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Marc Hempel grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and now lives in Baltimore, Maryland, where he enjoys relative fame as "America's Most Beloved Semi-Obscure Cartoonist." In addition to his collaboration with Neil Gaiman on "The Kindly Ones" in The Sandman, he is also known for his critically acclaimed work with Mark Wheatley in the titles Breathtaker, Mars, and Blood of the Innocent. His own creations Gregory and Tug & Buster have been nominated for several industry awards, and his humor anthology Naked Brain was named Best Comic Book in the Baltimore City Paper's Best of Baltimore 2003 issue. Hempel's art has also appeared in Marvel Fanfare, Epic Illustrated, Heavy Metal, Jonny Quest, Tarzan the Warrior, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, Flinch, My Faith in Frankie, The Dreaming, Lucifer, and Disney Adventures. He has created advertising art for print and television, and character design for HBO Animation. More recently, Marc has produced CD art for the Nashville band Swamp Rat, drawn an episode of the online strip Munden's Bar for ComicMix.com, and illustrated a 21-page Escapist story for Dark Horse Comics. Hempel is currently a contributor to both MAD Magazine and Nickelodeon Magazine, and is also developing a daily Web version of Naked Brain. In addition to writing and drawing, he enjoys taking 3D photographs and drumming in a rock band.