By Ryan Penagos and Greg Draudt
Some artists just have it going on. A special spark, a magical touch, a striking style. One of those artists is Marko Djurdjevic, the sensational breakout cover artist whos work on BLADE, THUNDERBOLTS, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, DAREDEVIL and more has turned him into a comic sensation.
Now, the extraordinary artist has signed up to work exclusively with Marvel Comics. "I was an illustrator and concept artist prior to comic books for 10 years, so I don't see a reason why I shouldn't stay in comics, Marvel in particular," notes Djurdjevic. We couldn't agree more.
Having only broken into comics in 2006, it would seem Djurdjevic's fresh on the scene, but he's always been a Marvel fan. His favorite character growing up? "Absolutely Spider-Man," says Djurdjevic. "Close second was the Hulk. I like both heroes because they're so human at their very core, one driven by angst, the other by frustration and anger. That's fuel to every good story."
How did he miss out on the comics bug for so long? "I was struck by how great of a medium comics seemed to be, as it combined storytelling and art into something that couldn't be done in movies or cartoons," adds the artist. "At 17 though, I lost track of comics and went into freelance illustration and later concept art, since it seemed easier for me to break in and get exposure. Only since last year when I got hired by Marvel, I started diving into my comic roots again."
Currently those roots are going to work on a number of projects every day. A favorite character to draw? "Oh, that really depends on the time and mood of a day. I know that I like drawing almost every character for a while, until it gets tired and I have to switch gears. Also, characters that are in serious need of a redesign, like Jack Flag for THUNDERBOLTS #111, are a great challenge. I've also been catching myself scribbling Sentry and Luke Cage a lot lately."
With the future wide open, Djurdjevic has a few ideas as to which characters he wants to tackle. "Several. It either depends on the current author, or a nostalgic connection I have with a certain book. At the moment, THUNDERBOLTS seems like one of the most interesting books out there. Ellis' portrayal of the team is dark, dirty, outright nasty and thus right up my alley. As for stuff that I have a teenage connection with, I'd have to say Spider-Man interests me the most."
Expect to see plenty more Marko Djurdjevic on Marvel.com, including a more in-depth sketchbook, interviews and more. Also, don't forget to check out the rest of our
New York Comic Con coverage.
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