Saladin Ahmed Explained

Saladin Ahmed
Birth Date:4 October 1975
Birth Place:Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation:Writer
Alma Mater:Rutgers University (MA)
Brooklyn College (MFA)
University of Michigan (BA)
Henry Ford Community College
Genre:Science fiction, fantasy, superheroes, poetry
Years Active:2000–present

Saladin Ahmed (born October 4, 1975) is an American comic book writer and a science fiction/fantasy poetry and prose writer. His 2012 book Throne of the Crescent Moon was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel[1] [2] [3] and won the Locus Award for Best First Novel.[4] Ahmed's fiction has been published in anthologies and magazines including Strange Horizons, Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show, Clockwork Phoenix 2 and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. He is currently set to write Daredevil and has previously written other series for Marvel Comics such as Black Bolt, Exiles, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, and The Magnificent Ms. Marvel.[5] [6] He is also the co-creator of the comic series Abbott and its sequels Abbott: 1973 and Abbott: 1979.

Early life

Ahmed was born in 1975 in Detroit, Michigan to parents of Lebanese, Egyptian, Irish, and Polish descent.[7] His father, Ismael Ahmed, formerly in the merchant marine, worked both in a factory and as a community organizer. His mother was a political activist. Ahmed is Muslim.[8] [9]

After graduating from high school, Ahmed attended Henry Ford Community College before transferring to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.[7] After receiving a BA in American Studies, Ahmed earned an MFA at Brooklyn College and an MA in English from Rutgers University.[10]

Career

Poetry and prose

Ahmed's poetry has been published in various literary journals and books and has been awarded fellowships from the University of Michigan, Brooklyn College, and the Bronx Council on the Arts. Ahmed's science fiction and fantasy stories have been published in magazines and anthologies including Strange Horizons, Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show, Clockwork Phoenix 2, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. In 2010, he was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.[11]

Ahmed's story "Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela", originally published in Clockwork Phoenix 2, was a finalist for the 2010 Nebula Award for Best Short Story.[12]

In February 2012, Ahmed's debut novel, Throne of the Crescent Moon, was published by DAW Books. It was announced as the first of a trilogy.[13] [14] [15] The novels are fantasies inspired by One Thousand and One Nights.[16] In 2021, The Washington Post commented that "though Saladin Ahmed may be best known for his comic book work, 'Throne of the Crescent Moon,' a Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy novel, garnered him a Locus Award in 2013".[17]

In October 2017, Ahmed gained media attention for a Twitter post addressed to the cereal company Kellogg's: "why is literally the only brown corn pop on the whole cereal box the janitor? this is teaching kids racism." Kellogg's indicated they would change the artwork on future Corn Pops shipments.

Comics

In 2016, Ahmed was approached by Marvel Comics editor Wil Moss to write a series focusing on the character Black Bolt due to Ahmed's background in fantasy and science fiction. Ahmed, with artist Christian Ward, began writing an ongoing series titled Black Bolt in May 2017.[18] [19] Ahmed and Ward won the 2018 Eisner Award for Best New Series for Black Bolt[20] while the trade paperback collection of the comic, Black Bolt, Volume 1: Hard Time, was a finalist for the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.[21] The series was cancelled in 2018 after twelve issues.[22]

In 2018, Ahmed relaunched two new ongoing series for Marvel Comics – with artist Javier Garron[23] and Exiles with artist Javier Rodriguez.[24] Zack Quaintance, for The Beat, called Ahmed "a rising star at Marvel, having written the critically-acclaimed Black Bolt and currently writing Miles Morales: Spider-Man and Exiles".[25] Also in 2018, Ahmed wrote the creator-owned limited series Abbott with artist Sami Kivela; it was published by Boom! Studios.[26] Sequels, titled Abbott: 1973 and Abbott: 1979, were released in 2021 and 2024, respectively.[27]

In 2019, Ahmed and artist Minkyu Jung became the creative team for the Ms. Marvel relaunch titled The Magnificent Ms. Marvel.[28] IGN highlighted The Magnificent Ms. Marvel on its list for "Best Comic Book Series of 2019".[29] The series was cancelled in February 2021 after eighteen issues.[30] Charlie Ridgely, for ComicBook.com, highlighted that The Magnificent Ms. Marvel was "an incredible challenge" for Ahmed since he had to follow the character's original creator G. Willow Wilson. Ridgely commented that "Ahmed has leaned hard into the issues that plague our current lives while still making the comic uplifting" and that "every revelation that Kamala comes to is thoroughly earned and formed based on the specific experiences we see her confront. It's a master class in evolving a character while keeping them grounded in their own identity".[31]

Ahmed was #10 on CBR's "10 Best Marvel Comics Writers of the Last Decade" list.[32] Ahmed was nominated for "Best Comic Book Writer of 2020" by IGN — the article states that Miles Morales and Kamala Khan are "characters closely intertwined with their respective creators. It says a great deal that Saladin Ahmed has managed to take the reins of both Miles and Kamala's solo books and truly make these characters his own. Plus, he delivered a rollicking good Conan tale in Battle for the Serpent Crown".[33]

In July 2020, Ahmed and Dave Acosta successively funded an original graphic novel, titled Dragon, through Kickstarter. SyFy Wire highlighted that the Kickstarter "blew past its initial $40,000 goal and surpassed $100,000 just 10 days into the campaign".[34] In August 2021, Ahmed was one of the announced creators included in Substack's "major investment in the comics market in the form of new agreements with some of the biggest names in the medium at the moment".[35] The New York Times highlighted that "the creators will be paid by Substack while keeping ownership of their work. The company will take most of the subscription revenue in the first year; after that, it will take a 10 percent cut".[36] Ahmed stated that Substack would be the home of Copper Bottle, a "subscription-based pop-up imprint publishing original comics" written by him and featuring various illustrators.[37]

In August 2021, Ahmed was among a group of creators with whom fellow comics writer Nick Spencer formed a deal with the subscription-based newsletter platform Substack to publish creator-owned comics stories, essays, and instructional guides on that platform. Ahmed indicated that he and artist Dave Acosta would collaborate on the science fiction comic Terrorwar, which is set in a future where people are forced to confront the physical manifestation of their fears.[38]

In May 2023, it was announced that Ahmed would serve as the new writer of Daredevil, with Aaron Kuder set to illustrate and the series set to debut September later that year.[39]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2009Harper's Pen AwardBest Sword and Sorcery/Heroic Fantasy Short Story"Where Virtue Lives"[40] [41]
2010Nebula AwardBest Short Story"Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela"
2010John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer[42]
2011John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
2012Nebula AwardBest NovelThrone of the Crescent Moon[43]
2013Hugo AwardBest NovelThrone of the Crescent Moon
2013Locus AwardBest First NovelThrone of the Crescent Moon
2018Eisner AwardBest New SeriesBlack Bolt (2017)
2018Hugo AwardBest Graphic StoryBlack Bolt, Volume 1: Hard Time[44]
2019Hugo AwardBest Graphic StoryAbbott[45] [46]
2020Dragon AwardsBest Graphic NovelBlack Bolt[47]
2022Ignyte AwardsBest Comics TeamAbbott: 1973[48]

Works

Novels

Comics and graphic novels

Marvel Comics

Creator-owned

DC Comics

Collections

Short stories

podcast by StarShipSofa

podcast by DrabbleCast

podcast by PodCastle

Poetry

Ahmed's poetry has appeared in the following journals and anthologies:

References

Notes

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2013 Hugo Award Nominations . December 22, 2012 .
  2. News: Kellogg's will change its Corn Pops box after author says it teaches 'kids racism'. Cavna. Michael. October 26, 2017. The Washington Post. May 21, 2018.
  3. News: Kellogg's gets rid of racially insensitive art on Corn Pops box. Smith. Aaron. October 26, 2017. CNN.com. May 21, 2018.
  4. "Locus Awards Winners", Locus, June 29, 2013.
  5. Web site: September 14, 2018 . Miles Morales Is Getting Back to His Spider-Man Roots in a New Series Written by Saladin Ahmed . 2022-05-08 . Gizmodo . en-us.
  6. News: Krug. Kurt Anthony. Award-winning Oak Park author tries his hand at Marvel Comics' 'Black Bolt'. Oakland Press. May 1, 2017.
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20101115132625/http://www.saladinahmed.com/wordpress/biography "Biography"
  8. 945295006012755969 . saladinahmed . as an American from a mixed family I love commercial Christmas. but also as a Muslim I love Jesus's message. here's a bit that helps explain why. MERRY CHRISTMAS! https://t.co/t7NiuhTTAb . Saladin Ahmed . Saladin Ahmed . December 25, 2017 . January 1, 2019 . English . https://archive.today/20190101215851/https://twitter.com/saladinahmed/status/945295006012755969 . January 1, 2019 . live . yes.
  9. 688953145838424064 . saladinahmed . As a Muslim I find it fascinating that we talk about patriarchy re: Hillary but not Christian supremacy re: Bernie. . Saladin Ahmed . Saladin Ahmed . January 18, 2016 . January 1, 2019 . https://archive.today/20190101215919/https://twitter.com/saladinahmed/status/688953145838424064 . January 1, 2019 . live . no.
  10. Web site: Dunn . Patrick . September 3, 2020 . The Magnificent Mr. Marvel: Saladin Ahmed — SEEN Magazine . 2022-05-08 . SEEN Magazine . en-US.
  11. "2010 Hugo Awards Winners". Locus, September 5, 2010, accessed December 2, 2010.
  12. http://www.sfwa.org/2010/02/2009-nebula-awards-final-ballot "2009 SFWA Nebula Awards Final Ballot"
  13. http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780756407117,00.html Penguin Group Throne of the Crescent Moon page
  14. http://www.saladinahmed.com/wordpress/throne-of-the-crescent-moon-is-now-on-sale "THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON is now on sale!"
  15. "People and Publishing", Locus, September 2010, p. 8.
  16. "YEE-HAW! I've signed with DAW!", Saladin Ahmed (saladinahmed.com), accessed December 2, 2010.
  17. News: Moreno-Garcia . Silvia . Tidhar . Lavie . September 18, 2021 . Perspective: Let's talk about the best sword and sorcery books . . May 8, 2022.
  18. Web site: 2017-03-29 . INTERVIEW: Inhumans' Black Bolt Is Sent to Cosmic Prison – with the Absorbing Man . 2022-05-08 . CBR . en-US.
  19. Web site: September 6, 2017 . The Story of How Black Bolt Met Lockjaw Is Heartwarming and Heartbreaking . 2022-05-08 . Gizmodo . en-us.
  20. Web site: 2018 MONSTRESS, BLACK PANTHER, AND BLACK BOLT WIN BIG AT THE 2018 EISNER AWARDS . July 21, 2018 . SyFy . January 1, 2019.
  21. Web site: 2018 Hugo Awards . March 15, 2018 . World Science Fiction Society . April 2, 2018.
  22. Web site: Johnston . Rich . 2018-02-22 . Iron Fist and Black Bolt Missing Presumed Cancelled – What About Thanos? . 2022-05-08 . Bleeding Cool News And Rumors . en.
  23. Web site: Terror . Jude . 2018-09-13 . Saladin Ahmed and Javier Garron Launch a New Miles Morales: Spider-Man in December . 2022-05-08 . Bleeding Cool News And Rumors . en.
  24. Web site: Holub . Christian . January 19, 2018 . Breaking down Marvel's new 'Exiles,' from cartoon Wolverine to 'Ragnarok' Valkyrie . 2022-05-08 . EW.com . en.
  25. Web site: Quaintance . Zack . 2018-12-14 . THE MAGNIFICENT MS. MARVEL: Kamala Khan gets new comic, new creative team, new adjective . 2022-05-08 . The Beat . en-US.
  26. Web site: Holub . Christian . January 23, 2018 . Saladin Ahmed previews his new '70s paranormal investigator comic 'Abbott' . 2022-05-08 . EW.com . en.
  27. Web site: 2021-10-19 . BOOM! Studios' Abbott 1973 Vol. 1 Comic Review . 2022-05-08 . CBR . en-US.
  28. Web site: 2018-12-14 . The Magnificent Ms. Marvel Launches in 2019 with a New Creative Team . 2022-05-08 . pastemagazine.com . en.
  29. Web site: Yehl . Joshua . 2019-12-05 . Best Comic Book Series of 2019 . 2022-05-08 . IGN . en.
  30. Web site: 2021-01-29 . Exclusive preview of Saladin Ahmed and Minkyu Jung's big 'Magnificent Ms. Marvel' finale . 2022-05-08 . SYFY Official Site . en-US.
  31. Web site: February 24, 2021 . The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #18 Review: A Most Magnificent Finale . 2022-05-08 . . en.
  32. Web site: 2019-12-23 . 10 Best Marvel Comics Writers of the Last Decade . 2022-05-09 . CBR . en-US.
  33. Web site: Schedeen . Jesse . 2020-12-15 . Best Comic Book Writer of 2020 . 2022-05-08 . IGN . en.
  34. Web site: 2020-07-31 . Saladin Ahmed's Kickstarter success Dragon connects the past to the present through Dracula . 2022-05-08 . SYFY Official Site . en-US.
  35. Web site: 2021-08-11 . Exclusive: Saladin Ahmed opens up about moving to Substack, his Copper Bottle imprint, and debut series 'Terrorwar' . 2022-05-08 . SYFY Official Site . en-US.
  36. News: Gustines . George Gene . 2021-08-09 . Comic Book Writers and Artists Follow Other Creators to Substack . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-05-08 . 0362-4331.
  37. Web site: Ahmed . Saladin . January 31, 2022 . Welcome to Copper Bottle! . 2022-05-08 . www.copperbottle.net.
  38. Web site: Comic Book Writers and Artists Follow Other Creators to Substack. Gustines, George Gene. The New York Times. en-US. live. August 9, 2021. January 10, 2023. August 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210809151655/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/09/business/media/substack-comic-books.html.
  39. Web site: The New Era of Daredevil Starts in Saladin Ahmed and Aaron Kuder's 'Daredevil' #1 . 2023-05-18 . Marvel Entertainment.
  40. Book: The Nebula Awards Showcase 2011 . Tor . Kevin J. Anderson . 2011 . 978-1-4299-7221-5 . New York . 36 . 865172594.
  41. Web site: March 25, 2010 . John C. Hocking's "The Face in the Sea" nominated for Harper's Pen Award – Black Gate . 2022-05-08 . . en-US.
  42. Web site: 2007-08-09 . Astounding Award . 2022-05-08 . The Hugo Awards . en-US.
  43. http://www.sfwa.org/2013/02/2012-nebula-awards-nominees-announced "2012 Nebula Award Nominees Announced"
  44. News: Cavna . Michael . April 2, 2018 . Hugo Award nomination bodes well for breakout 'Monsters' author Emil Ferris . . May 8, 2022.
  45. Web site: Liptak . Andrew . 2019-04-02 . Here are the 2019 Hugo Award nominees . 2022-05-08 . The Verge . en.
  46. Web site: 2019-08-19 . 2019 Hugo and Campbell Awards Winners . 2022-05-08 . Locus Online . en-US.
  47. News: 2020-09-08 . 2020 Dragon Awards Winners . en-US . Locus Online . 2022-05-08.
  48. Web site: 2022-04-22 . Check Out These Fire 2022 Ignyte Nominees! . 2022-05-08 . The Mary Sue . en.
  49. Web site: Black Bolt Vol. 1: Hard Time (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  50. Web site: Black Bolt Vol. 2: Home Free (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  51. Web site: Black Bolt (Hardcover) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  52. Web site: EXILES VOL. 1: TEST OF TIME TPB (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  53. Web site: Exiles Vol. 2: The Trial Of The Exiles (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  54. Web site: Levin . Elana . 2018-06-13 . Review: Quicksilver: No Surrender is another bold, experimental success for Saladin Ahmed . 2022-05-08 . The Beat . en-US.
  55. Web site: Quicksilver: No Surrender (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  56. Web site: Amazing Spider-Man Annual (2018) #1 Comic Issues Marvel . 2022-05-08 . Marvel Entertainment.
  57. Web site: Miles Morales Vol. 1: Straight Out Of Brooklyn (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  58. Web site: Miles Morales Vol. 2: Bring On The Bad Guys (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  59. Web site: Miles Morales Vol. 3: Family Business (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  60. Web site: Miles Morales Vol. 4: Ultimatum (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  61. Web site: Miles Morales Vol. 5: The Clone Saga (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  62. Web site: Miles Morales Vol. 6: All Eyes On Me (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  63. Web site: Miles Morales Vol. 7: BeyondPaperback . 2022-05-09 . Barnes & Noble . en.
  64. Book: Clarke . Taurin . MILES MORALES VOL. 8: EMPIRE OF THE SPIDER . Ahmed . Saladin . 2022-12-27 . Marvel Universe . Christopher Allen, Marvel Various . 978-1-302-93312-8 . English.
  65. Web site: Ms. Marvel by Saladin Ahmed Vol. 1: Destined (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  66. Web site: Ms. Marvel By Saladin Ahmed Vol. 2: Stormranger (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  67. Web site: Ms. Marvel by Saladin Ahmed Vol. 3: Outlawed (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  68. Web site: Absolute Carnage: Miles Morales (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  69. Web site: Conan: Battle For The Serpent Crown (Trade Paperback) . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  70. Web site: Wolverine: Black, White & Blood (2020) #2 Comic Issues Marvel . 2022-05-09 . Marvel Entertainment.
  71. Book: Abbott . 2018-10-30 . 978-1-68415-245-2 . en. Ahmed . Saladin . BOOM! Studios .
  72. Web site: McMillan . Graeme . 2020-10-13 . Supernatural Crime Comic Abbott: 1973 in the Works . 2022-05-08 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  73. Book: Abbott: 1973 . 2021-10-12 . 978-1-68415-651-1 . en. Ahmed . Saladin . BOOM! Studios .
  74. Web site: Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red #3 Reviews . ComicBookRoundup.com . November 15, 2022.

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