Jim Lee facts for kids

This page is about the Korean American artist. For other uses, see Jim Lee (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids Jim Lee
Lee at a December 2019 signing for DC Comics: The Art of Jim Lee, Volume 1, at Midtown Comics in Manhattan
Born	(1964-08-11) August 11, 1964 (age 60) Seoul, South Korea
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer, Artist, Publisher
Notable works	All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder Batman: Hush Fantastic Four vol. 2 The Punisher War Journal Superman: For Tomorrow Superman Unchained Justice League vol. 2 Uncanny X-Men WildC.A.T.s X-Men vol. 2
Awards	Harvey Award, 1990 Inkpot Award, 1992 Wizard Fan Award, 1996, 2002, 2003

Jim Lee (born August 11, 1964) is a famous Korean-born American comic book artist. He is also a writer, editor, and publisher. As of 2023, he is the President and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics. This means he helps decide what stories and art DC Comics creates.

Jim Lee has won many awards for his amazing work. These include a Harvey Award, an Inkpot Award, and three Wizard Fan Awards.

Jim Lee: Comic Book Superstar

Jim Lee started his career in 1987 at Marvel Comics. He drew comics like Alpha Flight and The Punisher War Journal. He became very popular for his work on The Uncanny X-Men.

Creating the X-Men's Look

On Uncanny X-Men, Lee worked with writer Chris Claremont. Together, they created the character Gambit. This led to a new X-Men series in 1991. Jim Lee drew and co-wrote the first issue.

X-Men #1 became the best-selling comic book of all time. It sold over 8.1 million copies! This was confirmed by Guinness World Records. Jim Lee's art style was even used for the X-Men: The Animated Series TV show.

Starting Image Comics

In 1992, Jim Lee and other artists started their own company. It was called Image Comics. They wanted to publish comics where the creators owned their characters.

Lee published comics like WildC.A.T.s and Gen¹³. He did this through his own studio, WildStorm Productions.

Joining DC Comics

In 1998, Jim Lee wanted to draw more and publish less. So, he sold WildStorm to DC Comics. WildStorm continued as a part of DC until 2010.

During this time, Lee drew many popular DC Comics stories. These included "Batman: Hush" and "Superman: For Tomorrow". He also worked on Superman Unchained and Justice League.

In 2010, Jim Lee became a Co-Publisher of DC Comics. In 2018, he also became the Chief Creative Officer. By 2020, he was the only Publisher of DC Comics.

Beyond Comics

Besides drawing comics, Jim Lee has designed other things. He has worked on action figures, video games, and even car designs. He also designed album covers and cereal boxes for Halloween. His special drawings for fans can sell for thousands of dollars!

Early Life and Dreams

Jim Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, on August 11, 1964. He started drawing at a very young age. He loved the old Superman cartoons from the 1940s.

Moving to America

When Jim Lee was in elementary school, his family moved to the United States. They wanted a better and safer life. They lived in Ohio before settling in St. Louis, Missouri.

Learning English was hard for Jim. He felt like an outsider. Because of this, he loved the X-Men characters. They were also outsiders. He also connected with Superman, who was like "the ultimate immigrant." Comics helped him feel like he belonged.

A Difficult Choice

Jim Lee went to Princeton University. His parents wanted him to become a doctor, like his father. He studied psychology, planning to go to medical school.

But in 1986, he took an art class. This made him remember how much he loved drawing. He saw new, exciting comics like The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen.

After college, Jim decided to try to become a comic artist for one year. His parents were not happy at first. But his father later understood his dream. Jim promised to go to medical school if he didn't succeed. He drew 8 to 10 hours every day to reach his goal.

Becoming a Comic Artist

Jim Lee first showed his art to publishers, but they didn't hire him. He met other artists who told him to show his art in person. So, he went to a comics convention in New York.

There, he met an editor named Archie Goodwin. Goodwin invited Jim to Marvel Comics. Jim got his first job drawing Alpha Flight. Then, in 1989, he moved to Punisher: War Journal.

Rise to Fame at Marvel

In 1989, Jim Lee started drawing Uncanny X-Men. He soon became the main artist for the series. He worked with inker Scott Williams, who became a long-time partner.

Fans quickly loved Jim Lee's art. This gave him more control over the X-Men comics. In 1991, he helped start a second X-Men series. He drew it and co-wrote it with Chris Claremont.

Jim Lee designed new costumes for characters like Cyclops and Storm. He also created the villain Omega Red. His art style became very famous.

Image Comics and WildStorm

In 1992, Jim Lee left Marvel to help start Image Comics. He wanted to own his own creations. His group of comics was called WildStorm Productions.

WildStorm published Lee's first comic, WildC.A.T.s. He drew and co-wrote this series. WildStorm also published other popular comics like Stormwatch and Gen¹³.

In 1996, Jim Lee returned to Marvel for a special project. It was called Heroes Reborn. He drew Fantastic Four and Iron Man for this project.

After this, he went back to WildStorm. He published new series like The Authority and Planetary. He also created his own 12-issue series called Divine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday.

Working with DC Comics

In 1998, Jim Lee sold WildStorm to DC Comics. This allowed him to focus more on drawing. In 2003, he worked on a 12-issue Batman story called "Hush". This comic was a huge success.

He also drew a 12-issue story for Superman in 2004. It was called "For Tomorrow".

New 52 and Beyond

In 2011, DC Comics started a big project called The New 52. They relaunched all their superhero comics with new No. 1 issues. Jim Lee and writer Geoff Johns led this project.

Lee drew the new Justice League series. Its first story showed how the Justice League formed again. Jim Lee's cover for issue #12 showed Superman and Wonder Woman kissing. This cover got a lot of attention.

In 2013, Jim Lee designed a new look for the Mortal Kombat character Scorpion. This was for the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us. He also drew Superman Unchained, a new series that came out with the Man of Steel movie.

In 2014, Jim Lee designed a new look for the General Mills monster-themed cereal boxes. He designed the Boo Berry box for Halloween.

In 2016, Jim Lee was the main artist for the new Suicide Squad series. This was part of the DC Rebirth relaunch.

In 2018, Jim Lee became the Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics. He continued to be the Publisher too. In 2019, he toured military bases in Kuwait with other stars to celebrate Batman's 80th anniversary.

Recent Work and Recognition

In 2020, Jim Lee became the sole Publisher of DC Comics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he drew 60 daily sketches. He auctioned them off to help comic book stores that had to close. This effort raised over $800,000!

In 2021, Jim Lee appeared on a Sesame Street TV special. It celebrated Asian and Pacific Islander communities. He showed his drawing of Ji-Young, a new Korean American Muppet.

In May 2023, Jim Lee was promoted to President of DC Comics. In 2024, he started taking special drawing requests from fans again. These drawings can cost a lot, from $1,000 to $35,000.

Art Techniques

Jim Lee uses special tools and methods for his art. He uses an F lead pencil for his drawings. When he inks his own art, he uses a crowquill nib.

For full-page drawings, he uses a technique called drybrush. He applies india ink and then rubs it to create cool textures. He uses a Pentel correction fluid pen for white highlights.

Jim Lee believes artists should always try to improve. He also shared his thoughts on AI-generated art. He said he would not use AI to create art. He loves the feeling of drawing with a pencil and paper. For him, the joy is in the journey of creating something by hand.

His artistic inspirations include Neal Adams, John Byrne, and Mike Mignola.

Personal Life

Jim Lee is married to Carla Michelle Lee. They have nine children. In 2012, Jim drew "I LOVE CARLA" on a car in Justice League #5 as a tribute to his wife.

In the 1990s, Jim Lee bought some old art by Jack Kirby. This art was part of a secret plan to help Americans escape from Iran in 1980. Jim didn't know the art's history at the time. Later, he learned the amazing story. In 2013, he and Carla auctioned off the art to help pay for their children's college education.

Outside of comics, Jim Lee loves to travel and learn new languages. He speaks English, Italian, and some German. He also enjoys scuba diving.

Awards and Honors

Awards

1990 Harvey Award for Best New Talent
1992 Inkpot Award
1996 Wizard Fan Award for Favorite Penciller
2002 Wizard Fan Award for Favorite Penciller for Batman
2003 Wizard Fan Award for Favorite Penciller

Other Accolades

In 2022, CBR.com ranked Jim Lee as the 4th best comic book artist. This was based on votes from readers. He was ranked behind only George Pérez, Jack Kirby, and John Byrne.

Images for kids

Lee at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con
Lee at the August 31, 2011 midnight signing of Flashpoint #5 and Justice League #1 at Midtown Comics