I know Maroto mostly for his work as a painter, with a lush, full-color palette at his disposal. It's nice to see these works where he flexed his black-and-white, brush-and-pen muscles. His technical mastery of traditional drawing methods is on full display. And I can't disagree with the sword-and-sorcery content either. Maroto shows a great deal of restraint when it comes to letting his drawings breathe. No composition is overcrowded. He gives us enough information we need in certain areas, then drills down with detail in other, focused parts. It makes looking at these pieces a pleasure.
Benjamin Marra is the creator, writer, and artist of the comics NIGHT BUSINESS, AMERICAN BLOOD, and TERROR ASSAULTER: O.M.W.O.T. (One Man War On Terror), all published by Fantagraphics. Acclaimed writer Grant Morrison chose Marra as a collaborator on the first issue of the relaunched HEAVY METAL Magazine. Marra had two serialized webcomic series appear on adultswim.com. His most recent book is JESUSFREAK, written by Joe Casey and published by Image Comics. In 2016, he was named one of the Art Directors Club's Young Guns. He illustrated the cover of American Illustration 35. In 2017, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for his album art of Wayfaring Strangers: Acid Nightmare, a collection of obscure 1970s post-Age-of-Aquarius Heavy Metal.
On this winter day in Montreal, cartooning isn’t the first thing on Benjamin Marra’s mind. Instead, with his wife and infant son, he’s attempting his ...
