About

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John Lees is a comic book writer based in Glasgow, Scotland.  You can find a full selection of his published credits available for sale on ComiXology.

John’s first published comic, The Standard, launched worldwide January 2013.  A deluxe hardcover collection was funded through Kickstarter in 2015.  To read the whole series online, visit thestandard.comixtribe.com.

And Then Emily Was Gone, John’s breakout comic, was released in 2014, with a Free Comic Book Day special following in 2015.  For more information, go to https://visitmerksay.wordpress.com/, or for the latest news visit the official Facebook page.

Oxymoron: The Loveliest Nightmare was released in 2015, with a collected edition in early 2016.  For the latest updates, check out the Oxymoron’s official Facebook page.

The And Then Emily Was Gone creative team reunited for Quilte, a horror oneshot released as part of the 2016 Halloweenfest.  To read the book for free, go here.

John began 2017 by writing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #6 for IDW Publishing, working with Nick Pitarra.

John’s next project, Glasgow-based crime thriller Sink, saw him reunite with Oxymoron artist Alex Cormack and pair with letterer Shawn Lee. Sink launched in comic shops worldwide in September 2017, fast becoming John’s most successful comic.  The first volume was collected and released in 2018, and the collected second volume was released in 2019. The third volume is currently in production, set for a late 2023 launch. For more information, visit the official Facebook page, or to read the first issue for free, subscribe at sink.comixtribe.com.

In 2019, following the critical acclaim for Sink, John paired with the team of artist Ryan Lee, colorist Doug Garbark and letterer Shawn Lee, launched the psychological thriller Mountainhead for IDW. Mountainhead joins a rich pedigree of horror titles from IDW, including 30 Days of Night, Locke & Key and Road of Bones.

John began 2020 with the release of Hotell, a horror anthology series drawn by Dalibor Talajić, coloured by Lee Loughridge and lettered by Sal Cipriano. It was one of four launch titles for AWA Studios, a major new publishing company headed by former Marvel editors Axel Alonso and Bill Jemas. Following strong sales and critical acclaim for the title, Hotell Vol. 2 was released at the end of 2021. In 2022, Hotell was optioned for film, with an adaptation from writer/director Elle Callahan currently in development.

In 2021, John launched The Crimson Cage, a new title also published by AWA Studios. The Crimson Cage is a retelling of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, set against the backdrop of 1980s territory era pro wrestling. For the series, John reunited with Sink artist Alex Cormack, with Ashley Cormack as colourist and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou as letterer.

In 2022, in addition to the continuation of Hotell Vol. 2 and The Crimson Cage, John returned to the world of Sink, with a spin-off graphic novel titled Dig, which was recently the biggest success for a Kickstarter comics crowdfunding project in publisher ComixTribe’s history.

2023 sees the launch of The Nasty, published by Vault Comics. A coming-of-age horror comedy set in 1990s Scotland against the backdrop of the video nasties moral panic, The Nasty features art from Adam Cahoon and George Kambadais, colours from Kurt Michael Russell, and lettering from Jim Campbell. It is already John’s biggest, highest-selling release yet.

Other upcoming projects include more Sink, mystery thriller The Last Ride of Pillar & Pryde, and more unannounced titles currently in development.

COMPLETE BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Standard (2013-2014)

And Then Emily Was Gone (2014-2015)

Oxymoron: The Loveliest Nightmare (2015)

Quilte (2016)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #6 (2017)

Sink (2017-present)

Mountainhead (2019-2020)

Hotell (2020)

Hotell Vol. 2 (2021-2022)

The Crimson Cage (2021-2022)

Dig: A Sink Tale (2022)

The Nasty (2023-2024)

John can be contacted at johnlees AT johnleescomics DOT com.

Media inquiries can be directed to John’s manager Sidney Sherman, at sidney AT rosaentertainment DOT com.