Today’s “25 Days of Christmas” blog post will talk about a talented individual out there and this gentleman is Mark Schultz.
Mark Schultz is a commercial artist who is best known for his pulp & EC Comics influenced style, resulting in his famed Xenozoic Tales (also known as Cadillacs & Dinosaurs), which will get to in a moment. He’s a graduate of Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and worked in illustration early on. His comics work though is better known. He has worked on many properties like Superman, Star Wars and Aliens. He was also one of the art instructors for the illustrious Jon Ponikvar of Peter & Company fame.
Xenozoic Tales #1, Feb. 1987 by Mark Schultz
Xenozoic Tales was an alternative comics series published on an irregular schedule from 1987 to 1994. A worldwide disaster forces humanity underground and after centuries, they emerge from their underground homes to find the world overrun by resurrected dinosaurs. The stars of the series are Jack Tenrec and Hannah Dundee, who have various adventures in this new world where they face human enemies and vicious dinosaurs.
It’s easy to see the pulp influences in Schultz’s work. He was also influenced by EC Comics of the 1950s and 1960s. A story circulating is how Schultz took his Marvel & DC comics collection, went down to a comics shop and exchanged them all for the above said EC Comics.
What I really find inspiring about Schultz is that he not only works in black & white, but he’s proud of it. In an article in the September 2012 issues of ImagineFX, Schultz was quotes as saying the following:
“Color is overrated in the arts in general. We live in a world that assumes a lack of color equals a lack of quality.”
I agree with Schultz. Sunnyville Stories, my own comics work, is done in black & white. Unfortunately, some of my detractors out there assume my work is lousy because it’s not in color or that I’m too stupid to use color. I do know much about color and color theory, but that’s not the point.
Take a tip from Mark Schultz. Black & white artwork doesn’t mean the quality is bad.
