Early Career

Northern Irish Garth Ennis began writing comics at 19, starting with the Troubled Souls series that was published in British anthology Crisis in 1989. Troubled Souls was followed by a sequel, For a Few Troubles More that introduced characters Dougie and Ivor who would later star in their own American comics series, Dicks.

He has also done work in the Top Cow/Marc Silvestri title "The Darkness" and written many limited series like "Fury" covering Marvel's Nick Fury character, Thor: The Vikings, and more recently Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears.

The subject matter of his work is usually of an adult nature, containing extensive violence, profanity, and dark humor. Ennis' writer-owned title, "The Boys," was pulled by Wildstorm (a division of DC) after 6 issues due to its graphic content. The title has now resumed publication by Dynamite Entertainment, including the release of a trade paperback containing the 1st 6 issues.

Through a trend of Ennis' wherein, if he is leaving a title that will continue without him or potentially be revived without him at a later date, if he doesn't own the characters but if there are any characters in the book that he created or had a major part in shaping, he doesn't like to let other writers play with his toys, so he offs the characters that were his. This was done to almost all characters at the end of "Hitman" and to pretty much every character created by Ennis during his run on "Hellblazer" when he left the book.

Ennis is one of very few creators who published a significant amount of work through DC's Vertigo imprint in the form of miniseries in the mid 90's where the majority of their work in that form from that period is still in print.

From 2000 to 2008 Ennis was head Writer for Marvel's premier vigilante title, The Punisher. He is probably the most important writer for the character, as he explored every aspect of Frank Castle during his eight year run. He wrote The Punisher for Marvel Knights first in 2000. This title had a very tongue in cheek tone, but there were a few excellent stories. In 2004, he elaborated on his previous stories by writing The Punisher MAX series. These stories had a very serious tone, and were exemplified by realism and violence. It can be said he wrote some of the greatest stories of The Punisher, among them The End, The Cell, The Tyger, Widowmaker, and what many call the single greatest tale of The Punisher ever, BORN, in which he looks over The Punisher's Vietnam days, and how Frank Castle became the vengeful killer. He wrote it in 2003.

Much of Ennis' current work is through Avatar Press where he can get away with even more of his trademarked brand of merry depravity than even Vertigo ever let him get away with. He also does much work for Dynamite, the publisher who rescued The Boys. In addition to The Boys, Ennis has created a series of war minis under the title "Battlefields", and, most recently, a new miniseries called "Jennifer Blood" with which he admits he's getting a bit of the ultra violence and lighter side of his pitch-black humor out of his system, that's been absent from much of his work over the past few years.

Characters Created

DC/Vertigo/Wildstorm

• Agent Dinnings
• Allfather D'Aronique
• Amy Grinderbinder
• Angel of Death
• Arseface
• Baytor
• Billy Baker
• Billy-Bob Bobbs
• Billy Cassidy
• Bob Dicks
• Bob Glover
• Brendel Hauptmann
• Bueno Excellente
• Butcher Bruvvers
• B.W. Langtree
• Cal Hicks
• Cassidy
• Catherine
• Cindy Daggett
• Cockatoo
• Colonel Holden
• Conan Quincannon
• Cora
• Crazy Dick Dunston
• Cyrus Chunt
• Darkstorm
• Debbie Tiegel
• DeBlanc
• Dee
• Defenestrator
• The Devil
• Dogwelder
• Duke
• Earl Chunt
• Eccarius
• Eddie Peck
• Eisenstein
• Ernie Chunt
• Featherstone
• Fiore
• First of the Fallen
• Flemgem
• Frances Monaghan
• Frankie Toscani
• Freddy Allen
• Friendly Fire
• Gallico
• Genesis
• Gene Sergeant
• George Dixon
• Gilly
• Gumbo McCready
• Gunther Hahn
• Guts
• Hacken
• Harcourt
• Harry Hooks
• Hector
• Herr Starr
• Hitman
• Hoover
• Ironbolt
• Jackson
• Jake O'Hare
• Janis
• Jean De Baton
• Jeff Harrison
• Jeff King
• Jesse Custer
• Jesus DeSade
• Jezebel
• Joanie
• Jody
• Joe Dubelz
• Joe Soap
• John Tool
• Johnny Lee Wombat
• Johnny Navarone
• Jonathan
• Kathryn Monaghan
• Kathy McAllister
• Kenny
• Kernahan
• Kevin Hawkins
• Kit Ryan
• LaChance
• Lieutenant Connolly
• Lili
• Lorie Bobbs
• MacAvoy
• Maggie Lorenzo
• Mako
• Marc Navarone
• Marseille
• Martha Moore
• Martha Root
• Mathias
• Men's Room Louie
• The Messiah
• Mick MacCann
• Milly
• Mink
• Miss Oatlash
• Moe Dubelz
• Mr. Butcher
• Mr. Truman
• Mudhawk
• Napoleon Vichy
• Natt the Hat
• Nightfist
• Odin Quincannon
• Panzer
• Pat Noonan
• Paul Bridges
• Phil Kelly
• Pilo
• Pouissin
• Powertool
• Ringo Chen
• Robert Heavington Dubelz
• Rosie Nolan
• Saddam Hopper
• Saint of Killers
• The Saint's Daughter
• The Saint's Wife
• Sally
• Samantha Flynt
• Scarback
• Scarlet Rose
• Sean Noonan
• Second of the Fallen
• The Seraphim
• Shakes
• Sheriff Jim Bewley
• Sheriff Root
• Sir Richard
• Sixpack
• Skeeter
• Skull
• Stevie Kelly
• Tarquin
• T.C.
• The Grapplah
• Tom Cooze
• Tom Dawson
• Tom Pickett
• Tommi Ryder
• Third of the Fallen
• Tulip O'Hare
• Twilight
• Ulysses Gett
• Vincent Goring
• The Waterman
• Xavier

Marvel/Max

• Barracuda
• Big Tam
• Bud Plugg
• Charlie Schitti
• Congressman McCuskey
• Fin Cooley
• George Hatherly
• General Zakharov
• Joan the Mouse
• Kathryn O'Brien
• Jen Cooke
• Jenny Cesare
• Maginty
• Major Lallement
• Martin Soap
• Mr. Bumpo
• Nicky Cavella
• Rawlins
• Sergeant Cheff Steinhoff
• Shirley DeFabio
• Spacker Dave
• The Russian
• Vera Konstantin
• William Roth
• Yorkie Mitchell

Indie

• The Adjective
• The Adverb
• Billy Sheperd
• Butcher
• Castenado
• Female of the Species
• Frenchman
• The Knight
• The Lady
• The Lime
• Mother's Milk
• The Noun
• Pilgrim
• The Pro
• The Saint
• Speedo
• The Squire
• The Verb
• The Viewer
• Wee Hughie