Evan Narcisse

Evan Narcisse is an American comic book writer, journalist, and video game narrative designer. Narcisse began his working career as a journalist who has reported on video games for several media outlets, such as The Atlantic, The New York Times, Time, Kotaku, io9, and Polygon. As a comic book writer, Narcisse has authored multiple titles which feature the Marvel Comics superhero, Black Panther. Since 2018, Narcisse has been involved with designing or consulting on the narrative elements of several video games, including Insomniac Games' Spider-Man video game series, Marvel's Avengers, and Redfall.

Career

= Journalism =

During the 2000s, Narcisse worked as a contributor and writer for several news outlets with a focus on the video game industry, such as Entertainment Weekly.{{Cite web |last1=Narcisse |first1=Evan |date=2007 |title=Evan Narcisse does battle with N3: Ninety-Nine Nights |url=https://ew.com/article/2007/01/03/evan-narcisse-does-battle-n3-ninety-nine-nights/ |website=EW.com}} In 2010, Narcisse authored several articles published by The Atlantic.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/author/evan-narcisse/|title=Evan Narcisse|first=Evan|last=Narcisse|website=The Atlantic}} Narcisse joined video game blog Kotaku in October 2011, where he worked for nearly five years.{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/hello-i-must-be-growing-1775211633|title=Hello, I Must Be Growing|website=Kotaku|date=May 6, 2016 }} After leaving Kotaku in June 2016, Narcisse tenured as a senior staff writer at io9, a sister site to Kotaku, where he wrote about comics and comic reviews.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theroot.com/how-io9-s-evan-narcisse-went-from-writing-about-comics-1821912630|title=How io9's Evan Narcisse Went From Writing About Comics to Writing Rise of the Black Panther|website=The Root|date=January 10, 2018 }} Other media outlets Narcisse has previously written for included The New York Times, Time, IGN, GameSpot, and Rolling Stone. Narcisse has also appeared as an expert guest on CNN and NPR.{{Cite web|url=https://www.audible.com/blog/author/evan-narcisse|title=Evan Narcisse|website=Audible Blog}}

= Comic books =

One of Narcisse's interviews with Ta-Nehisi Coates about the latter's work on the Black Panther series caught the attention of Coates' editor at Marvel, who asked him to extend an invitation to Narcisse to collaborate on future Black Panther stories. Narcisse's debut comic book title is Rise of the Black Panther, a 2018 limited series he co-wrote with Coates. The comic series follow the early years of the main character, T'Challa as well as his family members and Wakanda, the fictional African nation he rules as its king. The premise of Rise of the Black Panther was pitched by Narcisse, as he wanted to explore what makes T'Challa "a man, a king and an African superhero in a world filled with blond-haired superpatriots and golden-locked gods".

Narcisse's other comic book work for titles published by Marvel Comics include Marvel's Voices #1 and Last Annihilation: Wakanda #1.{{Cite web|url=https://www.marvel.com/comics/creators/13233/evan_narcisse|title=Evan Narcisse|website=Marvel Entertainment}} Narcisse is also the co-writer of WWE The New Day: Power of Positivity, a limited comic series starring members of the professional wrestling stable, The New Day.{{Cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/wwe/news/wwe-the-new-day-power-of-positivity-first-look/|title=WWE The New Day: Power of Positivity First Look Revealed (Exclusive)|website=WWE}} He is the co-writer, along with national security journalist Spencer Ackerman, of Waller vs. Wildstorm from DC Comics.{{Cite web |last=Quaintance |first=Zack |date=2023-03-23 |title=INTERVIEW: Spencer Ackerman, Evan Narcisse talk WALLER VS. WILDSTORM |url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/interview-spencer-ackerman-evan-narcisse-talk-waller-vs-wildstorm/ |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=The Beat |language=en-US}}

= Video games =

Narcisse's first work on a video game was for the 2018 title, Spider-Man, where he was responsible for writing a few lines of dialogue.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theesa.com/news/social-justice-and-spider-man-a-conversation-with-evan-narcisse/|title=Social Justice and Spider-Man: A Conversation with Evan Narcisse|website=Entertainment Software Association|date=February 23, 2021 }} He served as the narrative design consultant for 2020's Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, a standalone expansion to Spider-Man starring the character Miles Morales.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/01/31/black-game-developers-diversity-push-is-lots-talk-little-progress/ |title=Black game developers: Diversity push is lots of talk, little progress |date=2022-01-31 |author1=Jamal Michel |newspaper=The Washington Post |place=Washington, D.C. |issn=0190-8286 |oclc=1330888409}}

Narcisse served as a story consultant on War for Wakanda, a 2021 downloadable content (DLC) expansion for Marvel's Avengers which stars Black Panther.{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/22578443/marvels-avengers-black-panther-voice-actor-war-wakanda-christopher-judge|title=God of War Kratos actor to voice Black Panther in Marvel's Avengers|first=Ryan|last=Gilliam|website=Polygon|date=July 15, 2021}} Narcisse is the writer of the 2021 freeware title Dot's Home developed and published by the Rise Home Stories Project, a media collective project which is intended to spread public awareness about housing policy and social justice issues in the United States.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/dots-home-small-game-tackling-black-housing-crisis|title=Dot's Home Is a Small Game Tackling a Mighty Subject: the Black Housing Crisis|first=Rebekah|last=Valentine|date=November 20, 2021|website=IGN}} In June 2021, Narcisse announced that he is part of the development team behind the upcoming open-world co-op shooter title, Redfall.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/redfall-announced-e3-2021|title=Redfall, a Vampire Open World Co-op FPS From Arkane Studios, Announced As Xbox Exclusive – E3 2021|first=Kat|last=Bailey|date=June 13, 2021|website=IGN}}

=Other works =

Narcisse is a member of the writing staff of Gen:LOCK, an American adult animated science fiction streaming television series created by Gray Haddock and produced by Rooster Teeth, since July 2018.{{cite web |last1=Gross |first1=Joe |title=Austin writer Evan Narcisse joins Rooster Teeth animated show |url=https://www.austin360.com/entertainment/television/austin-writer-evan-narcisse-joins-rooster-teeth-animated-show/9M2W38ikokdHKFnYbPpxHJ/ |publisher=Austin 360 |access-date=July 25, 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theouterhaven.net/2021/11/catching-up-with-genlock-writer-evan-narcisse-on-season-2-and-beyond/|title=Catching up with Gen:Lock Writer Evan Narcisse on Season 2 and Beyond|first=Todd|last=Black|date=November 11, 2021}}

Personal life

Narcisse is the son of Haitian immigrants who moved to the United States in the late 1960s, and could understand Antillean Kreyol.{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/comics/2018/11/16/18098440/stan-lee-black-panther-wakanda|title=Wakanda was the way Stan Lee spoke to me|first=Evan|last=Narcisse|website=Polygon|date=November 16, 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/a-game-that-showed-me-my-own-black-history-1486643518|title=A Game That Showed Me My Own Black History|website=Kotaku|date=December 19, 2013 }} Narcisse and his siblings were raised by their mother in a New York suburban neighborhood, which later underwent gentrification that further disadvantaged some marginalized residents. Narcisse was inspired from a young age by the political history of Haiti, which instilled an interest in writing about issues of race and representation throughout his professional career. Narcisse is a longtime fan of the Black Panther comic book series; his earliest memory of reading a Black Panther story was an issue of the 1970s reprint title Marvel Triple Action, where the superhero character was revealed to be a black man from a foreign country who is also culturally sophisticated.{{Cite web|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/2018-02-16/black-panther-comic-writer-evan-narcisse-on-heroes-and-afro-futurism/|title=Black Panther Comic Writer Evan Narcisse on Heroes and Afro-Futurism|website=www.austinchronicle.com}} Narcisse was educated at New York University, and later taught a course on video game journalism at his alma mater. Narcisse relocated from New York City to Austin, Texas as of 2016.