Word Balloon Comics Podcast Mark Silvestri – From DC to Marvel, Image, and Beyond
11 snips
Aug 10, 2025 
In a captivating conversation, legendary artist and writer Mark Silvestri shares his incredible journey in the comics industry. He reflects on his early days at DC Comics and his impactful work at Marvel, highlighting the creation of iconic characters like Witchblade, Cyberforce, and The Darkness. Silvestri candidly discusses the formation of Image Comics, where he and other creators revolutionized the industry. He also explores the challenges of adapting comics for different media and the importance of collaboration in bringing characters to life.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Room Service Pitch Lands A Job
- Marc Silvestri posed as room service to get into Joe Orlando's hotel room and show his portfolio.
- A week later DC hired him, proving bold persistence can break you into comics.
The 24-Page Marvel Mistake
- Marc Silvestri accidentally drew 24 pages for a 22-page Marvel assignment and shipped them.
- Marvel trimmed and crammed the extra pages, a brutal lesson in industry format and deadlines.
Joining Image To Own Your Work
- Todd McFarlane recruited Marc and other top creators to form Image so they could own their own work.
- They left Marvel and launched creator-owned books, reshaping comic business economics overnight.
