Korby Marks currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California but was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. There he attended Morehouse College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Media Arts with a concentration in Film.
From there he worked as a production assistant and assistant sound engineer on a number of music videos and small independent films, until he began to pen his 1700 page manuscript, The Suicide Pilot. During the ten-year span it took to complete The Suicide Pilot, Korby also co-wrote the first ever African-American serial novel, When Butterflies Kiss.
On Comics
Current Favorite Comic Book:
My current favorite comic book is, Astonishing X-Men, written by Joss Whedon and illustrated by John Cassaday. In this series Whedon single-handedly rescues the X-Men from their current mainstream distortion and sanitization and makes them old school again. He writes with respect to their maverick-iconic status and does so unapologetically. And John Cassady’s art style is the perfect companion to Whedon’s storytelling ability.
All Time Favorite Comic Book:
I haven’t read comic books in almost ten years. During and after college I became a huge fan of the novel: literary fiction, non-fiction and the autobiography. But the hardcover editions of the ultimate series, particularly, The Ultimate X-Men brought me back in a big way. So I’d have to say The Uncanny X-Men, is my favorite comic book series of all time. Its metaphors for human rights as well the outsider’s sense of alienation against the status quo solidified me as a lifelong fan.
I also have to mention, Brotherman. It was the best African-American themed comic book ever produced. It was smart, witty, edgy, political and well written and illustrated; if there is one comic book series I sorely miss, it’s this one.
I also adored Alias, the 27 issue comic book series written by Brain Michael Bendis. It’s as close to comic book storytelling perfection as you can get. And Bendis’s ability to write character-to-character dialogue is simply unsurpassed.
And finally I have to give honorable mention to, Starbrand. During Marvel’s New Universe run in the mid ’80’s this was an absolutely amazing book to read. A car mechanic wakes up one morning with what he thinks is a tattoo. But the tattoo is actually the most powerful weapon in the galaxy, and now everyone from aliens to government officials are trying to kill him and take it as their own. And to top it all off his personal life goes straight to hell.
Best Single Issue Ever Read:
The New Teen Titans # 38: Who Is Donna Troy. The orphaned Wonder Girl hires Robin to find out who her parents are. I loved this issue because it was like reading a novel or short story. And it dealt with my favorite theme in literature, man vs. self. Wonder Girl needed to know who she was to set her Self free from her past and better navigate her future. It was also riveting to see how dark and methodical a hero Robin had become as he used his detective skills, learned from Batman, to crack a case that had absolutely zero leads. And the scene when Donna Troy finds her family again: absolutely priceless.
Best Story Arc Ever Read:
The best multi-issue story arc I ever read was Darvedevil, issues 227-233. Daredevil i.e., Matt Murdock’s former lover writes his secret identity on a slip of paper and sells it for a hit of heroin. The slip of paper makes it’s way to the Kingpin of Crime. And over six glorious issues we watch as the Kingpin bombs Matt Murdock’s home, gets him disbarred as a lawyer, ruins his credit, and kills everyone who’d touched the slip of paper with Daredevil’s secret identity on it. Daredevil become homeless, a drunkard and hits as rock bottom as any superhero I’d ever seen. The Kingpin’s destruction of him is so complete and so intimate it’d be a love story if there wasn’t so much hate between the two.
Favorite Comic book Artist:
Comic book artists get better and better as time progresses, each generation is astonishingly better than their predecessors. And there are so many good ones out there right now: John Cassady, Mark Bagley, Andy and Adam Kubert, Salvador Larroca, etc. But I’d have to say my favorite artist of all time is Paul Smith.
Why? Smith was the penciler when I purchased my very first comic book ever, The Uncanny X-Men, # 169. His penciling along with Chris Claremont’s storytelling brought an intimacy to the X-Men so deep it made me fall in love with the series. And Uncanny X-Men issues 165 - 175. Smith’s penciling in tandem with Claremont’s writing was the second best run in X-men history right behind the Chris Claremont and John Byrne, years. So while there are better artists than Paul Smith, he still remains my favorite because his was the first work I loved.
Favorite Comic book Writer:
Brian Michael Bendis. His work on Alias is astonishing. It doesn’t even read like dialogue, it’s as if you’re eavesdropping on the lives of real people. And even though his mainstream comic book work is sanitized, his current run on The New Avengers, Young Avengers and Ultimate Fantastic Four is top notch as well.
Personal Goal as an Artist:
My personal goal as an artist is to be the very best writer-creator I can. I want to push the boundaries of storytelling and heighten the level of development for all my characters but especially for my characters of color. It’s imperative to me to create characters of color who shatter stereotypes and ethnic-humor based storytelling. And with this in mind I want to create the very best product in the marketplace.