of Johnny Alpha, Strontium Dog] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128022428/http://www.brokenfrontier.com/lowdown/p/detail/mutant-mayhem-in-milton-keynes-the-life-and-death-of-johnny-alpha-strontium-dog |date=28 January 2012 }}, Broken Frontier, 19 August 2011</ref>

Wagner has continued to be the main writer of "Judge Dredd" in ''2000 AD'' and the ''Judge Dredd Megazine''. In 2003 he co-wrote the Judge Dredd/[[Alien (franchise)|Aliens]] crossover, "[[Judge Dredd vs. Aliens|Incubus]]", with [[Andy Diggle]], which was co-published by Dark Horse Comics and ''2000 AD''.<ref name=TPO />{{RP|p. 230}} Since 2005 he has shared the character with other writers, including [[Gordon Rennie]], [[Robbie Morrison]], [[Si Spurrier]],<ref name=TPO />{{rp|p. 236}} [[Al Ewing]] and [[Michael Carroll (Irish writer)|Michael Carroll]]. Major storylines he has contributed include "[[Origins (Judge Dredd story)|Origins]]" (2006–2007), exploring how the [[Judge (2000 AD)|Judge system]] was established,<ref name=TPO />{{rp|pp. 239–240}} and "[[Day of Chaos]]" (2011–2012), in which many of the institutions of Dredd's world are destroyed, leaving a more dangerous city.<ref>{{YouTube|J-poxzZW1rQ|Interview With John Wagner at the Glasgow Con 2012 by Gordon Mclean for Talk Comix}}</ref>

In 2016 Wagner teamed up with [[Alan Grant (writer)|Grant]] to create a new comic for ''BHP Comics''. Drawn by Dan Cornwell, ''Rok of the Reds'' tells the story of a dangerous intergalactic outlaw, Rok of Arkady, who, while on the run, hides on the planet Earth by taking over the body and life of troubled football star Kyle Dixon.

A father of two, Wagner lives with his wife near [[Shrewsbury]], Shropshire.<ref>[http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2012/08/09/shropshire-restaurant-name-immortalised-in-dredd-3d/ Shropshire restaurant name immortalised in Dredd 3D], ''Shropshire Star'', 9 August 2012</ref><ref>Rick Fulton, [http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/movies/movie-news/judge-dredd-john-wagner--1308794 "Scots comic legend on the end of an era.. and dawn of a new Dredd"], ''Daily Record and Sunday Mail'', 7 September 2012</ref>

==Style and influence==
Pat Mills describes Wagner's writing as "romantic but not emotional".<ref name=mh />{{rp|p. 11}} His depictions of violent action, from "Darkie's Mob" to "Judge Dredd" to ''A History of Violence'', are unsentimental and laced with mordant humour. Other strips, like "Robo-Hunter", "Ace Trucking Co." and "The Balls Brothers", reveal a more overt comedy side to his writing.<ref name=QA /> He is well known for writing terse scripts, described by artist [[Dave Gibbons]] as being like "exciting telegrams".<ref>Thom Young, [http://comicsbulletin.com/watching-watchmen-dave-gibbons-interview/ Watching the Watchmen with Dave Gibbons: An Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806152737/http://comicsbulletin.com/watching-watchmen-dave-gibbons-interview/ |date=6 August 2017 }}, Comics Bulletin (undated)</ref> He says he does not  think visually, but rather "in terms of plot developments [and] dialogue", preferring to leave the visual decisions to the artist.<ref name=dcd>Laura Sneddon, [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=35243 Comic Studies: Dundee Comics Day], Comic Book Resources, 2 November 2011</ref>

Described by [[Warren Ellis]] as "probably the single most influential writer in British comics",<ref>Warren Ellis, [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=13248 Come In Alone issue #14], Comic Book Resources, 3 March 2000</ref> Wagner is named as an influence by writers such as [[Alan Grant (writer)|Alan Grant]], who says he "taught me almost all I know about comic writing",<ref>[http://www.itchy-coo.com/authors.html Oor Authors], ItchyCoo</ref> [[Garth Ennis]],<ref>[http://www.nerdistnews.com/region/national/comic-book-day-getting-closure-with-garth-ennis-full-interview Comic Book Day: Getting Closure with Garth Ennis] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020234542/http://www.nerdistnews.com/region/national/comic-book-day-getting-closure-with-garth-ennis-full-interview |date=20 October 2012 }}, Nerdist News, 29 February 2012</ref> [[Andy Diggle]]<ref>[http://www.mypdfscripts.com/cut-to-andy-diggle-comic-book-writer/ Cut to: Andy Diggle (Comic Book Writer)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908074153/http://www.mypdfscripts.com/cut-to-andy-diggle-comic-book-writer/ |date= 8 September 2012 }}, My PDF Scripts, 2012</ref> and [[Rob Williams (comics)|Rob Williams]].<ref>[http://multiversitycomics.com/interviews/multiversity-comics-presents-rob-williams/ Multiversity Comics Presents: Rob Williams] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102050452/http://multiversitycomics.com/interviews/multiversity-comics-presents-rob-williams/ |date= 2 November 2013 }}, 19 September 2011</ref> [[Alan Moore]] was inspired by the work of Wagner and Pat Mills in ''2000 AD'' to try and express his ideas in mainstream comics.<ref>Gary Spencer Millidge, ''Alan Moore: Storyteller'', Ilex, 2011, p. 58</ref> Wagner's own influences include the comics of [[D. C. Thomson & Co.]] of the '60s and '70s.<ref name=dcd /> Outside of comics, authors he admires include [[John Steinbeck]], [[Patrick O'Brian]]<ref>Luis Leña Velasco, [http://www.club-batman.es.tl/JOHN-WAGNER.htm John Wagner] (interview in English and Spanish), Club Batman, April 2008</ref> and [[Michael Connelly]].<ref>[http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/set-your-lawgivers-to-hi-ex-kids-we-speak-with-john-wagner/ Set your lawgivers to hi-ex, kids – we speak with John Wagner] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722083830/http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2006/set-your-lawgivers-to-hi-ex-kids-we-speak-with-john-wagner/ |date=22 July 2012 }}, Forbidden Planet International, 29 September 2009</ref>

== Awards ==
=== Awards won ===
* 1979 [[Eagle Award (comics)|Eagle Award]] for Favourite Comicbook Writer — U.K. (as T.B. Grover)<ref>The source for this and the other 1979 awards is [https://web.archive.org/web/20120404025035/http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/category/previous-winners/1979/ Previous Winners: 1979], at the official Eagle Awards website, archived at the [[Wayback Machine]]. (Retrieved 9 September 2018.)</ref>
* 1980 Eagle Award for Favourite Comicbook Writer — U.K. (as John Howard)
* 1981 Eagle Award for Favourite Comicbook Writer — U.K. (as T.B. Grover)
* 1992<ref>This and all other 1992 awards listed in "Newswatch: UK Awards Named," ''The Comics Journal'' #149 (March 1992), p. 22.</ref> [[UK Comic Art Award]] for Best Writer
* 1992 [[UK Comic Art Award]] for Best Original Graphic Novel (''Judgment on Gotham'')
* 1992 UK Comic Art Award for Best Graphic Novel Collection (''Judge Dredd in America'') 
* 1992 Career Achievement Award (UK Comic Art Awards)
* 1994 UK Comic Art Award for Best Original Graphic Novel (''Vendetta in Gotham'')<ref>MT. "Newswatch: 5th UK Comic Art Awards," ''The Comics Journal'' #168 (May 1994), p. 44.</ref>
* 1999 [[National Comics Award]] for Best Writer
* 2001 National Comics Award for Best Writer in Comics Today (for ''[[Button Man]]'' and [[Judge Dredd]]; both in ''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]]'')
* 2002 National Comics Award for Lifetime Achievement
* 2003 National Comics Award Roll of Honour

=== Nominations ===
* 1978 Eagle Award for Favourite British writer
* 1984 Eagle Award for Favourite Comicbook Writer — U.K.
* 1985 Eagle Award for Favourite Comicbook Writer — U.K.
* 2002 National Comics Award for Best Writer in Comics Today
* 2002 National Comics Award for Best Writer Ever
* 2002 National Comics Award Roll of Honour
* 2010 Eagle Award for Favourite Writer
* 2011 Eagle Award for Favourite Writer

==Bibliography==
{{main|John Wagner bibliography}}

See also [[:Category:Comics by John Wagner|Category:Comics by John Wagner]]

==Screen adaptations==
A TV film of ''[[The Bogie Man (comic book)|The Bogie Man]]'' was made in 1992 by [[BBC|BBC Scotland]] starring [[Robbie Coltrane]], but was not well received and a series was never made. Wagner and Grant made very little money out of it. Wagner felt that the screenwriter did a poor job adapting it, and Coltrane did not understand the character.<ref name=Logan />

1995 saw the release of ''[[Judge Dredd (film)|Judge Dredd]]'', a big budget version of the comic directed by [[Danny Cannon]] and starring [[Sylvester Stallone]]. Wagner was unhappy with the result, feeling they had filmed "the wrong script" and that "Stallone was badly advised".<ref name=Logan /> A second attempt at adapting the character to the screen, entitled ''[[Dredd]]'', was released in September 2012, directed by [[Pete Travis]] from a script by [[Alex Garland]], and starring [[Karl Urban]]. This time Wagner was consulted over the script, was involved in the promotion of the film,<ref>Owen Williams, [https://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1530 Exclusive: John Wagner And Alex Garland Talk Dredd], ''Empire'', 2012</ref> and has described it as "unlike the first film, a true representation of Judge Dredd".<ref name=cbr>Karl Keily, [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=40172 "John Wagner discusses 35 years of Judge Dredd"], Comic Book Resources, 31 July 2012</ref>

In 2005 his graphic novel ''[[A History of Violence (comics)|A History of Violence]]'' was [[A History of Violence|adapted into a film]], directed by [[David Cronenberg]] and starring [[Viggo Mortensen]] and [[Ed Harris]]. Wagner had backed the film once he saw the group of actors Cronenberg had gathered. The film was nominated for the [[Palme D'Or]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] in May 2005, and the script, by [[Josh Olson]], was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)|Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay]] in 2005.

It was reported in May 2012 that Danish director [[Nicolas Winding Refn]] was in talks with [[DreamWorks Pictures|DreamWorks]] about a possible ''[[Button Man]]'' film.<ref>Mike Fleming, [https://deadline.com/2012/05/nicolas-winding-refn-in-dreamworks-talks-for-button-man-the-killing-game-280158/ Nicolas Winding Refn In DreamWorks Talks For 'Button Man: The Killing Game'], Deadline New York, 31 May 2012</ref>

The 2023 Tamil movie, LEO, an official remake of the novel “A History of Violence” has put a thank you card at the beginning of the movie. There are rumours that the author Mr. Wagner nor the producer of the initial adaptation are not aware of this remake. The movie is a smash hit and crossed 50 million dollars worldwide in 7 days.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.johnwagner.co.uk John Wagner's official website] 
*[http://fanboy.frothersunite.com/DarkiesMob_wagner.html 2002 interview with John Wagner re Darkies Mob] at [http://fanboy.frothersunite.com/battle.html Battle Action fansite]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051203151527/http://comicsnexus.insidepulse.com/articles/39887 August 2005 interview with The Nexus]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120824085719/http://www.2000adreview.co.uk/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=556%3Ajohn-wagner-on-dredd&catid=38%3Ainterviews&Itemid=72 John Wagner on Dredd], 2000AD Review, 19 January 2010

===Online reference===
*{{gcdb|type=writer|search=John+Wagner}}
*{{comicbookdb|type=creator|id=759}}
*[http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=droid&page=profiles&choice=johnw John Wagner] at 2000 AD online
*{{IMDb name|id=0905957}}
*[http://lambiek.net/artists/w/wagner_john.htm John Wagner] at [http://www.lambiek.net Lambiek.net]

{{Buster}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, John}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Scottish comics writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Writers from Greenock]]
[[Category:Inkpot Award winners]]