30-year veteran Mark Waid has worn pretty much every hat a creator in comic books can wear, and he's worn them at almost all of the industry's major publishers (and some not-so-major ones too).
Now he's putting on his Marvel hat for How to Create Comics the Marvel Way, a new collaboration between the comics publisher and Simon & Schuster that aims to provide an all-new inside look at the unique Marvel storytelling methodology behind its success and the industry's current approach to producing comic books.
Drawing from his own experiences, Waid not only goes under the hood of the technical side of comics creation but also teaches the "Marvel Method," its signature approach to graphic fiction, which Marvel calls a "masterclass that can be enjoyed by aspiring comics creators and new Marvel readers alike."
"Putting a book like this together is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, and it's thrilling," says Waid in the book's announcement. "My goal was to write the kind of how-to I wish I'd had when I first started out. No matter what discipline is calling to you - writing, art, coloring, lettering, or all of the above - you'll come away from How to Create Comics the Marvel Way with the tools and guidance you'll need to bring your favorite heroes and villains to life on the page."
The new How to Create Comics the Marvel Way is the second iteration of the guide. In 1984 Marvel legend Stan Lee and artist John Buscema co-created the original iconic version.
Speaking of Marvel stories, here's Newsarama's list of the best Marvel stories of all time.
