Robert Sikoryak [1]

Robert Sikoryak

by Sherif Awad
-I grew up in the late 1960s and 70s, reading and collecting comic books and newspaper comic strips. I have two older brothers who are also very much into pop culture, so I learned a lot from them. We collaborated on many art projects, making comics and short films. And I would draw cartoons on my own. My interests were always encouraged, I’m grateful for my supportive family. Perhaps my longest lasting influences from childhood were Charles Schulz (Peanuts), Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder (Mad Magazine), and Jack Kirby (Marvel Comics).
 
I've been reading and drawing comics since I was very young, and I think practicing is the best way to learn. In the 1980s, I went to Parsons in New York City to study illustration, and I was very lucky to be introduced to Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly. I worked with them for many years on their various projects, especially their comics anthology Raw Magazine, and learned so much from them.
 
Most of my work involves parodies of famous comics.  My first graphic novel, Masterpiece Comics, adapts 12 literary classics (Crime and Punishment, Wuthering Heights, and more) in the styles of American comics.  Since then, I've done books using the unabridged texts of the iTunes Terms and Conditions and the U.S. Constitution. Using these sources as a starting point, I like to stretch out and play with different styles and forms from the whole history of comics.
 
The comics industry is so diverse, it wo