Brian Azzarello, writer of 100 BULLETS and HELLBLAZER, has signed an exclusive, two-year contract for his services with DC Comics.
The agreement will allow Azzarello to continue contributing stories and concepts to the publisher's various imprints: WildStorm, Vertigo and the DC Universe.
Azzarello had also been doing some work for Marvel, including the CAGE mini-series for the MAX imprint.
"I'll be honest: this was not an easy decision to make," Azzarello says. "I'm not entirely comfortable with the concept of exclusivity, but after sitting down and really listening to the level of commitment DC was offering me and the types of projects I was interested in doing, it just made sense. The gun Karen (Berger, Vertigo editor) held to my head didn't hurt, either."
Azzarello created 100 BULLETS with Eduardo Risso, and is working with artist Marcelo Frusin on HELLBLAZER and on the upcoming Prestige Format WildStorm mini-series BATMAN/DEATHBLOW: AFTER THE FIRE, with Lee Bermejo and Tim Bradstreet.
Prior to their work on 100 BULLETS, Azzarello and Risso, who is also contracted exclusively with DC, collaborated on the cult-favorite miniseries JONNY DOUBLE, scheduled for release as a trade paperback in June.
Azzarello also is developing a Batman graphic novel to be illustrated by Risso, a graphic novel and another creator-owned project for Vertigo, and projects for WildStorm to be determined.
"Brian's the real deal," Berger says. "From his very first work for Vertigo, his powerful, spare writing stood out across a crowded room. Like the best modern crime fiction writers, his gripping, hardboiled stories have an unerring sense of realism and pack an understated yet deep impact. And without a doubt, Brian writes the best street-cred dialogue in comics."
"The lion's share of my work is with and will continue to be at Vertigo," Azzarello says. "There's an investment here in the types of comics I want to be a part of. Editorially, a mature readers imprint is the best place for me to call home. 100 Bullets, and working with Eduardo, naturally, is my primary focus. We've still got a lot of story to tell in that book. In addition to 100 Bullets, there's a graphic novel in the works that should twist some heads, and I'm developing another creator-owned project with Marcelo Frusin that both Karen and Will Dennis are anxious to get off the ground. So am I."
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