Steven Murray (born December 21, 1975), known by the pen-name Chip Zdarsky (), is a Canadian comic book artist and writer, journalist, illustrator, and designer. Murray worked for National Post for over a decade, until 2014, as an illustrator and humorist, writing and illustrating the "Extremely Bad Advice" column as well as The Ampersand, the online edition of the newspaper's pop culture section.
He uses the Zdarsky pseudonym for comics-related work, including Prison Funnies, Monster Cops, and as artist and co-creator of Sex Criminals with writer Matt Fraction. He has written comics such as Howard the Duck, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man, Daredevil, Spider-Man: Life Story, and Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow for Marvel Comics, Batman for DC Comics, and Jughead for Archie Comics.
He has also used the pseudonym Todd Diamond.
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Early life
Steve Murray was born in Edmonton, Alberta and raised in Barrie, Ontario. He attended Sheridan College for illustration, graduating in 1996.
Career
Murray has illustrated for such clients as The Globe and Mail, New York magazine, CBC and Canadian Business.
In 2000, Murray created Chip Zdarsky as a pseudonym and alter ego for his persona as a comic book writer and illustrator, developing his own independent projects, such as Prison Funnies and Monster Cops (which can be read online or in print) as well as collaborating on a variety of projects, including Dark Horse Comics titles Fierce and Rumble Royale. About his alter ego, Murray said "I wanted to have a sad-sack cartoonist persona that lives in his mom's basement, paints figurines for money, has restraining orders against him. And that became a character." He describes the character as "an idiot who doesn't know what I'm doing. I've had no success in my life. No matter what, I'm going to mess things up." Murray initially attempted to keep the identities separate and secret.
From 2008 to 2014, Murray penned and illustrated a weekly advice column for the National Post called "Extremely Bad Advice". He also wrote another column in that paper, Tear Jerk, in which he reviewed films to see if they could actually make him "weep like a baby".
Along with Kagan McLeod, Ben Shannon, and Cameron Stewart, he is a co-founder of the studio The Royal Academy of Illustration and Design, which produced Rumble Royale.
In 2010, he also launched a mock campaign for mayor of Toronto. He was not an officially registered candidate, launching his satirical "campaign" through social networking platforms after the deadline had passed to register as a candidate in the real campaign.
In June 2013, Image Comics announced that Chip Zdarsky had teamed up with Invincible Iron Man and Hawkeye writer, Matt Fraction, on a new creator-owned series titled Sex Criminals. The first issue was released on September 23, 2013. Sex Criminals was declared number 1 on Time magazine's list of "Top 10 Comics and Graphic Novels" of 2013.
In 2014, Murray won a Will Eisner Award for Best New Series for Sex Criminals.
Awards and nominations
Awards
2014 Eisner Award – Best New Series (Sex Criminals, with author Matt Fraction)
2014 Harvey Award – Most Promising New Talent
2014 Harvey Award – Best New Series (Sex Criminals)
2015 Harvey Award – Special Award For Humor (Sex Criminals; rejected by winner)
2016 Harvey Award – Special Award For Humor (Howard the Duck)
2017 Eisner Award – Best Humor Publication (Jughead, with Ryan North, Erica Henderson and Derek Charm)
2017 War Rocket Ajax Intercontinental Championship
2019 Eisner Award – Best Single Issue/One-Shot (Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #310)
2019 Shuster Award – Best Writer (Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man, Marvel Two-in-One)
2020 Eisner Award – Best Digital Comic (Afterlift, with artist Jason Loo)
2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book — Empyre, Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling / Empyre: Aftermath Avengers (with Al Ewing, Dan Slott and Anthony Oliveira)
2023 Eisner Award – Best New Series (Public Domain)
2025 Tripwire Award – Best Comic-Related Publication (Zdarsky Comic News)
Nominations
2014 Eisner Award nominee – Best Series (Sex Criminals, with author Matt Fraction)
2017 Eisner Award nominee – Best Publication for Teens (ages 13–17) (Jughead, with Ryan North, Erica Henderson and Derek Charm)
2019 Eisner Award nominee – Best Writer (Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man, Marvel Two-in-One)
2020 Eisner Award nominee – Best Writer (White Trees, Daredevil, Spider-Man: Life Story, Afterlift), Best Continuing Series (Daredevil with Marco Checchetto)
2021 Eisner Award nominee – Best Writer (Stillwater, Daredevil, Fantastic Four/X-Men)
2021 Eisner Award nominee – Best Continuing Series (Daredevil)
2021 Eisner Award nominee – Best Continuing Series (Stillwater)
2023 Eisner Award nominee – Best Continuing Series (Daredevil with Marco Checchetto and Rafael de Latorre)
2023 Eisner Award nominee – Best Writer (Stillwater, Daredevil)
2023 Harvey Award nominee – Book of the Year (Public Domain)
2025 Eisner Award nominee – Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism (Zdarsky Comic News)