Avec son travail, il ravive nos blessures d’alors, ainsi que les fantasmes de puissance et de destruction qui peuplaient nos dessins d’adolescents perturbés, où la violence et le sexe se mêlaient maladroitement. L’illustrateur originaire de Brooklyn noircit des cahiers de cours avec des personnages issues des imaginaires de l’heroic fantasy, de la Marvel ou d’Hollywood, pour des affiches de films incroyables à la composition hyper énergique.

Il dirige également la maison d’édition Traditional Comics, qui s’occupe principalement d’éditer sespropres bandes dessinées, comme le célèbre Gangsta Rap Posse, où Mara s’amuse avec l’imaginaire du gangsta rap californien instauré par le groupe NWA, ou encore Night Business, qui mélange tous les tropes du téléfilm de thriller nocturne.

"All the guy characters look like action figures you would have killed to have owned when you were little, and all the girl characters/strippers look like drawings of sexy ladies you would have made to impress your friends and convince your enemies that you’re not gay."
– Nick Gazin, Vice

Benjamin Marra se fera également remarquer pour les illustrations qu’il réalisa pour des pochettes de mixtapes. Reprenant la tradition des pochettes de rap dessinées dans un style naif, instaurée par la célèbre pochette de Doggystyle en 1993, il réalisa les illustrations de 6 Kiss et Black Ken, de Lil B. Puis, en 2015, pour la mixtape Nasty Dealer de Bricc Baby Shitro.

– http://www.benjaminmarra.com/
– http://www.traditionalcomics.com/

BIO

Benjamin Marra is the notorious, controversial and influential comic creator of the comic books NIGHT BUSINESS, GANGSTA RAP POSSE, THE INCREDIBLY FANTASTIC ADVENTURES OF MAUREEN DOWD (A WORK OF SATIRE AND FICTION) and LINCOLN WASHINGTON : FREE MAN ! Marra has drawn comparisons to mainstream masters like Paul Gulacy and Jim Steranko, as well as underground comix legends like R. Crumb and Spain Rodriguez, and even the Beat writers. His art beyond the cutting edge. His work is in the cut itself.

His illustration work has been recognized by The Society of Illustrators, The Society of Publication Designers, 3x3 and American Illustration. In 2006 he was named as one of the Art Directors Club Young Guns.

Some of the publications and companies he has done illustration for include Playboy, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Marvel Comics, Vice, Radar, Paper, Nylon, Widen+Kennedy and McCann-Erickson.

Marra is the founder and publisher of TRADITIONAL COMICS and co-founder of the underground illustration and design journal MAMMAL.

Marra received a B.F.A in Illustration from Syracuse University, where he also studied at their art program in Florence, Italy. He received an M.F.A. in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts.

He lives in Brooklyn.