Since the age of seven, I wanted to do one thing…. well, TWO things. Draw and work for Marvel Comics. Needless to say, those seven-year-old ambitions never came to fruition. But I still remember the wonder of reading those 60’s and 70’s Marvel Age books. The great heroes, the seemingly omnipotent villains all created with the flair that only Jack “King” Kirby, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, Vince Colletta and Stan Lee could produce. It is this spirit that Patrick McDonnell captures in his Abram ComicArts and Marvel Arts book: The Super Hero’s Journey. Embracing the comics (and the ads) of that time period and mixing in his own unique talents to create a brilliant homage to the golden age of Marvel.
Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the talented cartoonist who brought the beloved comic strip Mutts to over 700 newspapers around the world. But that is not all he has accomplished. His book Heart to Heart: A Conversation on Love and Hope for Our Precious Planet, was a collaboration with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. That’s not a credit you see every day.
Throughout his career, McDonnell’s work has been recognized with numerous awards, but I was pleased to learn in talking to him that behind all of that, he is just a comic nerd like me. So, let’s welcome Cartoonist, Illustrator and writer Patrick McDonnell to GVN’s Talking Comics.
Art From an Early Age
GVN: Thank you for sharing a bit of your time Patrick. We really appreciate it. Since this is the first time, I have had the honor of speaking with you, let us dwell a little in your artistic past. When did you take an interest in art and whose work inspired you to embrace that creative side?
PM: It’s as if everything in my life has brought me to The Super Hero’s Journey. My mom and dad met at The Cooper Union art college in New York City, so art was strongly encouraged in our home. I was constantly drawing as soon as I could hold a crayon.
As far as inspirations go, one of my earliest memories was looking at my mom’s Walt Kelly Pogo books and being mesmerized by those pen and ink characters and how they seemed so alive on the page. Later, like most kids in the 60s, I was obsessed with Peanuts. Charles Schulz is the reason I became a daily cartoonist, with George Herriman’s Krazy Kat later cementing that desire. By the age of nine, my brothers and I entered the Marvel Universe, collecting all the superhero comic books. Comic strips and comic books, especially those by Jack Kirby, played a big part of my artistic life.
Choosing a Career Path
GVN: You graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1978. Did you have a set direction you wanted to pursue at that time or were you open to whichever way fate (and your talent) led you?
PM: I knew I wanted to spend my life making art and was open to everything. I studied painting, sculpture, video and illustration. Will Eisner was a favorite teacher. Due to my love for Peanuts and Krazy Kat, I thought maybe someday I’d pursue creating a newspaper strip. But Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side hadn’t started yet, so that medium seemed a bit boring and outdated. My first art venture was in freelance magazine illustration; it was my career direction until I finally started MUTTS in 1994.
The Greatest Honor
GVN: You have accomplished so much in your career and on very diverse projects, winning numerous awards in the process. Is there any one accomplishment or honor that stands out most to you? Your work with and for animals has played a very prominent role in your career.
PM: The greatest honor for me has been the people I have had the opportunity to meet and work with: Jane Goodall, Eckhart Tolle, Daniel Ladinsky and the Dalai Lama. Creating images to amplify their important messages of empathy and compassion out to new audiences has been incredibly rewarding. Regarding animals, they are so important to life on this planet and yet have it so tough. I feel obligated to speak up for them whenever I can.
The Super Hero’s Journey
GVN: So, let’s get on to the main topic for this discussion which is your delightful book for Abram ComicArts in Marvel Arts ‘The Super Hero’s Journey.” How did this project come about and was it a story you had considered before the folks at Abram and Marvel reached out?
PM: Like any comic geek, I dreamed about drawing a Marvel comic book my entire life, but honestly never took it too seriously. To this day, whenever I’m doodling, some superhero eventually pops out from my pen. So, when Abrams Comic Arts Editor-in-Chief Charles Kochman offered me the chance to try a Marvel book, I immediately said yes. It ended up being the second book in Alex Ross’s Marvel Arts imprint.
I had no initial concept for the book, but my goal was to try to capture the fun and the glorious energy of the classic Kirby / Lee / Ditko books of my youth. My early thoughts were to have a lot of my favorite characters (probably fighting each other, a Marvel staple), to include the mysterious spiritual Watcher and to somehow have Mr. Fantastic visit all the crazy comic book ads from the ‘60s. I also thought it would be really fun and interesting to include pages and panels from those early comics. Then I tried my best to get out of the way and let the story tell itself. The Super Hero’s Journey has many nice surprises even for me.
A Wonderous Sandbox
GVN: What stands out so much is your obvious love of the genre and the work of the 60’s Marvel Bullpen (which was when I first developed my love for comics). Considering some of the iconic talents who worked on those books at that time (Kirby, Lee, Romita, Ditka etc.) were you at all intimidated by the task as you developed your story? You got to play in the huge sandbox of Lee and Kirby and friends.
PM: I wasn’t intimidated by those iconic talents because they are “old friends”. I approached their work with the same open heart I had as a kid. As you said I was “playing in their sandbox.” The entire process of creating The Super Hero’s Journey was so much fun for me, in a way reliving my childhood.
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Mixing in Humor
GVN: I also loved how you were not afraid of throwing in some humor as you proceeded. Like talking about the Watcher’s non-interference interference. The big guy couldn’t help himself. Or Reed’s wandering through the Romance titles or even the letters page at the end. Were you given any guidelines of what you could and couldn’t do as far as humor or otherwise? I know that Marvel is very protective of their characters.
PM: Marvel was great throughout the process and very supportive of my vision. There were a few very minor corrections but honestly, I don’t remember what they were. One of the most charming aspects of those early comic books was their humor. I wanted that to be a part of The Super Hero’s Journey, and Marvel didn’t seem to mind.
The Book’s Message
GVN: Thank you once again, Patrick. Before I let you go, let’s talk the meaning of life…or at least in this charming book. The main theme in this book for ME was revisiting the love I had for comics at that age and how much simpler life was back then. Back when my goal was to somehow win that elusive Marvel No-Prize. (You can never have enough empty envelopes). If you were pressed to say what the overall message you were trying to convey in this “journey,” what would it be?
PM: The book starts with a quote from Jack Kirby, stating if he could have one superpower, he would want it to be “love”. This book is about trying to find that superpower in us all.
Abrams ComicArts and Marvel Arts The Super Hero’s Journey by Patrick McDonnell is in bookstores September 26th, or you can pre-order your copy today!
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.