Ross entered the comics arena in 1994 with the iconicMarvelsminiseries, and followed it up with DCsKingdom Comein 1996.
Recently hes been the main cover artist for MarvelsAll-New, All-Different AvengersandThe Amazing Spider-Man.
Enter the mind of the Midwestern man often cited as the Norman Rockwell of Comics.
What keeps you dialed in?
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ALEX ROSS:Im glad to know Ive got you fooled.
That keeps me excited.
The comic convention scene is suffering inevitable growing pains and consolidation after a monumental expansion period.
Do you see this as a healthy necessity or an indication of a slip in fan interest?
Speaking as someone who almost never goes to conventions, Im not sure if my insight is worth much.
Can you describe your timetable and process for completing a new commissioned piece?
The drawing is done by blowing up my initial tight sketch to trace over with a light table.
The guidance of the photos often helps while Im initially transposing my original drawing.
That process takes likely half a workday of two to four hours, depending on complexity.
The painted stage starts after I tape the art paper down to a board to keep it from warping.
All together the prolific process is within a range of one to two days of work for each cover.
Whats your thought process behind these covers?
I was looking at images of space nebulae and reflected those colors affecting those figures.
Theres a painting I did for the Warner Bros. Is it a blessing or a bane?
It can be both at the same time.
The comic book companies will not have that as their foremost concern.
How did that composition come about?
You have a deep affection for the Sub-Mariner and dreams of someday seeing him on the big screen.
You described yourself as a colossal pain in the ass when it comes to drawing costumes you dont like.
What other Marvel characters are you dying to visually revamp?
A version of this story appears in Den of Geeks San Diego Comic-Con special edition print magazine.
you’re free to read the full digital edition here:
