Mark Russell is relatively new to the comic book writing scene, yet has already significantly impacted the industry. Since his debut in 2015 with DC Comics, Russell has built a reputation for himself as a go-to writer through his work at various publishers and with his creator-owned properties.
As a writer, Russell is a comedic genius with his own creations and can take existing properties and reconceptualize them for a more mature and sophisticated readership. Over the years, he has shown that comics are not only an escape from the real world but can be used to address current socially relevant issues.
10 Prez
In 2015 as the build-up to the 2016 Presidental election began, DC Comics tapped Russell to reimagine Joe Simon and artist Jerry Grandenetti's 1970s character Prez Rickard, the first teenager to serve as President of the United States. In the original 70s series, the Constitution was changed, which allowed Rickard to be elected to the nation's highest political office. The recent series, starring Twitter sensation Beth "Corndog Girl" Ross, is elected President in the Year 2036 and thrust into the political world where corporations hold political office, and the poor are used as human advertisements.
This reboot of the character was funny, pointed, and full of satire exposing everything wrong with the current state of American politics. Initially slated for a 12-issue series, it was reduced to six issues, leaving many more stories to be told with this character.
9 God Is Disappointed In You / Apocrypha Now
The original graphic novels God Is Disappointed (2013) in You and Apocrypha Now by Russell and Shannon Wheeler's (Too Much Coffee Man), faithful yet-irreverent approaches to these religious texts. Pairing Russell's irreverent prose interpretations of the sacred texts with Wheeler's humourous single-panel cartoons provides readers with a comedic yet compelling narrative. These seemingly irreverent retelling of Bible stories cut straight to the heart and bone, translating these books into terms that allow modern readers not only to understand but enjoy.
8 Wonder Twins
The Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, first appeared in the 1970s Hanna-Barbera cartoon The All-New Super Friends Hour, quickly becoming a punchline for C-level comic book sidekicks. The extraterrestrial siblings have what could be labeled as the silliest set of powers. Zan can take any form of water, and his sister, Janya, can transform herself into any animal. When the series ended, the duo was banished to comic book limbo, only to make sporadic appearances and references.
In 2019, Russell was tapped to write a six-issue Wonder Twins mini for DC's Wonder Comics banner. The series was met with rave reviews and lengthed to a 12-issue maxiseries. Using these two characters, Russell brought his unique storytelling style mixed with social commentary, leaving readers wanting more from the characters and proving that comics can be both funny and serious.
7 Edgar Allen Poe's Snifter Of Terror - The Monsters Serials
In 2019, Ahoy Comics debuted a new horror-anthology entitled Edgar Allen Poe's Snifter Of Terror. In the first issue of the series, Russell penned the story "Dark Chocolate," a tale that starred parodies of the well-known breakfast cereal mascots such as Count Chocula, the Lucky Charms leprechaun, Lucky, and many more. Since that first installment, the cereal monster stories have become a hallmark of the anthology series, telling the tales of such characters as Franken Cherrie (Frankenberry), Leprechaun King (Lucky), Captain Crackle (Captain Crunch), and Beau Berrie. These stories are sugary, spooky, and hauntingly delicious.
6 Year Of The Villain One-shots - The Riddler, Sinestro, and Harley Quinn
Company-wide events and crossovers are one of the things driving the comic industry these days; usually, the one-shot issues that tie-in to the overall stories can be hit and miss—however, not Russell's contributions to DC's recent Year of the Villain event. As part of this DC Comics event, Russell contributed one-shots featuring Sinestro, Harley Quinn, and The Riddler.
Russell took these installments, which could have been an opportunity to tell a simple story, but instead turned each of these into a high-concept story that works on multiple levels. Not only were his three contributions high-concept, but he also took different angles on the event.
5 Green Lantern / Huckleberry Hound
Combining two completely different comic properties can be difficult, and fitting said story into a complicated continuity could be nearly implausible. However, in the 2018 Green Lantern / Huckleberry Hound one-shot, Russell pulled off both components flawlessly while telling the story in his signature manner. Set during the Vietnam War era, John Stewert is completing his Green Lantern training and must decide if and how he will use his newly acquired abilities to help solve the political issues, the Civil Rights Movement, and Vietnam War the country was facing at that time. While in a bar, Stewert meets Huckleberry Hound, a washed-out celebrity, as the two work together to confront these issues in their small Mississippi hometown.
4 Billionaire Island
Billionaire Island, a timely satire about the ultra-rich, is about a place the rich go, and anything is possible as long as one can afford it. This six-issue miniseries published by Ahoy Comics is a satirical yet scathing look at the real-world issue of the unequal distribution of wealth. Centering on an island designed solely for the ultra-rich to indulge in their hedonistic urges, the main story follows a reporter who, after threatening to expose its existence, is taken prisoner and must escape.
The series is a very on-the-nose critique of the current world economic situation and a self-contained story with a definite ending. However, there is always the possibility that Russell and Ahoy Comics could return to the series for another season with little difficulty.
3 The Flintstones
Following his work on Prez, Russell was tapped to write the Hanna-Barbera property, The Flintstones, originally an animated sitcom that premiered in the 1960s. This 12-issue series, published as part of the DC/Hanna-Barbera Beyond line, allowed Russell and artist Steve Pugh to take these beloved characters and use the "modern-stone age family" in a post-modern way to comment on current events while maintaining a fun and humorous tone for the book.b From the first to last issue, Russell's dark yet funny and relevant work earned him two Eisner nominations and a nomination for a Harvey Award for Book of the Year. It also brought Russell into the industry spotlight as an up and coming creator.
2 Snaglepuss: Exit Stage Left
Russell then tackled, reinvented, and made the B-list Hanna Barbera cartoon character, Sugglepuss, into a relevant gay icon. After debuting as a backstory in the Suicide Squad/ Banana Splits one-shot as a southern gay, Tennesse Williams-esque playwright living in the 1950s driven, Snagglepuss was ready for the comic book spotlight under Russell's expert hand in Exit Stage Left: The Snaggpuss Chronicles.
Russell's tragic yet honest portrayal of the playwright's journey from the respected playwright to television cartoon star provides the character with a new and meaningful origin. Russell's work on Exit Stage Left: The Snaggpuss Chronicles earned him two more Eisner nominations, but the 2019 GLAAD Award for Outstanding Comic.
1 Second Coming
Mark Russell is no stranger to controversy with his writing, and his latest series from Ahoy Comics, Second Coming, is perhaps his best work to date does not shy away from sensitive topics. In this series, Russell puts the tenements of modern Christianity center stage as he crafts a story that has Jesus returning to Earth and mentored by Sunstar, a Superman analog, at God's request. Originally slated to be released through the DC Comics Vertigo imprint, the series finally found a home at Ahoy Comics after news about this series garnered mainstream attention, and news sites raised a stir due to the fact the series was inappropriate and blasphemous. In reality, Jesus comes off as the best character, and the series is more a commentary on what people have made the teaching of Christianity has become over time.