Mark Martin (cartoonist)
Encyclopedia
Mark Martinis an American
cartoonist
known for lighthearted humor and satire.
, featuring a rat who dresses as a gnat to fight crime. He went on to work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
series, and created "20 Nude Dancers 20," a long-running humor strip featured in Comics Buyer's Guide
.
As an editor, Martin created the anthology Hyena and briefly oversaw a humor section in Heavy Metal
. He also edited the first edition of Scott McCloud
's Understanding Comics
.
Martin then moved toward working almost exclusively in children's comics, often for Nickelodeon
's Nickelodeon Magazine, while producing other work for his website.
His collaborations with long-time friend Jim Woodring
include the children's series Tantalizing Stories
, and several minicomic
s featuring their characters Frank and Montgomery Wart.
Martin is often mistaken for the race-car driver Mark Martin
; this is a frequent subject of his comics in recent years.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
known for lighthearted humor and satire.
Career
Martin's first major work in the 1980s was Gnatrat, a parody of BatmanBatman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, featuring a rat who dresses as a gnat to fight crime. He went on to work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
series, and created "20 Nude Dancers 20," a long-running humor strip featured in Comics Buyer's Guide
Comics Buyer's Guide
Comics Buyer's Guide , established in 1971, is the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry...
.
As an editor, Martin created the anthology Hyena and briefly oversaw a humor section in Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal (magazine)
Heavy Metal is an American science fiction and fantasy comics magazine, known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica. In the mid-1970s, while publisher Leonard Mogel was in Paris to jump-start the French edition of National Lampoon, he discovered the French...
. He also edited the first edition of Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud is an American cartoonist and theorist on comics as a distinct literary and artistic medium...
's Understanding Comics
Understanding Comics
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a 215-page non-fiction comic book, written and drawn by Scott McCloud and originally published in 1993. It explores the definition of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements...
.
Martin then moved toward working almost exclusively in children's comics, often for Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
's Nickelodeon Magazine, while producing other work for his website.
His collaborations with long-time friend Jim Woodring
Jim Woodring
Jim Woodring is a Seattle-based cartoonist, comic book author, artist and toy designer. He also produces fine art works in a variety of other media, including painting and charcoal....
include the children's series Tantalizing Stories
Tantalizing Stories
Tantalizing Stories was a comic book series by Mark Martin and Jim Woodring published by Tundra Publishing. The contents of each black and white issue were divided between the two cartoonists and featured a variety of comic short stories, illustrations and text pieces...
, and several minicomic
Minicomic
A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term "small press comic" is equivalent with minicomic reserved for those publications measuring A6 or less...
s featuring their characters Frank and Montgomery Wart.
Martin is often mistaken for the race-car driver Mark Martin
Mark Martin
Mark Martin may refer to:* Mark Martin , American racecar driver* Mark Martin , American cartoonist* Mark Martin , American judge* Mark Martin , British murderer...
; this is a frequent subject of his comics in recent years.