115-417: Mark Millar MBE ( / ˈ m ɪ l ər / ; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series The Authority , published by DC Comics ' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written extensively for Marvel Comics , including runs on The Ultimates , which has been called "the comic book of the decade" by Time magazine and described as
230-477: A Blade story with Richard Corben and a Ghost Rider story with John Romita, Jr., as both characters already had ongoing series at the time and Marvel did not believe either property could support more books. In 2008, Millar returned to the Wolverine ongoing series for an extended dystopian storyline " Old Man Logan ", illustrated by his Civil War collaborator Steve McNiven. Elements of this story inspired
345-493: A shared fictional universe . The initial line-up consisted of Wanted (published by Top Cow and subsequently adapted into a feature film starring Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman ), Chosen (published by Dark Horse ), The Unfunnies (published by Avatar ) and the unreleased one-shot Run . Another unreleased project was King and Country , a political drama involving the British royal family repurposed from
460-511: A "lost" Superman Adventures script by Millar to capitalize on his newfound success, while Millar himself considered a move from his native Scotland to the United States, deliberating between staff position offers made by Wildstorm and DC Comics' main competitor Marvel . In June 2000, Marvel announced that Millar will join its then-upcoming " Ultimate " line of comics as the writer on Ultimate X-Men , since Brian Michael Bendis , who
575-543: A GBE (in recognition of his role as chairman of the Scottish War Savings Committee) and the award of medal of the order to Lizzie Robinson, a munitions worker. The order had been established primarily as a civilian award; in August 1918, however, not long after its foundation, a number of awards were made to serving naval and military personnel. Four months later, a 'Military Division' was added to
690-762: A Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to film and literature on the Queen's Honours Birthday list. Millar has cited Alan Moore and Frank Miller as the two biggest influences on his career, characterising them as "my Mum and Dad." Other comic book creators he names as influences include Dave Sim , Grant Morrison , Peter Milligan , Warren Ellis and Garth Ennis . In 2013, Millar listed Superman , Flash Gordon , The Spy Who Loved Me , Star Wars and The Incredibles as his five favorite films. Millar
805-472: A TV series pitch Millar created in 2005. According to Millar, the book was supposed to be published in the form of a fully-painted graphic novel by a "big book publisher". In 2008, the Millarworld line expanded with two new releases, War Heroes at Image , and Kick-Ass , published under Marvel 's Icon imprint and adapted into a feature film two years later. The ownership of the Millarworld series
920-404: A broad riband or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commander and male Commanders wear the badge from a ribbon around the neck; male Officers and Members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest; female recipients other than Dames Grand Cross (unless in military uniform) normally wear it from a bow on the left shoulder. An oval eight-pointed star is worn, pinned to
1035-553: A burning building containing explosives. In December 1922 the statutes of the order were amended; there having been a large number of awards for war work prior to this date, these amended statutes placed the order on more of a peacetime footing. For the first time numbers of appointments were limited, with the stipulation that senior awards in the Civil Division were to outnumber those in the Military Division by
1150-453: A circlet bearing the motto of the Order; the reverse bears George V's Royal and Imperial Cypher. (Prior to 1937 Britannia was shown within the circlet.) The size of the badges varies according to rank: the higher classes have slightly larger badges. The badges of Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames Commander, and Commanders are enamelled, with pale blue crosses, crimson circlets and
1265-466: A citizen of a Commonwealth realm can convert their appointment from honorary to substantive, and they then enjoy all privileges of membership of the order, including use of the title of Sir and Dame for the senior two ranks of the Order. (An example of the latter is Irish broadcaster Terry Wogan , who was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order in 2005, and on successful application for British citizenship, held alongside his Irish citizenship,
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#17327803249681380-443: A gold central medallion. Officers' badges are plain silver-gilt, while those of Members are plain silver. From 1917 until 1937, the badge of the order was suspended on a purple ribbon, with a red central stripe being added for the military division in 1918. Since 1937, the ribbon has been rose-pink with pearl-grey edges (with the addition of a pearl-grey central stripe for the military division). Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear it on
1495-594: A humorous strip created by Garth Ennis and Dave Gibbons for an anniversary issue of 2000 AD in which Millar appeared in the form of a small droid repeating a single phrase, "me and Gwant". The pair was also parodied in an issue of Simpsons Comics written by Gail Simone , shown fighting over whose then-ongoing X-Men series—Millar's Ultimate or Morrison's New —is more important. Sometime around 2004, Millar and Morrison seemingly cut all communication and never interacted in public again, which, according to Morrison, happened because Millar wanted to break away from
1610-721: A major inspiration for the 2012 film The Avengers by its co-story creator Zak Penn , X-Men , Fantastic Four and Avengers for Marvel's Ultimate imprint, as well as Marvel Knights Spider-Man and Wolverine . In 2006, Millar wrote the Civil War mini-series that served as the centrepiece for the eponymous company-wide crossover storyline and later inspired the Marvel Studios film Captain America: Civil War . The " Old Man Logan " storyline, published as part of Millar's run on Wolverine , served as
1725-455: A mix of religious themes, satire and superhero action that quickly brought Millar to the attention of the wider British comics industry and resulted in several script commissions for the long-running anthology 2000 AD and its sister title Crisis . In 1992, Trident's owner Neptune Distribution went bankrupt, leaving both Saviour and The Shadowmen , Millar's second series at the publisher, unfinished. By that time, Millar already became
1840-492: A proportion of six to one. Furthermore appointments in the civil division were to be divided equally between UK and overseas awards. With regard to the Medal of the Order (but not the order itself), a distinction was made in 1922 between awards 'for gallantry' and awards 'for meritorious service' (each being appropriately inscribed, and the former having laurel leaves decorating the clasp, the latter oak leaves). In 1933 holders of
1955-596: A revamp of his debut series Saviour . In the late 1990s, Millar made the first attempt to branch out from comics into screenwriting with a vampire-themed black comedy-drama Sikeside . The script was eventually picked up by Channel 4 with Millar as both writer and director, and, although it was initially written as a TV movie, the production company asked Millar to develop it into a six-episode series instead. Described as " Buffy meets Trainspotting " and planned to be filmed in Millar's hometown of Coatbridge , Sikeside
2070-518: A semi-regular contributor to 2000AD and its adjacent titles, and his output included several Robo-Hunter serials, a six-part prison story "Insiders" for Crisis , a Judge Dredd spin-off series Red Razors , as well as numerous newspaper strips starring Dredd himself for Daily Star . The following year, Millar, Morrison and writer John Smith were given editorial reins over 2000AD for an eight-week run titled "The Summer Offensive". The controversial initiative resulted, among other things, in
2185-430: A short run on Vampirella for Harris , a year-long run on The Flash as well as Aztek: The Ultimate Man for DC. Several of Millar's unrealized projects of this period include a revamp of Marvel's 2099 imprint and an "end-of-the-world" storyline for Marvel Tales , both co-created with Grant Morrison. In late 1998, Millar and Morrison, along with Mark Waid and Tom Peyer , developed an extensive proposal for
2300-400: A spider web across his face with an indelible marker that his parents were unable to scrub off in time for his First Communion photo a week later. In the mid-late 1970s, Millar frequently appeared as a guest on the long-running Scottish kids TV programme Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade , which he was a regular fan of at the time. On one occasion, he was invited onto the show to talk about
2415-407: A staff writing position at Marvel. As part of the deal, Millar and his family relocated to New York City. In November 2000, Millar and Quitely announced their plans to leave The Authority after the third story arc, which was supposed to run in issues #22–25 (cover-dated March–June 2001) if the series was to maintain a monthly schedule. However, soon after the first issue of the arc was published, it
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#17327803249682530-523: A superhero-themed steel archway beside the Monkland Canal , created by sculptor Andy Scott with the help from the students at St. Ambrose High School , Millar's alma mater. The six-metre-high archway, created as part of the efforts to reinvigorate the canal, was inspired by Millar's work, depicting a superhero named Captain Coatbridge and two superheroines. In June 2013, Millar was appointed
2645-486: A teaser for a 6-issue Punisher series with artist Steve Dillon , although no official announcement was made by Marvel. In 2003, Millar and artist Terry Dodson launched Trouble at Marvel's newly-revived Epic imprint, a series meant to re-popularize romance comics that ended up both a sales and critical failure. That same year, Millar renewed his exclusive contract with Marvel for two more years. The following year, he penned two 12-issue runs for titles published under
2760-423: A waste of time for the academic Millar, who studied subjects like chemistry, physics and advanced maths. He initially planned to be a doctor, and subsequently decided that becoming an economist would be a viable alternate plan, but later decided that he "couldn't quite hack it" in that occupation. He attended Glasgow University to study politics and economics, but dropped out after his father's death left him without
2875-514: Is a practicing Catholic who abstains from using profanity in his personal life. He met his first girlfriend Gill, who lived nearby in Coatbridge and attended the same school as him, at the age of 17. The couple married in 1993 and divorced in early 2009. They have one daughter, Emily, who was born in 1998. Millar's second wife, Lucy Unwin, gave birth to their first child in November 2011, and
2990-516: Is an image of Britannia surrounded by the motto, with the words "For Meritorious Service" at the bottom; on the reverse is George V's Imperial and Royal Cypher, with the words "Instituted by King George V" at the bottom. The name of the recipient is engraved on the rim. This medal is nicknamed "the Gong", and comes in both full-sized and miniature versions – the latter for formal white-tie and semi-formal black-tie occasions. A lapel pin for everyday wear
3105-973: Is not a member of the College of Arms , as are many other heraldic officers; and the Lady Usher of the Purple Rod does not – unlike the Order of the Garter equivalent, the Lady Usher of the Black Rod – perform any duties related to the House of Lords . Since the Second World War, several Commonwealth realms have established their own national system of honours and awards and have created their own unique orders, decorations and medals. A number, though, continue to make recommendations for appointments to
3220-455: Is split 50/50 between Millar and the collaborating artist. In 2010, Millar and British publisher Titan launched a pop culture-themed magazine CLiNT that featured serializations of Millar's creator-owned comics as well as a number of short stories by up-and-coming creators submitted via the Millarworld forum. Other magazine contributors include Frankie Boyle , Stewart Lee , Jonathan Ross and Jimmy Carr . In 2011 and 2012, Millar organized
3335-673: The Kapow! Comic Convention in London. The 2011 Kapow! event was notable for setting two Guinness World Records , the "Fastest Production of a Comic Book" and "Most Contributors to a Comic Book". Millar began work at 9 am, plotting a 20-page Superior story, followed by more than 60 comic book creators—including Sean Phillips , Dave Gibbons , Frank Quitely , John Romita Jr. , Jock , Doug Braithwaite , Ian Churchill , Olivier Coipel , Duncan Fegredo , Simon Furman , David Lafuente , John McCrea , Liam Sharp —who appeared on stage throughout
3450-557: The Marvel Knights imprint, launching Marvel Knights Spider-Man again with Dodson and taking over the Wolverine ongoing series with artist John Romita, Jr. Millar and Ultimate Spider-Man writer Brian Michael Bendis launched a new ongoing series for the Ultimate Marvel imprint, Ultimate Fantastic Four but left it after just six issues due to scheduling problems. Millar and artist Greg Land were announced as
3565-495: The Order of Canada . On the other hand, the Australian Honours System unilaterally created in 1975 did not achieve bi-partisan support until 1992, which was when Australian federal and state governments agreed to cease Australian recommendations for British honours; the last Australian recommended Order of the British Empire appointments were in the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours . New Zealand continued to use
Mark Millar - Misplaced Pages Continue
3680-633: The Superman titles that was scheduled to launch in January 2000. The proposal was greenlit, and the team's tenure as collaborative writers was scheduled to begin with upcoming editor Eddie Berganza 's first issue. Upon returining from his vacation, then-current DC editor Mike Carlin was shocked to discover that big changes were being implemented to Superman without his knowledge and vetoed the project. In 1999, Millar also developed pitches for Phantom Stranger and Secret Society of Super-Villains as well as
3795-565: The Yes umbrella are the closest to my own particular ideology." Before the 2014 Scottish independence referendum , Millar was cited as a supporter of Scottish independence by groups such as the National Collective , and made comments interpreted in support of independence. However, in the run-up to the referendum, Millar stated that he was "genuinely undecided". In a January 2015 interview with The Herald , he stated, "Originally I
3910-546: The civil service . It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or a dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal , whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order. The order was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V , who created the order to recognise 'such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to Our Empire'. Equal recognition
4025-481: The 2017 20th Century Fox film Logan . Also in 2008, Millar reteamed with The Ultimates co-creator Bryan Hitch for a run on the mainline Fantastic Four series and launched the mini-series Marvel 1985 with artist Tommy Lee Edwards . The three titles, running concurrently, are notable in that Millar purposefully wrote them as interlinked through the introduction of the character Clyde Wyncham , who also appeared in Millar's creator-owned series Kick-Ass that
4140-473: The 21st century quotas were introduced to ensure consistent representation among recipients across nine categories of eligibility: with the largest proportion of awards being reserved for community, voluntary and local service. Non-military awards of the British Empire Medal resumed in 2012, starting with 293 BEMs awarded for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee . In 2017 the centenary of
4255-792: The British Empire . Rather than using this chapel, the Order now holds its great services upstairs in the nave of the cathedral. In addition to the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire, St Paul's Cathedral also houses the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George . Religious services for the whole Order are held every four years; new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed at these services. Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander prefix Sir , and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commander prefix Dame , to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix Lady to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Knights or spouses of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when
4370-443: The British Empire for Gallantry. Any individual made a member of the order for gallantry after 14 January 1958 wears an emblem of two crossed silver oak leaves on the same ribbon as the badge, with a miniature version on the ribbon bar when worn alone. When the ribbon only is worn the emblem is worn in miniature. It could not be awarded posthumously , and was replaced in 1974 with the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM). If recipients of
4485-592: The European Union and endorsed a Leave vote during the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum , stating that it would be a path towards Scottish independence . Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry , rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside
4600-824: The Military Division of the order from the UK and across the Empire. Recommendations for all appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the King's United Kingdom ministers (recommendations for overseas awards were made by the Foreign Office , the Colonial Office , the India Office and the Dominions Office ); but in the early 1940s the system was changed to enable
4715-407: The Millarworld series have enjoyed interest from Hollywood over the years. In 2008, Michael De Luca optioned War Heroes for Columbia Pictures . In 2010, Nemesis was optioned by 20th Century Fox with Tony Scott attached to direct. Three years later, Fox optioned Starlight . 2014 saw the release of Kingsman: The Secret Service , directed by Matthew Vaughn . That same year, Superior
Mark Millar - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-436: The Order of the British Empire for Gallantry received promotion within the order, whether for gallantry or otherwise, they continued to wear also the insignia of the lower grade with the oak leaves; however, they used only the post-nominal letters of the higher grade. When the order was founded in 1917, badges, ribands and stars were appointed for wear by recipients. In 1929 mantles, hats and collars were added for recipients of
4945-520: The Order of the British Empire. In 2024 appointments to the order were made by the governments of: Most members of the order are citizens of the United Kingdom or Commonwealth realms that use the UK system of honours and awards. In addition, honorary awards may be made to citizens of nations where the monarch is not head of state ; these permit use of post-nominal letters, but not the title of Sir or Dame . Honorary appointees who later become
5060-404: The Order, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, only wives and children of male recipients are afforded privileges. Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to be granted heraldic supporters . They may, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of
5175-463: The United Kingdom; those who would formerly have met the criteria for the medal were instead made eligible for the MBE. In 2004, a report entitled A Matter of Honour: Reforming Our Honours System by a Commons select committee recommended phasing out the Order of the British Empire, as its title was "now considered to be unacceptable, being thought to embody values that are no longer shared by many of
5290-450: The addition of a vertical pearl grey stripe in the centre for awards in the military division). From time to time the order was expanded: there was an increase in the maximum permitted number of recipients in 1933, and a further increase in 1937. During the Second World War, as had been the case during and after World War I, the number of military awards was greatly increased; between 1939 and 1946 there were more than 33,000 appointments to
5405-476: The aim of relaunching the title so that more issues could be produced in advance. The Ultimates 2 launched shortly thereafter and also suffered from delays, this time due to Millar's newly-diagnosed chronic condition and increased workload at Marvel. The second volume as well as the creative team's run on the title ended in 2007 with another 13th issue. Millar and Hitch's work on The Ultimates inspired two Marvel Animated Features titled Ultimate Avengers and
5520-413: The book itself suffered from censorship enacted by DC starting with the new creative team's very first issue and continuing into Millar-written spin-off mini-series focusing on the team's former leader Jenny Sparks . As a result, the creators repeatedly requested a "Suggested for Mature Readers" label for the series but the idea was vetoed by then-Publisher of DC Comics Paul Levitz . Meanwhile, DC published
5635-474: The cathedral. That year, Commonwealth awards made up 40% of all OBEs and MBEs awarded (and 35% of all living recipients of the higher awards). Gradually that proportion reduced as independent states within the Commonwealth established their own systems of honours . The last Canadian recommendation for the Order of the British Empire was an MBE for gallantry gazetted in 1966, a year before the creation of
5750-418: The circlet. In 1929, to bring the order into line with the other orders of chivalry, members of the first class of the order (GBE) were provided with mantles, hats and collars. Only Knights/Dames Grand Cross wear these elaborate vestments; the hat is now rarely, if ever, worn. Use of the mantle is limited to important occasions (such as quadrennial services and coronations ). The mantle is always worn with
5865-444: The collar. Although the mantle was introduced in 1929, very few mantles would have been produced prior to the 1937 design changes, as there were few occasions for wearing them in the intervening years. On certain days designated by the sovereign, known as " collar days ", members attending formal events may wear the order's collar over their military uniform, formal day dress, evening wear or robes of office. Collars are returned upon
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#17327803249685980-439: The continuity of Superman: The Animated Series . Millar, a self-proclaimed Superman fan, stayed on the title for two years and received two Eisner Award nominations while penning one-off stories featuring the version of the character from the mainline DC Universe . Millar's best known Superman story, the three-issue Elseworlds mini-series Superman: Red Son , was first announced in 1998, even though Millar finished most of
6095-479: The country's population". The committee further suggested changing the name of the award to the Order of British Excellence, and changing the rank of Commander to Companion (as the former was said to have a "militaristic ring"), as well as advocating for the abolition of knighthoods and damehoods; the government, however, was not of the opinion that a case for change had been made, and the aforementioned suggestions and recommendations were not, therefore, pursued. In
6210-576: The creative team for a new Thor ongoing series but the pair took over Ultimate Fantatic Four instead. Millar's return to the title introduced, among other things, the concept of Marvel Zombies . During this period, Millar was assigned to write a trilogy of mini-series that would introduce Galactus to the Ultimate Universe but he left the project due to other commitments at Marvel and health issues. In 2006, after renewing his exclusive contract with Marvel for two more years, Millar launched
6325-503: The day to create a panel each. The black-and-white book was completed in 11 hours, 19 minutes and 38 seconds, then published through Marvel's Icon imprint on 23 November 2011, with all royalties being donated to Yorkhill Children's Foundation. In 2015 and 2016, Millarworld held Talent Contest events where entrants had to write and/or draw short stories based on some of the company's properties. The winning entries were published as two anthology specials in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Most of
6440-464: The deal, Millar and his wife Lucy continued to run Millarworld as President and CEO, respectively, developing new properties to be produced by Netflix. Comics adapted to film before the deal, such as Kick-Ass and Kingsman , were not included in the package. The first of Millarworld properties to be adapted at Netflix was Jupiter's Legacy , which premiered in May 2021 with an eight-episode first season. It
6555-403: The death of their owners, but other insignia may be retained. The six office-holders of the order wear pearl-grey mantles lined with rose-pink, having on the right side a purple shield charged with the roundel from the badge. Each of these office-holders wears a unique badge of office, suspended from a gold chain worn around the neck. The British Empire Medal is made of silver. On the obverse
6670-587: The decade touring with his band The Mixers and had limited experience with both writing and drawing stories earlier in his career, suggested that Millar focus on one of those career paths, as it was very hard to be successful at both, which Millar cites as the best advice he has ever received. Soon after, Millar sold his first script, Saviour , to an independent Leicester -based publisher Trident . Illustrated by Daniel Vallely , Morrison's former bandmate in The Mixers and, earlier, The Fauves, Saviour provided
6785-626: The distinction between ranks in military operational gallantry awards will cease'. The reforms affected the order at various levels: for example the automatic award each year of a GBE to the Lord Mayor of London ceased; the OBE replaced the Imperial Service Order as an award for civil servants and the number of MBEs awarded each year was significantly increased. As part of these reforms the British Empire Medal stopped being awarded by
6900-434: The fact that non-caucasians can get Down's syndrome and referring to all gamers as " pedos " in an interview. Millar frequently employs unusual tactics to promote himself and his work, such as the public bet with Harry Knowles regarding the casting of the lead actor in then-upcoming Superman film in 2004, which Millar used as a way to advertise his run on Wolverine . That same year, Millar claimed that rapper Eminem
7015-482: The first major story co-written by Millar and Morrison, Big Dave . In 1994, Millar crossed over to the American comic book industry, taking over the long-running series Swamp Thing , published under DC Comics ' Vertigo imprint. The first four issues of his run were again co-written with Morrison, who, according to Millar, "came on board <...> to make sure that DC selected me above anyone else pitching for
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#17327803249687130-529: The former was to be responsible for recording all proceedings connected with the order, issuing warrants under the seal of the order and making arrangements for investitures, while the latter (at that time the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury ) was responsible for collecting and tabulating the names of those who were to receive an award. The office of Dean was added in 1957. The King of Arms
7245-437: The gig". Although Millar's further work on Swamp Thing brought some critical acclaim to the ailing title, the book's sales were still low enough to warrant cancellation by the publisher. For the next few years, Millar continued to write sporadically for 2000AD and various American publishers, often co-scripting the stories with Morrison, with whom he shares the writing credit on the mini-series Skrull Kill Krew for Marvel ,
7360-401: The governments of overseas dominions to make their own nominations; Canada and South Africa began doing so in 1942, followed by Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth realms. In May 1957, forty years after the foundation of the order, it was announced that St Paul's Cathedral was to serve as the church of the order, and in 1960 a chapel was dedicated for its use within the crypt of
7475-450: The highest class of the order (GBE). The designs of all these items underwent major changes in 1937. The badge is worn by all members of the order; the size, colour and design depends on the class of award. The badge for all classes is in the form of a cross patonce (having the arms growing broader and floriated toward the end) with a medallion in the centre, the obverse of which bears a crowned image of George V and Queen Mary within
7590-493: The history of comics and, in a 2010 interview with the Scottish newspaper Daily Record , Millar has stated that Glen Michael's TV programme was where he first discovered superheroes. Millar's mother died of a heart attack at age 64, when Millar was 14, and his father died four years later, aged 65. Although Millar enjoyed drawing comics, he was not permitted to go to art school because his family frowned upon such endeavours as
7705-618: The honours system, calling it "a preposterous charade". The order has attracted some criticism for its naming having connection with the idea of the now-extinct British Empire . Benjamin Zephaniah , a British poet of Jamaican and Barbadian descent, publicly rejected appointment as an Officer in 2003 because, he asserted, it reminded him of "thousands of years of brutality". He also said that "it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised". First Communion Too Many Requests If you report this error to
7820-430: The image of Morrison's protégé after the success he had with The Authority and Ultimate X-Men . When asked about the state of their relationship in a 2011 interview, Morrison responded thus, "I wish him well but, no, there is no good feeling between myself and Mark Millar for many reasons most of which are he destroyed my faith in human fucking nature." In August 2011, Millar appeared in his native Coatbridge to unveil
7935-446: The insignia to Buckingham Palace and by ceasing to make reference to their honour, but they still hold the honour unless and until annulled by the monarch. In 2003, The Sunday Times published a list of the people who had rejected the Order of the British Empire, including David Bowie , John Cleese , Nigella Lawson , Elgar Howarth , L. S. Lowry , George Melly , and J. G. Ballard . In addition, Ballard voiced his opposition to
8050-649: The inspiration for the 2017 film Logan . Millar has written numerous creator-owned series which have been published under the unified Millarworld label, including Wanted with J. G. Jones , Kick-Ass with John Romita, Jr. , Nemesis with Steve McNiven , Superior and Supercrooks with Leinil Francis Yu , The Secret Service with Dave Gibbons and Jupiter's Legacy with Frank Quitely . Some of these series have been adapted into live-action and animated series and feature films, such as Wanted , Kick-Ass , Kingsman: The Secret Service , Jupiter's Legacy and Super Crooks . In 2017, Millarworld
8165-640: The junior post-nominal letters. The British sovereign is the sovereign of the order and appoints all other officers of the order (by convention, on the advice of the governments of the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth realms ). The second-most senior officer is the Grand Master (a 'Prince of the Blood Royal, or other exalted personage' appointed by the sovereign, who, by virtue of their appointment, becomes 'the First or Principal Knight Grand Cross of
8280-528: The latter. Knights and Dames Commander and Commanders may display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet. See List of current honorary knights and dames of the Order of the British Empire Only the monarch can annul an honour. The Honours Forfeiture Committee considers cases and makes recommendations for forfeiture. An individual can renounce their honour by returning
8395-463: The left breast, by Knights and Dames Grand Cross; Knights and Dames Commander wear a smaller star composed of 'four equal points and four lesser'. The star is not worn by the more junior classes. Prior to 1937 each star had in the centre a gold medallion with a figure of Britannia, surrounded by a crimson circlet inscribed with the motto of the order ('For God and the Empire'); since 1937 the effigies of King George V and Queen Mary have been shown within
8510-515: The market with tie-ins and spin-offs in the mid-00s as well as the DC Comics ' management of The Authority during his tenure as the title's writer. In his writing, Millar has incorporated the themes of domestic abuse ( The Ultimates ), teenage pregnancy ( Trouble ), child molestation ( The Unfunnies ) and rape, the latter sometimes for comedic effect. In August 2013, when asked by Abraham Josephine Riesman of The New Republic about
8625-588: The medal 'for gallantry', which had come to be known as the Empire Gallantry Medal , were given permission to use the postnominal letters EGM (and at the same time to add a laurel branch emblem to the ribbon of the medal); however, in 1940, awards of the EGM ceased and all holders of the medal were instructed to exchange it for a new and more prestigious gallantry award: the George Cross . In 1941,
8740-559: The medal of the order 'for meritorious service' was renamed the British Empire Medal , and the following year its recipients were granted the right to use the postnominal letters BEM. During the war, the BEM came to be used to recognise acts of bravery which did not merit the award of a George Cross or George Medal , a use which continued until the introduction of the Queen's Gallantry Medal in 1974. The designs of insignia of
8855-449: The medal. The colour of the riband was also changed: twenty years earlier, prior to the order's establishment, Queen Mary had made it known that pink would be her preferred colour for the riband of the proposed new order, but, in the event, purple was chosen. Following her appointment as Grand Master of the order in 1936 a change was duly made and since 9 March 1937 the riband of the order has been 'rose pink edged with pearl grey’ (with
8970-414: The money to pay his living expenses. Millar was first inspired to become a comic book creator after meeting Alan Moore at a con in the mid-1980s. Years later, when an 18-year-old Millar interviewed Scottish comic book writer Grant Morrison for a fanzine, he told Morrison that he wanted to create comics as both a writer and an artist. Morrison, who then-recently returned to comics after spending most of
9085-491: The most well-known and best-selling work of his career, the 7-issue mini-series Civil War with artist Steve McNiven that acted as the centrepiece of the company-wide crossover storyline of the same name. The story revolved around the passing of the Superhuman Registration Act in response to the death and destruction unintentionally caused by superheroes on a regular basis and the resultant schism in
9200-473: The names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Male clergy of the Church of England or the Church of Scotland do not use the title Sir (unless they were knighted before being ordained) as they do not receive the accolade (they are not dubbed "knight" with a sword), although they do append the post-nominal letters ; dames do not receive the accolade, and therefore female clergy are free to use
9315-454: The numbers restricted to the order as full members do. Although the Order of the British Empire has by far the highest number of members of the British orders of chivalry, with more than 100,000 living members worldwide, there are fewer appointments to knighthoods than in other orders. From time to time, individuals may be promoted to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of
9430-620: The order alongside its own honours until the establishment of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996. Other Commonwealth realms have continued to use the Order of the British Empire alongside their own honours. In 1993 the Prime Minister, John Major , instituted a reform of the honours system with the aim 'that exceptional service or achievement will be more widely recognised; that greater importance will be given to voluntary service; that automatic honours will end; that
9545-408: The order and medal were altered in 1937, prior to the coronation of King George VI , 'in commemoration of the reign of King George V and Queen Mary, during which the Order was founded'. The figure of Britannia at the centre of the badge of the order was replaced with an image of the crowned heads of the late King and Queen Mary, and the words 'Instituted by King George V' were added to the reverse of
9660-409: The order was celebrated with a service at St Paul's Cathedral. The order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the total number of members of the fourth and fifth classes, but no more than 858 officers and 1,464 members may be appointed per year. Foreign appointees, as honorary members, do not contribute to
9775-426: The order, to which serving personnel would in future be appointed. The classes were the same as for the Civil Division (as it was now termed), but military awards were distinguished by the addition of a central vertical red stripe to the purple riband of the civil awards. In 1920 appointment as an MBE 'for an act of gallantry' was granted for the first time, to Sydney Frank Blanck Esq, who had rescued an injured man from
9890-411: The release of the remaining three issues and further edit the completed but not yet released work for sensitive content, which eventually drove Adams away from the title. The Authority #29, Millar's last issue on the series, was published with art by Gary Erskine and the cover date of July 2002. Another Millar-written The Authority spin-off, a one-shot story tentatively titled Apollo / Midnighter ,
10005-603: The same Order'). The position of Grand Master has been held by the following people: In addition to the sovereign and the grand master , the order has six further officers: At its foundation the order was served by three officers: the King of Arms, the Registrar & Secretary and the Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod. In 1922 the Prelate was added, and the office of Registrar was separated from that of Secretary:
10120-445: The same name . In August 1999, it was announced that Millar and Scottish artist Frank Quitely will be taking over The Authority , an ongoing series published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint, on the recommendation of the outgoing writer and series' co-creator Warren Ellis . Millar's trademark style of over-the-top violence mixed with satire, pop culture references and mature themes was met with critical and commercial success while
10235-454: The screenplay. In August 2017, it was announced that Millarworld has been purchased for an undisclosed sum by Netflix . Millar noted it was the third time in history a comic book company had been purchased by a production studio, comparing the buyout to the 1967 purchase of DC Comics by Kinney National Company (subsequently renamed to Warner Communications ) and the 2009 acquisition of Marvel Comics by The Walt Disney Company . As part of
10350-414: The script two-year prior. As the series' original artist Dave Johnson fell behind the schedule, Millar opposed the idea of using other artists for the remaining pages. DC eventually brought in artist Kilian Plunkett to complete the book in 2002. Red Son , which Millar first came up with as a child after reading Superman #300, was published the following year and later adapted into an animated film of
10465-563: The second in March 2014. Millar and Unwin married in May 2016. As of 2010, they reside in Glasgow 's West End. In 2005, Millar was diagnosed with Crohn's disease . Speaking about his political views, Millar has described himself thus, "I regard myself as traditionally left of centre and progressive, a Eurosceptic in the Bennite mould, and the policies espoused by the coalition formed under
10580-461: The standard of the George Medal (even though, as appointments to an order of chivalry, they were listed before it on the Order of Wear . In contrast to awards for meritorious service, which usually appear without a citation, there were often citations for gallantry awards, some detailed and graphic. From 14 January 1958, these awards were designated Commander, Officer or Member of the Order of
10695-456: The subsequent 2012 Marvel Studios feature film The Avengers , directed by Joss Whedon . Actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson , who portrayed the character Quicksilver in the 2015 sequel film Avengers: Age of Ultron , stated that it also drew inspiration from the Ultimate comics. In 2002 and 2003, Millar wrote a column for Comic Book Resources . Around the same time, Millar's website included
10810-562: The superheroic community, with Captain America and Iron Man taking opposing sides of the debacle. The storyline had lasting impact on the fictional Marvel Universe and served as the inspiration for the 2016 Marvel Studios film Captain America: Civil War . In 2007 and 2008, Millar attempted to pitch a new series of Superman films to Warner Brothers but the studio went with David S. Goyer 's pitch for Man of Steel instead. During that time, he also had two pitches rejected at Marvel,
10925-506: The title Dame . Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal GBE; Knights Commander, KBE; Dames Commander, DBE; Commanders, CBE; Officers, OBE; and Members, MBE. The post-nominal for the British Empire Medal is BEM. Members of all classes of the order are assigned positions in the order of precedence . Wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander; relatives of Ladies of
11040-535: The titles Sir for men and Dame for women before their forenames, except with honorary awards. King George V founded the order to fill gaps in the British honours system : In particular, George V wished to create an order to honour the many thousands of individuals from across the Empire who had served in a variety of non-combat roles during the First World War . From its foundation the order consisted of five classes (GBE, KBE/DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE) and
11155-479: The use of rape as a plot device in more than one of his comics, Millar responded, "The ultimate [act] that would be the taboo, to show how bad some villain is, was to have somebody being raped, you know. I don't really think it matters. It's the same as, like, a decapitation. It's just a horrible act to show that somebody's a bad guy." The comment drew criticism from industry peers and comic book journalists. Similar incidents include Millar publicly expressing amazement at
11270-427: The world. In 2017, Millar established a charitable foundation and launched a multi-year campaign to promote it. Throughout the 90s and early 00s, Millar was close friends with fellow Scottish writer Grant Morrison . The pair frequently collaborated on works published by British and American publishers and appeared together at various events. Morrison was seen as the mentor figure in their relationship, as evidenced by
11385-554: Was Yes and then about six months before I started having doubts, and then I just went silent on it because I saw the country going mad. People who I love were falling out with each other." In 2020, Millar explained on Twitter that he is not a "tribalist" when it comes to Scottish independence, stating, "After the Blair era I was tempted for a year or two" regarding the matter, but questioned whether an independent Scotland could function economically. Millar supported British withdrawal from
11500-416: Was announced for a 2000 release but never produced. In 2002, Millar and artist Bryan Hitch further expanded Marvel's Ultimate line with The Ultimates , a reimagining of the company's Avengers team. The title also proved highly successful, although it suffered from delays in shipping due to Hitch's personal issues. The Ultimates was eventually cancelled after 13 issues and two years of publication with
11615-495: Was announced that Quitely had signed an exclusive contract with Marvel and would therefore leave the title earlier than planned. Wildstorm assigned Art Adams to finish the last issues and hired writer Tom Peyer and artist Dustin Nguyen to create another four-issue story arc that would fill the publishing gap while Adams worked on his portion of the series. Then, following the 11 September 2001 attacks , Wildstorm decided to postpone
11730-483: Was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to film and literature. Millar was born on 24 December 1969 in Coatbridge , Scotland. He spent the first half of his life in the town's Townhead area and attended St. Ambrose High School . Millar has four older brothers, and one older sister, who are 22, 20, 18, 16 and 14 years older than him, respectively. He
11845-402: Was first announced at the end of December 2006, and is available to recipients of all levels of the order, as well as to holders of the British Empire Medal . The pin design is not unique to any level. The pin features the badge of the order, enclosed in a circle of ribbon of its colours of pink and grey. Lapel pins must be purchased separately by a member of the order. The creation of such a pin
11960-515: Was first introduced to comic books at age 4 by his brother Bobby, who at the time was attending university and, as of 2010, worked at a special needs school . The first comics that Millar read were the seminal The Amazing Spider-Man #121, which featured the death of Gwen Stacy , and a Superman book purchased by Bobby that day. Millar's interest in the medium was further cemented with the black-and-white reprints of other comics that his brothers purchased for him, which he enjoyed so much that he drew
12075-410: Was followed by Super Crooks , an animated spin-off series released in November 2021. Over the years, Millar has earned a reputation as a controversial and outspoken writer. In interviews, he openly criticized the business practices of the American comics industry in the 90s, the comic book writing trend of decompression popularized in the early 00s, the tendency of Big Two publishers to oversaturate
12190-413: Was in talks to take the lead role of Wesley Gibson in the film adaptation of his creator-owned series Wanted , which resulted in public denial by Eminem's management via Variety . In 2006, Millar auctioned the right to name the protagonist of his then-upcoming creator-owned series Kick-Ass . In 2016, he organized a "treasure hunt" for advance copies of Jupiter's Legacy hidden in ten cities around
12305-469: Was made a substantive member and subsequently styled as Sir Terry Wogan). Although initially intended to recognise meritorious service, the order began to also be awarded for gallantry. There were an increased number of cases in the Second World War for service personnel and civilians including the merchant navy, police, emergency services and civil defence, mostly MBEs but with a small number of OBEs and CBEs. Such awards were for gallantry that did not reach
12420-513: Was open to both women and men; provision was also made for conferring honorary awards on foreign recipients. At the same time, alongside the order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. The first investiture took place at Ibrox Stadium , as part of a royal visit to the Glasgow shipyards, with the appointment of Alexander Ure, 1st Baron Strathclyde as
12535-596: Was optioned by Fox with Vaughn attached as producer. The following year, Huck was picked up by Studio 8 , while an adaptation of Chrononauts was announced to be in development by Universal . In 2016, Waypoint Entertainment optioned both Supercrooks and American Jesus (which had previously been optioned by Matthew Vaughn's Marv Films in 2009), while Lorenzo di Bonaventura began development on Jupiter's Legacy . That same year, Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum signed on to produce Empress with XXX: Return of Xander Cage writer F. Scott Frazier set to pen
12650-472: Was previously attached to the series, decided to focus his attention on the inaugural "Ultimate" launch of the Spider-Man title . The line, designed to simplify and streamline the company's long-running fictional continuity for mainstream audiences, was met with instant critical and commercial success and, soon after the launch of Ultimate X-Men , Millar announced that he had signed a two-year contract for
12765-501: Was published under Marvel's Icon imprint. In 2009, Millar returned to the Ultimate Universe with a number of limited series released under the Ultimate Comics: Avengers banner, his last Marvel work to date. In 2011, Millar abandoned work-for-hire in favor of working full-time on his creator-owned properties. In 2003, Millar introduced Millarworld , a unified label for his future creator-owned comics, set in
12880-431: Was purchased by Netflix with the aim for Millar to continue developing original properties that would later be adapted by the studio into various formats. In addition to his work as a writer, Millar serves as an executive producer on all film and television adaptations of his comics. Between 2012 and 2016, he was employed by 20th Century Fox as a creative consultant for adaptations of Marvel properties. In 2013, Millar
12995-585: Was recommended in Sir Hayden Phillips ' review of the honours system in 2004. The Chapel of the Order of the British Empire is in St Paul's Cathedral . It occupies the far eastern end of the cathedral crypt and was dedicated in 1960. The only heraldic banners normally on display in the chapel are those of the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire and of the Grand Master of the Order of
13110-526: Was to be given for services rendered in the UK and overseas. Today the majority of recipients are UK citizens, though a number of Commonwealth realms outside the UK continue to make appointments to the order. Honorary awards may be made to citizens of other nations of which the order's sovereign is not the head of state. The five classes of appointment to the Order are, from highest grade to lowest grade: The senior two ranks of Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame Commander entitle their members to use
13225-442: Was ultimately cancelled during pre-production. In a 2010 interview, Millar mentioned that he has sold the rights to the script to producer Angus Lamont who wanted to turn it into a film for a theatrical release. In 1999 and 2000, Millar wrote a newspaper column for The Evening Times . Millar started gaining notice at DC Comics for his work on the all-ages comic book series Superman Adventures , which featured stories set in
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