Saturday, January 25, 2025, 7:54PM |  35°
MENU
Advertisement
Comic book artists and authors Ed Piskor, left, Jim Rugg and Tom Scioli have created comics on the history of Marvel's X-Men, Hulk and Fantastic Four.
7
MORE

3 Pittsburgh-area cartoonists retell the histories of some of Marvel's most iconic characters

Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette

3 Pittsburgh-area cartoonists retell the histories of some of Marvel's most iconic characters

Since 2017, the happy duty of retelling the history of the Marvel Comics universe has fallen upon the shoulders of three cartoonists from Western Pennsylvania: Ed Piskor, Tom Scioli and Jim Rugg.

In 2017, Ed Piskor, 39, the Eisner Award-winning cartoonist who chronicled the history of rap culture in “Hip Hop Family Tree,” followed up that cultural touchstone with “X-Men: Grand Design,” a highly selective but powerful retelling of the multi-decade adventures of Marvel’s mutants in one grand narrative.

“X-Men: Grand Design” was such a critical and commercial hit that Marvel wanted more of the same from the Munhall native. But Piskor isn’t particularly interested in repeating himself, especially when he accomplished everything he set out to do with the project.

Advertisement

Still, the “Grand Design” template he created was a good one because it fed off the nostalgia for the look of classic Marvel comics, including the texture of the pages and how the colors registered. Along with being an excellent illustrator, Piskor is a cunning designer and a master at reverse engineering the drawing and printing processes that typified comics decades ago.

Interior page art from "Hulk: Grand Design."
Tony Norman
Shaler artist Jim Rugg highlights the Hulk's greatest hits

But even though Piskor wasn’t particularly interested in doing a followup, two of his longtime companions — award-winning local cartoonists with national followings — were interested in pitching ideas for an expansion of the Grand Design franchise to Marvel.

Tom Scioli, a cartoonist whose visual style is most indebted to the great Jack Kirby’s work at Marvel in the 1960s and DC in the ’70s, pitched “Fantastic Four: Grand Design.”

“The story of the Fantastic Four is the story of the Marvel Universe,” Scioli, 45, said. Like Piskor, Scioli had an impressive track record before he took on the project, but it was still audacious for an independent cartoonist to ask the world’s most successful comic book company for the right to play with its crown jewels.

Advertisement

“So much of what we know as the Marvel Universe started [in the Fantastic Four],” he said. “The Silver Surfer, Galactus, Black Panther, the Inhumans and more all began life as antagonists in the pages of the Fantastic Four.

“I’m a huge Jack Kirby fan,” Scioli said. “The opportunity to work on one of his signature creations was too good to pass up.”

He acknowledged that his biggest problem was selecting the best and most representative story arcs from six decades to condense into one volume.

“The condensed narrative by necessity created a new style of storytelling that was very intoxicating,” he said. “I was moving in that direction with previous works like ‘Transformers vs GI Joe’ and ‘Super Powers,’ but ‘FF:GD’ took it to its extreme. The end result is rich and layered.

Ed Piskor, 34, of Munhall, is a local cartoonist who will soon have a comic published by Marvel.
Dominic DeAngelo
Munhall native Ed Piskor's revamped history of the X-Men debuts

“The audience’s ability to absorb information has changed as a result of our rapidly evolving media landscape. Comics need to take full advantage of its inherent ability to communicate complex ideas.”

“When Ed did that X-Men book,” Rugg said, “the reason that there’s a Hulk book is because it succeeded. When Tom followed up, it was the same deal.”

Asked what all three cartoonists have in common, Scioli has an answer: “hard work, grit, a no-nonsense working class ethos. Those might be simplifications. We all know Pittsburgh is a wonderful and complicated place.

“The three of us are huge fans of old comics and have figured out different strategies for evoking the feel of the funny books of yesteryear while merging that aesthetic with something new and innovative.

“There aren’t many people working in comics that have the skill set that we have — writing, drawing, coloring and hand lettering their work, the ability to execute all that in a timely manner and with a unique visual identity.

“I don’t know if these similarities are what drew us together in the first place or if our friendship and open sharing of information is what got us to the point that three Pittsburghers have become the go-to creators for a certain kind of comics storytelling,” Scioli said.

Tom Scioli hosts “The Total Recall Show” on YouTube with musician Matt Zeoli. Ed Piskor and Jim Rugg co-host Cartoonist Kayfabe on YouTube.

Tony Norman: tnorman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1631. Twitter @Tony_NormanPG.

First Published: March 30, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: March 30, 2022, 10:32 a.m.

RELATED
Author Deesha Philyaw in an undated photo.
Tony Norman
Tony Norman: From Michaela Coel and Jack Kirby to Deesha Philyaw and Joy Reid: Who to love in 2020
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Around 450,000 Pennsylvanians enrolled in Affordable Care Act health insurance plans this year, but credits expire at the end of 2025, which will mean dramatic premium hikes in 2026 unless Congress votes for an extension.
1
business
Crunch time: 450K Pennsylvanians with Obamacare could see dramatic spikes in health care costs
Bill Sunseri, president of Pennsylvania Macaroni Co., stands in his family’s store on Jan. 6 in the Strip District.
2
life
Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. has a new full owner at the helm
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, middle, sits between assistant secondary coach Anthony Midget, left, and secondary coach Grady Brown, right, before taking on the Eagles Dec. 15, 2024, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
3
sports
How does Steelers coaching staff compare to NFL's best? Lean, broadly defined and working double time
Pittsburgh Penguins' Owen Pickering celebrates as he returns to the bench after scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Pittsburgh.
4
sports
Penguins send defenseman Owen Pickering back to AHL and promote forward Boko Imama
Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart (4) runs off the field during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Auburn, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Auburn, Ala.
5
sports
Ray Fittipaldo's first 7-round Steelers mock draft: Deep DL class too enticing?
Comic book artists and authors Ed Piskor, left, Jim Rugg and Tom Scioli have created comics on the history of Marvel's X-Men, Hulk and Fantastic Four.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
Comic book artist and author Tom Scioli created "Fantastic Four: Grand Design."  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
"Fantastic Four: Grand Design" by Tom Scioli.
Comic book artist and author Ed Piskor with X-Men drawings.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
"X-Men: Grand Design" by Ed Piskor.
Comic book artist and author Jim Rugg with drawings for "Hulk: Grand Design."  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
"'Hulk: Grand Desig"' by Jim Rugg.  (Jim Rugg)
Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST ae
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story