Elaine Lee is an American actress, playwright, producer, and writer, who specializes in

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

s. She has also received recognition and awards for her work as a creator and producer of audio books and dramas. Her comics have been illustrated by artists including Michael Wm. Kaluta,

Charles Vess Charles Vess (born June 10, 1951) is an American fantasy artist and comics artist who has specialized in the illustration of myths and fairy tales. His influences include British "Golden Age" book illustrator Arthur Rackham, Czech Art Nouveau p ...

, James Sherman,

Steve Leialoha Steve Leialoha (born January 27, 1952) is an American comics artist whose work first came to prominence in the 1970s. He has worked primarily as an inker, though occasionally as a penciller, for several publishers, including Marvel Comics and lat ...

Linda Medley Linda Medley (born May 17, 1964 in Stockton, California) is an American comic book author and illustrator, known for her '' Castle Waiting'' series of comic books and graphic novels. Biography and early career Born in Stockton, California, Medle ...

and John Ridgway. Her graphic novel ''Starstruck: The Luckless, the Abandoned and Forsaked'' was nominated for a

Jack Kirby Award The Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards were a set of awards for achievement in comic books, presented from 1985 to 1987. Voted on by comic-book professionals, the Kirby awards were the first such awards since the Shazam Awards ceased in 1975. Spo ...

as The Best Graphic Album of 1985. She is the mother of

Brennan Lee Mulligan Brennan Lee Mulligan (born January 4, 1988) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and gamemaster. He often works with Dropout (formerly CollegeHumor) as a writer, performer, and producer. He is the creator and regular gamemaster for Dropout' ...

, who is the author of '' Strong Female Protagonist'' and creator of ''

Dimension 20 ''Dimension 20'' is a tabletop role-playing game show produced by and broadcast on Dropout (media company), Dropout, and created and generally hosted by Brennan Lee Mulligan as the show's regular Dungeon Master. Most of the games use Dungeons ...

''.

Career

In 1976, she moved to New York City and found acting work. In 1979, she landed the role of Mildred Trumble on NBC-TV's '' The Doctors''. She was a founding member and artistic director of Manhattan-based theatre company, Wild Hair Productions. Wild Hair began its run performing three plays written and performed by Elaine Lee and her sister, comedian Susan Norfleet Lee: ''Brief Lives'', ''The Contamination of the Kokomo Lounge'', and '' Starstruck''. ''Starstruck'', a

science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...

spoof with a largely female cast, was performed

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

at the N.E.T.W.O.R.K. Theater, from April 16 – May 10, 1980. Lee portrayed Captain Galatia 9, and Susan Norfleet Lee played Brucilla the Muscle. In 1983, Lee directed a revised production with a new cast that was performed at the Park Royal Theater, from April 16 – May 8, 1983. Lee's ''Starstruck'' play grew into a comic-book series that has been adapted into audioplays and seen multiple spin-offs and sequels. It was nominated for the Jack Kirby award for Best Graphic Novel in 1985. A critic writing for the British Science Fiction Society magazine ''Vector'' called it a "groundbreaking work" and said its nonlinear and adjacent storytelling were like those of the later ''

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...

''. Lee is a writer and co-producer for The AudioComics Company, which adapts comics and other original works into full-cast dramatizations with scores and sound effects. She adapted '' Locke and Key'', based on IDW's graphic novel series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. It was a finalist for an Audie Award. She also produced ''The Starling Project'', which received Audie Award nominations for Original Work and Best Audio Drama, and an Earphones Award. She co-adapted the Image Comic series ''The Perhapanauts'' which won a Silver Ogle Award, and also adapted and co-produced her "

Honey West Honey West is a fictional character created by the husband and wife writing team Gloria and Forest Fickling under the pseudonym "G.G. Fickling", and appearing in eleven mystery novels by the duo. The character is notable as being one of the firs ...

: Murder on Mars" (

Moonstone Books Moonstone Books is an American comic book, graphic novel, and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and prose anthologies as well as horror and western tales. The company began publishing creator-owned com ...

) comics as an audioplay. In 2011, Lee was chosen as an Artist in Residence at the

National Audio Theatre Festival {{Use mdy dates, date=March 2025 The National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc. (NATF) is a US-based organization sponsoring a yearly, five-day workshop on radio drama, voice-over and the audio arts, as well as other special training. Participants take ...

workshop. The NATF commissioned her play "TransMars Tango" for a live performance, starring

Philip Proctor Philip George Proctor (born July 28, 1940) is an American actor and a member of the Firesign Theatre. He has performed voice-over work for video games, films and television series. Early life Proctor was born in Goshen, Indiana, on July 2 ...

The Firesign Theatre The Firesign Theatre (also known as the Firesigns) was an American surreal comedy troupe who first appeared on November 17, 1966, in a live performance on the Los Angeles radio program ''Radio Free Oz'' on station KPFK FM. They continued app ...

, and directed by Brian Price. In comics, Lee has written a wide variety of works for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and other publishers, including ''

Indiana Jones and the Spear of Destiny ''Indiana Jones and the Spear of Destiny'' is a four-issue comic book mini-series published by Dark Horse Comics from April to July 1995. It was their seventh series about the adult Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franc ...

'', ''Prince Valiant'', ''Ragman'' and '' Vamps''. Lee worked as a colorist as well, most notably on several issues of ''

The New Mutants The New Mutants may refer to: *''New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teena ...

'' and ''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...

'' for Marvel Comics and Dark Horse Comics and the first two issues of ''Starstruck''. She also did color art and supervised art direction, did design work on her various ''Starstruck'' projects, such as the ''Starstruck Deluxe Edition'', and for works on which she served as co-producer at AudioComics. She also served as Art Director for Stadium Entertainment.

Bibliography

* '' Starstruck: The Audioplay'' a revised adaption of the original stage play. (2010) * ''Starstruck: Running Scared'', short play, created for a cast reading at I-CON 2011.The Starstruck I-CON Talent Search is ON!", The AudioComics Company, March 17, 2011

Comics writer

Caliber Press Caliber Comics or Caliber Press is an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed (comics), Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, Caliber published over 1,300 comics in the decade following its inception and is rank ...

*''

Negative Burn ''Negative Burn'' is a black-and-white comics anthology, anthology comic book published beginning in 1993 by Caliber Press, and subsequently by Image Comics and Desperado Publishing. Edited by Joe Pruett, ''Negative Burn'' is noted for its eclecti ...

'' #6 (1993) (anthology story)

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

*''

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...

and the Spear of Destiny'' #1-4 (Apr.-Jul. 1995) (also colorist) *'' Starstruck'' #1-4 (Aug. 1990—Mar. 1991)

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

*'' Ragman: Cry of the Dead'' #1

DC Comics/
Helix A helix (; ) is a shape like a cylindrical coil spring or the thread of a machine screw. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is for ...

*''

BrainBanx ''BrainBanx'' is a six-issue comic book limited series published in 1997 as part of the short-lived DC Comics imprint, Helix. Written by Elaine Lee and featuring artwork by Jason Temujin Minor, the title narrates the tale of the red-headed Anna E ...

'' #1-6 (Mar.-Aug. 1997)

DC Comics/
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

*'' Vamps'' #1-6 (Aug. 1994-Jan. 1995) *''Vamps: Hollywood & Vein'' #1-6 (Feb.-Jul. 1996) *''Vamps: Pumpkin Time'' #1-3 (Dec. 1998-Feb. 1999)

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...

*''

Vampirella Vampirella () is a vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of '' Creepy'' and ''E ...

: Feary Tales #3'' (Dec. 2014) (Vampirella anthology story)

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book store, comic book specialty stor ...

*''

Sabre A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...

'' #1-2 (Aug.-Oct. 1982) #2 (backup stories) **reprinted in Dark Horse Comics ''The Book of Night'' #1 (Jul. 1987)

Green Man Press

*''The Book of Ballads and Sagas'' #4 (Jan. 1997) (anthology illustrated text story) **reprinted in

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles. History Tor was founded by Tom Doherty, ...

''The Book of Ballads'' (hardcover 2004, softcover 2006)

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...

*''Starstruck: Old Proldiers Never Die'' #1-3 (Feb.-Apr. 2017)

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

*''

Prince Valiant ''Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur'', often simply called ''Prince Valiant'', is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full s ...

'' #1-4 (Dec. 1994-Mar. 1995) *''Steeltown Rockers'' #1-6 (Apr.-Sept. 1990)

Marvel Comics/
Epic Comics Epic Comics (also known as the Epic Comics Group)Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins: The Truth About the Epic Comics Group!" Marvel comics cover-dated November 1982. was an imprint of American publishing company Marvel Comics, active from 1982 to ...

*''

Epic Illustrated ''Epic Illustrated'' was a comics anthology in magazine format published in the United States by Marvel Comics. Similar to the US-licensed comic book magazine ''Heavy Metal (magazine), Heavy Metal'', it allowed explicit content to be featured, un ...

'' #11 (Dec. 1984), #27 (Dec. 1984) (anthology story) *''

Marvel Graphic Novel ''Marvel Graphic Novel'' (''MGN'') is a line of graphic novel trade paperbacks published from 1982 to 1993 by Marvel Comics. The books were published in an oversized format, 8.5" x 11", similar to French albums. In response, DC Comics estab ...

'' #13 - Starstruck (Dec. 1984) *''Starstruck'' #1-6 (Feb. 1985-Feb. 1986) (also colorist #1-2) *''The Transmutation of Ike Garuda'' #1-2 (Jul. 1991-Jan. 1992)

Marvel Comics/
Razorline Razorline was an imprint of American comic book company Marvel Comics that ran from 1993 to 1995. It was created by filmmaker and horror/fantasy novelist Clive Barker, with its characters existing in one of the many alternate universes outsi ...

*''

Ectokid ''Ectokid'' is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint that ran from 1993 to 1994. Created by filmmaker and horror/fantasy novelist Clive Barker as one of the imprint's four interconnected series, it starred t ...

Unleashed'' #1 (Oct.1994) (text short story) *''Razorline: The First Cut'' #1 (Sep. 1993 series) (anthology story) **also published in '' Hokum & Hex'' #1 (Sep. 1993) (backup feature) *'' Saint Sinner'' #1-7 (Oct. 1993-Apr. 1994)

Moonstone Books Moonstone Books is an American comic book, graphic novel, and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and prose anthologies as well as horror and western tales. The company began publishing creator-owned com ...

*''

'' #3-5 (2011)

National Lampoon, Inc.,
J2 Communications J2 Communications was a media production and distribution company that operated from 1986 to 2002. The company is best known for its unsteady stewardship of '' National Lampoon'' magazine and all its related properties through the 1990s. Histor ...
, and
Kevin Eastman Kevin Brooks Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comic book writer and artist best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird. Eastman was also formerly the editor and publisher of the magazine ''Heavy Metal ...

*'' Heavy Metal'' v.6 #8-11 (Nov. 1982-Mar. 1983), v.7 #3 (Jun. 1983) (anthology stories) *''Heavy Metal'' v.16 #2 (Jul. 1992) (anthology story) *''Heavy Metal'' v.19 #6 (Mar. 1993) (anthology story)

NBM Publishing Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing Inc. (or NBM Publishing) is an American graphic novel publisher. Founded by Terry Nantier in 1976 as Flying Buttress Publications, NBM is one of the oldest graphic novel publishers in North America. The comp ...
/Amerotica

*''Skin Tight Orbit'' #1-2 (1995) (anthology; all stories by Lee)

Red Giant Entertainment Red Giant Entertainment, Inc. is a Florida-headquartered comic book publisher and "transmedia" entertainment company established in 2005. Red Giant was founded by Benny R. Powell, former marketing writer for Priceline.com. Other key players i ...

*''Giant-Size Fantasy'' #0 (2014) (anthology story)

Comics colorist

Comico: The Comic Company

*'' The Rocketeer Adventure Magazine'' #1-2 (Jul. 1988, Jul. 1989)

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

*''The Private Files of

the Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...

'' (Apr. 1989)

Marvel Comics

*'' Amazing Adventure'' #1 (1988) *''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...

'' #277 (Jun. 1986) *''

The Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...

'' Annual #15 (1986) *''

Classic X-Men ''Classic X-Men'', originally titled ''X-Men Classics'' and later retitled ''X-Men Classic'', is a reprint comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The first volume was a limited series which collected stories from the Thomas/ Adams/Palmer r ...

'' #3-6 (Nov. 1986-Feb. 1987) *''

Marvel Fanfare ''Marvel Fanfare'' was an anthology comic book series published by American company Marvel Comics. It was a showcase title featuring a variety of characters from the Marvel universe. Volume one ''Marvel Fanfare'' featured characters and setting ...

'' #34-37 (Sep. 1987-Apr. 1988) *''

'' #42 (Aug. 1986), 44 (Oct. 1986) *''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' #107 (Jul. 1986)

Marvel Comics/Epic Comics

*''Steelgrip Starkey'' #1-3 (Jul.-Nov. 1986)

Marvel Comics/Razorline

*'' Hyperkind Unleashed!'' #1 (Sep. 1994)

Marvel Comics/
Star Comics Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint ...

*''

Misty In cryptography, MISTY1 (or MISTY-1) is a block cipher designed in 1995 by Mitsuru Matsui and others for Mitsubishi Electric. MISTY1 is one of the selected algorithms in the European NESSIE project, and has been among the cryptographic tech ...

'' #4-6 (Jun.-Oct. 1986)

Metro Comics

*''Matt Champion'' #1 (1987)

References

External links

*
Official ''Starstruck'' website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Elaine American comics writers American female comics writers Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) American graphic novelists American stage actresses Comics colorists Living people American women dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American novelists American women novelists Marvel Comics people American female comics artists 21st-century American actresses

Career

Bibliography

Comics writer

Caliber Press Caliber Comics or Caliber Press is an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed (comics), Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, Caliber published over 1,300 comics in the decade following its inception and is rank ...

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

DC Comics/Helix A helix (; ) is a shape like a cylindrical coil spring or the thread of a machine screw. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is for ...

DC Comics/Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book store, comic book specialty stor ...

Green Man Press

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

Marvel Comics/Epic Comics Epic Comics (also known as the Epic Comics Group)Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins: The Truth About the Epic Comics Group!" Marvel comics cover-dated November 1982. was an imprint of American publishing company Marvel Comics, active from 1982 to ...

Marvel Comics/Razorline Razorline was an imprint of American comic book company Marvel Comics that ran from 1993 to 1995. It was created by filmmaker and horror/fantasy novelist Clive Barker, with its characters existing in one of the many alternate universes outsi ...

Moonstone Books Moonstone Books is an American comic book, graphic novel, and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and prose anthologies as well as horror and western tales. The company began publishing creator-owned com ...

NBM Publishing Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing Inc. (or NBM Publishing) is an American graphic novel publisher. Founded by Terry Nantier in 1976 as Flying Buttress Publications, NBM is one of the oldest graphic novel publishers in North America. The comp .../Amerotica

Red Giant Entertainment Red Giant Entertainment, Inc. is a Florida-headquartered comic book publisher and "transmedia" entertainment company established in 2005. Red Giant was founded by Benny R. Powell, former marketing writer for Priceline.com. Other key players i ...

Comics colorist

Comico: The Comic Company

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics/Epic Comics

Marvel Comics/Razorline

Marvel Comics/Star Comics Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint ...

Metro Comics

References

External links

DC Comics/
Helix A helix (; ) is a shape like a cylindrical coil spring or the thread of a machine screw. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is for ...

DC Comics/
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

Marvel Comics/
Epic Comics Epic Comics (also known as the Epic Comics Group)Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins: The Truth About the Epic Comics Group!" Marvel comics cover-dated November 1982. was an imprint of American publishing company Marvel Comics, active from 1982 to ...

Marvel Comics/
Razorline Razorline was an imprint of American comic book company Marvel Comics that ran from 1993 to 1995. It was created by filmmaker and horror/fantasy novelist Clive Barker, with its characters existing in one of the many alternate universes outsi ...

NBM Publishing Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing Inc. (or NBM Publishing) is an American graphic novel publisher. Founded by Terry Nantier in 1976 as Flying Buttress Publications, NBM is one of the oldest graphic novel publishers in North America. The comp ...
/Amerotica

Marvel Comics/
Star Comics Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint ...