Jay Piscopo interviewed on WCSH6

PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Metropolis has Superman, Gotham City has Batman, and now Maine has its own superpowered protector.

Sea Ghost is the creation of Portland-based comic book artist Jay Piscopo. After years as a supporting player, the character is taking center stage as the star of his own title.

Piscopo recently shared his plans for Sea Ghost with NEWS CENTER's Lee Nelson.

Piscopo said Sea Ghost first appeared in "The Undersea Adventures of Cap'n Eli" series of graphic novels. The series began as a promotion for Cap'n Eli soft drinks, but took on a life of its own.

In his solo comic, Sea Ghost is transported to an alien world that is being ravaged by war between two races. One side is based underwater while the other lives in the jungle. Sea Ghost takes it upon himself to uncover the secret instigator behind all of the turmoil and bring peace to the planet.

Sea Ghost brings some formidable powers to his crusade. He is super strong, able to breathe underwater and shoots bolts of lightning like an electric eel.

Piscopo said he created Sea Ghost as an homage to the heroes of his youth. He said he was heavily influenced by the animation work of Alex Toth, who created such characters as Space Ghost for the Hanna-Barbera studio.

Piscopo named comic book artist Ramona Fradon as another major influence. She is best known for illustrating the adventures of Aquaman. Piscopo said he was honored to have her contribute a drawing of Sea Ghost for the inaugural issue.

Piscopo said he was pleased by the warm critical reception "Sea Ghost No. 1" was given by the comic book community. The popular industry website Comic Book Resources ranked the title character among its top six aquatic heroes of the year.

"Sea Ghost No. 1" is on sale at Casablanca Comics shops in Portland and Windham. You can also follow the character online by clicking here for a link to his website.

WIRED GeekDad Reviews Jay Piscopo's new Sea Ghost comic book

"Reading Jay Piscopo’s new all-ages comic book Sea Ghost #1: The Sea Ghost in the Machine invoked those familiar Saturday morning feelings of fun and excitement....I really liked Sea Ghost for its old school feel, classic character design and clean illustration. I was warmed by the fact that Sea Ghost was a father as well as an adventurer. My daughter liked Sea Ghost’s children, Coral and Triton. She thought it would be pretty cool to live under the ocean and have a superhero dad. I gave a copy of Sea Ghost to my wife’s second grade class and they all loved it too....

I’m giving Jay Piscopo high marks for Sea Ghost.

You can find out more about Sea Ghost and how to get your hands on a copy over at the Sea Ghost website."

~ Tom Stillwell, WIRED GeekDad

Read full review at this link.

Michael Netzer reviews the art of Jay Piscopo

I first met Jay Piscopo online soon after I registered at Facebook, early 2009, and began talking about forming an ongoing comics community event that later became Facebook Comic Con. Jay was one of the first enthusiasts for the idea and immediately volunteered to help put it together. In the few months that followed, he not only became an invaluable aide towards its success, but also reached out to young artists and writers seeking professional advice on their work. Jay became a cornerstone of what Facebook Comic Con set out to achieve, mainly to inspire an involvement and community spirit for the growing number of comics fans and professionals registered at the social network.

It all makes perfect sense when considering the colorful career that Jay is advancing in the comics industry and its periphery. Click HERE to continue reading.

"We live in times where popular entertainment has become so gritty and edgy that it raises serious questions about the sustainability of this direction for the comics industry that’s following in step, or perhaps even leading the trend. Jay Piscopo delivers The adventures of Capt’n in complete contrast to this trend. But the stories are not campy or silly in the way much of their inspirations are viewed today.

Jay Piscopo has taken the best of the Silver Age era and endowed it with a maturity that brings it into the 21st century – and earns a worthy place amongst the best of what the comics industry is offering today. The stories and language are simple enough for the young readers, yet pack a treasure of metaphoric allusions to our real world that make a poignant statement about our times and the human condition. There is something in the simplified complexity of the plot and dialogue that leaves a lasting taste of the adventures in the reader’s mind long after they’ve laid the books down. It is not a small achievement at all to have taken such a specific path with the story and transformed it into new mainstream potential." ~ Michael Netzer