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Joseph Torres (J. Torres), Filipino Canadian comic book writer (born 12 October 1969 in Manila, Philippines). Better known as J. Torres, he has written for all major North American comic book publishers. He worked on popular series like Teen Titans and Batman. In 2006, he won the Shuster Award for Outstanding Writer. His scriptwriting work has included forays into children’s magazines, books and television.
Early Years and Education
Joseph Torres was born in the Philippines. When he was four years old, he and his family settled in Canada. His parents decided to leave the Philippines due to the political instability at that time. (See Filipino Canadians.)
He grew up in the suburbs of Montreal, reading newspapers and comic strips. By the time he was in third grade, he was writing and drawing for the school newspaper. In sixth grade, he wrote and directed a play based on an Archie comic. He decided that he wanted to work in comics later on.
Torres attended McGill University. At the time, he took various courses to hone his skills in writing scripts. In 1993, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and a Diploma in Education the following year. After college, he became an English as a Second Language teacher for adults.
Comic Arts (1996–2003)
Joseph Torres started his career as a comics creator with the release of Copybook Tales (1996). He worked on it with his illustrator friend Tim Levins. The self-published mini-comic was printed with a photocopier. The coming-of-age story presented characters that are loosely based on himself and Levins, illustrating their challenges in becoming professional comic book creators. After its first publication, five more issues were released. Eventually, the series was sold to the independent American comic book publisher Slave Labor Graphics.
Torres and Levins also co-created Siren (1998), a miniseries of comics released by Portland, Oregon-based publisher Image Comics. Their work got them noticed which led to extra assignments. By the early 2000s, he was crafting scripts for comic strips published in various magazines. Torres was able to quit teaching to instead focus more on writing for comics.
Did you know?
A script in comics is used to describe the layout and dialogue in each panel.
Torres created the series Alison Dare (2000), published by Oni Press, with art by J. Bone. It became the first of a series of critically acclaimed works by Torres. The two-volume set eventually became a book. Alison Dare was nominated at the 2002 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for “Best Title for Younger Readers.” The annual Eisner Awards is considered the most prestigious in the US comics industry.
While Torres’s earlier scripts were suited for middle-grade readers, his later works tackled more mature themes. His graphic novel Days Like This (2003) ― illustrated by Scott Chantler ― follows three young girls and their struggles in their early career as a singing group. Also published by Oni Press, his second book with Chantler was titled Scandalous (2004). The story focuses on postwar Hollywood’s experience with gossip and fears of communism. This was followed by a more personal, adult script in the form of Love as a Foreign Language (2004–07) ― a romantic comedy series about a teacher and a secretary at the school where the protagonist works. With art by Eric Kim, the six-volume series was released again as two paperback omnibus editions in 2006 and 2007.
Did you know?
An omnibus is a book featuring comics previously released that were no longer available in the market.
Teen Titans Go!, Batman and Other Notable Works
Joseph Torres worked for two of the biggest comic book publishers, Marvel and DC Comics. Beginning in 2004, he wrote for the monthly series Teen Titans Go! (2004–08), a comic adaptation of the popular TV animated series. The comics series, with pencil art by Todd Nauck and inked by Larry Stucker, became Torres’s most popular and successful work as a kid’s comics writer. Teen Titans Go! was cancelled after 55 issues. However, his work on the series led to writing assignments on different Batman titles at DC Comics. He went on to contribute under the all-ages label Johnny DC, including work on Cartoon Network Block Party, The Batman Strikes, Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century and the short-lived, creator-owned The Family Dynamic which he collaborated on with Tim Levins in 2008.
Torres’s other notable works include Lola: A Ghost Story (2009), which tackles Filipino folklore and intergenerational family relationships, the fantasy graphic novels How to Spot a Sasquatch (2018) and Planet Hockey (2020). Meanwhile, Stealing Home (2021) is a historical graphic novel set during the Second World War exploring Japanese Canadian accounts of internment (see Internment of Japanese Canadians), as well as the Vancouver Asahi baseball team. Torres also wrote stories set in popular universes like The Archies, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Batman, Black Panther, Blue Beetle, Degrassi, Ninja Scroll, Rick and Morty, Rugrats, The Simpsons, Wall-E, Wonder Woman, X-Men and Yo Gabba Gabba, among others.
In 2012, he co-founded the all-ages webcomics portal Saturday Morning Webtoons, which he helped edit. The following year, he also lent his editing efforts to True Patriot: All New Canadian Comic Book Adventures. He teamed up with more than a dozen of the country’s top comic creators and artists to produce a series of comic book anthologies featuring Canadian superheroes.
Other Media
Joseph Torres’s portfolio expanded to include writing for animation and television. He wrote three episodes for Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi which aired on Cartoon Network between 2004 to 2006. In 2019, the fantasy comic series Cannon Busters, co-written with LeSean Thomas, was adapted into an animated series on Netflix.
He also created Comic Book Idol — an amateur comic art competition patterned after the TV reality show American Idol. Comic creators were invited to complete an art assignment before the deadline. A panel of judges then reviewed each of the artists’ work. In a weekly poll, fans then cast votes for the comic artist who should move on to the next round.
Awards and Honours
J. Torres is the recipient of numerous awards and honours. Beginning in 2005, he landed nominations in the Joe Shuster Awards ― Canada’s national award recognizing outstanding achievement in the creation of comic books, graphic novels and webcomics. (See Joe Shuster)
In 2006, Torres was named as an “Outstanding Writer” for his work for Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight issues 190-191, Love As A Foreign Language 2-3 and Teen Titans Go! 15-26.
- Shortlisted for the 2002 Eisner Award for Best Title for a Younger Audience
- Shortlisted for 2004 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, Young Adult Library Services Association
- Nominated for the 2014 Dragon Award for best Comics for Kids, Joe Shuster Awards
- Nominated for the 2017 Dragon Award for best Comics for Kids, Joe Shuster Awards
- Winner of a 2016 Parents’ Choice Award, Parents’ Choice Foundation
- Recipient of 2020 Aesop Accolade, American Folklore Society
- Shortlisted for 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens, Young Adult Library Services Association
- Nominated for the 2022 Dragon Award for Comics for Young Readers
- Shortlisted for 2022 Sundogs, Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award
- Nominated for the 2021 Silver Birch Express Award, Ontario Library Association
- Nominated for the 2022 Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, The Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC)
- Shortlisted for the 2022–23 Red Cedar Book Award, The Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society of British Columbia
- Nominated for the 2023 Silver Birch Fiction Award, Ontario Library Association
- Winner of the 2023 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award
- Nominated for the 2024 Sakura Medal for Middle School Book