Lee Moder, an iconic comic book artist who is perhaps best known for co-creating the character of Courtney Whitmore (who then went on to become known as Stargirl), has passed away.

According to ComicBook.com, Moder passed away on or around Jan. 15, 2023, at the age of 53. The cause of death is not known at this time.

Moder created the character of Courtney Whitmore with Geoff Johns in 1999, with her first appearance being in 1999's Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0. He also worked on DC titles such as Wonder Woman, Batman: The Last Angel and Legion of Superheroes. He's additionally known for working on Marvel's X-Force, Top Cow Productions' Dragon Prince, Dynamite's Highlander and many other titles.

In 2011, Moder and writer Ron Marz (who had previously collaborated on Dragon Prince) created Shinku, a Japanese vampire epic published by Image Comics. "Ron calls me up one night a couple of years ago and asks me if I'd like to get in on a new idea for a book about vampires in Japan," Moder told CBR shortly after the release of Shinku #1. "Now, there's two concepts that I hadn't heard before when thinking about what would make a cool comic book: 'vampire' and 'Japan.' So, already I knew this was going to be something I hadn't done before. Right off the bat, we were talking about the character of Shinku and what would she look like, what the look and tone of the book would be."

"The industry lost a wonderful talent with the passing of Lee Moder," Johns said of Moder's passing. "He was the first artist I ever collaborated with on my first comic book, Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E., which introduced Courtney Whitmore, AKA Stargirl. Lee co-created Courtney and her world with me, along with re-imagining the old 1940's Pat Dugan Stripesy into S.T.R.I.P.E. He embodied the warmth, power, beauty and comedy he put into all his art. We had so much fun. I'll miss Lee very much."

"I'm just numb," Marz said. "I tell stories for a living, and this is not how stories are supposed to end. Lee wasn't just someone I collaborated with, he was a friend, he was almost a part of my family. He stayed at my house, he drew at my kitchen table with my kids. His work had such life and joy to it. Every project we did together was a blessing, but they're only the tip of the iceberg. Lee had stacks of sketchbooks filled with original characters and concepts and designs, full story arcs. There are entire issues that he drew and then set aside because he wasn't quite satisfied, but I can absolutely tell you they're amazing. I hope the world gets to see all that stuff as part of Lee's legacy. It's too beautiful to remain hidden. Lee was an inexhaustible source of creation. My imagination is not capable of understanding that he's gone."

Those wanting to honor Lee's memory are asked to donate to the Hero Initiative.

Source: ComicBook.com