[SANFORD] ONE DAY, MY MOM,
WE WENT TO THE LOCAL K-MART,
I SAW THIS SPINNER RACK
THAT HAD COMICS ON IT,
AND I HAD NEVER
SEEN THAT BEFORE.
AND I JUST WAS,
I DON'T KNOW, I JUST KINDA
LEVITATED OVER TO IT,
AND THAT'S WHEN
THE HEAVENS PARTED.
[MUSIC]
>> [NARRATOR] SANFORD
GREENE IS AN ILLUSTRATOR.
FROM HIS HOMETOWN OF
GREELEYVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA,
THIS BENEDICT COLLEGE GRADUATE
HAS STEADILY WORKED HIS WAY UP
IN THE COMIC
ILLUSTRATOR CIRCLES.
[MAN SPEAKING]   FOR ME, DEFINITELY
IN MY TOP 10,
I LIKE BLACK PANTHER
AND I LIKE THE WORK
HE HAS DONE IN BLACK PANTHER,
AND AS FOR MY FRIENDS
WHO'VE SEEN IT
WHO ARE ACTUALLY TRYING
TO BECOME A GAME DESIGNER,
HE LOOKS AT A LOT OF HIS WORK
SINCE I'VE TOLD HIM ABOUT HIM,
AND LOOK AT MORE OF HIS WORK
AND THE STUFF THAT
HE'S DOING NOW.
[SANFORD] BEFORE I
UNDERSTOOD THAT BLACK PANTHER
WAS A AFRICAN CHARACTER,
A BLACK CHARACTER,
THIS IS BEFORE I
REALLY KNEW LUKE CAGE,
THERE AS THIS CHARACTER
CALLED THE FALCON,
AND HE WAS PART OF THE AVENGERS,
AND HE WAS CAPTAIN
AMERICA'S BEST BUDDY,
AND I KNEW THOSE CHARACTERS,
AND I SAW HIM TEAMING UP WITH
CAPTAIN AMERICA
AND THE AVENGERS,
AND I WAS JUST LIKE OH
WOW, HE LOOKS JUST LIKE ME.
SO, I TRIED TO DRAW
THAT CHARACTER.
[NARRATOR] AT COMIC
CONVENTIONS LIKE HEROES CON,
FANS CROWD AROUND HIS
BOOTH SEEKING AUTOGRAPHS
AND ORIGINAL SKETCHES,
OR SOMETIMES JUST TO TALK.
[SANFORD] I HAVE A BOOTH
OR A TABLE AREA
WHERE I HAVE A
DISPLAY OF MY WORK,
AND FANS COME TO ME
AND GET BOOKS THAT
I'VE WORKED ON,
AUTOGRAPHS, ALSO,
THEY GET WHAT WE
CALL COMMISSIONS
SOMETIMES RIGHT
THERE ON THE SPOT,
THEY MAY WANT A QUICK SKETCH
IN THEIR LITTLE SKETCHBOOKS OR
A COVER ON THEIR COVERS
OR WHAT HAVE YOU,
OR THEY BUY ORIGINALS FROM ME,
LIKE THERE COULD BE
SOMETHING THAT THEY MAY BE
A BLACK PANTHER FAN
OR A LUKE CAGE FAN,
AND I HAVE ORIGINALS ON DISPLAY
FROM THE BOOKS THAT
I'VE WORKED ON,
AND THEY WOULD PURCHASE
THOSE PIECES THERE.
SO, IT'S A LITTLE
BIT OF EVERYTHING,
AND OF COURSE, I DO
PANEL DISCUSSIONS THERE,
AND THEN WE DO KIND OF OTHER
TYPES OF MEET AND GREETS.
IT'S KIND OF COOL
TO BE A PART OF IT,
TO SOMETHING WHERE,
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE
THE YOUNGER ARTISTS,
OR EVEN ARTISTS THAT YOU
CONSIDER TO BE PEERS,
THERE'S SOME ARTISTS
THAT I'VE MAYBE
NEVER REALLY MET BEFORE,
BUT I ADMIRE THEIR WORK.
AND I MEET THEM
FOR THE FIRST TIME
AT ONE OF THESE CONVENTIONS,
AND WE HAVE THIS RAPPORT,
AND THAT IS REALLY GRATIFYING,
BECAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU WORK IN
SECLUSION MOST OF THE TIME,
MOST OF US ARTISTS,
WE WORK THAT WAY.
SO, THE REAL,
THERE'S REAL FELLOWSHIP
WHEN WE HAVE THESE EVENTS.
[MAN SPEAKING] IT'S A FRATERNITY
OF COMIC ARTISTS,
IT'S A BIG GROUP,
BUT IT'S A SMALL
COMMUNITY OF VERY TIGHT ARTISTS,
THE ONES WHO HAVE A
PASSION FOR THE ART.
[NARRATOR] SANFORD
GREENE IS AN ILLUSTRATOR,
HAVING WORKED FOR BOTH
MARVEL AND DC COMICS,
HE HAS DRAWN ALL THE BIGGIES.
AMONG THEM,
SUPERMAN, SPIDER-MAN,
BATMAN, WONDER WOMAN,
IRON FIST, LUKE CAGE,
THE BLACK PANTHER, AND MORE.
MUSIC
>> SPIDER-MAN IS A
CHALLENGING CHARACTER,
TO DRAW, EVEN.
SUPERMAN IS A
CHALLENGING CHARACTER,
YOU KNOW, HOW DO I TELL A STORY,
NOT NECESSARILY TELL A STORY,
BUT HOW DO I AS
A BLACK ILLUSTRATOR
BE ABLE TO CONNECT
WITH THIS CHARACTER
THAT IS HONESTLY,
HE INVOKES THIS
THE ULTIMATE WHITE MALE.
I DIDN'T WANNA BE UNAUTHENTIC,
I WANTED TO STILL
BE ABLE TO SHOW
MY TAKE ON IT,
HOW DO I APPROACH A STRONG
WHITE MALE DOMINANT CHARACTER
COMING FROM MY BACKGROUND,
UNDERSTANDING WHAT THAT
MEANS WHEN I SEE IT,
OR READ IT, OR WHATEVER.
SO, THAT WAS CHALLENGING,
BUT TO KINDA SEGWAY
INTO THAT'S WHY
I THINK IT'S EVEN MORE
CHALLENGING FOR ME
TO DO MY OWN CHARACTERS,
IT'S EVEN MORE CHALLENGING
TO DO THOSE CHARACTERS
BECAUSE I WANT TO INVOKE
THAT SAME TYPE OF
REALNESS IN MY CHARACTERS
AND IMPORTANCE IN MY CHARACTERS
THAT YOU WOULD SEE IN A
SUPERMAN OR A SPIDER-MAN.
>> [NARRATOR] WITH
SO MANY CHARACTERS
IN HIS PORTFOLIO,
DOES GREENE HAVE A FAVORITE?
[SANFORD] MY FAVORITE
COMIC CHARACTER,
MY OWN, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
AND I KNOW THAT'S KIND OF LIKE
A CHEAP PITCH, IF YOU WILL,
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I MEAN,
I'VE ENJOYED WOLVERINE
AND SPIDER-MAN AND BATMAN,
AND THESE ARE CHARACTERS
THAT I
ASPIRE TO WORK ON
PROFESSIONALLY.
I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE
TO WORK ON ALL OF THEM
ON SOME CAPACITY,
AND THEN JUST HAVING TO DO
SUCH A MILESTONE CHARACTER
LIKE BLACK PANTHER
AND LUKE CAGE,
THAT IS EXTREMELY
PERSONAL AND MEANINGFUL FOR ME.
BUT BECAUSE OF ALL OF
THOSE OPPORTUNITIES,
I'M NOW ABLE TO DO THE THINGS
THAT HAS BEEN A PART OF
MY PSYCHE FOR A LONG TIME,
MY CREATIONS.
>> [NARRATOR] GREENE IS
PARTNERING WITH WRITERS
CHUCK BROWN AND DAVID WALKER
TO BRING BITTER ROOT TO LIFE.
[SANFORD]  BITTER ROOT IS A
FAMILY OF MONSTER HUNTERS
SET DURING THE HARLEM
RENAISSANCE TIME PERIOD.
AND THE MATRIARCH OF THE FAMILY
WAS TRAINED WITH HIS
TECHNIQUE CALLED BITTER ROOT
DURING THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
BECAUSE OF A
SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE
THAT TOOK PLACE DOWN THERE.
I'VE NEVER WORKED THIS HARD
IN MY LIFE PROFESSIONALLY,
I CAN SAY THAT,
AND IT'S HONESTLY BECAUSE
THESE CHARACTERS MEAN
SO MUCH TO ME RIGHT NOW.
>> [NARRATOR] GREENE
IS A DEVOTED HUSBAND,
AND A FATHER OF TWO SONS.
[ LESLI] HE DOESN'T TALK ABOUT
A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT HE
DOES, A LOT OF THE
EXPOSURE THAT HE GETS,
HE JUST LIKES TO BE
CONSIDERED A REGULAR GUY,
WHICH IS REALLY COOL.
AND AS LONG AS I'VE KNOWN HIM,
HE'S ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THAT,
HE HAS NOT CHANGED FROM
THE MINUTE WE BECAME FRIENDS
TO 20 YEARS INTO OUR MARRIAGE
AND HIS CAREER BEING AT
THE LEVEL THAT IT IS.
SO, HE'S THE SAME GUY.
[SANFORD] IF SOMEONE COMES TO ME,
IT COULD BE A LITTLE KID,
I'M A BIG FAN OF YOUR
WORK, I REALLY ADMIRE IT,
OR I ASPIRE TO DO
WHAT YOU DO ONE DAY,
YOU KNOW, THAT'S LIKE WOW.
NOW YOU REALIZE
YOU'RE REACHING FOLKS,
AND YOU START TO
PLAY THAT TAPE BACK
WHEN YOU WERE 10, 11 YEARS OLD
AND YOU GOT THAT FIRST COMIC
AND YOU MET THAT ARTIST
FOR THE FIRST TIME
LIKE OH MAN, IT'S
FULL CIRCLE NOW.
