Goodbye Joe

I want to say something about the passing of comics legend Joe Kubert...

Joe was an amazing man, an extremely talented artist. If there's a such thing as a "master comic artist" in the way there are "master painters and sculpters" then Joe is high on, if not at the top of that list. In 1976, Joe and his wife Muriel founded the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, now simply the Kubert School. Without Joe and his sons Adam and Andy, I probably wouldn't have gotten into comics as a kid. I loved their work... well Adam and Andy. Joe came later once I had discovered his school through an interview with Adam in Wizard magazine when I was in middle school.

Once I learned of the school, I knew that was exactly where I wanted to attend. I didn't want to go to college, I could have gone to the Art Institute or any other school but I didn't want to go to those schools. I wanted to go to the Kubert School. I wanted to draw comics. My senior year of high school I applied to JKS (Joe Kubert School) and not long after I received a call from Mike Chen at the school for my phone interview. That was pretty scary. Anyway, I ended up being accepted. I had to take a year off between high school and JKS to save money.

Once I got to the school I was pretty shocked at how different NJ is from southern California... especially the desert where I was from. Joe made it feel very inviting. Always saying hi to me (and everyone else he encountered) on his way
into the building. I didn't really know him my first two years at the school. I think I was still trying to get over being starstruck by his very presence. I got to know him a lot better my third (and the final year of the school). I had Joe as an instructor for two classes a week. A full day of Joe Kubert instruction. After school from time to time I would visit him in his studio/ office to go over assignments or just say hi. One time he stopped me in the middle of the conversation and just looked at me and asked "How are ya? You look tired. Are you getting enough sleep, are you eating ok?" Of course, I said "Yeah, I'm fine Joe. Thanks though." In reality, I probably wasn't. I only slept three hours a night on weekdays that year, mainly due to the workload from Joe's classes alone.

After I graduated I spent some time working for Joe's studio Tell-A-Graphics penciling  and inking for the US Army's P.S. Magazine. I got to know Joe in a different way during that short time. This relationship was still of an instructor/ student one, but it was different in that he was also my boss. He taught me how to work directly with your boss/ client. This was my first real experience with a serious art job. I had a few small gigs prior to my time at TAG, but this was the one that really got me into the swing of things. I made mistakes, I fixed those mistakes, moved on and was better because of it. Because of Joe telling me what to do. Oh and I learned very quickly that I don't draw the people, Joe does.

Its hard to say where I'd be without Joe Kubert's influence on my life both professionally and personally. I do know that I probably wouldn't be as serious as I am about my career. I'd probably be lazier. I doubt I'd have any comics projects under my belt... and very importantly... I wouldn't have met the girl that would become my wife. Seven years back I was sitting in the auditorium at JKS. I turned around and noticed this girl kind of blush then turn as if she hadn't noticed me noticing that she had noticed me. Shortly after that we started dating. And now, seven years later we are finally married.

Life couldn't be much better. And a big part of that is due to Joe Kubert's influence on my life. Thank you Joe, I am eternally grateful. Olivia and I will miss you deeply, but you'll live on forever in the pages of the funny books.

Joe Kubert
1926-2012
Rest in Peace




- Z