Guest Artist Gallery: Dean Haspiel

Well, I suppose I should start this installment of Guest Artist Gallery with a disclaimer, that the character pictured is copyright the Marvel Comics group. Mr. Dean Haspiel has chosen his depiction of the greatest of Greek heroes, Heracles, to be based on the classic Jack Kirby design of the character Hercules as he appeared in The Mighty Thor, The Avengers, and other classic Marvel Comics titles.




Here's what Dean "The Mean" Haspiel has to say about his mighty drawing above:

"It was Jack Kirby and Stan Lee who taught me everything I knew about Norse and Greek mythology. Sure, I read some Bulfinch and steeped in movies like JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS and CLASH OF THE TITANS, but, little did I know that those awesome Marvel Thor vs. Hercules fisticuffs were fan-fiction of the highest order. Still, what is mythology but a good yarn, anyway? So what if it was made up. And, who better to fudge the legends of gods and monsters than a bunch of cartoonists who have managed to grab the story-making baton and honor our original heroes by extending their stories? A baton I hope to grab -- soon!"

Always gregarious, frequently shirtless, Demi-God Dean Haspiel is a native New Yorker and the creator of the Eisner award nominated, BILLY DOGMA, the semi-autobiographical, STREET CODE [at Zuda, DC comics online comics ubersite], and the webcomics collective, ACT-I-VATE. In his fabled youth he was apprenticed to a veritable who's who of influential comics gods, such as Bill Sienkiewicz, Walt Simonson, and Howard Chaykin, among others. If you work in comics and do not know Dean, then I am sorry-- you are mistaken. You must be doing something else, and are suffering from some sort of psychotic delusion. I recommend rest, and lot's of it.

Dino has drawn comics for The New York Times, Marvel, DC/Vertigo, Scholastic, Dark Horse [where he drew Michael Chabon's THE ESCAPIST], Francoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman's Toon Books, and other publishers. He is best known for his semi-autobio collaborations with Harvey Pekar on THE QUITTER and AMERICAN SPLENDOR, and with Jonathan Ames on THE ALCOHOLIC, as well as HBO’s “Bored to Death.” This Fall, Dino's new graphic novel, CUBA - MY REVOLUTION, an original collaboration with Cuban writer/painter, Inverna Lockpez, will come out from Vertigo.

Dino is also the curator of COMIX BLOCK for Cousin Corinne's REMINDER, and is a founding member of DEEP6 Studios in Gowanus, Brooklyn, where he can be found toiling at his drawing table, beneath the bridge, like a common troll. Dean is plugged in to the internet 24/7, even while sleeping, and has a diet comprised of 75% MSG due to what could only be described as an heroic intake of Chinese take-out(the other 25% is probably roughage in the form of pencil shavings). Check out his website at www.deanhaspiel.com.

Can you draw, paint, operate a camera, sculpt, etc.? Have a desire to capture the essence of your favorite figure from Greek myth and see it pictured here on this site? Send me a scan of your work, a few words about yourself and the piece, and I'll put it up!