Something completely new and different from MUTTS cartoonist Patrick McDonnell and the Marvel Universe.
"An explosion of creativity, wonder, and beauty."
— Glen David Gold
Patrick McDonnell’s The Super Hero's Journey, published by Abrams ComicArts in collaboration with Marvel Comics, arrived on September 26, 2023.
The Super Hero’s Journey is an adventure unlike any you have ever read. Imbued with the creativity, artwork, and heart of Patrick McDonnell, the beloved creator of the comic strip MUTTS, this all-new graphic novel features the classic Marvel super heroes including the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the Incredible Hulk, Black Panther, and Spider-Man, and is the synthesis of McDonnell’s positive, inspirational sensibility and Marvel’s
blockbuster brand.
NEWS & REVIEWS
12/27/23 • The Hollywood Reporter's Best Comics of 2023:
"It is nostalgic and yet very much tethered to the now."
12/20/23 • Publishers Weekly
"McDonnell has created a hybrid work of memoir and charming social introspection that invokes his childhood love of comics and Marvel’s original innovative, humane version of the superhero genre."
12/20/23 • IGN
"Combined with McDonnell’s own art, this blend of familiar and new serves to tell an uplifting story about heroes persevering in the face of unrelenting darkness."
11/13/23 • The Washington Post's 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2023
"McDonnell wonderfully reveals his childhood path toward becoming a Marvel Comics 'True Believer' in this keepsake memoir"
11/3/23 • Comics Beat
“McDonnell is able to seamlessly move between 60s superhero dialogue and new age proverbs in a way that again straddles the line between adulthood and childhood. ... It takes a unique artistic approach to gently guide us through the experience of being a comic book fan, while at the same time pushing the characters to confront the human flaws and aspirations that created them in the first place.”
10/26/23 • Forbes' Top Graphic Novels of 2023
"McDonnell’s tale is as straightforward as a fable and as spare as a haiku. ... An amazing, uplifting testament to the power of comics and the rare serious graphic novel that can be read and enjoyed by people of all ages and all levels of interest in superhero comics.”
10/23/23 • ICv2
"McDonnell has a generous view of human nature that is in short supply these days, and the story ends up being a neat summary of everything that made Marvel comics ... so memorable and endearing."
10/7/23 • Geek Girl Authority
"An enlightening look at how Marvel Comics inspires McDonnell’s cartooning work. If you are the sort of Mutts fan who geeked out when Joe Sinnot inked a strip in 2019? Well, then The Super Hero’s Journey is required reading."
9/25/23 • Comics Beat
"McDonnell is exploring the Marvel Universe through a meta odyssey that combines that classic comic book pages with McDonnell’s original art in this original tale of love, hope, and redemption."
9/25/23 • Forces of Geek
"A profound and moving reading experience"
9/23/23 • Boing Boing
"A gorgeous graphic celebration of Marvel Comics"
9/21/23 • CBR
"A story about positivity that's as biographical and spiritual as it is action-packed and bombastic"
9/19/23 • AIPT Comics
"Epic is an understatement"
9/14/23 • Games Radar
"This lavish, idiosyncratic, and beautiful work is part autobiography, part love letter to iconic creators. ... The book really is something to behold as it remixes and recontextualises classic Marvel art alongside his own drawings to tell a story that's very personal to McDonnell, one that we thoroughly enjoyed reading."
9/12/23 • Gizmodo
"A superheroic spiritual journey"
8/24/23 • Publishers Weekly
"Joyous and invigorating blend of memoir and homage" (starred review)
2/3/23 • Marvel
“It’s a unique and singular reading experience that pays homage to the great works of the Silver Age while at the same time using them to make a grander statement about the human condition. It will give you the eyes of a kid again.”
ABOUT THE BOOK
The book begins with the Watcher as he observes Earth and the inner struggles of the Marvel heroes. He watches Doctor Doom (who has harnessed the power of the Negative Zone) slowly destroy the human spirit. The Watcher then leads Mr. Fantastic on a meta journey through the pages of classic comic books. Ultimately, our heroes come to a Zen solution in an unexpected fashion — one that aligns with Patrick's other beloved and award-winning books — leaving us with a renewed sense of love, hope, and redemption.
The Super Hero's Journey incorporates pages and panels from classic 1960s Marvel comics written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck. These pages are interwoven with Patrick’s own comic art and paintings to tell a new story for a new audience.
***
"The Super Hero’s Journey is a fantastical dream-memory of my childhood infatuation with comic books, and a tale of the spiritual inner journey of reconnecting to the “super being” in us all. The book is a love letter celebrating the artistry and wonder of the original Marvel Universe as created by Lee, Kirby, and Ditko. It’s a mashup between my art and the original panels from those classic 1960 Marvel Comics."
— Patrick McDonnell