Phillip Craig Russell was the first well known mainstream comic book creator to come out as openly gay. Almost a Halloween baby, he was born on October 30, 1951 in Wellsville, Ohio.

Russell started in comics in 1972 with his 11-issue AMAZING ADVENTURES. Subsequently he collaborated with Don McGregor on a graphic novel featuring KILLRAVEN, the hero of a future version of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. He left mainstream comics for awhile and produced a number of experimental strips, many of which were published in his Night Music series. This brought him to the attention of Roy Thomas, who was planning an adaptation of the ELRIC stories of Michael Moorcock. Russell has won several Eisner and Harvey Awards.

In December 2007, The Art of P. Craig Russell was published by Desperado, a 256-page, large-sized retrospective, filled with comic book pages from various stages of Russell's Career. It also contains commentaries and a long interview. A documentary feature about Russell, entitled "Night Music: The Art of P. Craig Russell", was premiered at the 2008 Mid-Ohio Con in Columbus.

Russell has won Eisner Awards for Best Pencils/Inks for - Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde, The, Robin 3000 & Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight in 1993, The Sandman # 50 in 1994, Elric: Stormbringer and Doctor Strange: What Is It That Disturbs You Stephen? in 1998, and Ring of the Nibelung, The in 2001. His works have also been recognized with Eisner Awards including Best Short Story 2004- "Death" in Sandman: Endless Nights, Best Publication for Teens 2009 - Coraline, Best New Graphic Album 1995 - Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde, and Best Limited Series 2001 The Ring of Nibelung. He has also won the Eisner for Best Comics-Related Product in 1995 (shared with Randy Bowen) for his Sandman Arabian Nights statue.