David Bishop

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For other persons named David Bishop, see David Bishop (disambiguation).
David Bishop
Born
New Zealand
Occupation editor, comic book writer, novelist
Nationality New Zealander
Writing period 1991 -
Genres comic book, science fiction
Official website

David Bishop is an award-winning screenwriter and author. Born in New Zealand, he was a UK comics editor during the 1990s, running such titles as the Judge Dredd Megazine and 2000 AD, the latter between 1995 and the summer of 2000.

He has since become a prolific author and received his first drama scriptwriting credit when BBC Radio 4 broadcast his radio play Island Blue: Ronald in June 2006. In 2007 he won the PAGE International Screenwriting Award in the short film category for his script Danny's Toys.

In 2008 he appeared on the May 23rd edition of the BBC1 quiz show The Weakest Link, beating eight other contestants to win more than £1500 in prize money.

Contents

[edit] Biography

He became the editor of 2000 AD just before Christmas 1995, staying four and a half years before resigning to become a freelance writer in the summer of 2000.

Bishop was responsible for discovering many new British talents, including:

Cover to Swedish The Phantom # 8 (2003), which featured Bishop's story "The Pirate Queen". Art by Hans Lindahl. Published by Egmont.
Cover to Swedish The Phantom # 8 (2003), which featured Bishop's story "The Pirate Queen". Art by Hans Lindahl. Published by Egmont.

He also, with collaborator Roger Langridge, contributed the insane asylum-set strip The Straitjacket Fits.

Since leaving 2000 AD in the year 2000, Bishop has enjoyed a successful career as a freelance writer, working on novels of Doctor Who, Judge Dredd and Nikolai Dante, as well as The Phantom. His Doctor Who novel Who Killed Kennedy, a journalist's point-of-view on the early Third Doctor stories, is highly popular with fans.

Paradoxically, despite his successes as a comics editor and as a writer of prose, Bishop has scripted many extremely unpopular comic strips in 2000AD and the Megazine, including the comics adaptation of A Life Less Ordinary, with art by Steve Yeowell. . The Spacegirls, a badly executed parody of the Spice Girls, is on the list of 2000 AD's 20 Worst Strips as chosen by fan rating on the official website.[1] His most recent effort - a Fiends of the Eastern Front series for the Megazine - has proven much more popular with readers.

Away from British comics, his work on The Phantom has won awards for the "Best Phantom story of the year" for Egmont on several occasions. Bishop is known for introducing several new important characters to the Phantom mythos, such as the pirate queen Kate Sommerset, which grew so popular with readers that Bishop was able to make her the main character of five stories.

In 2006, Bishop also signed on to participate in the writing of stories for American publisher Moonstone Books' two collections of Phantom short stories, called Phantom Prose Anthologies.

Bishop's history of 2000 AD, in a series of articles under the banner name of Thrill Power Overload, is the most comprehensive currently available. A revised, expanded and updated book version was published in the summer of 2007, to coincide with the 30th anniversary of 2000 AD.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Comics

  • The Straitjacket Fits (with Roger Langridge):
    • "The Straitjacket Fits" (in Judge Dredd Megazine #1.09-1.20, 1991-1992)
    • "The Final Fit" (in Judge Dredd Yearbook 1993 1992)
  • Soul Sisters (with co-writer Dave Stone and artist Shaky Kane, in Judge Dredd Megazine vol.2 ##2-9 & 1993 Judge Dredd Yearbook, 1992)
  • Vector 13: "Case Ten: Case Closed?" (uncredited, with Simon Davis, in 2000 AD #1032, 1997)
  • The Spacegirls (development & uncredited co-writer, with Jason Brashill, in 2000 AD ##1062-1066, 1997)
  • Pulp Sci-Fi: "Water of Life" (as "James Stevens", with David Bircham, in 2000 AD #1098, 1998)
  • Past Imperfect: "Nixon must die!" (as "James Stevens", with Neil Edwards, in 2000 AD #1315, 2002)
  • Dead Men Walking (as "James Stevens", with Boo Cook, in 2000 AD ##1362-1370, 2003)
  • The Phantom (Swedish Fantomen magazine #26/2001, ##15 & 22/2002, ##8, 16 & 26/2003, ##7, 12, 16, 23, 24 & 26/2004, ##1, 10, 13, 17 & 18/2005, ##8, 9, 16, 19, 20 & 25/2006, ##1, 10, 16 & 20/2007)

[edit] Novels

[edit] Audio dramas

  • Sarah Jane Smith - Buried Secrets (2006, Big Finish Productions)
  • Sarah Jane Smith - Snow Blind (2006, Big Finish Productions)
  • Sarah Jane Smith - Fatal Consequences (2006, Big Finish Productions)
  • Sarah Jane Smith - Dreamland (2006, Big Finish Productions)
  • Sarah Jane Smith - Test of Nerve (2002, Big Finish Productions)
  • Doctor Who - Unbound: Full Fathom Five (Big Finish Productions)
  • Sapphire and Steel: All Fall Down (2005, Big Finish Productions)
  • Judge Dredd - Wanted: Dredd or Alive (Big Finish Productions)
  • Judge Dredd - War Crimes (Big Finish Productions)
  • Judge Dredd - Death Trap! (Big Finish Productions)
  • Judge Dredd - The Big Shot! (Big Finish Productions)
  • Judge Dredd - Get Karter! (Big Finish Productions)

[edit] Books

[edit] References

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ 2000AD Online - thrill zone

[edit] External links

[edit] Interviews

Preceded by
John Tomlinsonafter=Andy Diggle		 2000 AD editor
1996–2000		 Succeeded by
{{{after}}}
Preceded by
Steve MacManusafter=John Tomlinson		 Judge Dredd Megazine editor
1991–1995		 Succeeded by
{{{after}}}
Preceded by
John Tomlinsonafter=Andy Diggle		 Judge Dredd Megazine editor
1996–2000		 Succeeded by
{{{after}}}
Preceded by
Andy Diggleafter=Alan Barnes		 Judge Dredd Megazine editor
2000–2002		 Succeeded by
{{{after}}}