1xRUN Thru Interview
DMC Released! by Mare139
1xRun: Tell us a little bit about this piece…
Mare139: This work was the cover art designed Sal Buscema who is known as one of the legendary artist from the time period known at Marvel as its’ Golden Age of Comic books he is affectionately known as “Our Pal Sal” in the Marvel Bullpen Bulletins. His unforgettable work on some of their biggest titles including his phenomenal penciling on The Avengers, Captain America, Incredible Hulk, Thor and Spider-Man defined the look of those characters for decades. He has even worked for DC Comics on Batman, Superman, Superboy, Creeper and Wonder Woman. That puts me in good company as well as some of the artists who share the cover of the graphic novel.
1xRUN: What materials did you use to create this piece?
Mare139: It was produced with various media, digital, pen and ink.
1xRun: Anything immediate you would like us to highlight?
Mare139: This cover art is for the inaugural release of the DMC graphic novel so this print is unique in that you have DMC, myself, colorist Chris Sotomayor and Bob Wiacek signing it off.
1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?
Mare139: I was approached by the co-publisher Edgardo Miranda Rodriguez to be the graffiti art director for the project and I said yes and that I would also ask other legendary graffiti writers to contribute as well. Over time we kept embedding the tags into the narrative which takes place in NYC in the early 1980s. For the cover I wanted a DMC burner to come to life off the train and snake around the city and the subway. This also relates back to the early graffiti sculptures I made in 1985.
1xRun: Why should people buy this print?
Mare139: This is a truly unique piece in that its something out of the ordinary for me to do as well it’s the first cover art for the graphic novel. It is also signed by the great DMC of Run-DMC fame.
1xRun: Describe this piece in one gut reaction word.
Mare139: Super Rockin’.
1xRun: This is a unique print with one of music’s most iconic names, do you remember the first time you heard Run DMC?
Mare139: When I heard of Run-DMC it was in the clubs during the early 80s, when they came out with Sucker MCs we were all really excited about this little known crew who came out in hardcore B-boy style. They were unlike the early rappers like Soul Sonic Force and Grand Master Flash and the Furious 5. I would later see them perform at the famed Danceteria club and I became a life long fan of their music.
1xRun: Was this a collaborative project with DMC or did you have a bit of free reign?
Mare139: It was collaborative but I had the freedom to select tags and placement as well.
1xRun: What’s the concept behind this comic book?
Mare139: It’s 1985 in New York City. Wildstyle graffiti covers subway cars as. B-boys break and spin in playgrounds and on street corners. Koch is mayor. Drugs and crime rule the streets. A terrifying plague is brewing in the shadows. And as the populace loses faith in the police, a man named Bernard Goetz is being hailed as a hero for shooting four teenagers in a subway car.
In this 1985, however, the city’s brand new guardian angels wear spandex and capes, wielding their gadgets and their superpowers to clean up the City – even if their methods hurt more people than they help. There’s the deluded “graffiti king” Mr. Marx patrolling the tunnels; the dark moral crusader The Puritan who stalks the shadows of the Lower East Side; and above it all, the godlike Helios, darling of the Upper East Side and the NYPD. It seems like only some of New York’s residents are benefiting from these vigilantes’ protection. The rest whisper the name of another hero: DMC.
You see, in this 1985, Darryl McDaniels (Run-DMC) never rocks the mic to become one of hip-hop’s most enduring icons. Instead, he dons his tracksuit and Adidas sneakers to defend the city’s marginalized citizens against super villain and super hero alike, leaving no traces besides the imprint of his knuckle rings on his opponents’ faces. (By day, though, he teaches junior high school English.) With the help of reporter Charlie Cooper and a band of graffiti artists led by the spunky Lak6, DMC must confront the new “heroes,” and investigate whether there’s anything behind their sudden appearance. DMC, the inaugural title from Darryl Makes Comics, imagines an alternate history that blends traditional comic book storytelling with the pressures and anxieties of 1980’s NYC, and explores how we got to where we are now. DMC is a superhero for those who need one most
1xRun: This is the first issue correct?
Mare139: Correct, first of many.
1xRun: You were both at this year’s NYC Comic Con correct?
Mare139: Yes, we have been representing the DMC Comic since last year where we held a panel and press release announcing it. This year I went to speak on the panel as well for the official release. What I found was that there was great enthusiasm for it and that people were very receptive to the quality of the art and storyline.
1xRun: Where can we find more information about you and on this project?
Mare139: Website – Instagram – Instagram – Twitter – Twitter – DMC (Daryll Makes Comics) Website –
-1xRUN