Chad Lewis makes Comic Convention debut

Chad Lewis (seated, second from right), a graduate
student in the School of Visual Communication Design at
Kent State University, signs autographs at Comic-Con 2015
in San Diego. Lewis was one of four students to illustrate
the latest Marvel ‪‎Avengers comic.

Chad Lewis, a graduate student in the School of Visual Communication Design at Kent State University, has hammered out a career in illustration by penning his version of Thor’s origin story for the latest Marvel ‪‎Avengers comic.

This spring, Adobe collaborated with Marvel to make the first-ever, student-illustrated Avengers comic powered by Creative Cloud. The limited-edition origin story comic officially debuted at the San Diego Comic-Con, where Lewis had one-on-one portfolio interviews with Marvel pros and signed copies of the newly released comic book.

“I went after this opportunity because I’ve always loved Marvel comics, and I use Adobe products every day,” Lewis says. “The chance to make a comic with these two companies is a dream come true.”

Students from around the world submitted their portfolios through Behance, a free, online Adobe platform that showcases creative work — garnering responses from 67 countries.

In addition to Lewis, three other students worked with Marvel to illustrate the new comic using Adobe Creative Cloud and its new mobile apps, like Adobe Brush CC. Alexandria Huntington, of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco; Hayden Sherman, from the Rhode Island School of Design; and Emil Friis Ernst, from the Animation Workshop in Denmark, were selected for the opportunity.

“I learned about winning while I was grading student work for one of the classes I teach in the Kent State University School of Visual Communication Design,” Lewis says. “When I heard, I called my wife and my family. Then, I hugged my dog.”

Pictured is the cover of the latest Marvel ‪‎
Avengers comic. Kent State graduate
student Chad Lewis was one of four
students to illustrate the comic.

Lewis says being able to work on a comic with Adobe and Marvel is a big deal because they lead the industry in their respective fields and are helping to explore the creative process.

“From Marvel, I’m getting the chance to work with writers and editors who I’ve grown up reading and enjoying,” he says. “From Adobe, I’m getting to work with technical experts who are masters at Adobe’s Creative Cloud and mobile applications.”

And Lewis hasn’t forgotten how he has learned this craft.

“As I created my comic, I depended on the foundations I learned from the brilliant professors in Kent State’s Visual Communication Design program,” Lewis says. “The materials I submitted for this contest are ones I created throughout my graduate experience at Kent State, in classes like Character Design and Editorial Illustration. I just hope my involvement in a contest like this helps to spread the word about this amazing program.”

Adobe and Marvel released the comic online for free at http://reader.marvel.com/#/issue/39110.

For more information about Kent State’s School of Visual Communication Design, visit www.kent.edu/vcd.