VAZ, Mark Cotta 1954-

PERSONAL:

Born September 16, 1954, in Oakland, CA. Education: Attended Sierra Community College.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Victoria Shoemaker, Spieler Agency, 4096 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, CA 94611.

CAREER:

Author and martial arts instructor. Cartoon Art Museum, San Diego, CA, member of board of directors, 1987-93. Also worked as staff member on political campaigns and for non-profit agencies.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Commendation, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, 2002, for Behind the Scenes of Alias.

WRITINGS:

Spirit in the Land: Beyond Time and Space with America's Channelers, Signet (New York, NY), 1988.

Tales of the Dark Knight: Batman's First Fifty Years, Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 1989.

(With Shinji Hata) From Star Wars to Indiana Jones: The Best of the LucasFilm Archives, Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA), 1994.

Industrial Light + Magic: Into the Digital Realm, Del Rey/Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 1996.

The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Del Rey/Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 1996.

The Complete Star Wars Trilogy Scrapbook, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

The Complete Star Wars Trilogy Scrapbook: The Galactic Empire, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

The Complete Star Wars Trilogy Scrapbook: The Rebel Alliance, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

Lost in "Lost in Space": Pop Culture and Space Adventure with the Robinson Family, HarperPrism (New York, NY), 1998.

Visions of Armageddon, Hyperion (New York, NY), 1998.

The Art of Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Del Rey/Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Behind the Mask of Spider-Man: The Secrets of the Movie, Del Rey/Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Alias Declassified: The Official Companion, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Craig Barron) The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting, Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA), 2002.

The Art of Finding Nemo, Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA), 2003.

Caught in the Web: Dreaming up the World of Spider-Man II, Del Rey/Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor to periodicals, including Cinefex, Hollywood Reporter, Sierra, Star Wars Insider, Wired, and Yoga Journal.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

A novel and "a history of two of the most distinguished of the segregated units of World War II."

SIDELIGHTS:

Mark Cotta Vaz is the author of more than a dozen books about pop culture. His 1994 effort, From Star Wars to Indiana Jones: The Best of the LucasFilm Archives, cowritten with Shinji Hata, is a "highly entertaining peek into the mind" of filmmaker George Lucas, stated Entertainment Weekly contributor Erica K. Cardozo. The book contains extensive production notes, reproductions of storyboards, and examples of concept illustrations. According to Glenn Loney in TCI, From Star Wars to Indiana Jones "is a visual dazzler."

Other books by Vaz include Tales of the Dark Knight: Batman's First Fifty Years, a chronicle of the history of one of the most popular comic book characters in the world. Covering everything from the romantic interests of the superhero to his arsenal of weaponry and his complex relationship with sidekick Robin, according to People contributor Ralph Novak the book should appeal to serious fans, as well as those whose "fascination with Batman is only cape deep," because it is chock-full of illustrations, including forty-eight classic "Batman" comic-book covers. In 2002 Vaz continued his investigation of America's best-loved action heroes, publishing Behind the Mask of Spider-Man: The Secrets of the Movie, called an "intriguing glimpse into the genesis of the both the character and the movie" by School Library Journal reviewer Susan Salpini.

Vaz told CA: "I served on the board of directors of the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco (a period, roughly, from 1987 to 1993). My contributions included helping establish, edit, and do layout and production for the museum publication The Cartoon Times. I curated two of the most popular shows in the early years of the museum: The Art of the Dark Knight: An Exhibit of Original Art Celebrating Batman's Fiftieth Anniversary and Visions of the Floating World: The Cartoon Art of Japan, one of the biggest and most comprehensive exhibits on Japanese manga ever held in the United States up to that point." Vaz added that highlights of his writing career include "more than ten years as a senior contributor to Cinefex (the journal of cinematic illusions) and an exclusive interview in India with the Dalai Lama and a report on the Tibetan refugee communities there that appeared in Yoga Journal."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Bookseller, June 7, 2002, review of Behind the Mask of Spider-Man: The Secrets of the Movie, p. 31.

Entertainment Weekly, January 20, 1995, Erica K. Cardozo, review of From Star Wars to Indiana Jones: The Best of the LucasFilm Archives, p. 48.

Extrapolation, fall, 1990, Darren Harris-Fain, review of Tales of the Dark Knight: Batman's First Fifty Years, pp. 280-284.

Library Journal, September 15, 2002, Rosalind Dayen, review of The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting, p. 64.

New York Times Book Review, December 8, 2002, Christopher Benfey, review of The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting, p. 20.

People, December 4, 1989, Ralph Novak, review of Tales of the Dark Knight: Batman's First Fifty Years, p. 36.

School Library Journal, July, 2002, Susan Salpini, review of Behind the Mask of Spider-Man: The Secrets of the Movie, p. 146; September, 2002, Pam Johnson, review of The Art of Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones, p. 258.

TCI, March, 1995, Glenn Loney, review of From Star Wars to Indiana Jones: The Best of the LucasFilm Archives, p. 58.*