Home Portfolio Kabuki Vol. 4 #2

David Mack Cover Alex Ross Cover Dynamic Forces Edition

Kabuki: Skin Deep #2 Credit: Cover artist, writer, letterer & interior artist Publisher: Caliber Comics Previews Product Codes: Mack and Ross covers - February 19, 1997 Dynamic Forces Edition - October 8, 1997 Previews Product Codes: Mack cover - $2.95 Ross cover - $2.95 Dynamic Forces Edition - $9.95 Notes: · The Dynamic Forces edition, which was limited to 500 copies signed by David Mack and 1,500 unsigned copies, was released as a Dynamic Forces lithograph and poster · David Mack's cover is referred to as "Bones" while the other half, which was created by Alex Ross, was called "Skin" · Akemi's notes were handwritten by Connie Jiang · An edited version of the letter below appeared in Wizard #64: "Mike Parobeck dies." That statement on the cover of CBG #1185 made my heard sink. I couldn't believe it. I had just returned from the San Diego Comic Con and a subsequent signging tour of the West Coast. In fact, at the San Diego Con,I met Gerard Jones, who worked with Mike Parobeck as the writer on El Diablo. We were having a conversation about Mike. Little did we know, he had already passed away earlier that week. For years, Mike and I had kept up a mail correspondence that started in 1990 when I was 17-years old, in my Senior year at high school. A college instructor came to my school promoting the Cincinnati art school with samples of the alumni's accomplishments. He showed me a copy of DC's El Diablo penciled by Mike Parobeck. I had just decided that I wanted to do comics as a career and was working on my own comic, and I wanted to know more about the business. I managed to get Mike's address from the art school, and I wrote to him sending him just three pages of my comic book to judge from this if he would mind looking at the whole book in order to give any suggestions or criticisms. Mike wrote back with a very expressive and constructive letter telling me to send him everything. From then on, he told me what artists and books to study, and he critiqued everything I sent him, asking for more and telling me of the areas in which he saw improvement and the ones I still needed to polish. When I got my first paying comic work, I put a dedication in that issue to Mike for his artistic guidance and encouraging support. He was very touched by the dedication. I would update him on every new artistic project and he continued to critque them, often sending me sketches of how he would have composed the page. I have a drawer full of his letters, original sketches, and suggestive layouts that he had sent me over the years. The last couple of years, we sort of fell out of correspondence. Though I sent something to his Chicago address, it was returned because he had moved. I noticed Mike had been doing the Batman Adventures and I hoped he had noticed Kabuki, which I had been writing and drawing for the past couple of years, especially since the book was based on work I designed in one of the first stories I sent him when I was seventeen. This brings me back to the conversation which I was having with Gerard Jones. I had heard Mike moved from Chicago to Key West and I was wondering if Gerard had heard from him. I wanted to send him my latest works, hoping he would get a sense of pride or satisfaction that the kid he had encouraged and advised over the years had made good in his career. In fact, I always think of Mike Parobeck whenever someone asks me to look at their portfolio. I always try to be as constructive and honest as Mike was to me. I bought the CBG and my girlfriend read the article to me as I drove home from the comic shop. When I got home, I pulled out all of Mike's letters, copies, sketches, and signed books and spread them out all over the floor. I read every one of them again like I had done dozens of times before. Although I never met him, Mike Parobeck deeply touched and affected my life. I will truly miss him. Sincerely, David Mack

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