Seeing a celebrity’s name on the cover of a comic book is always exciting; especially if it’s someone you’re a fan of. From Mallrats director Kevin Smith to the late great Ultimate Warrior, it has been a longstanding tradition for publishers like Marvel and DC to feature famous guest writers on their runs from time to time.
Some of these celebrity writers pen one-off special issues, while others like Patton Oswalt have contributed to multiple comic book arcs over the years. It’s always fun to watch talented storytellers crossover into different areas of interest in pop-culture, so why not keep tabs on some of your favorite celebs’ who have penned panels for some of your favorite superheroes.
10 CM Punk
CM Punk was one of the writers on Thor Annual (2015) #1 - a compilation of three “Tales of Thunder” from three different contributors. Illustrated by Rob Guillory of “Chew” fame, Punk’s take on the Thunder God revolves around a much younger version of Jason Aaron’s Thor. In it, Young Thor is brash and entitled; always whining about how his father, Odin, wouldn’t trust him with the powers of Asgard. The story also circles around drinking, which is ironic coming from Punk who is famously straightlaced.
The former WWE superstar’s goal is to one day pen a story for The Punisher. Punk spoke to Marvel.com about having a “badass” story for Frank Castle and said that until Marvel lets him write it, he’ll be churning out stories for all sorts of other characters along the way.
9 Rosario Dawson
Rosario Dawson is famously known in geek circles as the connective tissue in Marvel’s now-defunct Netflix universe. But before she was sewing up Matt Murdock’s wounds or being a noir badass in Sin City, Dawson was penning her own comic book stories alongside David Atchison.
The duo released OCT: Occult Crimes Taskforce as a four-part miniseries in 2006. Obviously, it’s about a special unit tasked with solving occult crimes. A&E picked up on the positive reviews circling OCT and planned to turn it into a TV show. Sadly that hasn’t materialized yet, but don’t be surprised to see Rosario Dawson’s old pet project on another platform in the near future.
8 Bill Hader and Seth Meyers
When he’s not being insanely hilarious, Saturday Night Live alum and comedian Bill Hader is busy burying his nose in comic books. Back in 2009, Hader and fellow SNL cast-mate (and current Late Night host), Seth Meyers, wrote Spider-Man: The Short Halloween.
A riff on the landmark Batman arc, The Long Halloween, Hader, and Meyers told the one-off tale of Spider-Man being knocked unconscious during a Halloween costume party. Things get interesting when a drunk fan in a shabby Spider-Man costume takes the web crawler's place! The issue was praised for perfectly pairing Hader and Meyers’ sense of humor with a lighthearted Halloween-centric Spider-Man story.
7 Gerard Way
If you’ve seen Umbrella Academy on Netflix, then you’ve seen the adaptation of Gerard Way’s work. The (former) My Chemical Romance frontman launched his Umbrella Academy series of comic books back in 2007 under Dark Horse’s banner. Back then, his punk-rock band was at the height of its success - topping music charts all around the world.
Gerard brought the same gothic tonality that inspired his music to his writing, which is often reflected in the Netflix series as well. In fact, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Gerard admits that the fame and notoriety that came with being in My Chemical Romance is what inspired him to make Umbrella Academy in the first place.
6 Ultimate Warrior
CM Punk isn’t the only wrestler to have penned his own comic books. If you’re into comics that are fueled by chaos and jacked with insanity, check out the Ultimate Warrior’s aptly titled Warrior. In it, the Ultimate Warrior is some sort of legendary hero who travels across dimensions to fight bad guys, supervillains, and he even beats the daylight out of the Grinch and… Santa Claus?!
Like his promos, trying to make sense of Warrior’s motives - both in the comic and as a writer - are futile. Just strap on a jetpack and get ready for a trippy ride filled with cosmic craziness and all-out mayhem.
5 John Cleese
John Cleese is one of the funniest people alive. From his legendary work on Monty Python to various other endeavors, there are only a handful of celebrities who can match the sheer wit and comedic timing of John Cleese and his crew.
This is why pairing Cleese with DC to work on Superman: True Brit was a stroke of pure genius. The one-off issue asks the simple question - what if Kal-El’s space pod landed in the English countryside instead of Kansas? John Cleese answers that question with his signature brand of self-deprecating humor… and the results are hilarious! Let’s just say, it’s hard to be the savior of humankind with British manners hanging over your shoulders.
4 Rashida Jones
Rashida Jones is just as busy behind the scenes as she is on screen. The Parks and Recreation alum is a writer, model, actor and has her own line of comic books.
Back in 2009, Jones released a series of comics titled Frenemy Of The State. They are about a Carmen Sandiego-Esque socialite named Ariana Von Holmberg who’s recruited by the CIA for a number of dangerous missions. It’s a fun series that was going to be made into a movie before those plans were scrapped.
Aside from Frenemy, Jones has continued to write monthly comics for Glamour magazine, so maybe her days penning panels with superheroes in them are far from over.
3 Mark Hamill
Anyone who follows Mark Hamill knows that he’s nerdy to the bone. His insatiable geekiness prompted him to launch his own YouTube show at one point. For someone like Hamill, working on comic books was inevitable.
In 1996, the guy who played the iconic Luke Skywalker wrote a script called The Black Pearl. It was supposed to be Hamill’s directorial debut. Citing creative differences with the studios, Hamill turned his script into a five-issue series of comic books.
The story is centered around Luther Drake, a vigilante who battles personal demons while fending off increased media attention. Hamill describes it as less about superheroes and more about sensationalism, tabloid journalism, “and all the things that thrillers come from”.
2 Patton Oswalt
Speaking of nerdy celebrities, it’s time to cue Patton Oswalt. Not only is he a hilarious stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and actor, Patton Oswalt is also famous for penning some pretty amazing comic books.
Oswalt’s work includes titles like JLA: Welcome to the Working Week, The Goon: Noir, and Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror 13. He also had the honor of writing a poignant goodbye to “Wash” Washburn in Serenity: Farewell; a spinoff comic book series by Dark Horse.
Patton Oswalt’s never-ending love for all things geeky keeps him busy in the world of comics and superheroes, so his days as a comic book writer may not be done just yet.
1 Kevin Smith
Clerks director Kevin Smith is a geek culture icon. When he’s not making movies or reviewing superhero-centric pop-culture on his (very popular) podcast Fatman On Batman, Kevin Smith is either reading comics or writing them himself!
While he has worked on a number of notable issues including Batman: The Widening Gyre, Kevin Smith’s most famous book has to be Batman ‘66 Meets the Green Hornet. As the title suggests, Smith and fellow comedian Ralph Garman envision a story set in the 60s... in which Adam West’s Batman comes face to face with another pop-culture icon of the same era - The Green Hornet and his sidekick, Kato! What ensues is a graphic novel chock full of fun references, throwbacks, and pure campy hilarity.
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