Christina Z

Christina Z. is known for being the highest selling female comic book/graphic novel writer in the world.[1] She wrote the foundation of, and achieved pioneer status for, the Image Comics title Witchblade. She is the first female author in mainstream comics to sell into the multi-millions and the first to cultivate a female audience while maintaining a male fanbase for nearly a decade which continues today in national and international reprints.[2] She was the first woman to appear in the Wizard Magazine Top 10 list[3] of top-selling writers. In 2008, she made news by taking the writing duties for Virgin Comics Shadow Hunter that featured adult film star Jenna Jameson. She has also been a music journalist on and off over the span of 20 years.

Christina Z
Miss Z. as one of her characters
BornMunich, Germany
Area(s)Writer, Journalist, Critic
Notable works
Witchblade
Master Darque

Early life

Christina Z. was discovered in comics from her writing as a music journalist. She was a column editor, music reviewer and club reviewer for Urb Magazine in addition to freelancing for other music magazines at the time. She has worked with musicians in the area of writing and conceptualization.[4]

Career

Comics and graphic novels

Under the imprint of Top Cow, Christina Z. came on board writing and editing Witchblade #1 and continued writing the title for the next 3 1/2 years. She was instrumental in shaping the character throughout its seminal creation. She wrote episodes of Ripclaw, a comic book about a supernatural Native American Indian. Upon the success of Witchblade, Christina Z. wrote episodes of Tales of the Witchblade, a series that told historical events of the mythic weapon and Witchblade Destiny's Child series.

A split anthology series titled Shadowplay [5] by IDW was one of the first R-rated comics that was written by Christina Z. and illustrated by UK artist Ashley Wood. The theme of the book covered extreme BDSM themes and body modification.

A relaunch of the Tigra character initially created by Jack Kirby in 1972 was given a trademark intimate series by Christina Z. for Marvel Comics by portraying the character in a vulnerable yet powerful perspective. It was pencilled by Mike Deodato Jr. and edited by Tom Brevoort. As a natural progression, Christina Z. took her first child-friendly project by penning the Powerpuff Girls comics for DC Comics.

Acclaim Comics held the license for Master Darque and was relaunched as Darque Passages with Christina Z. as the writer and Hellblazer artist Leonardo Manco. Under the editing team of Fabian Nicieza and Jeff Gomez, the relaunch consisted of a pre-release ashcan and was considered a great success that led the publishing company to relaunch their cadre of other historic characters.

Due to the success of the hit video game Bloodrayne, Echo 3 Worldwide contacted Christina Z. to launch the Bloodrayne[6] series. It tells the violent story of a Dhampir, half human, half vampire. Artistic duties were handled by illustrator Kody Chamberlain of Vampire series, "30 Days of Night" fame.

Progressing into self-produced comics, comic book and Blizzard video game artist Trent Kaniuga and Christina Z. collaborated in creating a relaunch of his creator-owned Creed called Utopiate [7] under the imprint of Image Comics. The book was painted by Kaniuga with the graphic design, writing and lettering done by Christina Z.

In 2008, Business magnate Richard Branson hopped into the comics world [8] with Shadow Hunter, a comic book with the combination of adult film star Jenna Jameson as the main character and Christina Z. as the writer in a supernatural series. While controversy and complications would occur, the series was published. A press conference was called in New York on behalf of the company and moderated by comic book inker and creator, Jimmy Palmiotti. Christina Z. did not attend.

Music journalism career

Christina Z. is known for being among the first to document the secretive and underground Los Angeles Rave scene in the 1990s with her column, Da Scoop [6] for Urb Magazine. Christina Z. helped hand-distribute the monthly full-sized magazines to the warehouse parties every week after publication from the trunk of her car.

Christina Z. worked with several electronic music and industrial music record labels, interviewing artists and reviewing music. Her writing has been featured in magazines such as Urb Magazine,[9] Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Fix Magazine, Club Life Magazine, Exit Magazine and others.

Music career

Christina Z. worked with Dreamworks Records, a subsidiary of Geffen Records to conceive the industrial music/ metal genre album Witchblade: The Music. The album includes tracks written, produced, performed and mixed by Peter Steele of Type O Negative, Buzz Osbourne of The Melvins, Kat Bjelland of Babes in Toyland, Jim Thirlwell of Foetus and Coil, Dave Ogilvie of Skinny Puppy, Chris Vrenna of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson, and Dave Mustaine of Megadeth.

In 2019, Christina Z. teamed up with prolific Belgian composer Jean-Marc Lederman on a double CD hardcover photo book and ghost story anthology called 13 Ghost Stories.[10] It features Beborn Beton staff Stefan Netschio, Bruderschaft staff Rexx Arkana, Cassandra Complex originator Rodney Orpheus and others. The art was created by visual artist Erica Hinyot.[11]

Entertainment journalist career

In addition to music, Christina Z. covered local news, restaurant, theatre and music reviews for the Gazette Papers in California.

Personal life

In 2009, Christina Z. reached out to Basic Instinct soundtrack musician LaTour to interview him on the upcoming anniversary of Billboard charts #1 hit song People Are Still Having Sex. During that process, she facilitated LaTour's move across the country to fulfill his goal to work in the Los Angeles film and radio market.

References
  1. retroactivecontinuityblog2 (2020-01-04). "Corroborating the Comichron Data". Retroactive Continuity Blog. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  2. retroactivecontinuityblog2 (2019-11-27). "Sales Data: Then and Now". Retroactive Continuity Blog. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
  3. "The Guide to the Guide to Comics - WIZARD #83 (July 1998)". CBR. July 25, 2016.
  4. "Various - Songs Of The Witchblade". Discogs.
  5. "GCD :: Issue :: Shadowplay #1 [Ashley Wood Cover]". www.comics.org.
  6. "LatinoLA | People :: Scribe and Investigator". LatinoLA.
  7. "GCD :: Issue :: CreeD: Utopiate #2". www.comics.org.
  8. "The story of Virgin Comics". Virgin. August 4, 2016.
  9. "The Underground Surfaces in Urb : Culture: The gritty L.A.-based tabloid is hot among twentysomethings and teens who follow the illegal club scene". Los Angeles Times. April 30, 1992.
  10. "Jean-Marc Lederman Experience presents '13 Ghost Stories' - watch a first track already". January 25, 2019.
  11. "Erica Hinyot". Discogs.
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