Come this summer, Marvel will be losing one of their stalwart artists of the past decade or so. This June, Mike Deodato Jr. will be leaving the House of Ideas. The artist behind hits like Thanos and Infinity Wars announced the news in a post to his Facebook page earlier tonight.
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According to Deodato, the move will allow him to put more focus on creator-owned projects he’s wanted to pursue for quite some time. In the heartfelt post, Deodato made sure to mention that working for Marvel was childhood dream come true.
“Like everything in adult life, all decisions we make come with consequences, a price to be paid,” Deodato says of the change. “In this case, in order to live my adult dream I have to let go my child dream. I have to leave Marvel. To leave home.”
“Marvel became a family to me, I grew as an artist and as a person together with all the good people I have worked there. The best people,” the artist continues. “Always encouraging me, always treating me with respect and care. It is weird that I feel like a teenager leaving home to face the world when I am older than a lot of them, but that is how I feel. And I will miss and treasure them.”
While he didn’t say what the creator-owned projects he was pursuing consisted of, Deodato did tease his last project for Marvel — something he calls “the most amazing book ever.”
“June 14 will be my last day at home [Marvel], but you will keep seeing me for a while after that,” reflects Deodato. “Because my family would not let me go without a gift and what they gave me was the most amazing book ever, an opportunity for me to revisit all the characters I care the most in Marvel Universe – The Savage Avengers. I couldn’t think of a better farewell gift. ”
In addition to his work on Thanos (with Jeff Lemire) and Infinity Wars (with Gerry Duggan), Deodato has drawn nearly all of the biggest characters in the Marvel catalog at some point throughout his career from Captain America and the Incredible Hulk to Thor and Wolverine.
From the team here at ComicBook.com, we fully wish Mike the best with this major change! What has been your favorite Deodato art at Marvel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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Image Credit: Marvel Comics
