By Sophia Whittemore
AsAmNews Staff Writer
How does someone go from sketching in the margins of his notebook to working with Stan Lee?
“I drew all the time as a kid. Both parents were always working. Mom was Methodist from Kentucky, dad was an Egyptian Muslim. My parents met in England, and I moved around the U.S. a lot as a kid. No cable. No video games until fourth grade. I was an only child. So what did I have left to do? I had to draw, to escape to my imagination.”
Between age eleven to eighteen, Mostafa worked on honing his skills to a professional level, taking inspiration from Brian Bolland’s The Killing Joke and Neal Adams. Eventually, he received scholarships from multiple colleges based on his art alone, but he wanted to go directly to Wizard World Chicago and San Diego Comic Con. At eighteen, he was getting commissions right away. Nineteen years later, he’s built a portfolio of work from Marvel, Hasbro, IDW, Image, and movie storyboards.
“When I was 23, I was working with Stan Lee on a story where the Silver Surfer gets smudged and has to go through a car wash. And for one of the X-Men movies, I got to work on an accompanying comic book edition.”
In a single year, Mostafa makes thirty appearances on the Comic Con Circuit. He says that the last two years of his careers are moving faster than ever because of his own attitude toward the circuit.
“Lots of artists are introverted at the start, but I grew out of it. I always treat comics professionally because I love them so much. This career is my dream, and I want my passion to come through in my art.”
When it comes to his identity, Mostafa explains his experience varies on the circuit. “People always ask me about my name. ‘Mostafa’. They always ask me where I’m really from. I grew up between two religions, so I consider myself a spiritual person. I’m focused on the art.” His eyes light up when it comes to his art. “Failed writers don’t finish their books. Same thing goes for artists. Failed artists don’t finish their work. If you finish your books, and you finish your art, you’ll succeed. It just takes work.”
YOU CAN SEE MORE OF MOSTAFA’S ART AT:
****
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. You can show your support by liking our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/asamnews, following us on Twitter, sharing our stories, interning or joining our staff.
