Long before illustrating for the likes of Marvel, Time Magazine and National Geographic, a young Marcelo Baez got his first comic books from the Towradgi corner store.
While decades have passed since those corner store days, their influence remains. Marcelo now works as a freelance artist from his Figtree home. He's worked with some of the biggest brands—like Marvel, Apple, GQ Australia, Microsoft, Scholastic, ESPN Magazine, and Time Out Singapore—but each year he makes time to create epic poster art for Wollongong City Council's Comic Gong.
Aside from a brief covid-mandated break, Comic Gong, the beloved celebration of pop culture, comics and gaming, has run each year since 2013. Marcelo has been on board the whole way.
"I do all types of shows like Oz Comic-con and Supernova, but I swear Comic Gong is the most fun. Considering it's only a day, I'm warn out like I've done two days! The energy is so good.
"I'm grateful that it's grown because this is my hometown and it's the best."
Each poster follows on from the last. When viewed together, they chart the adventures of a young girl, Astrid, and her ape friend, Astro, as they battle intergalactic monsters.
Today, Marcelo is put the finishing touches on his latest creation. It depicts Astrid and Astro sitting back-to-back, a nod to the first edition but with their roles now reversed.
Like Astrid and Astro, Comic Gong 2023 has a new format which will see three events for held during May:
- 4 May - 'May the 4th be with you' Cosplay Catch-up
A chill cosplay catch-up for young people aged 12-24. Details
- 13 May - Family Cosplay Day
A fun day for kids and families to dress up as their favourite characters. Details
- 19 May - Comic Gong Cosplay Ball
Adults assemble - your skills are requested for the Cosplay Ball! Details
In his spare time Marcelo runs regular cartooning workshops for kids at Corrimal Community Centre (details here). He credits his success to pushing the barriers:
"I'm not the greatest artist in the world. I know that. What makes you stand out is trying something different. You've got to find what you like and mix it with stuff no one else is doing.
"I say that to the kids, 'if everyone else is zigging, you've got to zag'."
Zagging is exactly what earned him a gig with Marvel, who reached out after he reinvented Wolverine as a Japanese Samurai for fun.
For now, Marcelo is busy working with Aussie legend Ahn Do on the Mythix series. He won't, however, be hanging up his Comic Gong pencils any time soon:
"I really love doing this project. It's one of the most fun jobs and I have plenty more ideas for Astrid and Astro…"
See more at Comic Gong 2023
