Getting to know: Joe Madureira

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Big Apple Comic Con. I just have to say that it wasn’t much of what I expected, but enjoyable. The only real part of the whole ordeal that I was looking forward to was to finally meet the great Joe Madureira. This man has been, and probably still is, a living legend at my former high school Art and Design. He rose to super stardom there when he got picked up by Marvel at a young age and began working on “Battle Chasers” way back in 1998. I love his art style because it has influences of Japanese animation along with western comic book art. His style has been the benchmark to me for many comic books and their artists of. I mean I have plenty of friends that seriously draw like that. I love it, but I’m more into the realistic classic comic book art style. Which I have to say is more up my alley and style.

Well I was wandering around the Big Apple Con looking at the various panels they had set up there. Not much. Upstairs was filled with just vendors selling comics; figurines; lesser known artists and people wandering and posing around in costume. The one thing I was a bit puzzled by was the appearance of the Suicide Girls. WHY were they there? I don’t know if any of you know about this bunch of young ladies, and if you don’t I will update you real quick:

These are a group of girls that do nude photos, but in a very tasteful matter. They were on the HBO special Real Sex year ago. Comic conventions? Really?

There were people in costumes everywhere. I got a chance to see Adam West; Burt Ward; Ahmad Best; Jake Lloyd; Daniel Logan and more. I was a bit disappointed that Lee Majors, the Million Dollar Man, was gone by the time I went back downstairs. I wanted to see if he could get me a MILLION DOLLARS!

I asked around if anyone knew were Joe Madureira was sitting. The young lady that replied had no idea so I asked another person, a guy, and he knew who he was and stated he was downstairs. I went downstairs and there he was……I was shocked and amazed! Sadly he had a crowd of people around him, so I decided to walk around and look at all the other artist tables. When I came back he disappeared. I called my best friend to talk to her and I didn’t want to make a scene like my friend and associate did with Mr. Mad due to the STAR STRUCK Syndrome.

And finally my chance. I walked over and he just stepped away. I went over and asked the lady sitting next to him “Hi how are you…Question: how did you two meet?” She smiled and replied back “Oh he just stepped away, but he will be right back”. Then I asked, again, “How did you two meet?” She said “Oh, we met in Turkey”. I smiled. Conversation went great and talked I about how my friend was just here That I also went to A&D with. Then the man of the hour came back and sat down his girl-friend. She told him “Hey she’s friends with the guy with the stroller and she also went to Art and Design”. We began discussing his days at Art and Design and I have to say his days at the high school were the golden years with the school at its best peak. Hearing him talk about his times in Mr. Borkon’s Animation class and how he mostly learned drawing on his own from home. It was just so funny hearing this from him. The funniest thing when he said “I was not good in Math or Science, and I’m not the greatest speller in the world”. I responded with “Don’t worry neither am I”.

Art and Design didn’t teach us to be the greatest spellers, mathematicians, or scientists. I mainly went there to draw. The one thing point he mentioned that really stuck out was when he began speaking about how people who were accepted to attend our school. He talked about the people he met in his day that didn’t know how to draw or used other people’s artwork to get into the school. I let him know I had come across those people in my high school day and I was extremely upsetting, because I busted my azz on my portfolio. My 8th grade year was spent mostly trying to get into one of the gifted science high schools but then I was accepted at A&D and I learned I came to a school were only a few of us were really serious about our work. Some just went there to go there.

I explained to him that my period at the school is probably when the school was at its worst.  I stood around and watched as other people came by asking to him to sign stuff. I just talked to his girlfriend during those times. He apologized for being busy and I let him know that I understood and just laughed and continued talking with them both. I explained that when Battle Cashers came out that he was the living legend to everyone in my year at the school. Seriously amazing. He apparently had no idea and stated “Wow, I never knew I would be that big at Art and Design”. Surprisingly there was another A&D alumni right across the room, Mark Texeira, who was also big deal!

We talked about the teachers at Art and Design like Mr. Brown, Borkon, and others. I really do miss my High School days. Sometimes I wish I was a kid again….lol

His girlfriend asked if he remembered all of his teachers’ names and he said “Yeah, I actually do. I remember most of my grade school teachers and even junior high school teacher names!”. I laughed because it was reassuring to know that I was not the only one who remembered their teacher names. I know some people didn’t care, but most of the teachers I came across had really touched me and in me are the ones I remember.

Then this is where it really got funny. I started talking about the days I was at Art & Design and my crazy days with my High School sweet-heart; my first love. Funny because I actually saw him about two weeks ago and we just clicked automatically as we did back in High School. Joe killed me when he said “High school sweethearts… Man, don’t do it. I married my high school sweetheart and it didn’t work out, so I’m a bit jaded on the whole “high school sweetheart getting back together” thing. He didn’t seem upset as he told me this, but I can tell it did hurt him a bit without prying what the aftermath was behind it. The young lady he is with now makes him happy and I told him that all that matters you are happy. I really enjoyed her company as well, since she got into telling me about their make-up to breakups; which I found cute. I just continued going in about my first love and how I called him three times the week before Sunday; Thursday and Saturday. That was the day I left a message for him and hadn’t heard back from him. They said “kick him to the curb”, until I started bringing up how he remembers so much about me after all the years between us and not seeing one another. I told them that we are the same sign and our birthdays are in the same month. He asked what sign I was I told him a Scorpio, and he said “Well, two Scorpios are actually possible to be really good together”.  I continued telling them the stuff that happened between us and they both thought it was cute, but told me to keep my eyes open and see what happens down the road. More people came by so I took the opportunity to finally look at some of his artwork that was laid out and got a free print that he signed for me. It was so CUTE!!! He said “Again, my spelling is just awful”. I said don’t worry most people from our high school are not the greatest spellers.  I thanked both of them for their time and the great conversation and finally said my goodbyes to them both and just walked around the hall again.

I will say this I was psyched with the long conversation I had with Joe Madureira and his girlfriend, whose name I wished I bothered to ask at least once during the whole 30 minutes I was there for. They were both very down to earth people and didn’t give me, nor my friend, an attitude when we spoke to them individually. I still remember his girl-friend saying she was about to cry as she watched my friend embarrass himself, because he was so amazed to actually meet him. I tell you it very rare to meet artist like this and I wouldn’t mind meeting him and her both again. I wish them the best of luck in their journey in love as well.

About the author

RiniRene wrote 21 articles on this blog.

Face it Tiger, you just hit the JACKPOT!!

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