Drew's story

“Drew Hayes was born July 20, 1969, about fifteen minutes after the first moon landing. He had an auspicious beginning and lived every minute of his life his way. He started drawing as soon as he could pick up a pencil and told his stories before he could form sentences. He was an enigma to most people.”

Drew’s mother Sharon 2007

“The guy that started Poison Elves was a pissed-off, reactionary, spoiled, Dave Sim-worshipping fanboy that wanted to do a swords & sorcery elf book that'd not only eat other such books alive, but was generally what Poison Elves turned out to be — a black sheep.”

Drew Hayes 2006

“Drew Hayes POISON ELVES is like an Elfquest story about biker dudes who kill people for a living. It's not like any fantasy tale you've likely read before.”

Wizard magazine 1997

“I was never allowed to read Dad’s comics, I still haven’t, but I own them all.”

Mary Hayes 2012

“As noteworthy for its content as it is for the 1990s indie comics aesthetic that it helped to usher in, the first appearance of Poison Elves in I, Lusiphur #1 from Hayes' Mulehide Graphics imprint in 1991 is an important stop on the path that led to the rise of the creator-owned movement that boomed in the 1990s and beyond.”

Mark Seifert, Bleeding Cool – January 2021

“I’m six foot three, have long reddish hair (it was supposed to be purple) and my favorite color is black.”

Drew Hayes, I, Lusiphur 7 SN

“Drew scared a lot of people, (at times, me included.) He wanted to be different and became so. Drew was an advocate for the downtrodden. He tried to help others with their life’s problems, neglecting his own mental and physical health.”

Drew’s mother Sharon 2007

“These guys at the con, they're running around with these elf ears taped to their head and beating each other with swords and stuff and I'm just going my God these people would have lived a normal life if it wasn't for me.”

Drew Hayes 1997

“Drew experienced life with all of his senses; he chewed it up and spit it out. He wanted the world to think him tough. He was a sensitive, caring, loving person. He did have a nasty temper that got him into a lot of trouble. At times I had trouble telling him from Lusiphur.”

Drew’s mother Sharon 2007

“I’ll have you know it’s in my deepest nature to bug the hell out of people.”

Drew Hayes, I, Lusiphur 9 SN

“Dad’s health was a problem. He would manage to come back from the hospital wanting to write a new comic. I would question why; shouldn’t he be healing? I guess not. Then he would take all the bullshit from the hospital and use the frustration to write a new issue. His comic meant something to him that no one else could understand. Art was his passion; Poison Elves seemed to be his demon baby.”

Mary Hayes 2012

“I wanna use the characters to crack everybody’s shell a little bit and say look we're all kind of f******* up in our own little ways but that's OK. What I found from the letters and people that come up to me at cons is that they identify with Poison Elves very deeply in one way or another. Rarely do I get somebody that just reads Poison Elves on a lark. There’s something that it touches in them and that's what I'm saying, I'm not unlike you and you're not unlike me and we're no better than each other.”

Drew Hayes 1997

“Through the years of publishing POISON ELVES it was clear that the overriding success of the book was due to Drew’s personal investment in the work. You can literally find Drew Hayes on every page; in the story, the Starting Note and the Deathreats letters column. This is why so many of his readers, even many who have never met him, felt like they had a personal relationship with Drew. His acerbic wit and politically incorrect honesty were the meat and potatoes of POISON ELVES. His genuine pain in his life and the relentless determination to overcome it were the heart and soul.”

Robb 2012

“As far as being a part of the comic industry, I still feel like a rogue. I like where I am. I'm just obscure enough where not everybody knows who I am but the people I feel that matter do.”

Drew Hayes 1997

Drew Hayes created 100 issues of Poison Elves between 1991 and 2004 and sold almost a million comics and graphic novels. Drew died in 2007 at the age of 37 from a heart attack. In 2009 his posthumously published autobiography Deathreats, was awarded the Grand Prize at the Boston Book Festival and Best Autobiography at the Los Angeles Book Festival.

EXCLUSIVE DREW HAYES T-SHIRTS

Be part of the Poison Elves legacy and show your love for this iconic comic series with brand new exclusive t-shirt designs. Explore a range of stylish collector-worthy tees featuring stunning artwork from the visionary artist and storyteller Drew Hayes. Don't miss out on this opportunity to wear your Poison Elves fandom proudly.

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