COMIC CREATOR SPOTLIGHT: LILY RENEE

Lily Renée Phillips was one of the most underrated artists of the Golden Age. Known for her work for Fiction House in the 1940s, creating art for titles like Jungle Comics, Wings Comics, and Fight Comics.

Her story isn’t just about comics, though—it’s about resilience and creativity during a tough time in history.

Lily was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1921. She grew up loving art and culture, but her life changed drastically when Nazi Germany took over Austria in 1938. Being Jewish, her family sent her to England on the Kindertransport, a program that helped thousands of Jewish children escape the Nazis. After the war, she reunited with her parents in the U.S., where her artistic talent led her to an unexpected career in comic books.

Lily’s big break came at Fiction House, a publisher that started out creating pulps and made its way into comics with titles such as Jumbo, Planet & Fight Comics. Fight featured one of Renee most famous works, Senorita Rio, a glamorous secret agent who fought against spies and villains during World War II. She also worked on series like The Lost World and Werewolf Hunter, showing off her range as an artist.

After her time in comics, Lily moved on to other artistic projects, but her work in the 1940s left a lasting impression.

Lily Renée’s journey—from escaping the horrors of World War II to creating unforgettable comic book characters—is a story worth sharing.