It's a long way from Statesville to Metropolis but DC comic book artist Shane Davis made the trek, and he's got a fresh new take on one of America's greatest superheroes.
Statesville native and Harmony resident, Davis has a new graphic novel called "Superman Earth One," scheduled to hit the shelves in the fall. Davis said his publisher won't let him give away any of the plot secrets, but he was able to provide a hint of what it's all about.
The story is based on the familiar Superman story originally penned in 1938, but Davis has produced a down-to-earth Superman set in the modern day while being true to the spirit of the original source material.
Davis' partner on the book, writer J. Michael Straczynski, best known for his work on Babylon 5 and a host of other TV shows, penned the story.
"It's the most human incarnation of Superman I've ever read," Davis said of Straczynski's story.
He said he tailored his art to match his collaborator's vision.
"I wanted him to come off as human as possible," Davis said.
He also re-imagined Metropolis. Historically depicted as an art-deco expanse, Davis designed it to look and feel like a more realistic place.
"I built it off a lot of buildings around the world," he said. "I wanted it to feel like a city you could really be in."
"Superman Earth One" begins with Clark Kent as a 21-year-old man going from Smallville to Metropolis for the first time – a journey similar to the one Davis made when he left Statesville for New York to work in comics.
It was a long road and it started with the first comic book Davis ever bought – an issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Davis said he bought it after her stuck his little brother in a Laundromat dryer with a pencil topped with chewed gum. The boy used the pencil to retrieve about four dollars in coins that had fallen into a crevice along the machine's drum.
The triumphant brothers took their money down the street to a 7-11 intending to buy candy. They bought the comic instead.
In it, Davis saw a page that displayed fans' drawings. He got to work and sent in a picture of his Mondo Gecko action figure.
He's not sure if the company ever printed his picture, but he was thrilled to get a thank you card in the mail from New York emblazoned with a picture of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Davis was hooked and drew constantly throughout school.
When he was 19 his family and friends worried that he was making a mistake when he walked away from a well-paying job as a technician in the textile industry to follow his dream. He moved to New Jersey to attend the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art.
Davis started out by drawing minor characters for the comics like Robin and Nightwing before landing a job drawing a Spiderman comic for younger readers.
He drew a number of comics for Marvel before moving on to DC where he's worked on all the biggest characters and biggest stories about the likes of Green Lantern, Batman and Superman.
The stress of producing his own versions of characters loved by millions is one of the toughest parts of Davis' job, but he's made a career by excelling at the challenge.
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