Dez Skinn

Derek Graham "Dez" Skinn was born on 4 February 1951 in England. He is best known as a transformative editor and publisher who reshaped British comics in the late 1970s and early 1980s. As head of Marvel UK, he reformatted existing titles, launched new ones, and secured the BBC license for *Doctor Who Weekly*, a key move that broadened the company's reach. In 1982, he founded and edited *Warrior*, a magazine that became a proving ground for Alan Moore, featuring early installments of *Marvelman* and *V for Vendetta*. Skinn also worked on *The House of Hammer* and *Halls of Horror*, and his writing credits include *Sam Slade, Robo-Hunter* and *Larry Harmon's Laurel & Hardy*. His career has not been without controversy: legal disputes arose over his publication of new *Marvelman* stories, and his 2004 book *Comix: The Underground Revolution* faced plagiarism allegations. Despite these, he is often called the "British Stan Lee" for his influence on the industry. His later work includes authoring several books on comics. Skinn remains a significant, if divisive, figure in British comics history.