THE STONE MAN MYSTERIES - MORE THAN A MAN, A MYTH

Do you know what Sergeant Rock, The Shadow Thief, and the illustrator of the following graphic novel, all have in common? No! It’s not that, silly! They don’t all wash their hair in salt! Instead, it has something to do with them being brought into this world by the legendary artist, Joe Kubert. Want to know more? Then please check out the following interview I did with Joe’s grandson, Orion.


Orion Zangara on Amazon


1) What are your own origins, Orion?   I'm a graduate of The Kubert School, which is an art trade school founded by my grandfather, Joe Kubert, who’s generally best known for illustrating such titles as Sergeant Rock, Enemy Ace, Hawkman, G.I. Combat, and many, many more. I'm also the nephew of two other comic book artists, Adam Kubert (Wolverine, Spider-Man, and others) and Andy Kubert (Dark Knight, Superman, etc).

2) What inspired you to work on ‘The Stone Man Mysteries’?   I would have to say Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple, who are the two creators behind ‘The Stone Man Mysteries’ series of stories! I've been a huge fan of Jane Yolen's work (and now Adam Stemple's work) since middle school, as she’s been an enormous source of inspiration for me, especially her ‘Briar Rose’ novel. 

3) In your own words, how would you describe this story?   ‘The Stone Man Mysteries’ is a spooky story where Craig, our hero, is employed by a grumpy stone gargoyle, named Silex, which spurs the two of them to go on wacky adventures together (which I love to draw)! 

4) What song would you say best represents this graphic novel and why?   I would most probably say ‘Marigold’ by Mother Falcon because ‘The Stone Man Mysteries’ has a bittersweet ending. 

5) If you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Even though she sadly passed away in 2018, I’d have to go with Ursula K. Le Guin because she is such an icon and loves spooky, strange stories. Plus, Ms. Le Guin wrote the blurb for Jane Yolen's graphic novel, ‘The Last Dragon’. 

6) What have you learned about yourself through this endeavor?   I learned that I can draw a lot of pages and do anything if I (or anyone else) works hard enough!

7) During your time in this field, what is the one thing that has kept you in good stead?   My wife, Katie Zangara, has always helped me and kept me grounded. So I would say find people who support you as it's very important. 

8) If ‘TSMM’ had a motto, what would it be?   'Watch out for birds if you're a stone gargoyle without feet'!

And on that note, I'd like to thank Orion for telling us about his graphic novel, 'The Stone Man Mysteries', before encouraging you to check out his website, facebook, twitter, and instagram pages.