9 Celebrities Who Have Written Comic Books

A career onscreen or in music doesn't necessarily translate to talent with a pen, but the comic book industry is a great place for celebrities to indulge their creative ideas or cut their teeth as writers. Here are just a few of the names that have graced comic covers to the surprise of everyone.

1. MARK HAMILL

If you don't know Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, you know him as the voice of the Joker from the DC Animated Universe. And if you don't know him from that, then you know him as the proprietor of one of the greatest Twitter feeds known to man. But if you don't know him from any of those place, you probably remember him as the guy who wrote The Black Pearl for Dark Horse.

2. RASHIDA JONES

Rashida Jones is a student of the Carrie Fisher school of being beloved onscreen, but doing far more behind the scenes than anyone realizes. The former Parks and Recreation star is a prolific screenwriter and editor who made her comic book debut with Frenemy of the State under the independent Oni Press label.

The story, which follows a CIA agent who uses the guise of a tabloid celebrity to complete her missions, was optioned for a movie deal by Universal in 2009. While Jones is on board to write the script, there's been no real development news on the project in the last decade.

3. AND 4. BILL HADER AND SETH MEYERS

This Saturday Night Live dream team may have parted ways on television back in 2013, but they're remained good friends and regular collaborators. In 2009, the pair teamed up to make a Marvel one-shot, Spider-Man: The Short Halloween.

A riff on Batman: The Long Halloween, the story they wrote involved Spider-man being knocked out of commission in a Greenwich Village costume parade, leaving a drunk reveler in a Spider-man costume to take his place.

5. WILLIAM SHATNER

Even since Star Trek star ​William Shatner wrote the TekWar novels, he has made it a hobby to personally expand the franchise and universe through more books, television movies, a trading card game, and, yes, a comic book tie-in series that Shatner himself penned. It's about as crazy as a comic written by William Shatner sounds.

6. JOHN CLEESE

If there's one thing that Brits do better than any other culture, it's cultural self-deprecation. The entire style of British comedy is based squarely on disillusionment with their own environment and an inability to take any of it all too seriously—an attitude that was clearly evident in the rambunctious lads from Monty Python.

John Cleese, a core member of the group, brought this style and sense of humor to Superman: True Brit, a comic that pondered what Superman might be like if his rocket had landed in the British countryside instead of rural Kansas. The result: Superman rarely uses his powers because "What would the neighbors think?"

7. KEVIN SMITH

Clerks creator Kevin ​Smith has never made a secret of his love of the comic world, which is part of what has helped him become a geek culture icon. Using both his celebrity status and legitimate writing talents, Smith has had a prolific career in comics both as a regular and guest writer.

The Fatman on Batman host's biggest accolades include Batman: The Widening Gyre, Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet, and a slew of titles tying into his View Askewniverse including the fabled Bluntman and Chronic series.

8. GERARD WAY

Gerard Way, former lead singer for My Chemical Romance, has had his hands in the comic book industry since 1993, when he was credited with the creation and writing of the short-lived On Raven's Wings. He wouldn't try his hand at the medium again until 2007, when he released the critically-acclaimed The Umbrella Academy series.

After his big break in the industry wheelhouse, Way has been courted by DC and Vertigo and, in 2014, began writing for Marvel's Edge of the Spider-Verse.

9. PHIL "CM PUNK" BROOKS

Phil "CM Punk" Brooks may have burned all his bridges with the WWE, but he's still one of the most accomplished and experienced wrestlers in the world. With professional wrestling essentially being live-action comics, it makes sense that he'd be able to translate his in-ring mic skills to a side job writing comics.

He penned 2015's Thor Annual #1, where Loki makes the God of Thunder wrestle Hulk in a luchador mask, and has continued to periodically partner with Marvel since.