Marshall Center's Sherman Comic Book Story is No Laughing Matter

Photo By Karlheinz Wedhorn | George C. Marshall European Center Visual Information Specialist M. Zachary Sherman looks through his recently published comic book "Sentient". Sherman says his passion for writing and drawing comics helps make him a better information specialist.  

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, BY, GERMANY

10.14.2016

Story by James Brooks 

George C. Marshall Center for Security Studies

What if everything you ever believed turned out to be a lie?

More importantly, you were told you weren't human but an entirely different being?

That's the science fiction tale in the recently published comic book "Sentient," written and produced by George C. Marshall European Center Visual Information Specialist M. Zachary Sherman.

"I've been working on Sentient for over two years. The original idea, 'what if everything you thought about your life was a lie?' was the catalyst. But the script and the art took the majority of the time to create," said Sherman.

Sentient isn't Sherman's first published comic story book. His first published work was for a Star Wars comic book in 2005, but the self-described, life-long story teller made his break as a "creator owned" comic book writer in 2006.

"My first original graphic novel was a book called "SOCOM: SEAL Team Seven." It's a graphic novel about U.S. Navy SEALs who fight the legendary underwater kingdom of Atlantis who had come to enslave humanity. But I have worked for Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Hermes Press, and a slew of others as a work-for-hire writer," said Sherman.

While Sherman takes pride in his artwork as a visual information specialist and graphic artist for the Marshall Center, he says his artistic style isn't tailored to comics and graphic novels. Sherman's illustrator for Sentient was Javier Xerx, someone who he has worked with in the past.

"You need to know your strengths and weaknesses. And these guys do it every day, day in and day out. Even at a fast clip, it can take an entire day to produce just one page of a comic book, and that's for the pencils alone. For 'Sentient,' I wanted to capture the essence of San Francisco, where the story takes place. I worked really closely with Javier to recreate the city's landmarks and buildings, and I know it was tedious for him, because he was limited to drawing existing landscapes to perfection. But it totally paid off, because one comic reviewer said 'the drawings captured the city perfectly and you don't see that happen very often in comics these days,'" Sherman explained.

Sherman, a Marine Corps veteran, also used to write stories and create other art elements for the U.S. Army-sponsored comic book and video game series "America's Army."

"The stories were at their core about Soldiers, what they go through, how they become the best versions of themselves and how they overcome adversity, on and off the battlefield. You can still download free copies of the comic book online," he said.

While some may discount Sherman's passion for comic books, he is quick to point out that it helps him become a better visual specialist.

"Being a visual effects artist and graphic designer has given me a very visual writing style that allows me to impart what I'm looking for to the artists and visual information specialists who work with me. It's also helped me develop a critical eye which allows for detailed project reviews so I can get the best imagery for Marshall Center customers' projects. Comics is a visual medium and it needs to impart mood, emotion, drama and action very clearly without the use of words. Having this background as an artist makes me a better editor and team lead as well," said Sherman.

• Date Taken: 10.14.2016
• Date Posted: 02.20.2017 03:34
• Story ID: 224089
• Location: GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, BY, DE