Jim Lee:
Originally a marvel artist for works like The Punisher, Jim Lee moved his way up at Marvel from just an artist but to a story writer where he worked on titles like Xmen. Eventually he was snatched by Image and Dark Horse at a time for a few free lances but his true work began when DC finally got their claws into him.
At the time DC was hitting a minor wall where they weren't as main stream as Marvel and were in need of new blood to revamp their "Universe". They hired Jim Lee and put him on for a new Batman which followed its own series. Jim Lee not only changed the feel of Batman but created almost a whole new genre for him. Batman then became a gritty, bloody and dark story with amazing art. This "Hush" series turned into a snowball effect for Batman and we ended up with movies like Dark Knight to where Batman is now the super hero for the USA.
Currently Jim Lee still does a few Batmans here and there but his main work is the DC Universe Online where he works on cut-scenes and verifies if each rendered character is "Lee Certified".
I love Jim Lee's Batman, famously dark, famously nastier and less "kiddy" than anything before. I think you are right. There would not have been such a wave of success with Films like Batman where Nicholson played Joker, or the Dark Knight with Heath Ledger's Joker unless there had been a Stan Lee to write up those darker characters. I think Nolan, Bale, all those guys still owe it to Lee.
ReplyDeleteDo you know if he is getting paid royalties for that stuff?
ReplyDeleteYes he does he own the rights to many of the characters
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