Make Mine Marvel

Most boys are into comicbooks, but when I grew up, my dad and I (well... mostly my dad) built special bookshelves to accommodate my collection. I was never into DC Comics, whose characters never really resonated with me. The vast majority of them were Marvel.

My favorite titles were, in no particular order, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Daredevil (the Frank Miller years) and the rest of them. Favorite writers and artists: Lee/Kirby, John Romita, John Byrne, Frank Miller. Some of the dialogue and story arcs from those classic books still stay with me to this day. I'll never forgive myself for selling my collection for an embarrassingly low sum at a convention right before I went off to college. I needed the money and thought I was ready to let go of these dusty relics from my childhood.

Spider-Man reboot coming this July. Looks awesome.

As an adult, I wouldn't go so far to call myself a FANBOY per se, but it is cool to see all of these superheroes I grew up reading and drawing come to life on the big screen—especially my favorite, Spider-Man. The reviews are in, and I'm psyched to see "The Avengers" tomorrow night, especially the new Hulk (and it looks and sounds like they finally nailed it). And I can't wait for the Spidey reboot.

I know it's been said before, but Marvel really was about the characters. The superheroes had flaws. Most of them didn't want or like their superpowers. In short, even with their special abilities, they were human.

This is the book that taught me how to draw.

As a creative professional and fiction writer, I can say I probably learned more about visual storytelling and drama from Marvel Comics than I have from any other single source. I still maintain that just about anything anyone needs to know about drawing is covered in the Lee/Buscema classic, "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way." To this day, I keep this book in my home office for quick reference and refresher.

This book offers so much more than all the major topics you need to know, such as perspective, the human figure, composition and foreshadowing. It shows you how to draw comics, and how to draw period, with passion. It short, it's the Marvel method of comic book storytelling. Whether you're a creative professional—or just a kid that wants to learn how to draw from the masters—that is priceless.