Writer-artist Jonathan Hickman was born in South Carolina and is a graduate of Clemson University. He writes comics like The Avengers for Marvel Entertainment and books, like Pax Romana, Manhattan Projects and The Nightly News. His latest work, East of West, Vol. One: The Promise (Image Comics), with artist Nick Dragotta, is about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse failing to bring about the end of the world because one of them falls in love.
On your nightstand now:
I skip around a bit. Let's see... right now I have The Revolution Was Televised by Alan Sepinwall, the Michael Clayton screenplay by Tony Gilroy, The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie and Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman and Skottie Young. Beautiful art by Skottie in that last one, by the way.
Favorite book when you were a child:
A Tolkien Bestiary by David Day. I'd draw my own versions of the fictional animals and then concoct little origin stories, ancient battles, and unknown histories of all the creatures Mister Tolkien created. I really liked A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels by Gustav Davidson for the same reasons.
Your top five authors:
Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Pynchon, Iain Banks, Frank Herbert and William Gibson.
Book you've faked reading:
Oh, plenty of stuff. Anything assigned for homework during high school. White Fang, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby... anything I could get the Cliffs Notes for. I just wanted to spend all my time painting and drawing. I corrected most of these as I've gotten older; still no White Fang, though.
Book you've bought for the cover:
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. Daniel Dociu did the art. He's a concept guy, which is a sweet spot for me, and there was the added bonus of me absolutely loving the book. Bends off two-thirds of the way through and takes you into a pretty special place.
Book you're an evangelist for and book that changed your life:
I read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield over a long dinner in a Greek restaurant one evening. That night I went home and immediately started what would be my first published book. I'm sure I'm not the only disciple out there, but The War of Art remains very personal and powerful stuff for me.
Favorite line from a book:
"You teach them to cheat, to cover their tracks, and they cheat you as well." --from The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.