Comic books have a far-reaching appeal that draws in fans of all kinds, which even includes some celebrities. Actors, comedians, and musicians are all storytellers in their own way, and comics are just another avenue for both fans and celebrities to join in on the fun.
This has led to a number of celebrities who have moved to the comics medium to tell their own stories or play with some popular characters from comic publishers like Marvel, DC Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse, BOOM! Studios, and more. Some of the best comic stories were written by celebrity actors, musicians, and comedians.
10 Mark Hamill Introduced A "Superhero" Created By The Media In The Black Pearl
Star Wars first introduced fans to star Mark Hamill, who is no stranger to the comics world as he has provided the voice for animated adaptations of many characters over the years, including his unforgettable work as The Joker from Batman: The Animated Series. Originally hoping to direct his own screenplay that was co-written with Eric Johnson, he instead released his own comic.
The Black Pearl was released in 1996 with art by H.M Baker and followed the story of Luther Drake, a creepy stalker with a dark obsession for his neighbor. While this doesn't seem like the typical superhero origin, Luther saves his obsession from a mafia hit. This turns into a media frenzy that builds the mystery of The Black Pearl as he embarks on a one-man mission against the mafia.
9 Dan Fogler Created The Moon Lake Sci-Fi Horror Anthology Series For Archaia
Fans of movies like Fanboys and Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them already love actor Dan Fogler, but comic fans might also have a fondness for the writer after the release of his sci-fi/horror anthology comic series, Moon Lake.
Fogler teamed with a number of artists to follow the tales of the Man on the Moon, an abducted storyteller who uses his horror tales to stall an alien invasion of Earth. The series began at Archaia with follow-up stories appearing in Heavy Metal, which will be helping to adapt the anthology for an upcoming animated series.
8 Anthony Bourdain And Joel Rose's Get Jiro! Explored A Futuristic Culinary War
The late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain may be best known as a New York Times bestselling author who also took viewers around the world to sample international cuisine – although comic fans are likely to know him as the creator of Vertigo's Get Jiro!
Co-written with Joel Rose and featuring art by Langdon Foss, Get Jiro! explored a futuristic society where chefs reigned supreme in their towns as society fought and bled for a chance to eat at their restaurant. The series followed a new sushi chef whose arrival sparked off a culinary war of epic proportions that is not to be missed by comic fans.
7 Patton Oswalt Has Written A Number Of Comics Over The Years
Comedian, actor, and star of adaptations like Blade: Trinity, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and M.O.D.O.K., Patton Oswalt has a long career in comics as he has contributed a number of stories to Marvel, DC Comics, and other publishers over the years.
Owalt's written one-shots like JLA: Welcome to the Working Week and been featured in anthologies like Bizarro World for DC while also tackling Marvel stories like M.O.D.O.K. Head Games. Oswalt has also written celebrated one-shots like The Goon: Noir and he wrote an emotional story about fan-favorite Firefly character Wash in Dark Horse's Serenity: Float Out.
6 Rosario Dawson Created And Stars In Image Comics' OCT: Occult Crimes Taskforce
Another actor who has appeared in a few comic projects over the years like Netflix's Daredevil and Luke Cage live-action series is Rosario Dawson. She also brought a new force to the comics with OCT: Occult Crimes Task Force.
Co-written by David Atchison with art from Tony Shasteen, Dawson's likeness starred in the comic as Sophia Ortiz, lead investigator of a covert New York City crew of detectives who work in the mystical "Otherground" to serve and protect the city from mystical threats in the horror series from Image/12 Gauge Comics that was almost a live-action TV series.
5 Actor/Comedian Paul Scheer And Nick Giovannetti Teamed Up For The Hilarious Aliens Vs. Parker
Fans of TV series like The League or NTSF:SD:SUV:: are already aware of comedian Paul Scheer's particular brand of humor, which carried over to the hit podcast How Did This Get Made? and Showtime's Black Monday. Scheer has also written a number of Marvel stories in series like Guardians Team-Up and Spider-Man/Deadpool.
However, it's his work with BOOM! Studios' Aliens Vs. Parker alongside co-writer Nick Giovannetti and artist Manuel Bracchi that really allowed him to explore his love for sci-fi and comedy as a relatable intergalactic delivery team is forced to survive a job on the universe's most dangerous planet.
4 Brian Posehn Teamed Up With Gerry Duggan For A Celebrated Run On Deadpool
The Marvel NOW! rebranding introduced a few new exciting creative teams in 2012, though fans were ecstatic over the teaming of Gerry Duggan actor/comedian Brian Posehn, who's instantly recognizable from his many appearances in film and TV.
The team worked with The Walking Dead's Tony Moore for an unforgettable run on Deadpool that featured some of the craziest moments in the character's long history of crazy moments. The series instantly won fans over and lasted for over fifty issues to become a celebrated run for the Merc-with-a-Mouth.
3 Thomas Jane And Steve Niles Explored A Horrifying Alien Invasion In Bad Planet
Star of 2004's The Punisher (and the unofficial, but awesome Dirty Laundry short) Thomas Jane is no stranger to comic book fans, though he furthered his cred with a horrifying sci-fi series called Bad Planet that he wrote alongside 3o Days of Night's Steve Niles and artist Lewis LaRosa for Image Comics/Raw Studios.
Bad Planet featured a terrifying alien invasion on Earth of deadly space spider creatures that launched their attack after an asteroid released them on humanity. The series followed a lone alien warrior who arrived on the planet in order to help Earth fight off the creepy crawlies. While the series has yet to release its final issues, it's still worth checking out for horror and sci-fi fans.
2 Kevin Smith Moved From View Askewniverse Comics To Celebrated Marvel And DC Projects
Writer/director Kevin Smith is best known for his View Askewniverse movies that include fan-favorite hits like Clerks and Mallrats, which helped launch him into comics for continuing adventures of his characters Jay and Silent Bob in a number of Oni Press series.
Smith made a big splash in the Marvel universe with the Marvel Knights launch of Daredevil in the "Guardian Devil" storyline that is fondly remembered by fans. He moved to DC for an equally memorable run on Green Arrow called "Quiver" that was followed by hit mini-series for both publishers like Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do, Batman: Cacophony, and more.
1 Gerard Way Created The Umbrella Academy Series
Actors and comedians aren't the only celebrities who have launched new careers in comics, as musician Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance has released a number of comic series over the years. His biggest success is arguably Dark Horse's The Umbrella Academy series with artist Gabriel Bá, which was adapted into a hit live-action Netflix series.
Way also worked with Marvel to co-create the Peni Parker and Sp//dr characters for Edge of Spider-Verse before launching his own DC Comics imprint "Young Animal" that featured series like Mother Panic, Doom Patrol, Shade the Changing Girl, and Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye which crossed over with DC heroes during the Milk Wars event.