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OSKUNK Marvels
Oskunk grew up in the 1980s, amidst games consoles, manga and comic books. So it was hardly surprising that when he started drawing, his inspiration would come from these worlds. He has a special affection for the Marvel heroes of Stan Lee, who died recently. We wanted to hear what the artist had to say.
When did you first discover the Marvel world?
It was at the end of the 1990s; I was a teenager and doing quite a bit of drawing at that time. I was immediately attracted by the covers of the comics and the magnificently drawn characters, the details, colours, titles, etc. I had fun copying them, it was quite a challenge at that time!
Who is your favourite superhero?
It’s hard to choose just one! I love Wolverine, Magneto and Deadpool but Iron Man is my special favourite. I love the character, his madness, his armour. His armour in the comics is just magnificent and extremely complex to draw. I’m also a great fan of the films, and of course he has a very important place in the Avengers!
Who is the superhero that you enjoy drawing the most?
Iron Man, once again! With my new style that I’d call “word clouds”. I’ve drawn his mask so many times! I find the shape lends itself well, the colour too – red and yellow on a black background. It’s a symbol associated with my name today, I use it very often, on walls and on my business cards…
Stan Lee, the creator of Marvel, has passed away. What does he represent for you?
An icon. We grew up with his world and characters, and I’ve been drawing his heroes for such a long time! He contributed a great deal to comics and his career is just crazy, unbelievable and I adore his cameos in the films! I don’t know the “real” Stan Lee, but that’s not important, I thank him for all his creations that enriched our adolescence :)
Oskunk is on Instagram & internet*
Stan Lee 1922–2018
An American of Romanian origin, Stanley Lieber became Stan Lee when he began working for a small comic book publishing house. He quickly rose through the ranks, and his gift for storytelling became a full-time job before the arrival of World War II.
In the early 1960s, Lee produced a hundred or so superheroes to live in the Marvel Universe, named after their publisher. Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, Avengers, Daredevil, Iron Fist, the Fantastic Four and of course the famous X-Men… Stan Lee came up with a thousand and one lives and adventures for them in strange and futurist worlds, giving the illustrators carte blanche in their interpretations, which resulted in cult series by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and John Romita.
Stan Lee got ideas for his narratives from classic mythological tales and stories, then adapting them for a burgeoning America and finding echoes in current affairs. Youngsters embraced it; the comics crossed the ocean; merchandising proliferated; next came the films. France had a special relationship with Marvel via Éditions Lug based in Lyon, which distributed the superhero stories.