Reflections on a Guest: Mark Martin
Every once and a while, an interviewer find it difficult to codify a guest. Every time you think you have the individual pinned down, the scuttle from under your thumb and provide you with a moment of surprise and shock. It’s a challenge to the human mind’s ability to fit a person into a category when you find someone so delightfully interesting, and an interviewer can find real pleasure working with an individual who fits this category.
An individual like Mark Martin.
If you’ve read and of his work, you know that he’s an amazing cartoonist with a razor sharp wit and a deep love for both parody and the absurd. One of his first published works defines his character as an artist quite precisely – Gnatrat, the story of a rat whose unique crime-fighting technique is to embody the frightening visage of a small flying creature that stalks the nights and nightmares of his enemies (sound familiar?), is filled with his unique style of art and humor. Much of Mark’s work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series was filled with references to characters of his own creation, including the aptly named “Green-Grey Sponge-Suit Sushi Turtles.” If you’ve the pleasure of being his friend of Facebook, both of those qualities. Some of my favorite of Mark’s recent posts include “My whip just doesn’t seem to CRACK like it used to. Can anybody recommend a good whip crack enhancer? Natural please – no chemicals!” and “In a battle of mind over tummy, the tummy almost always wins.” And as an independent artist, this humor shines through as well – Mark offers a service from his website called “Martinizing,” a process in which Mark transforms a superhero, a character, or whatever else a buyer might desire, into a uniquely transformed Mark Martin creation. In Mark’s own words:
A Martinized portrait has that special Martin twist. The anatomy won’t be accurate, the logo won’t be perfect, the teeth may be crooked… but CRAZY LOVE will ooze from every atom of your unique treasure.
Of course, it’s not just the wit that people are drawn too – it’s the art itself. Mark served as the editor of the far too short lived humor section in Heavy Metal. He also edited for an anthology called Hyena. When these jobs quieted down, Mark found himself desiring for Heck, Mark is so skilled that one of his longest running projects was “20 Nude Dancers 20,” a comic strip contained within the Comic Buyers Guide. The man made a comic strip for a book about comic books, for crying out loud! His skill and style has given him an impressive place in the world of comic art.
And yet…when you would try to codify a man who has such prestige, you’d likely visualize someone who is a bit pompous, or at the very least secure in his mastery. An extrovert who takes command of a room with his sense of humor and the knowledge of just how good he is.
But as you watch Episode #2.15 of GwI, you quickly see that Mark isn’t like that at all. He’s a humble, quiet man with a thick southern accent. He’s a devoted husband, who clearly is best friends with his wife. He loves his son Brigham, and his dogs. He goes to garage sales and picks through other people’s castaways always looking for a hidden story. I’d even venture to say that, in person, Mark is shy. Of course, his sharp wit is never dull, but he is quick with a self-deprecating comment, and almost seems to have a hard time talking about himself.
It’s this particular detail – the quiet, shy Mark, that’s humble enough to know better than to brag about his skill or his accomplishments – that proved most interesting to me during our time together. Because it was this quality from which sprung something a Geeks With Issues interview has never included: a chat with an artist’s creations.
Of course, this wasn’t the average chat you’d expect. When both Cookie Turtle and Sandy Cheeks were taking a moment to talk with us. They sounded like Mark. Their faces were Mark’s. And their wit, especially the self-deprecating kind, were Mark’s. But the person we spoke with both times didn’t seem like Mark. It was as if, by taking on the characterization of another character, Mark Martin was able to escape the labels that he’s been dodging for years. He could escape being the quiet, humble man from the south. He could also escape being a master cartoonist. He could take a moment, and in being someone else, he could be himself. It was a really special experience – one I had a pleasure of seeing.
And laughing with. Because if you learn one thing from speaking, or being with Mark Martin, it’s that he wants you to laugh, and to love life by taking it a little less seriously.
“Comic & Cartoon Art Comes Alive!: The Art of Mark Martin” can be seen at the Storefront Artist Project gallery at 
. The digital home for Mark and is art can be found at www.markmartin.net.
thanks ,, great seeing my friend Mark Martin on your show.. Mark and I graduated the same year from High School. We knew even back then of Mark’s talent and we know that he was going to be a great success.