Garth Ennis

Garth Ennis (born 16 January 1970) is a Northern Irish comics writer. He is best known for his acclaimed run on the Vertigo series Hellblazer, his own Vertigo creation Preacher with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise, and The Boys with artist Darick Robertson. He has collaborated with artists such as Dillon and Glenn Fabry on Preacher, John McCrea on Hitman, Marc Silvestri on The Darkness, and Carlos Ezquerra on both Preacher and Hitman. His work has won him recognition in the comics industry, including nominations for the Comics Buyer's Guide Award for Favorite Writer in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. He has received numerous awards and recognition from specialised British and American publications and organisations, such as the UK Comic Art Award and the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards. == Early life == Ennis was born in Holywood, Northern Ireland. Raised with no religion, Ennis's first exposure to the idea of God was as a six-year-old in primary school. Ennis's teacher told the class that God was a being who could see inside their hearts, was always around them, and would ultimately reward or punish them. Ennis described the idea as bewildering, strange and terrifying. He later used this experience in his comic book series Preacher, whose protagonist is slapped after telling his grandmother that he finds the concept of God "scary". Although the fictional violence in that story was not reflected in Ennis's real-life upbringing, his classmates later reassured each other that they all loved God, though Ennis said, "I think I hate him." Ennis later asked his mother about God, and when she asked him what he thought about the idea, Ennis responded, "It sounds kind of stupid," a statement the adult Ennis clarified was meant to mask his fear. His mother's response was, "Well, there you are, then." In 1980, Ennis won second place in the Young Ornithologist's Club's Young Ornithologist of the Year competition in the 10-12 age bracket. In 1987, Ennis befriended artist John McCrea while shopping at the first comic book specialty shop in Belfast, which had been opened by McCrea and another friend. Ennis later asked McCrea to illustrate his first professional comics project. It was here that Ennis first met comics writer Alan Moore, who advised him to focus on creator-owned work rather than letting comic companies take ownership of his intellectual property. == Career == === UK work === Ennis began his comic-writing career on his nineteenth birthday, in 1989, with the series "Troubled Souls" in the British anthology Crisis. Illustrated by Ennis's friend John McCrea, living in Northern Ireland meant he did not require reference material for the Belfast-based series. "Troubled Souls" tells the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Troubles. It spawned a sequel, "For a Few Troubles More", a broad comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivo