Marvel Comics Share Artistic Impressions With Mercy
AJ Martelli
Issue date: 12/21/08 Section: News
The Punisher. The Night Stalkers. The Secret Defenders. Nomad. These are just some of the characters Bill Wiley has drawn as an artist for Marvel comics.
Wiley came to Mercy's Yorktown Heights campus on Nov. 18 to sketch caricatures of the students during common hour.
"There are many people who are interested in this sort of thing," said Wiley. "Fans of comics still remain fascinated with all the stories and heroes."
Wiley began his career as an artist during an internship for Marvel comics in the 1990s, and has now moved up to writing graphic novels and developing storyboards for television commercials. His avid appreciation for super heroes propelled him into the world of comic books.
"I loved comics ever since I was a kid," said Wiley. "I am truly living a dream."
As an artist for Marvel comics, Wiley has drawn everything from well known heroes such as Frank Castle, who parades as the Punisher, to some lesser known characters as well.
"Some of the characters I have done are not well-known, but I really developed my style when I worked on the nine issues of the Secret Defenders," he said. "It was an interesting concept, and it was fun to collaborate with other artists."
Along with tracing caricatures for the Mercy student body, Wiley also shared his advice on how to become a comic book artist. To the young artists, he advises, "Don't start off writing for comics books. Start with traditional art work, take art classes, and take images from life first. Then the artist can move onto writing for comics."
Wiley explained what can be easy and what can be difficult when drawing for a comic, and discussed the challenges of being an artist.
"Deadlines are probably the hardest part of it all," he said. "Sometimes you have to finish the art before you are ready for it to be done."
The challenge of being successful lies in being a better overall artist, he commented.. Drawing the landscape is just as important as the illustration of the character.
Wiley came to Mercy's Yorktown Heights campus on Nov. 18 to sketch caricatures of the students during common hour.
"There are many people who are interested in this sort of thing," said Wiley. "Fans of comics still remain fascinated with all the stories and heroes."
Wiley began his career as an artist during an internship for Marvel comics in the 1990s, and has now moved up to writing graphic novels and developing storyboards for television commercials. His avid appreciation for super heroes propelled him into the world of comic books.
"I loved comics ever since I was a kid," said Wiley. "I am truly living a dream."
As an artist for Marvel comics, Wiley has drawn everything from well known heroes such as Frank Castle, who parades as the Punisher, to some lesser known characters as well.
"Some of the characters I have done are not well-known, but I really developed my style when I worked on the nine issues of the Secret Defenders," he said. "It was an interesting concept, and it was fun to collaborate with other artists."
Along with tracing caricatures for the Mercy student body, Wiley also shared his advice on how to become a comic book artist. To the young artists, he advises, "Don't start off writing for comics books. Start with traditional art work, take art classes, and take images from life first. Then the artist can move onto writing for comics."
Wiley explained what can be easy and what can be difficult when drawing for a comic, and discussed the challenges of being an artist.
"Deadlines are probably the hardest part of it all," he said. "Sometimes you have to finish the art before you are ready for it to be done."
The challenge of being successful lies in being a better overall artist, he commented.. Drawing the landscape is just as important as the illustration of the character.
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