A Korean American comic book artist was named President of DC Comics, the entertainment company behind the creation of superheroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences President Pam Lifford announced on May 3 that Jim Lee (59), a world-renowned comic book artist, writer and publisher, has been named president, publisher and chief creative officer of DC, which is part of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
In his new role, Lee will lead DC’s creative team, integrate DC’s publishing portfolio of characters and stories across all media, and support WBD’s brands and studios.
Considered one of the most respected artists in American comics, Jim Lee was born in South Korea and immigrated with his parents to St. Louis, Missouri, at an early age. After graduating with honors from Princeton University as a psychology major, Lee joined Marvel Comics in 1986 and began his career as a comic book artist.
His 1991 issue of the X-Men set an all-time sales record for single-issued sales, selling 8 million copies in a single month. His dynamic yet detailed drawings and story-telling skills earned him the Harvey Award in 1990, an Inkpot Award in 1992, and three Wizard Fan Awards (1996, 2002, and 2003).
In addition, he started his own production company, Wild Storm Productions, in 1992, and co-founded the independent comic book publisher Image Comics, which quickly became the third largest publisher in North America. His productions, “WildCats” and “GEN 13”, were featured on CBS Kidshow and The Disney Channel’s D-TV, respectively, and gained popularity in North America.
Lee left Image Comics to join the DC Entertainment creative team when DC Comics acquired Wild Storm Productions in 1998.
Since then, he has overseen multiple successful publishing programs including the recent record-breaking “Rebirth” and the digital relaunch of “The New 52,” a monthly superhero comic book.
Lee currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, nine children, and 45 animals, including two cats.
BY NICOLE CHANG [support@koreadaily.com]
