The Super Hero's Journey took on a life of its own and basically wrote itself. The original X-Men were always my favorites, and I would love to play with them someday. Is there one specific Marvel character that you'd love to write or draw? One of my favorite lines in the book is, "Can you save the world before saving yourself?" We're all trying to find that super being deep inside us. They connect us to the longing we have, to be the best we can be. In these crazy times, we're all looking for someone to save us. Why do you think that is? Why are they so relevant to our times and this particular moment? Superheroes are more ubiquitous now than ever before. It makes me excited to see what's next for the innovative Abrams MarvelArts imprint. Considering how strange my book is, I was happily surprised that they agreed to publish it. How has it been dealing with Marvel while making this book? Some of the humor comics too and, of course, Mad Magazine. I loved comic books in general, mostly Marvel but some DC (their quirkier books like Metal Men, Doom Patrol and the Inferior Five). For The Super Hero's Journey I thought it would be fun to have Mister Fantastic visit that parallel world.
The book moves through genres, touching on Marvel's romance comics and others - how much did they play a part in your life, or were you strictly into the capes?Īs a kid I never read any of the romance comics but was aware that they were part of the Lee/Kirby Marvel Universe. I appreciate more than ever their imagination and innocence. As with any new art form, you can feel the joyful excitement, artistic playfulness and personal surprise that these artists experienced while producing the work. Those early Marvel comics were so much fun. In 2019 I had the honor of having the legend Joe Sinnott ink two of my Sunday pages. So there's some true Marvel DNA in Mutts.ĭid creating this book give you a greater appreciation for creators like Ditko and Kirby? I think of his superheroism when approaching the demands of producing a daily comic strip for nearly 30 years. Throughout his entire career he always gave each endeavor 100%. Jack Kirby's immense body of work is phenomenal. I find inspiration in the Marvel creators' incredible imagination, stamina and pursuit of excellence. Do you see any superhero DNA still in your current work? Readers might not immediately associate your work on Mutts with superheroes, but it's clear that Marvel comics had a deep impact on you. It all started at the kitchen table drawing my favorite Marvel characters with pencil and crayons when I was about six years old. The final project took a little over a year writing, researching all those early comics for inspiration and appropriate panels, making the art, composing the digital construction with my brother Robert, working with the great designer, Shawn Dahl and the fantastic lettering of Todd Klein. How long did the book take to come together in total? (Image credit: Marvel / Patrick McDonnell / Abrams ComicArts – MarvelArts) Capturing my childhood wonder and devotion to those magical comics would be the underlying theme to The Super Hero's Journey.
My immediate answer was "Yes!" 'Nuff said. He asked if I would like to do a book with the Marvel superheroes. Abrams Comics Arts Editor-in-Chief (and friend) Charles Kochman told me about Alex Ross's new line of Marvel Art books. I was just finishing up Heart To Heart, a book I collaborated on with the Dalai Lama, and wondering what I could possibly do after that. What was the first spark of inspiration that led to you making it? This is clearly a very personal book for you. As Smilin' Stan would say "Possibly the most daringly dramatic development in the field of contemporary literature." (I think.) I can confidently say it's unlike anything you've ever seen in the Marvel Universe. Featuring the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and Spider-Man, it tells a new story in a new way. The book is a mashup of my art and paintings with classic pages and panels from the work of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. Patrick McDonnell: The Super Hero's Journey is my graphic novel 'love letter' to the fun, wonder and energy of the original Marvel superhero comics, the ones I grew up with.
0 kommentar(er)
