Gene Ha is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literar ...

and writer best known for his work on books such as '' Top 10'' and '' Top 10: The Forty-Niners'', with

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

and

Zander Cannon Alexander Cannon (born November 1, 1972) is an American cartoonist, known for his work on books such as '' Top 10'', '' Smax'' and '' Kaijumax''. Career Cannon's first professional comics work was '' The Chainsaw Vigilante'', a spin-off from '' ...

, for

America's Best Comics America's Best Comics (ABC) was a comic book publishing brand. It was set up by Alan Moore in 1999 as an imprint of WildStorm, an idea proposed to Moore by WildStorm founder Jim Lee when it was still under Image Comics. History ''America's ...

, the

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

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 ...

''Fortunate Son'', with

Gerard Jones Gerard Jones (born July 10, 1957) is an American writer, known primarily for his non-fiction work about American entertainment media, and his comic book scripting, which includes co-creating the superhero Prime for Malibu Comics, and writing for ...

, and '' The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix'', among others. He has also drawn ''

Global Frequency ''Global Frequency'' is an American comic book science fiction Limited series (comics), limited series created and written by Warren Ellis and published by Wildstorm, Wildstorm Productions, an imprint of DC Comics. The series is set in the prese ...

'' and has drawn covers for '' Wizard'' and

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 ...

. He was awarded the 1994 Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award, and won five

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

s, in 2000, 2001, 2006, 2008 and 2024.

Early life

Gene Ha was born in Chicago and raised in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

. According to Ha, his parents were well-educated Korean immigrants whose aspiration was that their three sons would obtain prestigious degrees and enter corresponding careers. Ha was the most introverted of his brothers, a "

geek The word ''geek'' is a slang term originally used to describe Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In th ...

" who sought out escapist fantasy particularly through comic books. Whilst his siblings displayed impressive artistic talent, they lacked the patience to sit for hours on end applying themselves to illustration. Ha notes parallels between his generation of Asian-American comics artists and the generation of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

creators from the 1930s, both of whom were children of immigrants struggling to fit into America. Ha cites as his influences numerous creators from the 1980s, such as John Byrne,

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book artist, comic book writer, and screenwriter known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'', for which he created the character Elektra, and ...

Bill Sienkiewicz Boleslav William Felix Robert Sienkiewicz ( ; ; born May 3, 1958) is an American artist known for his work in comic books—particularly for Marvel Comics' ''The New Mutants (comic book), The New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and ''Elektra: Assassi ...

Walter Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned w ...

, and most importantly

Matt Wagner Matt Wagner (born October 9, 1961) is an American comics artist and writer who is best known as the creator of the series ''Mage (comics), Mage'' and ''Grendel (comics), Grendel''. Early life, family and education Matt Wagner's childhood was spe ...

, whose ''

Mage Mage most commonly refers to: * Mage (paranormal) or magician, a practitioner of magic derived from supernatural or occult sources * Mage (fantasy) or magician, a type of character in mythology, folklore, and fiction * Mage, a character class in ...

'' series Ha says is still "epic" to him, and its main characters "personal archetypes". Ha took few classes in art, as he was only interested in drawing as a means of creating comics, and South Bend offered little in the way of education in realistic drawing. He began to truly understand graphic arts when working on his high school newspaper, ''The Clay Colonial'', winning the Most Valuable Staffer Award, which was unusual for an artist. After high school, Ha attended the

College for Creative Studies The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is a private art school in Detroit, Michigan. It enrolls more than 1,400 students and focuses on arts education. The college is also active in offering art education to children through its Community Arts ...

. In his last semester he sent drawing samples to Marvel and DC. Although he received a harshly critical response from Marvel, DC was interested and sent him a sample script.

Career

Ha's first published comics work was in ''

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

'' vol. 3 #36 (Feb. 1993), whose story, "The Ghost of Christmas Light", was written by

. Willingham, Bill "Come What Mae". ''Mae'' #1 (May 2016).

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 ...

. He would draw a number of comics for DC and

Malibu Comics Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc. (launched as Malibu Graphics) was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. Notable titles published by Malibu included ''Th ...

, and did work for Marvel as well, illustrating the 1994 miniseries '' The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix'', which documented the childhood of the character

Cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

. He would draw that miniseries' sequel as well, ''Askani'son''. Ha was one of the artists on the ''

Shade Shade, Shades or Shading may refer to: * Shade (color), a mixture of a color with black (often generalized as any variety of a color) * Shade (shadow), the blocking of sunlight * Shades or sunglasses * Shading, a process used in art and graphic ...

'' limited series which spun off from the '' Starman'' series. He would subsequently illustrate a number of different properties for various publishers, including '' Aliens: Havoc'', ''

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

'', '' JLA Annual'', which included interiors and cover work. In 1999, he began illustrating '' Top Ten'', one of the series of Alan Moore's

imprint for

Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions (stylized as WildStorm) is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi to publish through Image Comics, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC C ...

. He would draw that series' twelve issues which ran until late 2001. Moore and Ha collaborated on the '' Top 10: The Forty-Niners'' graphic novel prequel published in 2005. In 2002 Ha wrote "The Stronghold", an Iron Fist story published in '' Marvel Knights Double Shot'' #4, which represented his first published comics writing. In 2006, Ha was set to serve as artist on the first four issues of a relaunch of Wildstorm's '' The Authority'', with writer

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...

. Ha drew two issues, but the project stalled after the second issue, as DC needed Morrison to concentrate his efforts on ''

'' rather than on Wildstorm projects. In a December 2013 interview, Ha announced a sabbatical from

work for hire In copyright law, a work made for hire (work for hire or WFH) is a work whose copyright is initially owned by an entity other than the actual creator as a result of an employment relationship or, in some cases, a commission. It is an exception to t ...

comics and expressed his desire to focus on creator-owned projects. In June 2015,

selected for publication Ha's creator-owned series ''Mae'', which Ha funded through the

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...

website

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

. The ''Mae'' fundraising campaign, which was for a 68-page ''Mae'' graphic novel written and illustrated by Ha, launched on April 24, reaching its $22,000 goal in 36 hours, and concluding with a total of $75,643. The book, however, will be published as an ongoing series rather than as a graphic novel. A portal fiction story, it depicts sisters Abbie and Mae, recently reunited following Abbie's disappearance eight years earlier into a fantasy world of monsters, who have followed her back to her world in pursuit of her. The series holds a 7.8 out of 10 rating at the review aggregator website Comic Book Round Up, based on 35 reviews. In April 2022, Ha illustrated the second issue of '' Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons''. Written by

Kelly Sue DeConnick Kelly Sue DeConnick (born July 15, 1970) is an American comic book writer and editor and English-language adapter of manga. Career Kelly Sue DeConnick was first introduced to the comics industry by writing copy for photos in adult magazines. Sh ...

, the three-issue limited series takes place before the birth of

Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...

and tells of the creation of the

Amazons The Amazons (Ancient Greek: ', singular '; in Latin ', ') were a people in Greek mythology, portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, Labours of Heracles, the ''Argonautica'' and the ''Iliad''. ...

and how

Hippolyta In Greek mythology, Hippolyta, or Hippolyte (; ''Hippolytē''), was a daughter of Ares and Otrera,Hyginus, ''Fabulae'', 30 queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' ''zoster'', the Greek word foun ...

became their queen. The first ''Wonder Woman Historia: the Amazons'' issue was illustrated by

Phil Jimenez Phil Jimenez (born July 12, 1970) is an American comics artist and writer known for his work as writer/artist on ''Wonder Woman (comic book), Wonder Woman'' from 2000 to 2003, as one of the five pencilers of the 2005–2006 miniseries ''Infinite C ...

and the third by

Nicola Scott Nicola Scott is a comics artist from Sydney, Australia whose notable works include ''Birds of Prey (comics), Birds of Prey'' and ''Secret Six (comics), Secret Six''. In 2016, she and writer Greg Rucka relaunched ''Wonder Woman'' for DC Comics R ...

; an omnibus edition of the comics miniseries was released in June 2023.

Techniques and materials

Once Ha obtains a script, he makes "tiny" thumbnail sketches of each page, and then makes layout sketches on reduced copies of comic art board, two per page. It is at this stage that he works out the light/dark balance of the page. Though he says about 90% of his artwork are done without photo reference, he will sometimes photograph his friends posing as the central characters, or use a full length mirror to draw himself. He renders minor characters from his imagination. Irrespective of how much sunlight he has on a given day, he prefers to use a 500W incandescent photo lamp, though he believes a 500W halogen lamp is also adequate. He prefers to use a

lead holder A mechanical pencil or clutch pencil is a pencil with a replaceable and mechanically extendable solid pigment core called a "lead" . The lead, often made of graphite, is not bonded to the outer casing, and the user can mechanically extend it as i ...

with H lead for sketching, and 2B lead for shading, which he sharpens with a rotary lead pointer, believing that such leads can be sharpened better than a traditional pencil. He blows up a scan of each page layout to 8.5" x 11", and draws "tight" pencils on top of these, which are then scanned and printed on 11" x 17"

inkjet paper Inkjet paper is a special fine paper designed for inkjet printers, typically classified by its weight, brightness and smoothness, and sometimes by its opacity. Manufacture Some inkjet papers are made from high quality deinked pulp Pulp is ...

in faint blue line. He prefers

Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (, ) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox was the pioneer of the photocopier market, beginning with the introduc ...

paper because he feels that the surface of marker paper tends to get smudgy or oily. When modifying art in his computer, he uses

Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe for Windows and macOS. It was created in 1987 by Thomas and John Knoll. It is the most used tool for professional digital art, especially in raster graphics editin ...

. To effect his current

ink wash Ink wash painting ( zh, t=水墨畫, s=水墨画, p=shuǐmòhuà) is a type of Chinese ink brush painting which uses washes of black ink, such as that used in East Asian calligraphy, in different concentrations. It emerged during the Tang dynasty ...

style of shading and inking, he uses a variety of warm grey Copic markers with wide and brush tips, in particular a 9W Copic Sketch brush marker. For outlines and precise shading effects he will use a variety of pencils, most notably a 2B pencil, and for highlights and corrections, he will use white chalk pencils and white

gouache Gouache (; ), body color, or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin), and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouach ...

paint. He also uses

Staedtler Staedtler SE () is a German multinational stationery manufacturing company based in Nuremberg. The firm was founded by J.S. Staedtler (1800–1872) in 1835 and produces a large variety of stationery products, such as writing implements (includin ...

Mars technical pens. When not doing painted covers, he also uses a

Winsor & Newton Winsor & Newton (also abbreviated W&N) is an England, English manufacturing company based in London that produces a wide variety of fine art products, including acrylic paint, acrylics, oil paint, oils, watercolour painting, watercolour, gouache ...

Series 7 Size 1 brush, Badger Air Opaque airbrush paint, water-soluble ink wash and Strathmore Windmill

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. It is often distinguished from parchment, either by being made from calfskin (rather than the skin of other animals), or simply by being of a higher quality. Vellu ...

100 lb.

Bristol board Bristol board (also referred to as Bristol paper or super white paper) is an Woodfree uncoated paper, uncoated, machine-finished paperboard. History It is not named after the city of Bristol in the southwest of England but rather after Frede ...

. He cleans his brushes with Masters Brush Cleaner, to which he adds water for a gel consistency. He uses

to finish his work.

Personal life

Ha and his wife Lisa live in

Berwyn, Illinois Berwyn () is a suburban city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, Coterminous municipality, coterminous with Berwyn Township, Illinois, Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township, Cook County, Illinois, ...

Awards and nominations

Awards

*1994 Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award *2000

for Best New Series (for '' Top 10'', with

and

, Wildstorm/ABC) *2001 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series (for ''Top 10'', with Alan Moore and Zander Cannon, Wildstorm/ABC) *2006 Eisner Award for Best New Graphic Album (for '' Top 10: The Forty-Niners'', by Alan Moore, Gene Ha, Zander Cannon (ABC)) *2008 Eisner Award for Best Single Issue (for ''Justice League of America'' #11: "Walls", by Brad Meltzer and Gene Ha (DC)) *2019 Comic-Co
International Inkpot Award
*2021 Dick Giordan
Humanitarian of the Year Award
*2024 Eisner Award fo
Best Graphic Album—Reprint
(tie): Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons, by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, and Nicola Scott (DC)

Nominations

*1999

Eisner Award for Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team The Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry ...

(for '' Starman'' #46) *2006 Eisner Award for Best Penciller/Inker (for ''Top 10: The Forty-Niners'')

Bibliography

Dark Horse Comics

* ''Mae'' #1–4 (2016) * ''Oktane'' #1–4 (1995) * ''The Real Adventures of

Jonny Quest ''Jonny Quest'' is a science fiction–adventure media franchise created by Doug Wildey for Hanna-Barbera. It follows the character Jonny Quest, a young boy who joins his scientist father on various extraordinary adventures. The franchise sta ...

'' #8 (1997)

DC Comics

* ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' vol. 2 #3, 9 (2012) * '' Batman: Fortunate Son'' HC (1999) * '' Batman: Gotham Knights'' #13 (

Batman Black and White ''Batman Black and White'' refers to the comic book limited series published by DC Comics featuring 8-page black and white Batman stories. Volumes 1, 4 and 5 of the series feature all-new stories (published in 1996, 2013–14, and 2020–21, respe ...

) (2001) * ''

Blackest Night "Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in i ...

: Tales of the Corps'' #2 (2009) * '' Celebrate the Century'' uper Heroes Stamp Album#2–3 (1998) * ''DC Comics -

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

FCBD Special Edition'' #1 (2012) * ''DC Universe: Trinity'' #1 (1993) * '' Flashpoint: Project Superman'' #1–3 (2011) * ''

'' vol. 3 #36, 44–45 (1993) * ''

Green Lantern Corps The Green Lantern Corps is a intergalactic Peacekeeping, peace keeping agency appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the plan ...

Quarterly'' #8 (1994) * '' JLA Annual'' #1 (1997) * ''

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

'' vol. 2 #7, 20 (2012–2013) * ''Justice League of America'' vol. 2 #0, 11 (2006–2007) * ''

Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo imprint. The character ...

'' vol. 3 #6–7 (2013) * ''

'' #1 (1997) * ''Shade'' vol. 2 #12 (2012) * '' Showcase '95'' #11 (1995) * '' Starman'' #46, ''Annual'' #2 (1997–1998) * ''

'' vol. 2 #200 (2004) * ''

Superman/Batman ''Superman/Batman'' is a monthly American comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular superheroes: Superman and Batman. ''Superman/Batman'' premiered in August 2003, an update of the previous series, ' ...

'' #75 (2010) * ''Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons'' #2 (2022)

America's Best Comics

* ''ABC: A-Z, Top 10 and Teams'' #1 (2006) * '' Top 10'' #1–12 (1999–2001) * ''Top 10 Season Two'' #1–4 (2008–2009) * '' Top 10: The Forty-Niners'' HC (2005)

Vertigo

* ''

Fables Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that ...

'' #52, 122–123, 150 (2006–2015) * '' Fairest in All the Land'' HC (2014) * ''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror comics, horror, fantasy comics, fantasy, and mystery fiction, mystery comics anthology, comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets (DC Comi ...

'' vol. 2 #35 (2011)

WildStorm

* '' The Authority'' vol. 3 #1–2 (2006–2007) * ''

'' #12 (2004)

Malibu Comics

* '' Night Man'' #2–3 (1993)

Marvel Comics

* '' The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix'' #1–4 (1994) * '' Askani'son'' #1–4 (1996) * ''

Marvel Knights Marvel Knights is an imprint of Marvel Comics that contained standalone material taking place inside the Marvel Universe ( Earth-616). The imprint originated in 1998 when Marvel outsourced four titles ('' Black Panther'', '' Punisher'', '' Dared ...

: Double Shot'' #4 (2002) * ''Shadows & Light'' #1 (1998) * '' X-Men Annual'' #3 (1994) * ''

Young Avengers The Young Avengers are the names of two superhero teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, the first team appeared in ''Young Avengers'' #1 (April 2005). The Young Avengers tea ...

Special'' #1 (2006)

References

External links

* *
Gene Ha
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{DEFAULTSORT:Ha, Gene 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists American comics artists American comics writers American people of Korean descent Artists from Oak Park, Illinois DC Comics people Inkpot Award winners Living people Marvel Comics people People from Berwyn, Illinois Writers from Oak Park, Illinois Writers from South Bend, Indiana Year of birth missing (living people)