My brilliant career at DC Comics where I somehow thought I could do super heroes and abstraction and capture the energy I love in comics. I never could figure out why the editors hated me so much when I was young, but looking at this I get that I simply gave them no reference for what I was doing, they couldn’t see Frazetta, or Kirby or Neal Adams or whatever they thought the house style was. Looking at it now I’m stunned I ever worked in comics at all.
8 replies on “Martian Manhunter”
Hey Mark,
I always thought you were very talented…
Regards,
Mark L
PS You probably don’t remember me.
Like Salesman Guide Mark Levenson?
Yeah, but you made some great looking, unique comics… which may never amount to a brilliant career for anyone in the Big Two.
Giving editors a point of reference is interesting, though. It’s like spoon feeding someone, or having to explain what you’re doing if it’s too left of center. More mainstream cartoonists should explore “abstraction and energy”, instead we’re mostly left with generic, lifeless “drawings” strung together by muddled coloring.
As I recall you never were interested in the “business” just the “art”. Which is admirable… but creates it’s own set of obstacles. Contact me to say HEY if you can.
Yeah but I was really young back then 🙂
That Martian Manhunter series is seriously one of my most favourite superhero comics ever (you tie with Gerard J’s Green Lantern: Mosaic). The end sequence with the dance in memory of the dead brings me close to tears every time.
Gorgeous stuff. Thank you.
No thank you, that’s my favorite scene from the whole book and I could never figure out why more comics didn’t have morphing characters doing abstract dances , who wouldn’t do that if you could change shape?
Mosaic? old gossip but Gerry tried to get them to let me draw that book but I was to weird for it too, sighhhh.
Mark
just read the series sir; your art was something to behold
thanx for the power work