View source for Bruce Lee (comics)

{{Short description|Bruce Lee in American comic books}}
'''''Bruce Lee''''' has been portrayed in comics form in both [[comic books]] and [[Print syndication|syndicated]] newspaper [[Comic strip|strips]].

== Comic books ==
=== ''Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu'' ===
Issue #28 of the [[Magazine Management]] black-and-white comics magazine ''[[The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu]]'' (Sept. 1976) was an all-Bruce Lee special, including a 35-page comic-format biography written by [[Martin Sands]], and drawn by [[Joe Staton]] and [[Tony DeZuniga]].

=== Warrior Publications ===
[[Al Davison]] produced a 32-page [[One-shot (comics)|one-shot]] titled ''Bruce Lee: the Elusive Dragon'', released by Warrior Publications in 1983.

=== Malibu series ===
{{Infobox comic book title <!--See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics]]-->
| title      = Bruce Lee
| foreigntitle = 
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| publisher  =  [[Malibu Comics]]<ref name=mycomicshop>[https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=120381 ''Bruce Lee''] - MyComicShop.com. Retrieved:2014-08-29.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=7c8DAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Bruce+Lee%22+-2016+Mayerik+baron&pg=PA21 Bruce Lee Portrayed in Comic Book Series], Page 21 & 32, Black Belt magazine, Issue:Sep 1994</ref>
| date       = 1994
| issues     = 6
| series     = 
| main_char_team = 
| creators   =   <!--or: | creator = -->
| writers    = [[Mike Baron]]<!--or: | writer = -->
| artists    = [[Val Mayerik]]<!--or: | artist = -->
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|TPB = Bruce Lee
|ISBN = 978-1852866136
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''Bruce Lee'' was a 1994 six-issue [[comic book]] miniseries published by [[Malibu Comics]] and written by [[Mike Baron]] and illustrated by [[Val Mayerik]]. It focused on a fictional [[Bruce Lee]] character striving his way through gangs and rival [[dojo]] owners, while building a movie career. Malibu included a ''[[Mortal Kombat (comics)|Mortal Kombat]]'' short story in the first and fifth issues.<ref name=mycomicshop />

Writer Mike Baron had previously written three issues of the [[Green Hornet]] comic published by [[NOW Comics]], about Lee's [[Kato (The Green Hornet)|Kato]] in the 1966 [[Green Hornet (TV series)|TV show]]. Val Mayerik had previously illustrated the second Kato limited series (also published by NOW). Baron states inspiration for the comic came from the 1970s [[Marvel Comics]] series ''[[Master of Kung Fu (comics)|Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|date=September 1994|title=Bruce Lee Portrayed in Comic Book Series|journal=[[Black Belt (magazine)|Black Belt]]|pages=21}}</ref>

[[Titan Books]] collected the miniseries into a trade paperback, simply titled ''Bruce Lee'', in 1995. The publisher [[Edizioni Star Comics]] translated the series into Italian for its ongoing series ''[[Mortal Kombat]] & Bruce Lee'', published in 1995–1996.

=== Bluewater one-shot ===
In 2013, [[Bluewater Productions]] published ''Tribute: Bruce Lee'', a one-shot comic book biography written by Chris Canibano and illustrated by Joon Han.

=== Magnetic Press series ===
In 2016, [[Magnetic Press]] published four issues of ''Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises'', co-written by Lee's daughter [[Shannon Lee]] and [[Jeff Kline]], and illustrated by Brandon McKinney. The fictional story takes places in 2012 with Bruce Lee escaping from a science lab.<ref>[https://www.comics.org/issue/1576836/ ''Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises'' #1], Grand Comics Database. Accessed October 15, 2018.</ref>

In 2018, Magnetic Press/[[Darby Pop Publishing]] released the one-shot ''Bruce Lee: The Walk Of The Dragon'', also written by Shannon Lee.

== Comic strip ==
{{distinguish|text=''[[The Legend of Bruce Lee]]'' film}}
{{Infobox comic strip
| fgcolor     =
| bgcolor     =
| title       = The Legend of Bruce Lee
| image       =
| caption     = 
| author      = Sharman DiVono
| current     = 
| illustrator = [[Fran Matera]], [[Dick Kulpa]]
| url         = 
| status      = Daily and Sunday; concluded
| first       = May 23, 1982
| last        = 1983
| altnames    = 
| syndicate   = [[Los Angeles Times Syndicate]]
| publisher   = 
| genre       = martial arts adventure
| rating      = 
| preceded by = 
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}}
The [[Los Angeles Times Syndicate]] launched ''The Legend of Bruce Lee'' [[comic strip]], featuring fictional stories about the deceased actor and [[martial artist]], in May 1982.

The syndicate had originally approached veteran comic strip creators [[Milton Caniff]] and [[Noel Sickles]] about doing a Bruce Lee strip in 1978. The project never got off the ground, and five years later the syndicate tried again.<ref name=Holtz>Holtz, Allan. [http://strippersguide.blogspot.com/2009/12/obscurity-of-day-legend-of-bruce-lee.html "Obscurity of the Day: The Legend of Bruce Lee"], ''Stripper's Guide'' (December 17, 2009).</ref>

Intended for "downscale, . . . very young audiences", ''The Legend of Bruce Lee'' was intended to "help boost newspaper circulation by attracting younger or less well-educated readers who don't normally read newspapers".<ref name=TCJ>"LATS to Release Bruce Lee Strip", ''The Comics Journal'' #73 (July 1982), p. 13.</ref> It was written by Sharman DiVono (who herself had martial arts training),<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=DI+VONO%2c+SHARMAN "Sharman Di Vono"], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books: 1928–1999''. Accessed Nov. 30, 2017.</ref> and illustrated by [[Fran Matera]]<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=MATERA%2c+FRAN "Fran Matera"], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books: 1928–1999''. Accessed Nov. 30, 2017.</ref> (with uncredited assists from [[Dick Kulpa]]).

''The Legend of Bruce Lee'' only ran until late 1982 or early 1983.<ref name=Holtz />

The strips were collected by Nostalgia World in 1983 in two 24-page magazine-sized issues.<ref>[https://www.comics.org/series/73109/ ''The Legend of Bruce Lee''], Grand Comics Database. Accessed Oct. 15, 2018.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Bruceploitation]] 
*[[Bruce Lee Library]] 
*[[Bruce Lee filmography]]
*[[Jeet Kune Do]]
*[[List of awards and honors received by Bruce Lee]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{gcdb series|id= 32569 |title=''Bruce Lee''}} (Malibu)
* {{comicbookdb|type=title|id= 17754 |title=''Bruce Lee''}} (Malibu)

{{Bruce Lee}}

[[Category:1994 comics debuts]]
[[Category:Comics based on real people]]
[[Category:Comics set in China]]
[[Category:Martial arts comics]]
[[Category:Malibu Comics titles]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Bruce Lee]]
[[Category:American comic strips]]