Brian Michael Bendis is an award-winning Jewish American comic book writer and artist.

Bendis (born August 18, 1967) was born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in a Jewish-American home by his mother. Though he rebelled against being raised religious, he attended a modern Orthodox school for boys while growing up. It was in these formative years that he first grew a love for comic books. “I studied them like the Torah,” he later said. “I memorized the ads. At five, I literally stood on the sofa and said 'I will be the artist on Spider-Man'.”

Bendis attended the Cleveland Institute of Art, but was never able to break into the comic book industry until a shakeup occured at Marvel Comics. Joe Quesada, editor-in-chief at the time, called Bendis, who recounted the interaction: “I asked, ‘What do you need an artist for?’ [Quesada] answered, 'You know your art isn’t that good, but you’re an amazing writer'.”

With writing work for such popular comic book titles such as Daredevil and Ultimate Spider-Man, Bendis quickly made a name for himself and would go on to win much critical acclaim, including multiple Eisner awards for his work for Marvel Comics, Image Comics, and various self-published titles.

“The Torah is full of mythological sources of father and son, and so is Marvel Comics,” Bendis said. “I think about my upbringing with a single mother -- I have father issues -- I was born to do this. That’s why I can write.”

Bendis lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Alisa, and four daughters.

Sources: JTA