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Tom King, co-creator, writer, and executive producer of DC's upcoming HBO series Lanterns, developed a compelling formula for character-driven superhero stories. In a world of countless Marvel and DC adaptations, it pays to create self-contained, character-focused narratives that connect to a wide universe. These are the types of stories that will be adapted into live-action or animated features for the big and small screens, but, most importantly, tend to rise to the top as comics that will last. 

As Warner Bros. and DC revamp their cinematic universe, James Gunn and his team have hyper-focused on telling character-focused stories about gods and monsters. Tom King excels in that department. He just knows how to elevate mainstream and legacy characters. From Marvel's The Vision to DC Comics' Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, King has crafted tales of human drama centered around the most powerful beings on the planet, what he calls in the case of Lanterns, "intimate epics."

His works are also fantastic gateways into comics. 'How do I get into comics?' or 'Where do I start?' are common questions for new comic fans. Toss in a name like Batman or Wonder Woman, and that question becomes exponentially difficult. Decades of character continuity exist for you to sift through. Whatever book someone suggests may have side issues or companions you need to read to get the full picture. Having a singular, isolated story that gives you everything you need without the attached homework is invaluable. Tom King's books are a solution to that problem, all thanks to his approach to superhero storytelling.

​Tom King's time as a counterterrorism operative for the CIA was a formative aspect of his writing style. He focuses on the power of human interactions, processing trauma and depression, and on smaller character moments juxtaposed to grand setpieces. These stories operate outside of established canon, allowing it to exist in its own creative vacuum. These continuity-adjacent stories give Tom and the story artists the space to hone in on very specific aspects of the main character and write very human stories. King's formula is reminiscent of the amazing day-in-the-life story approach in Matt Fraction and artist David Aja's incredible 2015 Hawkeye series... and in some cases, paved the way for King's approach to flourish. 

In Hawkeye, the reader follows Clint Barton on his off-time from being an Avenger, and all the mundane and not-so-mundane happenings for the archer living in NYC. Fraction explores how an Avenger with no superpowers handles days away from 'the office', as Clint helps neighbors, rescues a dog, connects with old friends, and deals with his own personal issues. Knowing this, it's easy to pick up on Tom King's approach and the art he has crafted all his own.  

There is no better way to endear a reader to a character than to give them the same problems we deal with every day. It's why Spider-Man is the greatest superhero ever. Peter is us. Just a guy with a job and family problems who just so happens to moonlight as a tights-wearing vigilante punching Rhino men in the nose. Tom King looks for those opportunities with the characters he writes for to tell grounded stories that touch on real human emotions. It's a formula that works very well.
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Tom King's formula turns heroes into humans

I read Tom King and Mitch Gerads' Mister Miracle on a whim. I am a fan of the Jack Kirby Fourth World stories, so I was game for an update to Scott Free's adventures. I didn't expect to dive into such a heavy character study on trauma and getting up after being knocked down. The book follows godlike characters Scott Free and Big Barda as they try to live a normal life, build a family, and move on from traumatic events, all while Scott grapples with demons from his past. 

The book was unconnected to any wider universe, which freed me up to focus solely on the human narrative King was weaving. I didn't need any prior knowledge of the characters to enjoy the story, and in the end, the book stood on its own as an amazing character study of trauma, pain, and how your decisions can affect those around you. In the end, the story stuck with me, and I am still discovering pieces of the puzzle King left for us to find.

​That's Tom King's fundamental approach. He makes his characters human. In turn, these characters end up wanting what any other regular person wants. The heroes are isolated from ongoing DC storylines. Divorced from established canon, characters are allowed to explore real human struggles through the lens of super people. In Scott Free's case, he turned his superpower of escape against him. What happens when the man who can escape anything can't escape the repercussions of his actions or the demons of his past? The secret sauce is making people connect with your characters, even the godly ones.

“Of all the things I’ve written, it’s the book that can connect with people on a deeper level because it’s about a man who attempts suicide, goes through something and comes out of it,” King says to Variety's Jordan Moreau about Mister Miracle. “It’s about how you recover and live with trauma.” 

In 2021's Strange Adventures, King grounds legacy character Adam Strange by juxtaposing his cosmic sci-fi battles and dimension hopping with book signings and TV talk show appearances. King and artists Evan 'Doc' Shaner and Mitch Gerads craft a tense, intriguing story surrounding Strange's alleged war crimes, propaganda, and PTSD. 

​In Marvel's The Vision, Vision moves to a quiet suburban neighborhood with his family of synthetics and tries to lead a normal life. It's one thing to write a story about Vision doing his normal Vision things, like turning incorporeal or being a robot man. It's another to plant him in the suburbs with a full synthetic family and try to live out the white picket fence dream, and make that work so well.

He's delivered this same type of standalone approach to DC's Batman, the Penguin, Black Canary, Authority leader Jenny Sparks, the Watchmen's Rorschach, the private detective Human Target, the gritty detective Slam Bradley, and even the alien freedom fighters the Omega Men. He had some early plans to do the same for Marvel Comics' Loki, but ended up dropping out to go exclusive with DC Comics.
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Tom King turns comics to live-action gold

King's formula has been quite the success. His stellar writing, coupled with the work of amazing artists like Mitch Gerads, has made him a multi-time Eisner Award winner. The highest honor for comic writing. His work did not go unnoticed in Hollywood either. Marvel's WandaVision series uses Tom King and artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta's The Vision series as a foundation. As Wanda tries to put the pieces of her broken life together, she moves to the suburbs with her husband, Vision, to live a normal life away from the grind of superheroing. But of course, not everything is what it seems.

DC's cinematic universe Supergirl film takes its cues from King's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow miniseries, illustrated by Bilquis Evely, and colored by Matheus Lopes. On Kara's 21st birthday, she travels to a planet with a red sun to put a wet blanket on her powers, so she can get drunk. She encounters a girl named Ruthye, who is hunting for her parents' killer, Krem, and gets caught up in the revenge quest her young friend is on. It's hard not to see King's fingerprint on the live-action adaptation, as it borrows the plot of his story wholesale. Down to the red sun nerf. Is there anything more relatable than wanting to get wasted on your first 21st birthday?

The live-action adaptation of Supergirl sees Kara embark on the same journey, while exploring her grief and loneliness as she deals with the death of Krypton and feels disconnected from her adopted planet, Earth. With King's story as a foundation, James Gunn and his team can tap into the trauma Kara is dealing with and craft a grounded space epic. In that way, King’s focus on emotional storytelling translates perfectly to a blockbusting cinematic landscape.

King's live-action success continues with a number of upcoming projects. The HBO series Lanterns, written and produced by King, follows grizzled Green Lantern vet Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler, training his new recruit John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre. The show grounds the Green Lantern Corps and puts them squarely in Nebraska, investigating a murder. 

DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation are also adapting Mister Miracle into an animated series, with Tom King serving as showrunner. This is actually the second DC Studios project he worked on based on the reception to Mister Miracle, following an aborted New Gods movie with Ava DuVernay.

With his hands in every aspect of the Mister Miracle cartoon and his original story once again serving as the foundation for the animated series, it's proof that King's character studies are a successful avenue for rich storytelling. His unique talent for humanizing some of comics' more fantastical characters has led to great success for the award-winning writer. 
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How Tom King's writing connects with the fans

King's character formula hinges on life experience. His fatherhood, family, job, and experiences all play a role in the superhero stories he tells. Themes of trauma, family, acceptance, discrimination, isolation, depression, and ultimately happiness drive many of King's most popular works. The cosmic conflicts and laser eye blasts all take a back seat to raw human emotions and situations. What is it like balancing work with a wife and newborn child? Does it matter that your work is being Highfather of New Genesis when your son needs diapers? Or what is it like being the new kid in school who is different than everyone else? The difference being that you are a synthetic robot person is beside the point.

King's gift is turning these characters' superpowers into a catalyst for exploration into who they are, what they fear, and how they overcome adversity. Couple that with its self-contained nature, and King has found a winning formula for telling the most amazing character studies with zero baggage. Very impressive. 

Interested? Here's where to find your closest local comic store, courtesy of Sweet, and here's a guide to how (and where) to read comics online. If you're looking for the best comics in recent memory, check out the Eisner Awards winners and the Harvey Awards nominees. And if you like free comics, here's everything we know about Free Comic Book Day 2027.