First the official bio: David Mack is the author and artist of The Shy Creatures children’s picture book, and the award winning KABUKI graphic novels, and the Eisner Award nominated writer of Daredevil for Marvel Comics. KABUKI: The Alchemy is his current story published by Marvel Comics.

Mack is the subject of a new award winning documentary film: “The Alchemy of Art: David Mack” now released on
DVD. Go to fan site davidmackguide.com for links and more information.

I have been a fan of David's for years, and love not only his art (as seen on the much lamented Alias series which had no relation to the tv program) but also his writing and have Kabuki both in trade paperbacks and single issue comics. (I receive every issue of his ongoing series, Kabuki: The Alchemy, as it is released.) The Shy Creatures was a real surprise though; it's Seussical style is wonderful and the story is very sweet and sassy and most certainly has large appeal to picture book reading boys and girls. Here's a bit of my review from this fall:

One of the interesting hooks here is "the shy girl" who hides behind a pile of books at her school desk. She has a very big imagination and clearly has not been afraid to research the topic that interests her so much. The creatures here are not of the common variety; there is Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and a unicorn, but also Phoenix, the Cyclops and Chupacabra. Mack reaches into literature for the Pushmi-pullyu and outer space for the "Grey Aliens." This is clearly a shy girl who lets nothing limit her dreams; or her kindness.

I also interviewed David as part of the WBBT which was a great treat for me and provided some insight into how he incorporates the themes of children's literature into the very adult themed Kabuki series:

The inclusion of picture books in the Kabuki storyline came first. The Kabuki volumes have always had children’s literature as a theme that runs through them. The first volume is a retelling of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Each of the characters in the story matches to a character in Carroll’s world and each corresponds to a piece on the chess board.

I had created another picture book that became a book within the story as well called My Invisible Friend. The Shy Creatures continued with these themes. The book within a book motif gives me a way to show a whimsical kid’s perspective of how to read the surface themes of the story.

David is one of the most innovative writers and artists out there today and if you have somehow missed his work than I urge you now to go out and buy copies of Kabuki and The Shy Creatures. You will be impressed, I promise. Now onto David's favorite reads this year.
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Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison. A wonderful memoir of the author who discovers he has Asperger’s Syndrome as an adult which shed’s light on the quirks and misadventures and human interactions of his childhood and early formative years. An account of a life lived according to his gifts rather than limitations, and the book is a method of the author taking stock of both of those to better understand himself.

I related to this book because it echoed dead on many of my own experiences through the lens of Asperger’s
and gave me a sober perspective of the expectations of human interaction.

Blink by Malcom Gladwell. The pros & cons of making decisions from the first look and gut instinct verses a continued study. The way our mind makes judgements before our conscious mind understands how or why.

If They Give you Lined Paper Write Sideways by Daniel Quinn. An author’s response to the question “How do you do what you do?” Told in a back and forth Q&A form of dialogue which I enjoy.

Book of Longing by Leonard Cohen. A wonderful book of his poetry.

How to Think Like Einstein by Scott Thorpe. A wonderful collection of practical ways to re-think your world and solve problems great and small by breaking the rules of your pre-conceptions. I referenced this in my current KABUKI: The Alchemy story.

The Classic Stories of Philip K. Dick. The multi book collection of all of Dick’s short stories. Around a 150 short stories that include thoughtful ideas and twists of reality and philosophical questions of free will, what is real, and what it means to be human. Read these to see where the current road of Sci-Fi came from.

The War of Art (Winning the Inner Creative Battle) Steven Pressfield. A wonderful book on how a writer does what he does from a practical standpoint of how to do just about anything by doing it, instead of resisting the urge to do it. Makes a moral case for why you must do what you are creatively compelled to do.

RANT by Chuck Palahniuk A biography of the main character told in chunks through the subjective lens of the people in his life. I love all of Palahniuk’s work and find it thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring. This was an advance reading copy sent to me by the author with the inscription “To David Mack, Thank You for the inspiration!” So it will be even closer to my heart. One time someone asked what film would best describe my live so far and I said it would be a re-mix mash-up between Fight Club & The Royal Tanenbaums.

The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell. Documenting a variety of research in multiple areas, of what makes a social phenomenon jump to the next level and become something else.

Einstein’s Cosmos by Michio Kaku. The renowned Theortical Physicist gives an accessabile tour of how Einstein thought in simple physical structures that had vast implications.

Magical Thinking by Augustyn Burroughs. I’ve read all of his books and enjoy them all.

Word Virus by William S. Burroughs. The nature of language. The built in story and thought control inherent in the use of any language. Love it. The author one of my influences, and this book was the most influential.

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Whoa - I did not see any of these coming! What fascinating subjects and interesting choices. I'm trying to figure out how Gladwell, Einstein, Quinn and Augustyn Burroughs (not to mention Chuck Palahniuk and Philip K. Dick) all come together in David's head as he writes his fiction. Never would have guessed these - not one of them. What an unusual group and some great choices for further reading for the rest of. (Hello - The War of Art?! How awesome does that sound?)

Thanks for stopping by David - back tomorrow with First Second designer (and comic book writer/artist herself) Danica Novgorodoff.