Peter Nguyen on the pros of being a comic book illustrator

Illustrator Peter Ngyuen talks about his experiences as a comic book artist and the start of his professional journey

“Wolverine and The Flash usually come with two basic poses — running or stabbing, but characters such as Poison Ivy or Storm or Magneto are great for making cool shots,” says Peter Nguyen, a renowned comic book artist and professional illustrator, who has created for DC and Marvel Comics.

”For me, Storm is like a ballerina; she comes with so many cool hand poses or she can shoot with lightning. I enjoy the constraints of working within a character like Wolverine, but I love characters such as Magneto, Storm and Ivy which give me the freedom to “lead” the viewer in a manner or speaking.”

The illustrator, who was in Bengaluru for Comic Con in December 2025, adds, “I love characters that give me a chance to work with composition, effects, rhythm and movement.”

Needless to say, attempting to create yet another version of a much-loved, much-depicted superhero is a always a challenging task. “You carry around an idealised version yourself as do other fans, and when you draw those characters, they come with a lot of weight. DC put me on Superman as my first gig; that was a lot of pressure, it was quite scary,” says Peter, talking about the challenges of being a comic bookartist.

“I love D-list characters! Red Tornado is never going to be as famous as Superman, so they don’t come with that kind of pressure, and it gives me a lot of freedom to play artistically. When we design characters for them, the story line takes priority.”

One of Peter Nguyen’s creations | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement