Seeing the gargantuan Incredible Hulk in the latest comic-book-character-to-movie-hero was a great experience for former Fairfax Station resident Sal Buscema, an artist for Marvel Comics and one of the Hulk's sketch artists. Instead of Bill Bixby metamorphasizing with Lou Ferragno as in the '70s television show, the movie Hulk was doing the superhuman things in the movie he did in Buscema's drawings.
"It looks phenomenal, they brought this comic book character to life," Buscema said.
The artist spent ten of his 35 years at Marvel Comics drawing the Incredible Hulk and is one of the artists mentioned in the movie's credits. On television, the Hulk just got muscular and threw a few bad guys around. In the movie, he becomes bigger than life and does things that require special effects. Bixby's character was David Banner, while in the comic he was Bruce Banner, as he is in the movie. Buscema still watched the television show though.
"I watched the show because it was fun," he said. "It was different than the comic book. They're [movies] trying to be as true to the comics as possible."
Buscema grew up idolizing his big brother John, who was eight years older and also made a career at Marvel Comics. John Buscema died in 2001.
"He definitely was a talented guy, I followed in his footsteps," Buscema said.
Sal lived and worked in Fairfax Station before moving to a golf community in Gainesville in the later years. He is semi-retired now and will be talking about his experience as an artist and comic book illustrator at the Jubilee Christian Center on July 13, at 10 a.m.
Besides the Hulk, Buscema drew Captain America, the Avengers and Spider Man while at Marvel.
"He's [Spider-man] probably the single most popular character in comics," he said.
Buscema is credited on the cover of the book "Avengers Defenders War," calling him "the legendary Sal Buscema." Locally, Buscema has made a mark on the local scale as well. Springfield resident Leon Klud has known him since 1985. They met at the Jubilee church in Fairfax where Buscema did the glass etching that is still above the front door of the church.
"He does some artwork for the church too," as well as some of the backdrops for their theatrical productions.
Wife Pat Klud appreciates Buscema's work.
"He's very generous with his talent. He recognized God gave him the ability," she said.
Over at Big Planet Comics in Vienna, Sal's brother John Buscema's name was more familiar to manager Greg Bennett.
"John was really well known because he was one of the regular artists for Conan [The Barbarian]. Sal was a guy who could make deadlines," he said.
Buscema gets calls every once in a while from Marvel to break out the sketch pad again. It's something he hasn't given up.
"It was a fantastic career," he said. "I'm getting paid and paid well to draw pictures which is what I enjoy doing."
IN 1956, Buscema was restless and wanted to get his stint in the U.S. Army over with so he could start a career as an artist. In those days, the military draft was part of life for a young man and people wouldn't hire anyone for a long-term position if they hadn't completed their military service first.
"I asked to get pushed up in the draft status because no one would hire me," he said.
After being drafted, he was stationed at Fort Belvoir as an illustrator. He got out of the Army and worked for Creative Arts Studio in Washington, D.C. Marvel Comics finally hired him in 1968.
At Marvel, there was a process for creating the comic books.
"The editor and artists will get together and agree on a storyline. The writer will come up with a plot. They rely on the artist's pictorial story-telling ability," he said.
One of Buscema's greatest influences was his older brother John. Other influences included Renaissance artists and French Impressionists.
"I'm more of a traditionalist than abstract," he said.