Born on October 9, 1949, Jim Starlin entered comics in the early 1970s and quickly carved out a distinctive niche in cosmic storytelling, bringing a philosophical weight and operatic scale to superhero narratives that few writers of his era matched.
Starlin made his mark at Marvel by fundamentally reimagining Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, transforming both into vehicles for existential drama set against galactic backdrops. More consequentially, he co-created several characters who would reshape the Marvel universe: Thanos, the death-obsessed Titan; Drax the Destroyer; Gamora; and Shang-Chi, the martial arts master. His obsession with Thanos culminated in the landmark miniseries *The Infinity Gauntlet* and its sequels, *The Infinity War* and *The Infinity Crusade*, tracing the villain's ruthless pursuit of the Infinity Gems across multiple decades of storytelling. For Epic Illustrated, he developed *Dreadstar*, an entirely creator-owned space opera that remains among his most personal work.
At DC Comics, Starlin contributed meaningfully to the Batman mythos, writing *A Death in the Family*, the storyline in which Jason Todd — the second Robin — was killed. He also drew Darkseid during his DC tenure.
Across a career spanning from the late 1960s through the 2020s, and credited on some 746 issues, Starlin's influence on cosmic comics and on Marvel's mythology in particular has proved remarkably durable.
The Mighty World of Marvel (1972) · 29
Captain Marvel (1968) · 12
DC Comics Presents (1978) · 7
Dreadstar and Company (1985) · 6
The Life of Captain Marvel (1985) · 6
Batman The Cult (1988) · 6
Spider-Man Comics Weekly (1973) · 5
Justice League of America (1960) · 5
Amazing Adventures (1970) · 4
Marvel Preview (1975) · 4
Doctor Strange (1974) · 4
Rampage Monthly (1978) · 4
El Hombre Araña / El Asombroso Hombre Araña (1980) · 4
Cosmic Odyssey (1988) · 4
Batman Sonderband (1989) · 4
The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) · 3
Marvel Feature (1971) · 3
Master of Kung Fu (1974) · 3
Mundo de Aventuras (1973) · 3
Etranges Aventures (1966) · 3
Rampaging Hulk (1977) · 3
Detective Comics (1937) · 3
Gerechtigkeitsliga (1977) · 3
Les Géants des Super-Héros (1981) · 3
Supermán - Serie Avestruz (1975) · 3
Batman [Batman Una muerte en la Familia] (1989) · 3
Marvel's Greatest Comics (1969) · 2
Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) · 2
Where Monsters Dwell (1970) · 2
Hit Comics Die Spinne (1971) · 2
Astonishing Tales (1970) · 2
Marvel Premiere (1972) · 2
Captain America (1968) · 2
Special Marvel Edition (1971) · 2
El Sorprendente Hombre Araña (1974) · 2
The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu (1974) · 2
Meester der Kung Fu (1975) · 2
Thor e i Vendicatori (1975) · 2
The Incredible Hulk (1968) · 2
Weird Western Tales (1972) · 2
Superboy & the Legion of Super-Heroes (1977) · 2
Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth (1972) · 2
The Batman Family (1975) · 2
House of Mystery (1951) · 2
Fantasy Masterpieces (1979) · 2
Superman Sonderausgabe (1976) · 2
Atlantic special (1981) · 2
Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) · 2
Grandes Heróis Marvel (1983) · 2
Marvel Fanfare (1982) · 2
The Thanos Quest (1990) · 2
Star-Studded Comics (1963) · 1
Fantastic Exploits (1965) · 1
Marvel Triple Action (1972) · 1
Crypt of Shadows (1973) · 1
Capitaine America (1970) · 1
Sword of Sorcery (1973) · 1
Mästaren på karate (1974) · 1
Relatos Salvajes Artes Marciales (1974) · 1
Climax Adventure Comic (1962) · 1
I Fantastici Quattro (1971) · 1
Kull, the Destroyer (1973) · 1
Marvel Team-Up (1972) · 1
Marvel Two-in-One (1974) · 1
Conan der Barbar (1975) · 1
Giant-Size Defenders (1974) · 1
El Sargento Furia y Sus Comandos (1965) · 1
Mestre do Kung Fu (1975) · 1
Our Love Story (1969) · 1
Shang-Chi Maestro del Kung Fu (1975) · 1
Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter (1975) · 1
Mundo de Aventuras Especial (1975) · 1
Werewolf by Night (1972) · 1
The Son of Satan (1975) · 1
Howard the Duck (1976) · 1
Planet of the Apes (1974) · 1
Adventures on the Planet of the Apes (1975) · 1
Super-Villain Team-Up (1975) · 1
Conan the Barbarian (1970) · 1
Marvel Spotlight (1971) · 1
The Avengers Annual (1967) · 1
Marvel Two-in-One Annual (1976) · 1
Savage Tales Annual (1978) · 1
The Savage Sword of Conan (1974) · 1
Άιρον Μαν [Iron Man] (1975) · 1
House of Secrets (1956) · 1
DC Special Series (1977) · 1
L'incroyable Hulk (1968) · 1
Die Spinne Comic - Taschenbuch (1979) · 1
Une Aventure des Fantastiques (1973) · 1
Chiller Pocket Book (1980) · 1
La naissance de Captain Marvel (1980) · 1
Rymdens hjältar (1980) · 1
Adventure Comics (1938) · 1
The Unexpected (1968) · 1
Los 4 Fantásticos (1977) · 1
Superman in "The Computers That Saved Metropolis" (1980) · 1
The New Adventures of Superboy (1980) · 1
Weird War Tales (1971) · 1
Adventure Illustrated (1981) · 1
Batman Superband (1974) · 1
Docteur Strange (1981) · 1
Elson's Presents Super Heroes Comics (1981) · 1
L'Uomo Ragno [Collana Super-Eroi] (1970) · 1
Mystery in Space (1951) · 1
Marvel Superheroes [Marvel Super-Heroes] (1979) · 1
Atlantic Spesial [Atlantic Special] (1981) · 1
L'Incredibile Hulk (1980) · 1
Le Manoir des Fantômes (1981) · 1
Batman - Serie Avestruz (1981) · 1
La Ligue de Justice (1982) · 1
Dreadstar Annual (1983) · 1
Epic Comic-Collection (1983) · 1
Superman Official Annual (1979) · 1
The Marvel No-Prize Book (1983) · 1
Gamma la bombe qui a créé Hulk (1979) · 1
The Mighty Thor (1983) · 1
Darklon the Mystic (1983) · 1
Superaventuras Marvel (1982) · 1
Heroes for Hope Starring the X-Men (1985) · 1
Superman Taschenbuch (1976) · 1
The Invincible Iron Man (1985) · 1
Amazing Heroes (1981) · 1
Batman Taschenbuch (1978) · 1
Marvel Graphic Novel: The Big Change (1987) · 1
Adventures of Superman Annual (1987) · 1
First Six Pack (1987) · 1
Action Comics Weekly (1988) · 1
Batman: A Death in the Family (1988) · 1
La Espada Salvaje de Conan el Bárbaro (1988) · 1
Batman Special (1989) · 1
X-Factor: Prisoner of Love (1990) · 1
Strange Spécial Origines (1989) · 1
Original biography and editorial content © comicbooks.com™.
Information drawn in part from Wikipedia and the Grand Comics Database. Portrait by Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).