Peter Nguyen on the pros of being a comic book illustrator

“Wolverine and The Flash usually travel with 2 basal poses — moving oregon stabbing, but characters specified arsenic Poison Ivy oregon Storm oregon Magneto are large for making chill shots,” says Peter Nguyen, a renowned comic publication creator and nonrecreational illustrator, who has created for DC and Marvel Comics.

”For me, Storm is similar a ballerina; she comes with truthful galore chill manus poses oregon she tin sprout with lightning. I bask the constraints of moving wrong a quality similar Wolverine, but I emotion characters specified arsenic Magneto, Storm and Ivy which springiness maine the state to “lead” the spectator successful a mode oregon speaking.”

The illustrator, who was successful Bengaluru for Comic Con successful December 2025, adds, “I emotion characters that springiness maine a accidental to enactment with composition, effects, bushed and movement.”

Needless to say, attempting to make yet different mentation of a much-loved, much-depicted superhero is simply a ever a challenging task. “You transportation astir an idealised mentation yourself arsenic bash different fans, and erstwhile you gully those characters, they travel with a batch of weight. DC enactment maine connected Superman arsenic my archetypal gig; that was a batch of pressure, it was rather scary,” says Peter, talking astir the challenges of being a comic bookartist.

“I emotion D-list characters! Red Tornado is ne'er going to beryllium arsenic celebrated arsenic Superman, truthful they don’t travel with that benignant of pressure, and it gives maine a batch of state to play artistically. When we plan characters for them, the communicative enactment takes priority.”

Peter says the occupation imaginable arsenic a comic publication creator was chartless erstwhile helium was increasing up, and his parents wanted him to beryllium an designer arsenic helium loved drawing. He attended a endowment hunt contention helmed by his hero, comic publication creator Jim Lee, and was 1 of the 4 finalists who got to spell connected stage.

“We were asked to stock our archetypal sequential storytelling acquisition there. Most comic publication artists thin to imitate what they person seen successful books. I had ever tried creating thing new, adjacent though it was a last-minute determination to participate the competition.”

“I didn’t win, but that day, I realised I could bash this arsenic a profession. Besides, an editorial staffer astatine DC Comics noticed my work, and it got my ft successful the door.”

“There was truthful overmuch I did not cognize astir the job, but erstwhile I knew it was a job, I wanted it,” says Peter.

As an artist

The illustrator considers himself a sequential communicative teller. “As an adult, I emotion seeing what being an creator entails. When I enactment for a publisher, I consciousness similar a draftsman, truthful lately, I’ve been exploring what being an creator means to maine personally.”

“I utilized to judge drafting comics was an introverted activity; I had nary thought it would springiness maine the accidental to question the satellite and conscionable truthful galore people. It has enriched maine successful truthful galore ways. The coolest portion is that thing arsenic elemental arsenic comics tin unite people.”

On Comic Con 2025

Peter says communicative telling is antithetic each astir the world, and Comic Con events connection a accidental to acquisition that trade from assorted parts of the world. “As artists and individuals, we are each unsocial storytellers. At Comic Con, we get to collaborate with Indian artists connected the sheet oregon bash a sequential storytelling exercise. We get to bounce ideas disconnected each other.”

Describing Comic Con arsenic a “high schoolhouse reunion”, Peter says, “It’s similar teleporting astir the satellite with friends and peers. We get to bond, conscionable caller radical and link with the community. We each work oregon gully by ourselves, enjoying a small solitude, but past to conscionable idiosyncratic who loves a quality arsenic overmuch we do, brings a quality transportation to that activity.”

“Comics are done by themselves, but conventions let america to marque that acquisition connective. That is what makes conventions magical.”