Jim Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, and came to the United States as a child. He began his career as a comic book artist in 1987, and is currently the president, publisher, and chief creative officer of DC. Lee drew and cowrote Marvel’s X-Men #1 (1991), the best-selling comic book of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and has received a Harvey Award, an Inkpot Award, and three Wizard Fan Awards.
In 2020 Lee raised $800,000 by auctioning off 60 original sketches to benefit brick-and-mortar comic shops affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “I am thankful to have a talent which I can use to help make a small difference,” Lee posted on Facebook. Lee is also a member of the advisory board of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit that protects the First Amendment rights of the comics community and fights book banning.
In a 2023 interview, Lee described his early memories of life in South Korea, when he began drawing with an art teacher who visited his home. His strongest memory, however, was when, at age four or five, he was hit by a small truck while crossing the street — an incident that increased his parents’ protectiveness.
Seeking a safer life, Lee’s parents immigrated to the United States when Lee was in elementary school. He knew no English, but his identification with Superman, the ultimate immigrant, “brought me into the American culture,” he says, providing sanctuary from the pressures of being an immigrant kid who desperately wanted to fit in.
