Mark Lipka

Mark Lipka is a comic book inker best known for his work across a wide swath of major publishers, lending his clean, expressive linework to titles including *Batman*, *Star Wars*, *Justice League of America*, *Wolverine*, *Green Lantern*, *Swamp Thing*, *Daredevil*, and *Aliens versus Predator*. Born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Lipka entered the industry in 1991 with an unpublished story for *Rock Fantasy Comics*—a bizarre premise in which Mick Fleetwood taught Ozzy Osbourne magic—before building his craft on independent titles and commercial art. His first published work for a major publisher came in 1997 with *Savage Dragon: Sex and Violence* for Image Comics, after which he received mentorship from Brian Stelfreeze and fellow Lancaster artist Karl Waller. Lipka earned the nickname "the Jackie Robinson of CrossGen Comics" as the first freelancer hired by the publisher, which had initially planned to use only in-house talent. Over a career spanning from 1995 to 2013, he inked 39 issues for DC and Marvel, frequently collaborating with pencillers such as Cary Nord, Rick Leonardi, Yanick Paquette, Steve McNiven, and Adam Hughes. His most-credited titles include *Star Wars*, *Catwoman*, *Gambit & Bishop*, *Harley Quinn*, and *Codename: Knockout*. Lipka’s steady, unflashy approach to inking made him a reliable presence on genre-spanning books, and his early path through independent comics exemplifies the journeyman artist’s route to mainstream work.