P. Craig Russell — comics creator

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Known forNight Music

Issues credited302

Active1972–2025

Primary rolecover inks

Born October 30, 1951, P. Craig Russell has built one of the most distinctive careers in American comics over more than five decades, earning recognition through multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards along the way. His 302 credited works span roles as artist, colorist, inker, and writer, with activity stretching from 1972 through 2025.

Russell's visual sensibility draws heavily on opera, classical music, and art nouveau, giving his pages an elegance unusual in mainstream superhero publishing. His long-running anthology series *Night Music* became a showcase for that aesthetic ambition, while his adaptations of Neil Gaiman's prose — including *American Gods*, *American Gods: My Ainsel*, and *American Gods: The Moment of the Storm*, as well as *Norse Mythology* — demonstrated his particular gift for translating literary source material into sequential art. He also contributed to *Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire*.

In 1991, Russell became the fourth mainstream comic book creator to come out publicly as gay, following Andy Mangels, Craig Hamilton, and Eric Shanower in preceding years. He described himself at the time with characteristic dry wit as "just another left-handed, night-dwelling, gay libertarian cartoonist." That candor reflected a broader commitment throughout his career to working on his own terms, producing work of genuine craft regardless of commercial fashion. His sustained output across more than fifty years marks him as one of the medium's most dedicated artistic voices.

Full bibliography · 199 series

Night Music (1979) · 12

#1 #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #[8]#9 #10 #11

Elric (1983) · 12

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

American Gods (2017) · 10

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #[nn]

The Spectre (2001) · 9

#19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24 #25 #26 #27

American Gods: The Moment of the Storm (2019) · 9

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9

Norse Mythology (2020) · 9

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #1 #6 #2 #3

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (1996) · 8

#1 #[nn] [530104.00]#[nn]#2 #3 #4 #5 #6

Amazing Adventures (1970) · 7

#29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #39

Rom (1979) · 7

#64 #65 #66 #67 #69 #71 #75

Elric: Stormbringer (1997) · 7

#6 #7 #1 #2 #3 #4 #5

Elric. Stormbringer (1998) · 7

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7

American Gods: My Ainsel (2018) · 7

#3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9

X-Men Classic (1990) · 6

#57 #60 #61 #62 #63 #65

Star Wars: Crimson Empire (1997) · 6

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

Star Wars (1999) · 6

#5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10

The P. Craig Russell Library of Opera Adaptations (2003) · 6

#1 #1 #2 #2 #3 #3

Wonder Woman (1987) · 6

#189 #190 #191 #192 #193 #194

Norse Mythology II (2021) · 6

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

Norse Mythology III (2022) · 6

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

Conan (1977) · 5

#2 #12 #6/2006 #5 #2/1975

Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde (1992) · 5

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5

Nintendo Power (1988) · 5

#89 #90 #91 #92 #93

The Ring of the Nibelung (2002) · 5

#1 #2 #[nn]#[nn]#[nn]

Marvel Fanfare (1982) · 4

#5 #6 #24 #43

Aquaman (1986) · 4

#2 #3 #4 #2

The Phantom Stranger (1987) · 4

#1 #2 #3 #4

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) · 4

#4 #19 #30 #31

Batman (1987) · 4

#36 #37 #8 #16

The Ring of the Nibelung [The Rhinegold] (2000) · 4

#1 #2 #3 #4

The Ring of the Nibelung Vol. 4 [Gotterdammerung] (2001) · 4

#1 #2 #3 #4

Conan and the Jewels of Gwahlur (2005) · 4

#1 #2 #3 #[nn]

The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (2009) · 4

#3 #4 #[nn]#[nn]

Le Fils de Satan (1975) · 3

#11 #18 #19

The Ring of the Nibelung Vol. 2 [The Valkyrie] (2000) · 3

#1 #2 #3

The Ring of the Nibelung Vol. 3 [Siegfried] (2000) · 3

#1 #2 #3

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1998) · 3

#31 #32 #33

The Michael Moorcock Library - Elric (2015) · 3

#1 #3 #[7]

Imagine (1978) · 2

#2 #3

The Comics Journal (1977) · 2

#54 #147

Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) · 2

#2 #7

Marvel Strip (1983) · 2

#1 #5

Superhelden Parade (1983) · 2

#6 #5

National Lampoon Magazine (1970) · 2

#55 #59

Star*Reach Classics (1984) · 2

#3 #6

Elric of Melniboné (1986) · 2

#[nn]#[nn]

The Uncanny X-Men (1981) · 2

#209 #235

Alpha Flight (1983) · 2

#39 #37

Classic X-Men (1986) · 2

#4 #5

Elric: The Weird of the White Wolf (1986) · 2

#2 #3

Adventures of Superman (1987) · 2

#431 #432

Elric: Sailor on the Seas of Fate (1987) · 2

#[nn]#[nn]

The Chronicles of Corum (1987) · 2

#11 #12

New Gods (1989) · 2

#1 #3

Opera (1990) · 2

#[nn]#[nn]

Gli Incredibili X-Men (1990) · 2

#1 #30

Die Zauberflöte (1991) · 2

#1 #2

Magic Flute (1991) · 2

#[nn]#[nn]

Sandman (1989) · 2

#24 #50

X-Men (1988) · 2

#44 #4/1991

Robin 3000 (1992) · 2

#1 #2

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1992) · 2

#42 #43

Doctor Strange: What Is It That Disturbs You, Stephen? (1997) · 2

#1 #[nn]

Neil Gaiman's Murder Mysteries (2002) · 2

#[nn]#[nn]

JLA: Age of Wonder (2003) · 2

#1 #2

Lucifer (2000) · 2

#50 #8

Star Wars Comic Pack (2006) · 2

#1 #24

The Graveyard Book (2014) · 2

#1 #2

L'Étrange Vie de Nobody Owens (2015) · 2

#1 #2

The DC Universe by Mike Mignola (2017) · 2

#[nn]#[nn]

The Problem of Susan and Other Stories (2019) · 2

#[nn]#[nn]

The Michael Moorcock Library - The Chronicles of Corum (2018) · 2

#[3]#[4]

De X-Mannen (1983) · 2

#62 #80

La Patrulla-X (1985) · 2

#60 #85

Sub-Mariner (1968) · 1

#56

Marvel Feature (1971) · 1

#10

Captain Marvel (1968) · 1

#41

Comic Reader (1973) · 1

#132

Dr. Strange Annual (1976) · 1

Star*Reach (1974) · 1

Parsifal (1978) · 1