Marvel artist brings comic book workshop to Pasco County

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Jerry DeCaire hosting a Marvel Comic Workshops at a library.

One of Jerry DeCaire's illustrations of a Marvel superhero

Jerry DeCaire interacting with a kid during a Marvel Comic Workshop.

Jerry DeCaire posing with kids holding illustrations they made during a Marvel Comic Workshop

When Jerry DeCaire first picked up a comic book as a kid, he never imagined he would one day share credits with the very writers and artists whose work inspired him.

The veteran Marvel illustrator, who has drawn Wolverine, Deadpool and Thor, has seen his journey come full circle.

Now he is passing on what he has learned to the next generation.

Next week, DeCaire will bring that passion to libraries across Pasco County, from Holiday and New Port Richey on the west side to Dade City and Wesley Chapel on the east.

DeCaire will lead a three-hour Marvel Comic Workshop at seven different libraries, starting with Regency Park Library in New Port Richey on Monday, Sept. 15, from 4 to 7 p.m.

Some of his workshops in other states have drawn as many as 200 people.

The series is designed to demonstrate how a comic evolves from a blank page to a finished story. Open to kids, teens and adults — although some libraries require you to register beforehand — the workshops combine live drawing with lessons in storytelling and the creative process behind superhero art.

“Of course, there’s always the foundations and the cerebral aspect of art, but what matters most is passion for your art and deciding to invest whatever effort and time it takes to get where you want to be,” DeCaire said.

Like many artists, DeCaire started with a love for drawing long before comics became his career.

“My path was a simple one; I submitted my work to Marvel in ’91 when submissions were allowed,” he said.

He already had years of practice in illustration and design, and his sketchbooks were filled with studies of the human form.

“In high school, I fancied myself to be the next Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo because I was so enamored with human anatomy and figurative art,” he said. “Superhero comics are all about the human figure, so it was a shoo-in for me.”

That early submission became the breakthrough that launched his career. Over the years, he worked on projects tied to some of Marvel’s biggest characters. One stands out most in his memory.

“The Thor annual that I did stood out most for me because I had the opportunity to work with Roy Thomas, one of the writers for Marvel that I grew up reading when I was only a kid,” DeCaire said.

Thomas was Stan Lee’s first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, and is credited with creating characters like Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Ultron and Ghost Rider.

“Thomas was unique in that he allowed me to flex my creative muscles and would let me run with my own ideas as to what would make for great fight scenes,” DeCaire said.

That annual was later reprinted in Epic Collection’s “Thor: Hell on Earth,” with DeCaire’s name alongside his heroes.

But his favorite artist as a youngster was John Buscema, who started his Marvel career in 1966 drawing Nick Fury and the Avengers. DeCaire said he got to share credits with Buscema before he passed in 2002.

After years of illustrating, DeCaire decided to share his craft outside the studio.

“I started in 2012 doing school assemblies, but then transitioned into doing presentations and workshops for libraries and art centers,” he said. “That’s the perk for being a Marvel artist. It opens up so many doors for you.”

He recalls advice from Bob Harras, former Marvel editor for the X-Men, who once told him, “You’ll now be drawing for the rest of your life.”

For DeCaire, the workshops are a way of paying that forward.

“I love the people and really love showing the intelligence that is invested into drawing,” he said. “I believe artists aren’t all that respected in academics, and yet I demonstrate that, indeed, there is much thought required to draw well. But it takes work.”

At the Pasco County libraries, that lesson will come alive as DeCaire sketches in real time, walking audiences through how anatomy, perspective and storytelling combine to create a superhero on the page.

Teaching in a library means the audience is mixed. Kids, teens and adults sit side by side. DeCaire adapts as he goes. “I make it a point to not underestimate the understanding that kids can have,” he said.

For young artists dreaming of a future in comics, his message is clear.

“First, master your craft and be an artist first, not a comic book artist,” he said. “That should come later.”

It is advice rooted in his own experience, where drawing skill carried him to Marvel.

Even while teaching, DeCaire continues to create.

“I will continue presenting at libraries while working on my Which-When-Man production and my coffee-table book, ‘The Other You,’” he said.

For now, he is looking forward to putting pencil to paper in Pasco County and showing people that comics are more than superheroes — they are a form of art that combines discipline, imagination and heart. And if his career proves anything, a single drawing can open doors that last a lifetime.

Read more about the workshop and other library events at PascoLibraries.org or visit DeCaire’s website at SuperHeroWorkshop.org for more info.