— A quartet of New Jersey comic book artists have joined forces to publish an homage to the Silver Age era of comics and a memorial to their teacher and a giant in the comic industry, Joe Kubert.

Anthony Marques, Fernando Ruiz, Fabio Redivo, and Bob Hardin — friends and teachers from the

in Dover — said their comic book, "Epics," a 32-page anthology set in 1959, began with their frustration with the comic book industry and the unwillingness of editors to hire them.

Marques, "the default editor" according to the other creators, said he, Ruiz, Redivo, and Hardin wanted to write something they would actually want to read and was not as "dark" or as repetitive as the current trend.

"It's nice reading Superman 400 times, but sometimes you need something different," Marques said. "We wanted something fun that was filled with action and adventure."

"Epics," an independent comic, is comprised of four stories: Redivo's hard-boiled detective tale, "Drake," a hot rod racing adventure by Hardin dubbed "A Racy Story," Ruiz's Twilight Zone-esque adventure, "The Iron Ghost," and a jet pack-filled Cold War tale, "Katyusha," by Marques.

Marques of Florham Park said the group pursued funding for the project through the online fundraising platform Kickstarter, which allowed fans, friends, and family to contribute in exchange for signed copies of their books and artists' sketches. Forty-six people pledged over $2,000 for the project, more than double the group's goal.

"Luckily, there were a lot of friends and people who wanted to help us with the project," he said.

But the largest debt for the project, the group said, is owed to Joe Kubert, the founder of the Kubert School and

.

The group dedicated the comic book to Kubert following

.

"You can't even put into words how much of an impact he had," Marques said. "He hated being called a living legend, but that's what he was."

Kubert's impact exceeds the page, as one of the "Epics" artists might not be in the country without his intervention.

Redivo, an emigre from Sao Paolo, Brazil who now lives in Kinnelon, said Kubert wrote him a recommendation for his work visa, which left "no question" in the authorities' minds that he needed to remain in the United States.

Dan Veltre, the owner of Dewey's Comic City, said the legacy of Kubert was not just reserved to drawings on the page but in the students for whom he served as an inspiration. Dewey's Comic City in Madison hosted the release party for "Epics" on Saturday.

"He's more than an artist," Veltre said. "He's a teacher. He may be the most important figure in comics because he has cultivated so many people in the industry."

To that end, students from the Kubert School, the next generation of comic book artists, came out in force to support their teachers — Marques, Hardin, Ruiz, and Redivo — Saturday.

Kyle Brown, a second-year student, said the four creators had served as an inspiration in the classroom and in the industry.

"They've shown us it's fun," Brown said. "That's why we're here. That's what is great about the school."

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