Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Dynamite, NYCC | Tagged: christopher priest, Don Lee, jae lee, new york comic con, Sterling North

Don Lee, Christopher Priest and Jae Lee's New Comic, Sterling North

Ma Dong-seok, also known as Don Lee, Christopher Priest and Jae Lee are working on a new comic book together, Sterling North, from Dynamite.

Ma Dong-seok, also known as Don Lee, is a South Korean–American actor, best known for movies such as the zombie film Train to Busan, as well as Derailed, The Bros, The Outlaws, Unstoppable, Champion, The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil, The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos and The Roundup. Now Don Lee, Christopher Priest and Jae Lee are working on a new comic book together,  Project Sterling North, from Dynamite Entertainment. And a comic, like Keanu Reeves' BRZRKR, that Don Lee will lend his own likeness too.

"As a long time comics fan, I'm grateful and beyond excited to be working with iconic comic creators Christopher Priest and Jae Lee, and the fantastic team at Dynamite to bring this unique story to life," said Don Lee. "I can't wait for my existing fans and newcomers to meet Sterling North and enjoy this incredible collaboration!"

Don Lee "stars" in the franchise, lending his likeness to Sterling North as well as co-creating the character, voice, and story. Also  known by his Korean name Ma Dong-Seok, Lee is the biggest action star in Korea and Asia. He has starred in upwards of 100 films, with more than half of them being major action blockbusters. One of his most celebrated works and earlier international breakouts is Train to Busan, considered a masterpiece of horror filmmaking. His prolific output and beloved reception have led Korean fans to coining his work the "Ma Cinematic Universe," including hit films like The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, which was screened at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival to acclaim. Lee's The Roundup series, a franchise he created, produces, and stars in, recently made history as the first Korean franchise to net 30 million tickets sold, credited with revitalizing and supercharging domestic Korean cinema.

Lee is joined by Christopher Priest, one of the most celebrated names in comics across nearly 45 years of writing, editing, and more. Priest's boundary-pushing writing on titles like Justice League, Superman: Lost, Black Adam, Deathstroke, Captain America, Deadpool, and more have garnered generations of fans and critical praise. His long tenure on Black Panther provided a foundation and countless elements to the blockbuster films. He also played a critical role as editor during a peak era of Spider-Man's popularity in the 1980s. With Dynamite he has been spearheading a reinvention of the Vampirella character since 2019.

"Sterling North will be a great adventure and a `writer's challenge to bring to life Don Lee's newest character and the world in which he lives," said writer Christopher Priest. "I am an admirer of Don's multifaceted film career. North will be an ambitious effort implying no small risk to Don as I am all but daring him to bring North into dangerous emotional and ethical spaces we've not quite seen from Don before. There is also a great adrenaline rush from working for someone who could crush you like a grape and powerful enough to end your career with a single phone call! Also very pleased to be reunited with the equally dangerous and powerful Jae Lee, whose unique and unparalleled artistry provides both the wind and the coattails for our narrative to fly on."

The creative team revealed so far is rounded out with virtuoso Jae Lee alongside longtime colorist partner June Chung as a virtuoso art team doing interior art. The Korean American Lee is known for early breakout contributions to titles like Namor the Sub-Mariner, X-Factor, WildCATs, and a gradual evolution of his style toward Inhumans, Fantastic Four, Transformers/G.I. Joe, Stephen King's The Dark Tower, Before Watchmen, Batman/Superman, and countless jaw-dropping covers for top titles. Fans have enjoyed his own creations like Hellshock, Seven Sons, and Dead Irons. His moody, evocative style is incomparable and can seamlessly adapt to any genre and tale. June Chung has been coloring comics for two decades, across hits like Marvel Zombies, Batman, and contributing alongside most of Jae's credits.

"It is truly an honor to be working with Mr. Don Lee and Mr. Christopher Priest," said artist Jae Lee. "I was born to do this book. I hope my family in Korea will see this!"

Though the creative team are still hard at work ironing out parts of the story and collaborative process, Dynamite is able to tease fans a bit about this thrilling epic. The man once known as Jonathon Smith has suffered a horrific accident, and is faced with extensive facial reconstruction surgery and memory loss. What his wife doesn't know is that he did in fact die, but a top level CIA agent codenamed "Sterling North" has taken his place in order to rout out terrorists and other looming threats. Faced with the challenges of blending into a new life, the complications and conspiracies continue to mount. Sterling North may realize that the true enemies are often those closest to us…

"Don Lee, Christopher Priest, Jae Lee, June Chung tackling Sterling North, now that's Dynamite!," said Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher. "Working on Sterling North with such talented creative people is beyond a dream come true. Don is an incredible actor and creative who has a vision for his art and career, and it is incredibly rewarding to be working with him on this special project. I've worked with Christopher Priest and Jae Lee for over 30 years, with Priest helming Vampirella over the last 4 years and continuing into the future, Jae on multiple projects and now joined by June Chung. This is a series that fans will be talking about worldwide. It is a publisher's dream to be able to reach so many fans, and the creators involved will help propel the series."

In the United States, Don Lee made a memorable mark on millions of fans with a stateside breakout role in one of the biggest box office hits of the last couple years. Lee has a slate of notable Hollywood projects in development under his U.S. banner Gorilla 8 Productions, co-founded together with his producing partner Chris S. Lee. Prior to his more recent forays in acting, Lee lived in the United States for a period pursuing boxing, and has been a boxer for over 30 years.

Don Lee's agent is Chris S. Lee at B&C Content, The Gersh Agency, and Stuart Rosenthal of GGSSC. Nick Barrucci and Dynamite Entertainment's agents are  Charles Ferraro at United Talent Agency, Ford Gilmore of Illuminati Entertainment, and Michael Lovitz of Lovitz IP Law.

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