Duncan MacKenzie and Ryan Peter Miller drive up to the Dunn Museum in Libertyville, IL to talk with legendary comics painter Alex Ross. Known for Marvels, Kingdom Come, and decades of redefining superhero realism, Ross reflects on his career trajectory, his education at the American Academy of Art, his influences (from Neal Adams to Dave McKean), his early breaks with Now Comics and Leo Burnett storyboarding, and his transition into large-scale mural projects for Marvel and DC. The conversation ranges from comics history, realism in superhero depictions, variant cover economics, the physicality of superheroes, to America's appetite for dystopian narratives versus a return to the "pure Superman."

Ross is candid, funny, and deeply reflective about the comics medium, painting, and storytelling.

Name-Drop List

Artists & Writers

• Alex Ross — https://www.alexrossart.com/ | @alexrossart

• Neal Adams – https://nealadams.com/

• George Pérez – https://www.tcj.com/george-perez-1954-2022/

• Jack Kirby – https://kirbymuseum.org/

• Dave McKean – https://www.davemckean.com/

• Neil Gaiman — neilgaiman.com | @neilhimself

• Chris Ware – https://art21.org/artist/chris-ware/

• Jim Lee — https://www.dc.com/talent/jim-lee @jimlee

• Todd McFarlane — https://mcfarlane.com/ @toddmcfarlane

• Erik Larsen — https://imagecomics.com/creators/erik-larsen @eriklarsen1138

• John Tobias (Mortal Kombat) – https://www.mobygames.com/person/3326/john-tobias/

• Tim Bradstreet — https://www.splashpageart.com/artistgalleryroom.asp?artistid=83 @timbradstreet

• Frank Casey (Ross's Superman model) – chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/article/file-attachments/The%20process_Ross%20at%20work.pdf

Institutions & Companies

• Dunn Museum (Libertyville, IL) — https://www.lcfpd.org/museum/ @lcfpd

• Marvel Comics — marvel.com | @marvel

• DC Comics — dc.com | @dccomics

• American Academy of Art (Chicago) —

• Leo Burnett (advertising) – https://dev.leoburnett.com/

• Now Comics (Chicago, defunct)

• Eclipse Comics (defunct)

• FASA (publisher of Shadowrun, BattleTech) – https://shop.fasagames.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=68

• Mortal Kombat franchise — https://www.mortalkombat.com/en-us @mortalkombat

Pop Culture References

• Kingdom Come (DC) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Come_(comics)

• Marvels (Marvel) – https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-marvels/umc.cmc.6nb1ii3n99o7rewjyq8whcsuu

• Shadowrun RPG – https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/collections/shadowrun

• Vampire: The Masquerade (White Wolf) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire:_The_Masquerade

• The Boys (Amazon Prime) – https://www.primevideo.com/detail/The-Boys/0KRGHGZCHKS920ZQGY5LBRF7MA

• Invincible (Image Comics / Amazon) – https://www.amazon.com/INVINCIBLE-SEASON-1/dp/B08WJN83XZ

• Peacemaker (HBO) – https://www.hbomax.com/shows/peacemaker-2022/a939d96b-7ffb-4481-96f6-472838d104ca

• Brightburn (film) – https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/brightburn/umc.cmc.4pkvqa1b6mf30wtx66vor37fq

Image: John Weinstein