My favorite image from this Manara series is the image depicting the crew of the opera prepping, cleaning, and building sets for the opera stage. It's unusual for Manara to pull back so far from the human figure and have the environment be the primary subject. In this image, along with the rest of the series, Manara skillfully uses watercolor to capture cast light on the forms. I don't think his watercolor ability ever achieves the levels of his draftsmanship, but it doesn't matter since his drawing can shoulder and carry every other element to success.
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 ...
