Ann "Annie" Nocenti (born on January 17, 1957) is an American journalist, writer, editor, and filmmaker best known for her work on comic books and magazines. As an editor for Marvel Comics, she edited New Mutants and The Uncanny X-Men. With artist collaborators, she created such Marvel characters as Typhoid Mary, Blackheart, Longshot, Mojo and Spiral.
Nocenti is noted for her outspoken political views, often focusing on the status of women in society, as well as the role of government, which, particularly during her run on the Marvel superhero comic book Daredevil, caused controversy among some fans.
Nocenti made her comics writing debut with a six-page mythological story, drawn by Greg LaRocque, in the Marvel anthology Bizarre Adventures #32 (Aug. 1982). She wrote her first superhero series with Marvel's Spider-Woman #47-50 (Dec. 1982 - June 1983), and, after being credited for "story idea" or as "story consultant" on three comics in early 1984, went on to write an issue each of Doctor Strange and Star Wars before writing the four-issue miniseries Beauty and the Beast (Dec. 1984-June 1985), featuring the superheroes Dazzler and the Beast. During this period Nocenti was on staff at Marvel, working as an assistant editor for Carl Potts on such titles as The Incredible Hulk, The Defenders, Doctor Strange, and The Thing. Nocenti and artist Arthur Adams created the character Longshot in a titular, six-issue miniseries (Sept. 1985 - Feb. 1986).
After collaborating with Adams on the Spider-Man feature in Web of Spider-Man Annual #2 (Sept. 1986), and with penciler Mike Mignola on a short backup story there, Nocenti teamed with artist Barry Windsor-Smith on Daredevil #236 (Nov. 1986). Two issues later, she became the regular writer for a four-and-a-quarter year run from #238-291 (Jan. 1987 - April 1991), minus issue #246. John Romita, Jr. joined as penciler from #250-282 (Jan. 1988 - Jul. 1990), and was generally inked by Al Williamson. Nocenti specifically addressed societal issues, with Murdock, now running a non-profit urban legal center, confronting sexism, racism, and nuclear proliferation while fighting supervillains. Nocenti introduced the popular antagonist Typhoid Mary in issue #254 (May 1988).
In addition to contributing occasional stories to such anthologies as Marvel Comics Presents, Marvel Fanfare and other titles, and writing two issues each of the The Spectacular Spider-Man, Spider-Man (spinoffs of the long-running flagship title The Amazing Spider-Man), and three issues of Wolverine vol. 2, Nocenti also produced the graphic novel Someplace Strange in collaboration with artist John Bolton. She also wrote The Inhumans Graphic Novel in 1988, and the 1998 X-Men novel Prisoner X.
For the DC Comics imprint Vertigo, Nocenti wrote the 16-issue run of Kid Eternity (May 1993 - Sept. 1994). Later in the mid-1990s, for Marvel, she wrote a four-issue miniseries each starring Typhoid Mary and the supernatural supervillain Nightmare, an antagonist of Doctor Strange. After writing two issues of Marvel's The All New Exiles in 1996, plus the four-page dramatic story "Old Man", with artist Bolton, in the Dark Horse Comics anthology Strange Wink #3 (May 1998), Nocenti left comics to pursue journalism. She returned briefly, in 2003 and 2004, writing four Batman stories for DC.
Marvel announced in mid-2009 that Nocenti would be among the writers for Daredevil #500, scheduled to be published in August 2009.
Journalism and film
In 1990s, Nocenti began to focus on journalism and filmmaking. She edited High Times magazine for one year (2004) and was an editor on Prison Life Magazine. Her journalism has been published in The Nation, Print, Utne, Heeb, The Brooklyn Rail, Counterpunch, Filmmaker, and Details, as well for Moveon.org. Nocenti's story "The Most Expensive Road Trip in the World" was collected in The Best American Travel Writing 2008, edited by Anthony Bourdain (Houghton Miifflin). She was an editor and writer for Stop Smiling Magazine, guest editing the "Gambling Issue". She contributed a story to the anthology The Darker Mask (Tor Books) and her interview with Edward Gorey was published in The Black Doll.
As editor of the screenwriting magazine Scenario, Nocenti published the original versions of screenplays and interviewed directors and screenwriters. She was the script editor at the reading series The Fifth Night, and is on the advisory board of the Woodstock Film Festival.
Nocenti co-directed the documentary The Baluch, shot in Baluchistan, and made the short Creep for Glass Eye Pix. She was the dramaturge on the play Stitching, starring John Ventimiglia and Meital Dohan, which ran in New York City and Los Angeles, and wrote the feature film Patriotville, starring Justin Long.
In The Incredible Hulk #291 (Jan. 1984), Nocenti made a cameo appearance, talking to Dr. Bruce Banner, in a story written by Bill Mantlo, penciled by Sal Buscema, and inked by Carlos Garzón and Joe Sinnott. At that time Nocenti was assistant editor to Larry Hama on The Incredible Hulk and X-Men.
In Ultimate X-Men, a re-imagination of the X-Men in the alternate universe Ultimate Marvel imprint, the superhero Longshot has the civilian name Arthur Centino ... his last name an anagram of "Nocenti" and his first name an homage to artist Arthur Adams, the original character's co-creators.
