Elaine Lee

This article is about the American actor and playwright. For other people with the same name, see Elaine Lee (disambiguation).

Elaine Lee is an American actress, playwright, producer, and award-winning writer, who specializes in graphic novels. 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, James Sherman, Steve Leialoha, Linda Medley and John Ridgeway.

Her graphic novel Starstruck: The Luckless, the Abandoned and Forsaked was nominated for a Jack Kirby Award as The Best Graphic Album of 1985.[1]

Career

Elaine Lee graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Theater Arts from Stephens College. She took graduate classes in English Literature at SUNY, New Paltz from 2002–2003.

In 1976, she moved to New York City, and quickly found acting work.[2] In 1980, she landed the role of Mildred Trumble on NBC-TV’s The Doctors[3] for which she received a Best Supporting Actress 1980 Daytime EMMY nomination.

She was a founding member and artistic director of Manhattan-based theatre company, Wild Hair Productions.[4]

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.[5] Starstruck, a science fiction spoof with a largely female cast, was performed off-Broadway at the N.E.T.W.O.R.K. Theater, from April 16 – May 10, 1980. Elaine Lee portrayed Captain Galatia 9, and Susan Norfleet Lee played Brucilla The Muscle. In 1983, Elaine Lee directed a revised production with a new cast that was performed at the Park Royal Theater, from April 16 – May 8, 1983.[6]

Lee's Starstruck play grew into a comic book series that has lasted for more than 30 years. It has been adapted into audioplays, seen multiple spin-offs and sequels, and was nominated for the Jack Kirby award for Best Graphic Novel in 1985.[7] The British Science Fiction Society magazine Vector listed it as a "groundbreaking work": "The original volume, 73 pages long, covers three decades of stories across the universe, and the non-linear approach has seen critics today comparing it to later works such as Lost and Watchmen. Much of the praise given to the latter, its innovation of non-linear graphic storytelling, use of supplement texts for story expansion, overlapping dialogue, unreliable storytelling and so on, was in fact pioneered by the greatly overlooked Starstruck."[8]

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.[9] 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.[10] She also produced The Starling Project, which received Audie Award nominations for Original Work and Best Audio Drama, and an Earphones Award.[11][12]

She co-adapted the Image Comic series The Perhapanauts which won a Silver Ogle Award,[13] and also adapted and co-produced her "Honey West: Murder on Mars" (Moonstone Books) comics as an audioplay.[14] Other co-productions include Starstruck, "The Batsons: The Trouble with Fang!", "The Batsons: Camilla's Crush", "Titanium Rain, Vol.1", and "The Domino Lady: All's Fair in War".

In 2011, Elaine Lee was chosen as an Artist in Residence at the National Audio Theatre Festival workshop. The NATF commissioned her play "TransMars Tango" for a live performance,[15] starring Philip Proctor of The Firesign Theatre, and directed by Brian Price.[16]

From 1995–2008, Elaine Lee wrote and developed work for children's animation in Germany, Denmark and Belgium. Her credits include Stevie Stardust, Troll Tales (A-Film), and The Mooh Brothers (Niolan).

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, Prince Valiant, Ragman and Vamps. Lee worked as a colorist as well, most notably on several issues of The New Mutants and The Shadow 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.[17]

With Susan Norfleet Lee, Elaine Lee co-authored the book Porch Dogs, under the pen name Georgia Sullivan. ISBN 0-9726863-0-4

Bibliography

Main article: Starstruck (comics)

Comics and Graphic Novels

References

  1. ↑ "Jack Kirby Award nominations", 1985
  2. ↑ http://www.broadwayplaypub.com/play-authors/elaine-lee/
  3. ↑ 1980 "Daytime Emmy nominations", SoapCentral.com
  4. ↑ Elaine Lee, Susan Norfleet, and Dale Place (March 1985). Starstruck (A Space Opera). Broadway Play Publishing, Inc. ISBN 0-88145-023-5
  5. ↑ Susan Adamo. "Starstruck: Artist Mike Kaluta's Designs For This SF-Comedy Satire". Starlog Magazine #41, December 1980, p.24.
  6. ↑ Elaine Lee, Susan Norfleet, and Dale Place (March 1985).
  7. ↑ http://www.tcj.com/starstruck-an-interview-with-elaine-lee-and-michael-kaluta-part-1/
  8. ↑ http://www.comicbookgrrrl.com/2015/01/02/vector-sequentials-1-women-and-sf-comics/#.VKb-q1trBK8.twitter
  9. ↑ "About AudioComics Company", ACC.
  10. ↑ http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160210005222/en/24-Audible-Productions-Named-Finalists-2016-Audie
  11. ↑ http://www.richlandlibrary.com/inform/2016-audie-award-finalists-announced
  12. ↑ http://www.voxpertise.com/edu/id8.html
  13. ↑ http://www.marktimeawards.org/winners/ogle_winners.html
  14. ↑ "Another Taste Of 'Honey West', SneakPeek.ca, October 3, 2011
  15. ↑ "2011's Expert Guest Performer-Instructors:", The National Audio Theatre Festivals, June 19–25, 2011
  16. ↑ "The Echo of One Hand Clapping – Notes on Audio Publishing and Production", by Brian Price, September 11, 2011
  17. ↑ Tim O'Shea. "Talking Comics with Tim: Elaine Lee", Robot 6, August 31, 2009.
  18. ↑ Lance Roger Axt. "AudioComics: The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Starstruck". AudioComics Company press release, August 25, 2009.
  19. ↑ "The Starstruck I-CON Talent Search is ON!", The AudioComics Company, March 17, 2011
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