Recently I spoke with Artist Marco Santucci for an exclusive interview for DC Comics News. Santucci joined me from his home in Cortona, Italy to speak about his current work on Green Lantern as well as provide some exciting insight on his craft and his career in the comic book field.
Working on Green Lantern
When the new Green Lantern title launched back in March of 2021, writer Geoffrey Thorne was joined on the book by artists, Dexter Soy and Marco Santucci. While there have been some changes in artists including work by Tom Raney and Andy MacDonald, Santucci is the only one who’s been there since issue #1. The book is currently split in two storylines with Raney handling one and Santucci drawing the other. Santucci likes this division and he talks about why as well as what obstacles it brings.
This isn’t Santucci’s first time on a Green Lantern book so he’s had the opportunity to draw these characters before. It should come as no surprise that he’s got a few favorites including the newest Green Lantern, Jo Mullein from Far Sector.
Santucci’s Craft
No artist begins fully formed. Santucci’s shares not only some of his biggest influences like John Buscema and Alex Ross, but also how his early work for European publishers in Italy and France helped him develop. He provides amazing insight in how working in the rigid structure of the Italian comics affected his work, but also how he approaches his work today and what’s most important to him.Â
Every wonder if contemporary artists use photographic references? It’s something that was quite common for the biggest newspaper comic strip artists back in the thirties, forties and fifties like Milton Caniff and Alex Raymond, but Santucci is no different. As well as sharing how he uses them, he also shares who he uses as his “model” for Jo Mullein in Green Lantern.Â
The interview was not only a fun and amiable chat with a lovely person, but incredibly insightful in terms of what he shares about what it’s like to make comics. He might make you think differently about what it’s like to be a comic book professional and how he views his own work.
Make sure you visit Marco’s website where he has original art for sale:Â https://www.marcosantucciart.com/en/
You can check the entire interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b66Sx-JdX2A
