Roman Dirge

April 29, 2025

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Roman Dirge was born on April 29, 1972. He is an artist and comic book writer. During his childhood, he would often hear harsh criticism from his parents and teachers due to his preference for dark art. This made him consider going in another direction and for a while, he got into magic but his affection for art wouldn’t let him go too far. In 1998, young Dirge launched his first magazine called “Xenophobe,” with a filler comic that would become the breakthrough of his career. “Lenore: The Cute Little Dead Girl” became a well-known figure in the underground scene and took Dirge to the peak of his career. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, Dirge ended up making a full comic series out of the little zombie girl.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Roman Dirge

Nickname:

Lord Of The Flies

Birth date:

April 29, 1972

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Taurus

Height:

6' 0"

Relationship Status:

Single

Background

Roman Dirge was born on April 29, 1972. Since childhood, art has been present in his life. Although his drawings were not seen as great masterpieces and caused concern to his parents and teachers, Dirge continued to draw despite being told not to pursue a career in arts. Soon he published “Xenophobe,” an independent magazine covering the San Diego arts movements. With a production error in issue one, he had to create a comic filler about a cute little dead girl. The comic turned into an underground sensation and with major success, Dirge was inspired to continue developing the stories of Lenore, the little zombie girl that was named after his loved author Edgar Allan Poe.

Between the years 1998 to 2007, Lenore starred in her own series published by Slaved Labor Graphics. Under Dirge’s careful supervision, 26 animated shorts were also produced for Sony’s ScreenBlast website in 2002. Unfortunately, the rights to these animated bits of wonderment remain with Sony and are not available to the public anymore.

Today, Lenore remains alive and Dirge continues to draw its story alongside other projects, such as “Something At The Window Is Scratching,” “Monsters In My Tummy” and “The Cat With The Really Big Head,” along with being a writer on fellow comic artist Jhonen Vasquez’s show, “Invasor Zim” (2001).

Career timeline

1992

The First Story is Created

Desperate to fill up empty pages in art magazines, Dirge creates "Lenore."

1998

The First Issue of "Lenore" is released

Inspired by the huge response of the public, Dirge officially brings "Lenore" to light.

2002

The Animated Series

A series with 26 shorts is produced for Sony's website ScreenBlast.

2009

The New Comic Series

Titan Books releases "Lenore Volume II," Dirge's new comic series.

Why We Love Roman Dirge

He is persistent
Although his parents and teachers tried to discourage his art career, he didn't quit. We admire him for his persistence which has seen him become a successful artist.
His work is disturbing, yet beautiful
His is the kind of art that makes you feel uncomfortable but you just cannot stop looking. It has its own appeal and has attracted its own fanbase over the years.
He is very particular about "Lenore"
Dirge is not in this for the money. He has refused all attempts to turn "Lenore" into a full-length motion picture until the production matches his ideas.

5 Surprising Facts

His last name is a tribute
Dirge came up with the name after reading the poem “Lenore: A Dirge for her, the doubly dead, in that she died so young" by Edgar Allen Poe.
His leg has a metal rod
A hit-and-run accident in Hollywood left one of his legs severely injured and in need of reconstructive surgery.
He didn’t agree with Sony’s idea
Dirge disliked Sony's idea of making a full-length motion picture of "Lenore" and the project was scrapped.
His cat's name is Spooky Muffin
His cat's name is a perfect combination of the disturbing fairy tale atmosphere that he provides.
He has over 75 tattoos
Dirge has turned his own body into a work of art and we wonder if he has any of his artwork tattooed.