We here at Mr. Marvel have been getting some emails asking us why every contribution to our publication is listed as J. Doe. J. Doe, or more specifically Johnathan Doe, is actually the pseudonym for a group of individual artists who banded together back in 2004. When we first conceived Mr. Marvel in the spring of 2004, most of us were unknown or just starting our careers in the arts. Today, we are by no means household names, but we have all established a respectable record in our differing fields of art. We who contribute to Mr. Marvel however, still hold to the core belief that brought us together four years ago, that the image should supercede the artist. We believe that the image produced by the artist should be viewed first and foremost and point to artwork attributed to unknown artists throughout history as sources of inspiration. We here at Mr. Marvel choose to remain anonymous, even writing as one individual under the unifying “I” in our artist statement in the hope that the messages in our art will be viewed without qualifying it based on the gender or race of those who made it. While it is sometimes hard for all of us to agree on what exactly makes our images effective, we do all agree that the power of the image is as strong today as it ever has been. We at Mr. Marvel will continue to showcase a variety of artists who choose to allow their artwork to speak for itself, whether it is under the pseudonym J. Doe or under their real name and hope you the reader will contribute your own images and artwork to fill future issues. Stay tuned here for further information!
