BEDARD, Anthony 1968(?)-

(Tony Bedard)

PERSONAL: Born c. 1968, in Puerto Rico; married to a personal trainer; children: one son.

ADDRESSES: Offıce—CrossGen Entertainment, Inc., 4023 Tampa Road, Suite 2400, Oldsmar, FL 34677.

CAREER: Comic-book writer and editor, 1992—. Valient/Acclaim Comics, New York, NY, executive editor and writer; Crusade Entertainment, senior editor; DC Comics, editor of Vertigo imprint; CrossGeneration Comics, Oldsmar, FL, writer, 2001—.

WRITINGS:

UNDER NAME TONY BEDARD

(With Karl Moline and John Dell) Route 666: Highway to Horror, CrossGeneration Comics (Oldsmar, FL), 2003.

Contributor to comic-book series, including "Negation," "Mystic," "Route 666," and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," all published by CrossGeneration Comics; "Shi," Crusade Entertainment; "Magnus Robot Fighter," "Solar: Man of the Atom," "Turok: Dinosaur Hunter," and "Shadowman," Valient/Acclaim; and series for Malibu and Broadway Comics. Editing includes work on "Aquaman," "Wonder Woman," and "Hourman" series, all published by DC Comics.

"NEGATION" SERIES; UNDER NAME TONY BEDARD

(With Mark Waid) Negation 1: BOHICA! (originally published in comic-book format), CrossGeneration Comics (Oldsmar, FL), 2002.

Negation 2: Baptism of Fire (originally published in comic-book format), CrossGeneration Comics (Oldsmar, FL), 2003.

Negation 3: Hounded (originally published in comic-book format), CrossGeneration Comics (Oldsmar, FL), 2003.

"MYSTIC" SERIES; UNDER NAME TONY BEDARD

(With Ron Marz) Mystic 3: Siege of Scales, CrossGeneration Comics (Oldsmar, FL), 2002.

Mystic 4: Out All Night, CrossGeneration Comics (Oldsmar, FL), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS: Anthony "Tony" Bedard explained that he "started editing for Valiant because I saw it as a route to writing, which was what I really wanted to do. Since then I learned that editing is actually very rewarding in its own way," as he told Christopher Allen in an interview for Comic Book Gallery. After working on a number of titles for Valiant, Bedard moved to DC Comics, where he got to work on perennial series favorites "Wonder Woman" and "Aquaman" as well as the newer "Hourman" series.

In 2001 Bedard fulfilled his original ambition, landing a position as a writer for CrossGeneration Comics in Florida, where he inherited the "Mystic" series from Ron Marz and launched the "Negation" series with Mark Waid. Drawing on comics from throughout the CrossGeneration universe, the "Negation" story line begins with the kidnapping of 100 characters by the soldiers of the Negation Empire, which seeks to put these heroes to the test, in order to discover the weaknesses of the various worlds and territories introduced in other CrossGeneration comics.

Reviewing the first book-length collection of this series, Negation: BOHICA! (which stands for "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again!"), a Publishers Weekly reviewer found that "the fugitives are a diverse bunch, and their interpersonal conflicts can be entertaining. Star Trek fans will be amused by the bumbling starship crew that the escapees encounter." In the second collection, Negation: Baptism of Fire, the fugitives must rescue a baby girl kidnapped by the Negation's God-Emperor Charon. Led by Obregon Kaine, the escapees must sort out their own differences while battling Charon and his evil subordinates, Lawbringer Qztr and Komptin. For a Publishers Weekly reviewer, the "collection's later pages neatly balance wild, wide-screen battles and the quiet enigma of a baby girl who's impervious to the Negation's power."

Beginning with issue eighteen, Bedard also started writing for the "Mystic" series, which features a story line set around a young woman named Giselle who inadvertently finds herself in possession of vast magical powers after a mysterious sigil appears on her hand. Unfortunately, the power has been snatched from some of the most powerful sorcerers on her planet, and they are none too happy about the new power arrangement. Throughout the series, Giselle is forced to master her newfound powers while avoiding the murderous vengeance of the Guild Masters. In Mystic 3: Siege of Scales, Giselle finds herself battling an old enemy, Animora, while striving to save her planet from the Demon Queen. "What follows is a battle both serious and humorous, with magic, technology, giant automatons, killer dragon scales, revealing costumes, and oversized monsters all playing a part," explained Douglas Davey in School Library Journal. In Mystic 4: Out All Night, Giselle finds herself saving corrupt cops from a demon, Mafioso, and seeking out the spirits of various mage guilds, including the primitive Shaman guild. "While there is an overall story arc, each of the issues that make up this book tells a separate, well-plotted story, which is satisfying, despite the fact that Giselle has not yet completed her quest," observed School Library Journal contributor Paul Brink.

Bedard's Route 666: Highway to Horror is centered around Cassandra "Cassie" Starkweather, an escaped mental patient who is convinced that she can see monsters where others cannot and who believes it her duty to slay them. As Cassie discovers, or perhaps imagines, there is a war going on in the world of the dead. The powerful Adversary has dispatched agents to kidnap the souls of those who die violently, including those murdered by those agents themselves while in human disguise. The series, with its ghosts and ghouls and other supernatural creatures set on a very Earth-like planet, was something of a departure for both Bedard and CrossGeneration Comics. As Bedard told Tim O'Shea on the Orca Web site, "I've tried very much to shift gears away from the pacing and style of an adventure comic. I'm trying to get more suspense and unsettling situations in this one." Reviewing Route 666, a Publishers Weekly contributor concluded that "this title looks like the start of an enjoyably creepy road trip."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Publishers Weekly, February 17, 2003, review of Negation 1: BOHICA!, p. 59; March 3, 2003, review of Mystic 3: Siege of Scales, p. 56; April 28, 2003, review of Negation 2: Baptism of Fire, p. 51; May 26, 2003, review of Route 666: Highway to Horror, p. 51; June 9, 2003, review of Mystic 4: Out All Night, p. 38.

School Library Journal, October, 2002, Susan Salpini, review of Negation 1: BOHICA!, p. 198; April, 2003, Susan Salpini, review of Negation 2: Baptism of Fire, p. 198; May, 2003, Douglas Davey, review of Mystic 3: Siege of Scales, p. 182; May, 2003, Paul Brink, review of Mystic 4: Out All Night, p. 181.

ONLINE

Comic Book Galaxy Web site,http://www.comicbookgalaxy.com/ (November 29, 2003), Christopher Allen, "Negation Conversation: An Interview with Tony Bedard."

DigitalWebbing.com,http://www.digitalwebbing.com/ (November 29, 2003), Ian Ascher, reviews of "Negation" and "Route 666" series.

Orca Online,http://www.orcafresh.net/ (November 29, 2003), Tim O'Shea, "There's No Passing on Route 666."

Under Ground Online,http://www.ugo.com/ (June 16, 2004), David Weter, interview with Bedard.*