P. Craig Russell
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Philip Craig Russell, a.k.a. Craig Russell, is an American comic book writer, artist, and illustrator, best known for his work dealing with mythic themes. His work has won multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards. He is deeply influenced by art nouveau.
Russell broke into comics in 1972, and is known for his 11-issue Amazing Adventures run and subsequent graphic novel featuring Killraven, hero of a future version of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. This collaboration with writer Don McGregor brought him to the attention of writer Roy Thomas, who was planning a comic adaptation of Michael Moorcock's Elric stories. The first to see print was "The Dreaming City", which was published as a graphic novel in 1982. In 1983, Thomas and Russell, along with Michael T. Gilbert, adapted "Elric of Melibone" as a six issue comic (republished as a single volume in 1986).
Russell has an interest in opera, and has drawn comic adaptations of several works, including Parsifal, Pelias and Mellisande, Salome, and The Magic Flute, many of them published as the Night Music series by Eclipse Comics. Of particular note is Russell's adaptation of Wagner's operatic cycle, "The Ring of the Nibelung", described on Russell's web site as his 'magnum opus'; Russell's Ring adaptation has been published by Dark Horse Comics in two volumes. He has also adapted several fairy tales by Oscar Wilde into comic book albums from NBM Publishing.
Other notable works of Russell's are his collaborations with writer Neil Gaiman. Russell illustrated one of the most highly regarded issues of Gaiman's comic series Sandman, "Ramadan" (originally published as issue #50; eventually included in the collection ). Russell also illustrated the first story in Gaiman's later Sandman collection, Endless Nights. Russell also adapted Gaiman's short story, "Murder Mysteries" into comics form.
He won the Shazam Award for Outstanding New Talent in 1974. He is not the composer Craig Russell.
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