Jim Lee was born on August 11, 1964, in Seoul, South Korea, and emigrated to the United States with his family during childhood. After graduating with a degree in psychology from Princeton University, he abandoned a planned medical career to devote himself to drawing comics. His early work at Marvel in the mid-1980s, notably on Alpha Flight (#51–62, 1987–1988), already displayed a line of remarkable precision and dynamism, heavily influenced by classic masters such as Neal Adams and John Byrne.
It was on Uncanny X-Men that he truly broke through. Assigned to the series from #248 (September 1989) alongside Chris Claremont, Lee redefined the look of the X-Men with a hyperrealistic, ultra-detailed style that combined pushed muscular anatomy, fine hatching, and cinematic compositions. His popularity was such that Marvel entrusted him with the launch of a new series: X-Men #1 (October 1991), which he co-wrote with Claremont, sold 8.1 million copies — an absolute record in the history of the American comic book, never equaled since. The issue's five variant covers, which assemble into a single panoramic image, became a symbol of the speculative era of the early 1990s.
In 1992, Jim Lee co-founded Image Comics with Todd McFarlane and five other star artists. His studio WildStorm Productions launched WildC.A.T.s, Gen13, and other titles that met with immediate commercial success. In 1998, he sold WildStorm to DC Comics and remained there as an exclusive artist. He penciled landmark runs on Batman (#608–619, "Hush," 2002–2003, with Jeph Loeb), Superman ("For Tomorrow," #204–215, 2004–2005, with Brian Azzarello), and Justice League. In 2010, he was named co-publisher of DC Comics alongside Dan DiDio, overseeing the New 52 relaunch in 2011, and then became President and Chief Creative Officer of DC in 2018.
For collectors, X-Men #1 (1991) remains the most-printed issue in history, making it common in low grade but highly sought after in CGC 9.9 or 10.0. Uncanny X-Men #248 (Jim Lee's first issue on the series), #266 (first appearance of Gambit), #268 (iconic triple cover featuring Captain America/Wolverine/Black Widow), and Batman #608 (start of Hush) are all major keys. Jim Lee's original artwork commands record prices on the original art market, with certain pages from Hush exceeding $100,000.
Jim Lee established the visual standard for comics of the 1990s and holds the record for the best-selling comic book of all time with X-Men #1.
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