Super Hero’s Journey by Patrick McDonnell – A Hey Kids! Comics! Preview

The Super Hero’s Journey by Patrick McDonnell

Imprint: Abrams ComicArts

Trim Size: 8 ¹?₂ x 11

ISBN: 9781419769108

Page Count: 112

Illustrations: Full-color illustrations throughout

Mutts cartoonist Patrick McDonnell has written and illustrated a love letter to the comic books of his youth.

“The Super Hero’s Journey is a fantastical dream-memory of my childhood infatuation with comic books, and a tale of the spiritual inner journey of reconnecting to the “super being” in us all. The book is a love letter celebrating the artistry and wonder of the original Marvel Universe as created by Lee, Kirby, and Ditko. It’s a mashup between my art and the original panels from those classic 1960 Marvel Comics.”

GamesRadar/Newsarama interviewed Patrick about the book:

Did creating this book give you a greater appreciation for creators like Ditko and Kirby? 

Those early Marvel comics were so much fun. They were full of life. As with any new art form, you can feel the joyful excitement, artistic playfulness and personal surprise that these artists experienced while producing the work. I appreciate more than ever their imagination and innocence. 

io9/Gizmodo has a preview of the book and some remarks by Patrick:

“It begins with the Watcher quoting Teilhard de Chardin: ‘The whole of life lies in the verb seeing.’ Throughout, the Watcher asks us to open our eyes and heart to see the beauty right in front of us,” McDonnell explained. “The book itself is a mash-up of my art with the legendary work of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and tells a new story told in a new way. It features the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, Spider-Man, the Black Panther and Doctor Doom, and centers on the Watcher and Mr. Fantastic who are on the spiritual journey of discovering the super being inside us all.

below: images from the Barnes and Noble solicitation page

_{© Patrick McDonnell/Marvel Comics/Abrams ComicArts}