Rashad Doucet: Reading Creatively
Robert Almand
“My goal as an artist is to make something universal everyone can enjoy,” says sequential art professor Rashad Doucet (M.F.A., sequential art, 2009). An Eisner Award winner, Doucet has worked with LucasArts, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Zuda Comics. He is currently illustrating Alabaster Shadows (Oni Press) about an African-American kid and his friends facing mysteries in his new town involving H.P. Lovecraft-inspired monsters. As an artist, Rashad always delivers diversity, inclusion, and fun. So, what’s he reading this summer that’s bringing him joy?
Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru, Superman Smashes the Klan (DC Comics, 2019): “A comic based on a 1940s radio serial that responded to the rise of the KKK after WW2. The radio series played a huge role in discrediting the Klan in pop culture. The graphic novel adapts it from the perspective of an immigrant family meeting Superman and running into trouble with their new neighbors. It explores racial and cultural issues from different perspectives while still being a classic superhero tale.”
Kat Leyh, SnapDragon (First Second, 2020): “This graphic novel deals positively with issues kids are facing today. A child of mixed race growing up in a small town befriends the rumored local “witch” and discovers a good bit about herself, her family’s past, and the world around her. The story has a great twist mid-way through.”
Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman and Matt Wilson, The Mighty Thor Volume 1: Thunder in Her Veins (Marvel, 2017): “The story of how cancer patient Dr. Jane Foster became the new Thor (Natalie Portman will play this character in an upcoming movie). Deals with a hero who balances a very serious illness while still finding time to save the world and deal with legacy of being Thor.”
Mark Waid and Alex Ross, Kingdom Come (DC Comics, 2019): “A beautiful painted superhero comic that explores what happens when Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have retired in old age but have to return due to the rise of new heroes who may have gone too far. It shows how the weight of being icons has a heavy effect on their personal lives, especially after decades of doing it.”
Saladin Ahmed, Javier Guerron, and David Curiel, Miles Morales Vol. 1: Straight Out Of Brooklyn (Marvel, 2019): “For fans of the Spiderverse movie who want to see how a slightly older Miles Morales handles the balance of being a hero and teenager, try this fun romp showcasing more of the character we all loved from the movie.”
Mariko Tamaki, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me (First Second Books, 2019): “A teenager wrestles with leaving her on-and-off unhealthy relationship with her girlfriend behind while realizing that she may not have been supportive enough for one of her best friends because of it. The artwork is atmospherically stunning with a limited color palette that really fits the story.”
