Mark Waid bought his first comic at age four and has never once since entertained the notion of not buying comics. In his early twenties, granted only the writing skills one absorbs by living life as a copious reader, Waid began freelance reporting for and eventually editing comic-book trade publications such as Amazing Heroes. This led to an editorial tenure at DC Comics. Waid left DC's staff in 1989 to pursue a full-time freelance career. Since then, he has written stories for every major comics publisher, including Marvel Comics, Archie Comics (where he served briefly as their cover-gag editor), Dark Horse Comics and DC. In years past, he has written every major character from Superman to Batman to Spider-Man. Currently, Waid lives in California, anxiously awaiting the day his parents will finally break down and confess to him that he is, in fact, not their actual child but rather an adopted orphan from the doomed planet Krypton.