Hermann Mejia
Encyclopedia
Hermann Mejía is a Venezuela
n-born illustrator, painter and sculptor living in New York City
. His caricature-driven work frequently appears in MAD Magazine
.
, that had made their way to Venezuela from America, although he spoke no English at the time. He cites artists Sergio Aragonés
(author of the wordless Groo the Wanderer
strip) and Mort Drucker as favorites. He started collecting comics at age 13, and received his first artists' commission at 15, painting promotional graffiti
for musical acts in Caracas. He studied at the Caracas Design Institute (Instituto de Diseño de Caracas), and from there went into commercial art
, including the design of a series of Venezuelan postage stamps commemorating the Pope.
, where he met commercial artist George Pratt
, who had been one of the judges of the contest. Pratt took Mejía to the offices of DC Comics
, and Mejía received work almost instantly. Through DC, Mejía met Charlie Kochman, the Licensed Publishing editor for both DC and MAD (which was by then a publication of DC Comics
), and received an assignment for the April 1997 issue.
Mejía continued working for the New-York-based Mad while continuing to live in Venezuela for the next two years. In 1999, due to the unstable political situation and crime rate in his native country, Mejía moved to the United States. He received a "Best in Magazine Feature" Reuben Award from the National Cartoonists Society
in 2003.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n-born illustrator, painter and sculptor living in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His caricature-driven work frequently appears in MAD Magazine
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
.
Early life and education
Hermann Mejía started drawing very young, studying comics, including MAD MagazineMad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
, that had made their way to Venezuela from America, although he spoke no English at the time. He cites artists Sergio Aragonés
Sergio Aragonés
Sergio Aragonés Domenech is a cartoonist and writer best known for his contributions to Mad Magazine and creator of the comic book Groo the Wanderer....
(author of the wordless Groo the Wanderer
Groo the Wanderer
Groo the Wanderer is a fantasy/comedy comic book series written and drawn by Sergio Aragonés, rewritten, coplotted and edited by Mark Evanier, lettered by Stan Sakai, and colored by Tom Luth...
strip) and Mort Drucker as favorites. He started collecting comics at age 13, and received his first artists' commission at 15, painting promotional graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
for musical acts in Caracas. He studied at the Caracas Design Institute (Instituto de Diseño de Caracas), and from there went into commercial art
Commercial art
Commercial art is historically a subsector of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. The term has become increasingly anachronistic in favor of more contemporary terms such as graphic design and advertising art.Commercial art traditionally...
, including the design of a series of Venezuelan postage stamps commemorating the Pope.
Career
For coming in first in a cartooning contest, Mejía received a trip to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he met commercial artist George Pratt
George Pratt (artist)
George Pratt is an American painter and illustrator known for his work in the comic book field.-Biography:...
, who had been one of the judges of the contest. Pratt took Mejía to the offices of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, and Mejía received work almost instantly. Through DC, Mejía met Charlie Kochman, the Licensed Publishing editor for both DC and MAD (which was by then a publication of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
), and received an assignment for the April 1997 issue.
Mejía continued working for the New-York-based Mad while continuing to live in Venezuela for the next two years. In 1999, due to the unstable political situation and crime rate in his native country, Mejía moved to the United States. He received a "Best in Magazine Feature" Reuben Award from the National Cartoonists Society
National Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
in 2003.
Selected works
- The Books of MagicThe Books of MagicThe Books of Magic is a four-issue English-language comic book mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo. Since its original publication, the mini-series has also been published in a single-volume collection under the Vertigo...
Annual #1, cover only (1997, DC Comics) - The Books of FaerieThe Books of FaerieThe Books of Faerie was a series of three mini-series spun off from Vertigo Comics' series The Books of Magic written by Bronwyn Carlton and John Ney Rieber...
#1-3, covers only (Mar-May 1997, DC Comics) - The Books of MagicThe Books of MagicThe Books of Magic is a four-issue English-language comic book mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo. Since its original publication, the mini-series has also been published in a single-volume collection under the Vertigo...
#58, "Auberon Finds a Friend" (March 1998, DC Comics) - The Books of Faerie: Auberon's Tale #1-3, covers only (Aug-Oct 1998, DC Comics)
- The Books of Faerie: Molly's Story #1-3 (Sept-Nov 1999, DC Comics)
- JLA: Riddle of the Beast (Nov 2001, DC Comics)