Jae Lee

For the Lost character, see Jae Lee (Lost).

Jae Lee
File:Jae Lee by Gage Skidmore.jpg Lee at the 2017 Phoenix Comicon
Born	1972
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Penciller, Inker
Notable works	Before Watchmen: Ozymandias The Dark Tower Inhumans Hellshock Namor the Sub-Mariner
Awards	1999 Eisner Award for Best New Series for Inhumans

Jae Lee (born 1972) is a Korean American comics artist known for his interior illustration and cover work for various publishers, including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and Dynamite Entertainment.

Career

Jae Lee's first work for Marvel Comics was a Beast serial in Marvel Comics Presents #85–92 (1991). He first rose to prominence in the industry in 1992 for his work on Marvel's Namor the Sub-Mariner, taking over the art duties from John Byrne, who continued on the series as writer. Terry Kavanagh, Lee's editor on both Marvel Comics Presents and Namor, later said he assigned Lee to Namor because he liked his style and felt that, as a new artist, he would benefit from working with an experienced writer. Lee continued when Bob Harras became the writer, drawing issues #26–38 (May 1992–May 1993). As penciller of X-Factor, Lee was one of the artists of the "X-Cutioner's Song" storyline which ran throughout the X-Men titles in 1992. The following year, Lee drew the three issue Youngblood Strikefile for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios at Image Comics and the three issue WildC.A.T.s Trilogy for Jim Lee's WildStorm, another founding Image Comics studio. In 1994, Jae Lee produced a creator-owned Image Comics series, Hellshock, a story about a fallen angel that he wrote and illustrated.

In 1998, Lee and writer Paul Jenkins crafted an Inhumans limited series, for which they won the 1999 Eisner Award for Best New Series. They later reteamed on The Sentry. Lee and writer Grant Morrison produced the four-issue miniseries Fantastic Four: 1234 (Oct. 2001–Feb. 2002), which garnered Lee a nomination for a 2002 Eisner Award as Best Cover Artist. In 2003, Lee, writer John Ney Reiber, and Lee's wife, colorist June Chung, produced a Transformers/G.I. Joe six-issue miniseries for Dreamwave Productions, which took place in an alternate World War II setting.

Beginning in 2007, Lee worked with artist Richard Isanove and writers Robin Furth and Peter David on Marvel Comics' The Dark Tower comic series, based on Stephen King's The Dark Tower novels. Lee illustrated the first three miniseries in that series, The Gunslinger Born, The Long Road Home and Treachery. He returned for the fifth book in the series, Battle of Jericho Hill. He also provided cover and interior illustrations for the Donald M. Grant edition of King's eighth Dark Tower novel, The Wind Through the Keyhole, which was released February 21, 2012.

At DC Comics, Lee worked on the Before Watchmen project, drawing the mini-series Ozymandias (Sept. 2012–April 2013) written by Len Wein. He illustrated Batman/Superman in 2013–2014 with writer Greg Pak.

Lee has produced covers for various publishers including a range of titles for Dynamite Entertainment.

File:Manhunter KateSpencer.jpg

Cover art from Manhunter vol. 3, #4 (Jan. 2005).

Awards and nominations

• 1999 Eisner Award for Best New Series, for Inhumans vol. 2, with Paul Jenkins
• Nominated: 2002 Eisner Award for Best Cover Artist, for Our Worlds at War and Fantastic Four: 1234

Bibliography

Comics

DC Comics

• Action Comics vol. 2 #38 (among other artists) (2015)
• Batman: Jekyll & Hyde miniseries, #1–3 (of 6) (2005)
• Batman/Superman #1–4, 8–9, 13–15 Annual #1 (2013–2014)
• Before Watchmen: Ozymandias miniseries, #1–6 (2012–2013)
• Fables #146 (among other artists) (2015)
• Superman: American Alien #4 (2016)

Image Comics

• The Darkness: Prelude (2003)
• The Darkness and Tomb Raider (2005)
• Hellshock #1–4 (1994)
• Hellshock, vol. 2, #1–3 (1997–1998)
• Hellshock, vol. 2, The Definitive Edition (2007)
• WildC.A.T.s: Trilogy, miniseries, #1–3 (1993)
• Witchblade: Demon (2003)
• Witchblade and Tomb Raider (2005)
• Youngblood: Strikefile, miniseries, #1–3 (1993)

Marvel Comics

• Captain America vol. 4 #10–16 (2003)
• Daredevil vol. 2 #65 (among other artists) (2004)
• Dark Tower:
  • The Gunslinger Born miniseries #1–7 (2007)
  • The Long Road Home miniseries #1–5 (2008)
  • Treachery miniseries #1–6 (2008–2009)
  • The Battle of Jericho Hill miniseries #1–5 (2010)
• Excalibur vs. X-Men: XX Crossing Special (among other artists) (1992)
• Fantastic Four: 1234 #1–4 (2001–2002)
• Hulk & Thing: Hard Knocks miniseries #1–4 (2004–2005)
• The Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #82 (2005)
• Inhumans vol. 2 #1–12 (1998–1999)
• Marvel Comics Presents #85–92 (Beast feature) (among other artists) (1991)
• Namor the Sub-Mariner #26–38 (1992–1993)
• The Sentry miniseries #1–5 (2000–2001)
• Sentry vs. The Void (2001)
• Spider-Man #41–43 (1993–1994)
• Ultimate Fantastic Four #19–20 (2005)
• Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual #1 (2005)
• Uncanny X-Men #304 (among other artists) (1993)
• Uncanny X-Men Annual #16 (1992)
• X-Factor #84–86 (1992–1993)
• Young Avengers Special #1 (among other artists) (2006)

Other publishers

• Transformers / G.I. Joe #1–6 (Dreamwave, 2003)
• Verotika #3 (Verotik, 1995)

Books

• The Illustrated Dracula by Bram Stoker (Viking Studio, 2006)
• The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King - Limited Edition (Donald M. Grant, Publisher, 2012)

External links

• Official website
• Jae Lee at The Art of Jae Lee
• Jae Lee at the Comic Book DB
• Jae Lee at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
• Jae Lee at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators

Preceded by John Byrne	Namor the Sub-Mariner artist 1992–1993	Succeeded by Jimmy Palmiotti
Preceded by Mark Pacella	X-Factor artist 1992–1993	Succeeded by Joe Quesada
Preceded by Klaus Janson	Spider-Man artist 1993–1994	Succeeded by Tom Lyle