Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1988)
UNL alumnus, comic-book artist directs play Courtesy Bob Hall By Jim Hanna Staff Reporter He sketched nonchalantly while we talked. As I continued to rattle off questions, he rattled off Conan the Barbarian on his sketch pad. Bob Hall has been drawing comic books for nearly 15 years. In that time, he worked almost exclusively with Marvel Comics, creating images for popular comic books such as Spider man, the Avengers, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, Thor# and Dr Doom. But as successful as Hall has been in comic-book land, drawing is not his primary career. Instead of finding him huddled over a drafting board churning out pictures of Thor, you're more likely to find him in a theater, churning out Shakespeare. Hall is co-founder of the New Rude Mechanicals, a Shakespearean . theater company in New York City. Currently, Hall is a guest director at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, directing the theater department’s last production of the season, “As You Like It.” Hall, who received a theater de gree from UNL in 1967 and a master’s degree in 1969, turned to drawing for comic books as a way to financially support his fledgling directing career after he moved to New York. “Once I got to New York, it began to dawn on me that I had no skills. I just had degrees,” Hall said.“Abunch > of friends of mine who were into f comic books — and I hadn’t read one in years — they started saying, ‘You \ could do this. You could draw for A comic books.’ So I looked into it and thought, 'Yeah, I could do this.’” 'U Hall supported himself in college # by drawing promotional posters for UNL’s theater productions. He saidK'j that practice had helped develop hisf# drawing skills. He sent his portfolios*/ to comic book producers, and though V he wasn’t immediately successful,** was soon drawing superheroes money. “It’s a hell of a lot better than boL „ a waiter,’’ Hall said. emf' jl Hall’s most recent comic-book <1/ project was a color graphic nowl of Jp the soon-to-be-released movie **Wil-n£j low,” which he finished just before® coming to UNL for auditions in mid*^ January. Although the project is bound to be successful. HaU said, he did not like, doing it as much as he likes drawing for comic books. “I probably wouldn’t doit again, which is not to knock the film,” he said. “One of the nice thirtgs about comics is you get to make up all the stuff, and in the film they wanted me to go from reference, which actually is a lot less fun.” See HALL on 7 Andy Manhart/Daily Nabraakan
