Meet the man that drew some of your favorite comics
Phil Hester is behind the pen in drawing iconic characters such as the Green Arrow
By Nicole Tam
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Thousands of fans got to meet hundreds of artists at the Iowa Events Center for the Des Moines Con. One of the artists is an Iowan, whose artwork has made it onto the silver screen.
Phil Hester is behind the pen in drawing iconic characters such as the Green Arrow, Justice League and Batman for comic books.
“Comics were just like a natural way to tell stories. And so as I developed my skills as an artist, I also began to think about writing these stories, too,” said Hester.
Hester grew up in Cedar Rapids drawing comics with his friends in high school. Hours and hours of work plus lots of passion and dedication led to him working for studio giants such as Marvel and DC. Some of his characters ended up on television and the silver screen.
“It was really like a progression. And at the time it seemed like forever to me, but it was really like 18 to 24, you know, which is like a blink of an eye,” said Hester.
Hester was one of the artists at the Des Moines Con, a way for fans to meet the face behind their favorite characters. Organizers say that reason is why the experience is always special.
“You kind of see them as a real person as opposed to their character on the screen, which might be larger than life, but everybody is a real person and it’s cool that make a connection with somebody on that human level,” said Ben Penrod, Des Moines Con.
It has been more than 30 years since Hester first started doodling, he still draws every day. His advice for the kids doodling in their notebooks: If you want to be a cartoonist, you are already one.
“Don’t wait for anyone to give you permission to be creative. Like just jump right in. And that process of being creative will teach you tons about doing it,” said Hester.
Thousands of empty pens later, he’s still jumping into every comic with the same excitement as high school Phil.
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