Warren Ellis
A literary punk prophet who used comics to skewer media, politics, and a tech-obsessed future with savage wit.
Born 1968 (age 58)·English comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter·Birthday: February 16·Generation X
Biography
Warren Ellis created the gonzo journalist Spider Jerusalem in 'Transmetropolitan', a series that ran from 1997 to 2002. Born in Southend-on-Sea, England, his career began in the British small press before he moved to American publishers with a style blending cyberpunk cynicism, journalistic ferocity, and dark humor. He built worlds: the filthy, information-saturated urban jungle of 'Transmetropolitan', the high-concept mission structure of 'Global Frequency', and the supernatural horror of 'Hellblazer'. His work engages deeply with emerging technology and its societal fallout. Beyond comics, his prose novel 'Crooked Little Vein' and his long-running email newsletter 'Orbital Operations' cultivated a dedicated following. He operates at the jagged edge of culture.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Warren was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Warren Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Warren's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-created the seminal cyberpunk satire 'Transmetropolitan', a defining comic of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
- Created the standalone action comic 'Red', which was adapted into two successful Hollywood films starring Bruce Willis.
- Wrote the influential 'Planetary' series, a love letter to 20th-century pop culture mysteries, with artist John Cassaday.
- Authored the novel 'Gun Machine', a gritty New York City crime story that expanded his reach beyond graphic fiction.
Did You Know?
He wrote the screenplay for the 2011 film 'Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate' for the Nintendo 3DS.
Ellis is an avid user and commentator on social media platforms, often engaging directly with his readers.
He provided story concepts for several episodes of the animated TV series 'Batman: Gotham Knight'.
For years, he lived in a converted 19th-century police station in Southend-on-Sea.
“The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed.”
