[SANFORD] ONE DAY, MY MOM, WE WENT TO THE LOCAL K-MART,
I SAW THIS SPINNER RACK THAT HAD COMICS ON IT,
AND I HAD NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE.
AND I JUST WAS, I DON'T KNOW, I JUST KINDA
LEVITATED OVER TO IT, AND THAT'S WHEN
THE HEAVENS PARTED.
[MUSIC]
>> [NARRATOR] SANFORD GREENE IS AN ILLUSTRATOR.
FROM HIS HOMETOWN OF GREELEYVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA,
THIS BENEDICT COLLEGE GRADUATE HAS STEADILY WORKED HIS WAY UP
IN THE COMIC ILLUSTRATOR CIRCLES.
[MAN SPEAKING] FOR ME, DEFINITELY IN MY TOP 10,
I LIKE BLACK PANTHER AND I LIKE THE WORK
HE HAS DONE IN BLACK PANTHER, AND AS FOR MY FRIENDS
WHO'VE SEEN IT WHO ARE ACTUALLY TRYING
TO BECOME A GAME DESIGNER, HE LOOKS AT A LOT OF HIS WORK
SINCE I'VE TOLD HIM ABOUT HIM, AND LOOK AT MORE OF HIS WORK
AND THE STUFF THAT HE'S DOING NOW.
[SANFORD] BEFORE I UNDERSTOOD THAT BLACK PANTHER
WAS A AFRICAN CHARACTER, A BLACK CHARACTER,
THIS IS BEFORE I REALLY KNEW LUKE CAGE,
THERE AS THIS CHARACTER CALLED THE FALCON,
AND HE WAS PART OF THE AVENGERS, AND HE WAS CAPTAIN
AMERICA'S BEST BUDDY, AND I KNEW THOSE CHARACTERS,
AND I SAW HIM TEAMING UP WITH CAPTAIN AMERICA
AND THE AVENGERS, AND I WAS JUST LIKE OH
WOW, HE LOOKS JUST LIKE ME.
SO, I TRIED TO DRAW THAT CHARACTER.
[NARRATOR] AT COMIC CONVENTIONS LIKE HEROES CON,
FANS CROWD AROUND HIS BOOTH SEEKING AUTOGRAPHS
AND ORIGINAL SKETCHES, OR SOMETIMES JUST TO TALK.
[SANFORD] I HAVE A BOOTH OR A TABLE AREA
WHERE I HAVE A DISPLAY OF MY WORK,
AND FANS COME TO ME AND GET BOOKS THAT
I'VE WORKED ON, AUTOGRAPHS, ALSO,
THEY GET WHAT WE CALL COMMISSIONS
SOMETIMES RIGHT THERE ON THE SPOT,
THEY MAY WANT A QUICK SKETCH IN THEIR LITTLE SKETCHBOOKS OR
A COVER ON THEIR COVERS OR WHAT HAVE YOU,
OR THEY BUY ORIGINALS FROM ME, LIKE THERE COULD BE
SOMETHING THAT THEY MAY BE A BLACK PANTHER FAN
OR A LUKE CAGE FAN, AND I HAVE ORIGINALS ON DISPLAY
FROM THE BOOKS THAT I'VE WORKED ON,
AND THEY WOULD PURCHASE THOSE PIECES THERE.
SO, IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING,
AND OF COURSE, I DO PANEL DISCUSSIONS THERE,
AND THEN WE DO KIND OF OTHER TYPES OF MEET AND GREETS.
IT'S KIND OF COOL TO BE A PART OF IT,
TO SOMETHING WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE
THE YOUNGER ARTISTS, OR EVEN ARTISTS THAT YOU
CONSIDER TO BE PEERS, THERE'S SOME ARTISTS
THAT I'VE MAYBE NEVER REALLY MET BEFORE,
BUT I ADMIRE THEIR WORK.
AND I MEET THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME
AT ONE OF THESE CONVENTIONS, AND WE HAVE THIS RAPPORT,
AND THAT IS REALLY GRATIFYING, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU WORK IN
SECLUSION MOST OF THE TIME, MOST OF US ARTISTS,
WE WORK THAT WAY.
SO, THE REAL, THERE'S REAL FELLOWSHIP
WHEN WE HAVE THESE EVENTS.
[MAN SPEAKING] IT'S A FRATERNITY OF COMIC ARTISTS,
IT'S A BIG GROUP, BUT IT'S A SMALL
COMMUNITY OF VERY TIGHT ARTISTS, THE ONES WHO HAVE A
PASSION FOR THE ART.
[NARRATOR] SANFORD GREENE IS AN ILLUSTRATOR,
HAVING WORKED FOR BOTH MARVEL AND DC COMICS,
HE HAS DRAWN ALL THE BIGGIES.
AMONG THEM, SUPERMAN, SPIDER-MAN,
BATMAN, WONDER WOMAN, IRON FIST, LUKE CAGE,
THE BLACK PANTHER, AND MORE.
MUSIC
>> SPIDER-MAN IS A CHALLENGING CHARACTER,
TO DRAW, EVEN.
SUPERMAN IS A CHALLENGING CHARACTER,
YOU KNOW, HOW DO I TELL A STORY, NOT NECESSARILY TELL A STORY,
BUT HOW DO I AS A BLACK ILLUSTRATOR
BE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THIS CHARACTER
THAT IS HONESTLY, HE INVOKES THIS
THE ULTIMATE WHITE MALE.
I DIDN'T WANNA BE UNAUTHENTIC, I WANTED TO STILL
BE ABLE TO SHOW MY TAKE ON IT,
HOW DO I APPROACH A STRONG WHITE MALE DOMINANT CHARACTER
COMING FROM MY BACKGROUND, UNDERSTANDING WHAT THAT
MEANS WHEN I SEE IT, OR READ IT, OR WHATEVER.
SO, THAT WAS CHALLENGING, BUT TO KINDA SEGWAY
INTO THAT'S WHY I THINK IT'S EVEN MORE
CHALLENGING FOR ME TO DO MY OWN CHARACTERS,
IT'S EVEN MORE CHALLENGING TO DO THOSE CHARACTERS
BECAUSE I WANT TO INVOKE THAT SAME TYPE OF
REALNESS IN MY CHARACTERS AND IMPORTANCE IN MY CHARACTERS
THAT YOU WOULD SEE IN A SUPERMAN OR A SPIDER-MAN.
>> [NARRATOR] WITH SO MANY CHARACTERS
IN HIS PORTFOLIO, DOES GREENE HAVE A FAVORITE?
[SANFORD] MY FAVORITE COMIC CHARACTER,
MY OWN, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. AND I KNOW THAT'S KIND OF LIKE
A CHEAP PITCH, IF YOU WILL, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I MEAN,
I'VE ENJOYED WOLVERINE AND SPIDER-MAN AND BATMAN,
AND THESE ARE CHARACTERS THAT I
ASPIRE TO WORK ON PROFESSIONALLY.
I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO WORK ON ALL OF THEM
ON SOME CAPACITY, AND THEN JUST HAVING TO DO
SUCH A MILESTONE CHARACTER LIKE BLACK PANTHER
AND LUKE CAGE, THAT IS EXTREMELY
PERSONAL AND MEANINGFUL FOR ME.
BUT BECAUSE OF ALL OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES,
I'M NOW ABLE TO DO THE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN A PART OF
MY PSYCHE FOR A LONG TIME, MY CREATIONS.
>> [NARRATOR] GREENE IS PARTNERING WITH WRITERS
CHUCK BROWN AND DAVID WALKER TO BRING BITTER ROOT TO LIFE.
[SANFORD] BITTER ROOT IS A FAMILY OF MONSTER HUNTERS
SET DURING THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE TIME PERIOD.
AND THE MATRIARCH OF THE FAMILY WAS TRAINED WITH HIS
TECHNIQUE CALLED BITTER ROOT DURING THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
BECAUSE OF A SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE
THAT TOOK PLACE DOWN THERE.
I'VE NEVER WORKED THIS HARD IN MY LIFE PROFESSIONALLY,
I CAN SAY THAT, AND IT'S HONESTLY BECAUSE
THESE CHARACTERS MEAN SO MUCH TO ME RIGHT NOW.
>> [NARRATOR] GREENE IS A DEVOTED HUSBAND,
AND A FATHER OF TWO SONS.
[ LESLI] HE DOESN'T TALK ABOUT A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT HE
DOES, A LOT OF THE EXPOSURE THAT HE GETS,
HE JUST LIKES TO BE CONSIDERED A REGULAR GUY,
WHICH IS REALLY COOL.
AND AS LONG AS I'VE KNOWN HIM, HE'S ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THAT,
HE HAS NOT CHANGED FROM THE MINUTE WE BECAME FRIENDS
TO 20 YEARS INTO OUR MARRIAGE AND HIS CAREER BEING AT
THE LEVEL THAT IT IS.
SO, HE'S THE SAME GUY.
[SANFORD] IF SOMEONE COMES TO ME, IT COULD BE A LITTLE KID,
I'M A BIG FAN OF YOUR WORK, I REALLY ADMIRE IT,
OR I ASPIRE TO DO WHAT YOU DO ONE DAY,
YOU KNOW, THAT'S LIKE WOW.
NOW YOU REALIZE YOU'RE REACHING FOLKS,
AND YOU START TO PLAY THAT TAPE BACK
WHEN YOU WERE 10, 11 YEARS OLD AND YOU GOT THAT FIRST COMIC
AND YOU MET THAT ARTIST FOR THE FIRST TIME
LIKE OH MAN, IT'S FULL CIRCLE NOW.