Short Bio (22 words)

Julie Ditrich is a visual storyteller and fiction writer who weaves fantasy, adventure, and myth into stories that entertain, heal, and inspire.

Medium Bio (205 words)

Julie Ditrich is a visual storyteller and fiction writer who works in fantasy, action-adventure, and visionary fiction. With a BA in Professional Writing from the University of Canberra, she has spent her career weaving words and images into stories that bridge the worlds of publishing and comics.

Her creative path has taken her from co-writing ElfQuest: WaveDancers (Warp Graphics, USA) and the Dart miniseries (Image Comics, USA) to becoming the first officially credited Australian woman comic book writer commissioned by Frew Publications, publishers of The Phantom. Her debut story, The Adventure of the Dragon’s Leg, appeared in The Phantom: The Treasures of Drakon – The Red Dragon Saga (2021), followed by The Return of the Golden Circle (2025), and Simulacra (2026).

Julie has also contributed to graphic novels and anthologies including SuperAustralians (IPI Comics / IFWG Publishing, Australia), Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Was Not, Cthulhu Deep Down Under Vol. 3, Dracula Unfanged (IFWG Publishing, Australia), and Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street (Belanger Books, USA).

At the heart of Julie’s practice lies a deep belief that stories are more than entertainment. She sees storytelling as an alchemy of word and image that illuminates hidden truths, awakens imagination, and creates stories that linger long after the final page.

Long Bio (370 words)

Julie Ditrich is an Australian visual storyteller and fiction writer who works predominantly in the fantasy, action-adventure, and visionary fiction genres. She holds a BA in Professional Writing from the University of Canberra and has worked widely across the publishing industry as publications manager at the Australian Society of Authors (ASA), as well as a bookseller, publicist, marketing manager, and author.

Julie’s career bridges both the Australian and international comics landscape. She co-wrote ElfQuest: WaveDancers (Warp Graphics, USA) and the Dart miniseries (Image Comics, USA), before later contributing to graphic novels and anthologies including SuperAustralians (IPI Comics / IFWG Publishing, Australia) and Australia! (Comicoz, Australia). Her fiction credits also include prose short stories published in Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Was Not (IFWG Publishing, Australia), Cthulhu Deep Down Under Vol. 3 (IFWG Publishing, Australia), Dracula Unfanged (IFWG Publishing, Australia), and Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street (Belanger Books, USA).

In 2021, Julie became the first officially credited Australian woman comic book writer to be commissioned by Frew Publications, publishers of The Phantom. Her debut story, The Adventure of the Dragon’s Leg, was published in The Phantom: The Treasures of Drakon – The Red Dragon Saga trade paperback. This was followed by The Return of the Golden Circle in a giant-size Phantom edition (2025), and her third Phantom story, Simulacra (2026).

Beyond her creative work, Julie has contributed significantly to the Australian writing and comics community. She co-founded and co-led the ASA Comics / Graphic Novels Portfolio from 2007 to 2012, advocating for creators within the comics sector. She later launched Comics Mastermind, a professional development service supporting emerging comics creators between 2017 and 2022.

Julie has presented at writers’ centres, universities, libraries, festivals, and pop culture conventions across Australia, including Supanova and Oz Comic-Con, and has taught comics and graphic novels through organisations including the NSW Writers’ Centre, JMC Academy, the City of Sydney, ComicsCraft (Dubbo), Comic Con-versation (Sydney), and the Gloucester Writers’ Festival.

At the core of Julie’s practice lies a belief that storytelling is an alchemy of word and image—one that illuminates hidden truths, awakens imagination, and creates stories that linger long after the final page. Through fantasy, myth, and adventure, she invites readers to step into imaginative worlds where wonder, courage, and transformation await.