American writer (born 1965)
Steven T. Seagle (born March 31, 1965) is an American writer who works in the comic book, television, film, live theater, video game and animation industries.
He is best known[1] for his graphic novel memoir It's a Bird... (Vertigo, May 2004),[2] and as part of his Man of Action Studios (with Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey and Joe Kelly) which created the animated Cartoon Network series Ben 10.
Seagle is also a founding member of Speak Theater Arts, creators of live stage productions, and is a former college instructor having taught at Ball State University, Pasadena City College and Mt. San Antonio College, where he also served as a coach for the Forensics team during many of their national championship seasons.
Early life
Seagle was born in Biloxi, MS. Seagle's father, Jack, was in the United States Air Force, and as a result, the family moved many times. The family twice lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, near the United States Air Force Academy where Jack was stationed. Seagle recalls watching the Moon landing on television in their apartment by what is today Chapel Hills Mall. Seagle's first encounter with Spider-Man was when his mother, Jennie, brought Seagle's brother, David, to the airforce Base Exchange, where she purchased The Amazing Spider-Man #66, which featured the villain Mysterio for David and Avengers #89 featuring Captain Marvel for Steven. Years later, after Seagle had begun collecting comics himself, and his best friend, Eric Koppisch, recommended that he read an issue of Spider-Man himself, Seagle read an issue featuring a team-up with Nova. Seagle migrated to reading Uncanny X-Men starting with issue #114 and this began Seagle's interest in comics. Seagle would later become the writer of Uncanny X-Men and Nova would later be the co-star on the TV series Seagle would produce, Ultimate Spider-Man.[3]
After Jack retired from the Air Force and took a job at KRDO, the family moved to a house right next to Garden of the Gods. Seagle attended Coronado High School. Seagle harbored a heavy interest in music, participating in the marching band, orchestra, jazz band, and chamber singers. He also competed on the speech and debate team. During the summers he worked at Flying W Ranch baking biscuits for a couple of years and then went to work as the villain two years in a row at Iron Springs Chateau, a job he characterized thus: "I was paid to insult people! Best job ever!"[3]
Career
Seagle has written numerous comics books. His first series was Kafka for Renegade Press which was drawn by The Walking Dead artist Stefano Gaudiano and which was nominated for an Eisner award in the Best Limited Series category. His second limited series was The Amazon with artist Tim Sale. With the collapse of the publisher in the middle of his third limited series, Solstice, Seagle left comics to become a full-time college instructor and speech and debate coach at Ball State University and then Pasadena City College. Solstice was eventually completed by artist Moritat and published by Image Comics. His return to comis was on the series Uncanny X-Men, Sandman Mystery Theatre (three Eisner nominations), House of Secrets, Alpha Flight, and Grifter. His Later Series work included Superman, The Crusades with artist Kelley Jones, Primal Force, American Virgin with Becky Cloonan, and the limited series Soul Kiss, and Imperial.
Seagle has authored a number of original graphic novels including the Eisner-winning It's a Bird..., and the Eisner nominated The Red Diary/The RE[a]D Diary – both with artist Teddy Kristiansen; two volumes of his Camp Midnight series with the New Yorker cartoonist Jasoon Katzerstein; and GET NAKED a collection of graphic essays illustrated by various artists from The Animation Workshop in Viborg, Denmark where Seagle is an occasional lecturer. In addition, Seagle and artist Marco Cinello have authored two children's story books; Frankie Stein and Batula.
In 2000, Seagle co-founded Man of Action Studios – later MAN OF ACTION Entertainment – a creative think tank, writers collective, and production house, with fellow partners and comic book creators Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Duncan Rouleau. MAN OF ACTION scripted four short films for an independent producer before being tapped to write the script for Activision's X-Men: Legends video game.
Their third professional credit was the original animation series Ben 10 which they created and sold to Cartoon Network. The original series ran for 52 episodes and has so far spawned sequel series Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Ben 10: Omniverse, the 2016 reboot Ben 10, two live action made-for TV-movies, a live stage show, as well as a roller coaster attraction in England. Their second original creation for Cartoon Network, Generator Rex, aired sixty episodes and crossed over with Ben 10 in 2011. With MAN OF ACTION, Seagle was supervising producer on Ultimate Spider-Man on Disney XD, which premiered in April 2012.[3][4] Seagle and MAN OF ACTION also served as co-executive producer duties on Disney XD's Avengers Assemble (TV series). Seagle and MAN OF ACTION co-created Zak Storm which airs on NETFLIX, and developed and executive produce MegaMan:Fully Charged, and Bakugan Battle Planet which both air on Cartoon Network in the U.S.
In November 2014, Disney in their first animated collaboration with Marvel Comics premiered Big Hero 6, a film based on the team co-created by Seagle and his MAN OF ACTION Entertainment partner Duncan Rouleau. Seagle's original comic book series House of Secrets was sold as a feature to Marc Canton/Warner Brothers, and Seagle wrote the screenplay (unproduced). The same week Seagle also sold and wrote the genre action pilot Carnival to FOX in association with Spelling Entertainment (unproduced), as well as and the female action/comedy Dot’s Bots to Mainframe Animation.
Seagle, along with Liesel Reinhart and Rafael Agustin, is a co-founder of Speak Theater Arts the Los Angeles-based theater company that produced the touring comedy N*W*C; Armeniamania with Sona Movsesian; and It Gets Better. In 2009, Seagle co-directed one of the national premiere live stage readings of The Laramie Project: an Epilogue performed by a celebrity cast and the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles.[5]
Awards and nominations
Seagle's work has received numerous Eisner Award nominations, including twice for best writer – in 1995 for his work on Sandman Mystery Theatre (DC/Vertigo) and in 1999 for the same title and his story "Drive By" in Oni Double Feature #10 (Oni Press). Seagle's work on American Virgin has been nominated twice for the GLAAD Meida Award for Best Comic Book. Seagle's run on Uncanny X-Men was awarded the Wizard Fan Award for Favorite Ongoing Series.
