Chuck Wendig Explained

Chuck Wendig
Birth Name:Charles David Wendig
Birth Date:22 April 1976
Birth Place:New Hope, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Language:English
Alma Mater:Queens University of Charlotte

Charles David Wendig (born April 22, 1976) is an American author, comic book writer, screenwriter, and blogger. He is best known for his online blog, Terribleminds, and for his 2015 Star Wars novel trilogy Aftermath.

Early life

Wendig grew up in New Hope, Pennsylvania. He studied English and religion at Queens University of Charlotte and graduated in 1998. After working various odd jobs and publishing early works under the name C.D. Wendig and C. David Wendig, he became a full-time freelance author writing under the name Chuck Wendig.[1]

Career

Game writing

Before writing fiction professionally, Wendig worked as a writer and developer for roleplaying games, contributing to many White Wolf projects from 2002 to 2011, including (2008).

Wendig is part of the advisory board of Storium, an online storytelling game by Protagonist Labs that launched a successful Kickstarter campaign and raised over $250,000.[2] [3]

Screenwriting

Wendig co-wrote the Emmy-nominated interactive transmedia project Collapsus with Lance Weiler.

Along with writing partner Weiler, Wendig was selected for the 2010 Sundance Screenwriter's Lab for their feature film HiM.[4] HiM is being produced by Ted Hope, Christine Vachon, and Anne Carey.[5] His short film, Pandemic 41.410806, −75.654259, co-written and directed by Weiler, was selected for the 2011 Sundance Short Film Program.[6] At one point, Wendig and Weiler were also developing a television pilot for TNT with Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, but the network decided to pass.[7]

He also contributed to David Cronenberg's transmedia production Body/Mind/Change, in which Weiler served as Creative Director.[8]

Early novels

Wendig's first short story collection, Irregular Creatures, was published in January 2011.[9]

In November 2011 followed Wendig's debut novel, Double Dead, published by Abaddon Books as part of its shared-world series Tomes of the Dead.[10] Bad Blood, a sequel novella, was published in May 2012.[11] The books were later collected as The Complete Double Dead, released in February 2016.[12]

Wendig participated in the Evil Hat Productions Kickstarter, which raised money for a trilogy of novels penned by Wendig based on the Spirit of the Century RPG.[13] [14] After a successful campaign, he went on to release Dinocalypse Now in 2012 and Beyond Dinocalypse in 2013. Though slated to write the third (and final) volume of the Dinocalypse trilogy, Dinocalypse Forever, Wendig was unable finish the novel due to other commitments and was replaced by novelist Carrie Harris.[15]

For Abaddon, Wendig also penned Unclean Spirits, out in May 2013, the first installment of the Gods and Monsters series.[16]

Miriam Black and Mookie Pearl

The first novel in Wendig's Miriam Black series, Blackbirds, features a girl who can see the death of anyone she touches. It was published in April 2012 by Angry Robot Books.[17] It was followed by a sequel, Mockingbird, in August 2012. Also from Angry Robot, Wendig released The Blue Blazes in May 2013, the first novel in a new urban fantasy series following Mookie Pearl.[18] The third book in the Miriam Black series, The Cormorant, was published in December 2013.

The Miriam Black books were optioned as a television series by Starz in 2014, to be developed by John Shiban, writer and producer of Breaking Bad and The X-Files, with a writers' room already set up.[19] [20] Wendig announced on his blog in November 2015 that Starz was no longer developing the adaptation.[21]

In October 2014, Saga Press bought six books in Wendig's Miriam Black series, including the first three novels, previously published by Angry Robot Books.[22] The first three books, Blackbirds, Mockingbird and The Cormorant were re-published with new covers in 2015. Thunderbird, book four, followed in 2017, with The Raptor & The Wren and Vultures, books five and six, published in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

In October 2015, Wendig re-released The Blue Blazes, as well as self-publishing a sequel, The Hellsblood Bride, after contract disputes with previous publisher Angry Robot.[23] [24] He has stated that a third book, possibly titled A Sky Born Black or The Skyborn Bane, might someday be published, should the first two books do well or be picked up by a publisher. However, Wendig said the first two books stand alone and a third book is not necessary to conclude the story.

Atlanta Burns and The Heartland trilogy

Shotgun Gravy, a young adult novella following Atlanta Burns, described as "Veronica Mars on Adderall," was self-published by Wendig in 2011.[25] Wendig ran a successful Kickstarter campaign during February 2012 to publish Bait Dog, a follow-up novel to Shotgun Gravy, raising $6,800, more than twice the goal.[26] Bait Dog was self-published in 2012, and was later acquired along with Shotgun Gravy by Amazon Skyscape, and republished as Atlanta Burns in January 2015.[27] The second book in the Atlanta Burns series, The Hunt, was published in February 2016.[28]

In July 2013, Skyscape launched Wendig's new young adult dystopian "cornpunk" trilogy, starting with Under the Empyrean Sky.[29] It was followed by a sequel in July 2014, called Blightborn.[30] The Heartland trilogy concluded in July 2015 with The Harvest.[31]

Star Wars

It was announced in March 2015 that Wendig would write the flagship Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens novel, titled , to be published in September 2015. The book was the first in a trilogy of new canonical Star Wars novels published by Del Rey, bridging the gap between Return of the Jedi and the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens.[32] It was followed by (2016) and (2017).[33] [34] Wendig's involvement with the books came after asking to write a Star Wars licensed novel on Twitter on September 4, 2014. He was approached by LucasBooks at New York Comic Con later that year, after seeing his tweet and reading his novel Under the Empyrean Sky.[35] [36] Aftermath was published exactly a year later, on September 4, 2015, and debuted at No. 4 on both The New York Times Best Seller list and the USA Today best seller list. Aftermath was subject to controversy for its inclusion of a gay man as a lead character.[37] [38] [39] The character of marshal Cobb Vanth, first introduced in Aftermath, would subsequently appear in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.[40]

During the 2018 New York Comic Convention in early October 2018, Wendig announced that he would be writing a five-issue story arc with Marvel Comics entitled Shadow of Vader, which was set to begin in November 2018. The series would have explored the legacy of Darth Vader on the galaxy.[41] Wendig was also slated to write an unannounced Star Wars book. On October 12, it was reported that Marvel had fired Wendig for unknown reasons. It was presumed the firing was the result of Wendig's social media posts.[42] [43] [44] [45] His firing resulted in the Shadow of Vader story arc being pulled from Marvel Comics' schedule.[46]

Zer0es

August 2015 saw the publication of Zer0es, a cyber-thriller from HarperVoyager.[47] Invasive, a novel set in the same world as Zer0es that takes place after the events of the book, was published in 2016.[48]

Comics

In 2015, Archie Comics announced a new comic series written by Wendig and Adam Christopher, featuring a new version of their superhero The Shield.[49] [50]

Wendig was chosen in October 2015 as the writer of new Marvel ongoing comic book series Hyperion, based on the version of the character that appeared in Jonathan Hickman's run on Avengers, alongside artist Nik Virella.[51] [52]

During the ComicsPRO 2016 annual meeting, Marvel Comics announced a five-issue comic book adaptation of , written by Wendig and illustrated by Luke Ross, launching in June 2016.[53]

Personal life

As of 2021, Chuck Wendig lives in Pennsylvania with his family and writes for his blog terribleminds.com.[54]

Bibliography

Middle grade fiction

Young adult fiction

Atlanta Burns series

Atlanta Burns was previously self-published in two volumes, the novella Shotgun Gravy (2011), and the follow-up novel Bait Dog (2012).

The Heartland trilogy

A short story titled "The Wind Has Teeth Tonight" was released in 2014 and takes place between the first and second book.

Fiction

Miriam Black series

A bridging novelette titled "Interlude: Swallow" was released in 2015 in the anthology Three Slices, featuring work by Wendig, Delilah S. Dawson, and Kevin Hearne. It takes place between the third and fourth book.[55]

Mookie Pearl series

Zer0es series

Wanderers series

Standalone Novels

Tie-in fiction

Dinocalypse trilogy

Gods and Monsters series

Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy

The Aftermath trilogy explores the events between the films Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, introducing the characters of Gallius Rax and marshal Cobb Vanth, the latter of whom would subsequently appear in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.[56]

Tomes of the Dead series

Collected as The Complete Double Dead in February 2016 by Abaddon Books.

Short fiction

Collections

As editor

Comics

Dark Circle Comics/Archie Comics

Dynamite Entertainment

Marvel Comics

VS Comics

Non-fiction

Filmography

YearTitleCreditNotes
2010CollapsusWritten byShort, co-written with Lance Weiler
2011Pandemic 41.410806, −75.654259Short, co-written with Lance Weiler, Official Selection 2011 Sundance Film Festival
2013Small Small ThingAdditional narration written byDocumentary, co-written with Jessica Vale

Reception

Aftermath debuted at No. 4 on The New York Times Best Seller list,[59] and No. 4 on USA Today best seller list.[60] [61]

Wendig was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2013.

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2011International Digital Emmy AwardsBest Digital Fiction ProjectCollapsusNominated[62]
2012Goodreads Choice AwardsBest HorrorBlackbirds[63]
2013John W. Campbell AwardBest New Writer–
2015Goodreads Choice AwardsBest Science FictionStar Wars: Aftermath[64]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wendig. Chuck. Chuck Wendig: Evolution or Ruination. Locus Online. Locus. February 17, 2016.
  2. Web site: Storium. storium.com. February 21, 2016.
  3. Web site: Storium — The Online Storytelling Game. Kickstarter. February 21, 2016. en-US.
  4. Web site: Holy Crap! Press Release!. terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig. March 2, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302231423/http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2009/12/14/holy-crap-press-release/. dead.
  5. Web site: Lance Weiler – About. www.lanceweiler.com. February 21, 2016. Lance. Weiler.
  6. Web site: 2011 Sundance Film Festival Announces Short Film Program. www.sundance.org. February 21, 2016.
  7. Web site: 2011 In The Rearview, 2012 In The Mirror Of My Shades. terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig.
  8. Web site: Credits. February 21, 2016. Body Mind Change. March 15, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160315051125/http://www.bodymindchange.ca/assets/includes/credits.php. dead.
  9. Web site: Irregular Creatures. terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig.
  10. Web site: Double Dead. www.abaddonbooks.com. February 21, 2016.
  11. Web site: Abaddon Books: Revealing the astonishing sequel to Chuck Wendig's Double Dead!. abaddonbooks.blogspot.mx. February 21, 2016.
  12. Web site: Tomes of the Dead: The Complete Double Dead. www.abaddonbooks.com. February 21, 2016.
  13. Web site: Dinocalypse Now. Evil Hat Productions. February 21, 2016. en-US.
  14. Web site: Spirit of the Century Presents: The Dinocalypse Trilogy. Kickstarter. February 21, 2016. en-US.
  15. Web site: Update 34: Dinocalypse Update: Progress Report and Author Juggling · Spirit of the Century Presents: The Dinocalypse Trilogy. Kickstarter. February 21, 2016. en-US.
  16. Web site: Gods and Monsters: Unclean Spirits. www.abaddonbooks.com. February 21, 2016.
  17. Web site: Fiction Book Review: Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig. PublishersWeekly.com. February 21, 2016.
  18. Web site: A Rumbling Groan Down Below: The Blue Blazes by Chuck Wendig. Tor.com. February 21, 2016.
  19. Web site: Starz Renews David S. Goyer's 'Da Vinci's Demons' For Season 3 With John Shiban As Showrunner, Sets 'Blackbirds' From Shiban. Deadline. February 21, 2016. en-US. Nellie. Andreeva.
  20. Web site: 'Da Vinci's Demons' Renewed for Third Season With New Showrunner. The Hollywood Reporter. February 21, 2016.
  21. Web site: In Which Miriam Black Delivers Some Bad News. terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig.
  22. Web site: Book Deals: Week of October 20, 2014. PublishersWeekly.com. February 21, 2016.
  23. Web site: Hellsblood Bride (And Other Updates). terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig.
  24. Web site: The Blue Blazes and The Hellsblood Bride Are Now Available. terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig.
  25. Web site: Shotgun Gravy (AB#1). terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig.
  26. Web site: The Bait Dog Kickstarter Is A-Go. terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig.
  27. Web site: New Release: Atlanta Burns. terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig.
  28. Web site: Out Now – Atlanta Burns: The Hunt. terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig.
  29. Web site: Under the Empyrean Sky (Heartland #1). terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig. March 2, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302185736/http://terribleminds.com/ramble/portfolio/under-the-empyrean-sky-heartland-1/. dead.
  30. Web site: Blightborn (Heartland #2). terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig. February 13, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160213180421/http://terribleminds.com/ramble/portfolio/blightborn-heartland-2/. dead.
  31. Web site: The Harvest (Heartland #3). terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig. February 15, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160215013630/http://terribleminds.com/ramble/portfolio/the-harvest-heartland-3/. dead.
  32. Web site: What Happened After Endor? Find Out in Star Wars: Aftermath StarWars.com. StarWars.com. February 21, 2016. en-US.
  33. Web site: Chuck Wendig's Star Wars book Aftermath gets the trilogy treatment. Entertainment Weekly. February 21, 2016. March 6, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160306233407/http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/10/chuck-wendigs-star-wars-book-aftermath-gets-trilogy-treatment. dead.
  34. Web site: NYCC 2015: Star Wars Aftermath: Life Debt, Empire's End Revealed. IGN. February 21, 2016. Alex. Osborn.
  35. Web site: Chuck Wendig on Twitter. Twitter. February 21, 2016.
  36. Web site: Imperial sexuality, murder droids, and fan rage: 'Star Wars Aftermath' with Chuck Wendig. HitFix. February 21, 2016.
  37. Web site: 'Star Wars: Aftermath' introduces a new gay hero to the galaxy. Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. February 21, 2016.
  38. Web site: 'Stop being the Empire,' Star Wars author tells homophobic readers. Polygon. September 8, 2015. February 21, 2016. en-US. Susana. Polo.
  39. Web site: Star Wars: Aftermath Author Offers Scathing Response to Criticism of Gay Characters. The Escapist. February 21, 2016. March 3, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303053300/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/142336-Star-Wars-Aftermath-Author-Fires-Back-Against-Complaints-of-Gay-Characters. dead.
  40. Web site: Williams . Mike . 2022-04-15 . Why Cobb Vanth Creator Chuck Wendig Was Bummed About The Character's Book Of Boba Fett Appearance . 2024-07-08 . SlashFilm . en-US.
  41. Web site: NYCC 2018: ALPHABET SQUADRON REVEALED AND MORE FROM THE LUCASFILM PUBLISHING PANEL . Star Wars.com . . October 13, 2018.
  42. &ChuckWendig . 1050822080130895878 . October 12, 2018 . So, here's a thing that has happened – I just got fired from Marvel. Taken off issues 4 and 5 of SHADOW OF VADER, and taken off an as-yet-unannounced SW book. This might be a long thread, so apologies in advance. .
  43. McMillan . Graeme . 'Star Wars' Comic Writer Says Marvel Fired Him for Social Media Behavior . October 13, 2018 . . October 12, 2018.
  44. Web site: Whitbrook . James . Star Wars Writer Chuck Wendig Claims Marvel Fired Him for 'Vulgarity' and 'Too Much Politics' On His Social Media . . October 13, 2018.
  45. Web site: Riesman . Abraham . Why Did Marvel Fire Comics Writer Chuck Wendig? . Vulture . . October 13, 2018.
  46. News: Chuck Wendig's 'Shadow of Vader' Star Wars Series Has Been Pulled From Marvel's Schedule. ComicBook.com. 2018-10-17. en.
  47. Web site: Fiction Book Review: Zer0es by Chuck Wendig. PublishersWeekly.com. February 21, 2016.
  48. Web site: Invasive: Cover Reveal!. terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig.
  49. Web site: Dark Circle Comics Editor Alex Segura Unveils THE SHIELD Artist, New Artwork.
  50. Web site: Adam Christopher and Chuck Wendig on Dark Circle's The Shield, Coming September 16. Burlingame. Russ. Comicbook.com.
  51. Web site: Marvel Announces New "Punisher" Series, "International Iron Man" and More. Comic Book Resources. February 21, 2016. February 24, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160224060652/http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/marvel-announces-new-punisher-series-international-iron-man-and-more. dead.
  52. Web site: MARVEL's HYPERION Gets Ongoing With STAR WARS Author. Newsarama.com. February 21, 2016.
  53. Web site: EXCLUSIVE: Marvel Announces "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Adaptation. Comic Book Resources. February 21, 2016. February 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160220094838/http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/exclusive-marvel-publish-star-wars-force-awakens-comic-adaptation. dead.
  54. Web site: Amazon Author Bio . Amazon.com . July 30, 2021.
  55. Web site: Miriam Black Knows How You're Going To Die. terribleminds: chuck wendig. February 21, 2016. chuck. wendig.
  56. Web site: How Chuck Wendig's Star Wars: Aftermath novel sets the stage for The Force Awakens . . Anthony . Breznican . September 4, 2015 . February 17, 2016.
  57. Web site: Dark Circle Comics Editor Alex Segura Unveils THE SHIELD Artist, New Artwork – Archie Comics. archiecomics.com. February 21, 2016.
  58. Web site: Adam Christopher and Chuck Wendig on Dark Circle's The Shield, Coming September 16. Comicbook.com. February 21, 2016.
  59. Web site: Best Sellers: Hardcover Fiction . . September 20, 2015 . February 17, 2016.
  60. Web site: Aftermath: Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens . . September 2015 . February 17, 2016.
  61. Web site: Aftermath Debuts At #4 On NY Times & USA Today Bestseller Lists – The Star Wars Underworld.
  62. Web site: Collapsus: The Energy Risk Conspiracy The Creators Project. The Creators Project. February 21, 2016.
  63. Web site: Best Horror 2012 — Goodreads Choice Awards. Goodreads. February 21, 2016.
  64. Web site: Best Science Fiction 2015 — Goodreads Choice Awards. Goodreads. February 21, 2016.

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