Millar's tendency for shock and awe has been molded by one of the earliest comics he read which featured the death of Gwen Stacy. As introductions to the medium go it's slightly cooler then my own gateway, which was "Roger the Dodger". Despite successes for both Marvel and DC, the sting of having his work on The Authority, censored by DC, never quite escaped him and although some of his more far out there ideas (turning the entire Marvel universe into zombies or having a horny Hulk looking to smash Freddie Prinze Jr out of a love triangle) went through untouched, there was a sense that Millar was holding back and in 2004 he launched his own creator owned line called Millarworld. Here he is able to write what he wants, with whom he wants and he retains 100% ownership of all his characters. It is here that Millar has developed some of his most iconic creations such as Kick Ass, Wanted, Nemesis, and Superior and is currently midway through the spectacular Jupiter's Legacy. Millar's reach has now extended beyond comics into movies, both in adapting his own work and as a creative consultant for 20th Century Fox. Ironically, Matthew Vaughan left the Fox produced Days of Future;s Past in order to direct the adaptation of Millar's Secret Service comic. It was seen as a strange step for a man who said that "Movies are just 100 million dollar adverts for my books" but few would back against him finding success in this field also, his handling of Jim Carrey's crisis of conscience was expertly done. Millar currently has 6 of his titles in some stage of movie development along with overseeing the latest X-Men and Fantastic Four installments. However, his work on Jupiter's Legacy has shown he has not taken his eye off the ball when it comes to his first passion. Regardless of all his extra endeavors I am a Mark Millar fan for one reason, his writing. No matter what subject the controversial Scotsman turns his pen to; it is never less than engaging. Whatever missteps I may feel he has taken, most notably the last page of Wanted which made me want to set fire to the book, he more than counter acts this with countless moments of action, excitement, humor and heartbreak. Superior's Simon Pooni, tortured with the choice of living as a crippled high school student or a soulless Superman, is incredibly touching. Logan, looking upon the bones of his fallen friends, is chilling and Hawkeyes "Run" moment is pure heart pumping brilliance. Every single title of Millar's that I have ever picked up has left some impression on me. His work, divisive as it may be, is never dull or apathetic. He never fails to intrigue, uplift and excite and that is the sign of a true artist.