Illustrator and graphic novelist P. Craig Russell has blended a love of classical opera with artwork noted for its lush line, attention to detail, and classical themes to create graphic-novel adaptations of musical works ranging from The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Richard Strauss's Salomé. Russell's two-volume treatment of Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung trilogy was a massive five-year project of love that garnered Russell an Eisner Award and further critical acclaim. Additionally, his adaptations of fairy tales by nineteenth-century Irish writer Oscar Wilde and of stories by Rudyard Kipling have won awards and a readership that stretches beyond the usual comic-book audience. Russell has also contributed artwork to more typical superhero comic books, starting out with Marvel Comics on "Batman" and "Dr. Strange." "So many stories, so many pictures, so few hours in the day," Russell once commented.

From Superheroes to Sopranos

Born in...