| Drew Hayes | |
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 Drew Hayes wearing his infamous "Ebola Zaire" T-shirt | |
| Born | Lawrence Andrew Hayes July 20, 1969 Bellingham, Washington, US |
| Died | March 21, 2007(2007-03-21) (aged 37) |
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Notable works | Poison Elves |
Lawrence Andrew "Drew" Hayes (July 20, 1969 – March 21, 2007) was a writer andcomic book artist who is best known as the creator of the long-running independent comic book seriesPoison Elves.
Hayes' early influences includedDungeons & Dragons,Elfquest, andCerebus.[1]
Hayes beganself-publishingI, Lusiphur under the Mulehide Graphics imprint in 1991. He changed the series title toPoison Elves with issue #8 (Feb 1993), and continued through issue #20 (Feb 1995). During this period, he was a prominent example of creators distributing their black-and-white comics to thedirect market.
In 1995, Hayes broughtPoison Elves toSirius Entertainment; and, in 2000, according to Sirius publisher Robb Horan, Hayes "signed a long-term agreement for the property that was specifically intended to allow for an expanding universe and an unhindered continuation of the relationship under any circumstances."[2] With Sirius, Hayes produced another 79 issues ofPoison Elves and a color special, the last of which was published in September 2004.[2] During this time, Hayes engaged in an ongoing mock "feud" with fellow comics creatorBrian Bendis in theletters pages of their books.[citation needed] Sirius published twelvePoison Elves paperbacks, as well as a number ofPoison Elves short series and one-shots, most of which were produced by other creative teams.
Hayes suffered from health problems which hampered his ability to create comics. He was overweight, had suffered cardiac damage fromsleep apnea, and had been hospitalized more than once. After undergoing treatment in the hospital and losing weight, he planned to resume creating new issues ofPoison Elves, but died at the age of 37, of a heart attack while suffering frompneumonia.[3][4]
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