Lee Moder, Comedian Artist and Stargirl Co-Creator, Has Died

Lee Moder, an iconic comedian artist who’s finest identified for creating the character of Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl, passes away on the age of 53.

Lee Moder, an iconic comedian ebook artist who is probably finest identified for co-creating the character of Courtney Whitmore (who then went on to turn out to be referred to as Stargirl), has handed away.

In response to ComicBook.com, Moder handed away on or round Jan. 15, 2023, on the age of 53. The reason for dying shouldn’t be identified at the moment.

Moder created the character of Courtney Whitmore with Geoff Johns in 1999, along with her first look being in 1999’s Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0. He additionally labored on DC titles corresponding to Surprise Lady, Batman: The Final Angel and Legion of Superheroes. He is moreover identified for engaged on Marvel’s X-Pressure, High Cow Productions’ Dragon Prince, Dynamite’s Highlander and plenty of different titles.

In 2011, Moder and author Ron Marz (who had beforehand collaborated on Dragon Prince) created Shinku, a Japanese vampire epic revealed by Picture Comics. “Ron calls me up one night time a few years in the past and asks me if I might wish to get in on a brand new thought for a ebook about vampires in Japan,” Moder instructed CBR shortly after the discharge of Shinku #1. “Now, there’s two ideas that I hadn’t heard earlier than when interested by what would make a cool comedian ebook: ‘vampire’ and ‘Japan.’ So, already I knew this was going to be one thing I hadn’t accomplished earlier than. Proper off the bat, we had been speaking concerning the character of Shinku and what would she seem like, what the look and tone of the ebook can be.”

“The trade misplaced an exquisite expertise with the passing of Lee Moder,” Johns mentioned of Moder’s passing. “He was the primary artist I ever collaborated with on my first comedian ebook, Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E., which launched Courtney Whitmore, AKA Stargirl. Lee co-created Courtney and her world with me, together with re-imagining the outdated 1940’s Pat Dugan Stripesy into S.T.R.I.P.E. He embodied the heat, energy, magnificence and comedy he put into all his artwork. We had a lot enjoyable. I will miss Lee very a lot.”

“I am simply numb,” Marz mentioned. “I inform tales for a residing, and this isn’t how tales are supposed to finish. Lee wasn’t simply somebody I collaborated with, he was a pal, he was nearly part of my household. He stayed at my home, he drew at my kitchen desk with my children. His work had such life and pleasure to it. Each challenge we did collectively was a blessing, however they’re solely the tip of the iceberg. Lee had stacks of sketchbooks stuffed with unique characters and ideas and designs, full story arcs. There are whole points that he drew after which put aside as a result of he wasn’t fairly glad, however I can completely inform you they’re superb. I hope the world will get to see all that stuff as a part of Lee’s legacy. It is too stunning to stay hidden. Lee was an inexhaustible supply of creation. My creativeness shouldn’t be able to understanding that he is gone.”

These eager to honor Lee’s reminiscence are requested to donate to the Hero Initiative.

Supply: ComicBook.com