Mike Del Mundo has left a bold and imaginative mark on the world of comics through the use of vivid color palettes, surreal compositions and really cool, concept-driven covers.
Since his breakout run of covers for X-Men: Legacy, he’s brought his distinctive storytelling style to interiors on Elektra, Thor, Avengers and more, earning multiple industry nominations and awards along the way. Now, his career-spanning body of Marvel work is being collected in The Marvel Art of Mike Del Mundo, the latest high-end release in Clover Press and Marvel’s boutique art book series.
The Kickstarter campaign, which is now live, offers the 224-page hardcover alongside exclusive prints, posters, a special sketchbook showing his creative process and other collector’s items.
I caught up with him on the release of the book, his innovative approach to covers, the Three Worlds / Three Moons project and more.
I thought I’d start by asking about your work on the X-Men Legacy covers, which I remember really standing out at the time for how distinct and different they were. Looking back, what was it about that project that allowed you to take such a distinctive visual approach, and how did that experience shape your approach to your later Marvel work?
X-Men Legacy was a true milestone in my career. I had always envisioned creating covers that were thoughtful and unconventional, but early on, it was a challenge to get Marvel to fully embrace those ideas. Everything changed with X-Men Legacy. That series became the turning point, the moment Marvel started trusting my creative instincts fully.
The book focused on Legion, Professor Xavier’s son, and his struggle between the outside world and the hundreds of personalities living inside his mind. This concept was a playground for visual storytelling. Since it wasn’t one of Marvel’s more high-profile titles, I think they gave me the freedom to experiment and push boundaries.
When I created the first cover, it set the tone for everything that followed. It’s offbeat, surreal, approach directed the visual language of the series, and every cover had to follow that same weird and unconventional path.
Can you walk us through your creative process from initial concept to final art? The new book will include a separate sketchbook showing your preliminary work, so readers can see that evolution firsthand.
For me, everything starts with the idea. Finding it can take time, but that search is the most exciting part of the process. Sometimes the perfect concept comes right away, but more often I’m sketching hundreds of thumbnails to find that diamond in the rough.
On X-Men Legacy, I’d send Marvel 10–15 sketches for each cover because I was having so much fun exploring those ideas.
That’s why I felt it was important to include a separate sketchbook in the Kickstarter because to me, the ideas are just as important and meaningful as the final covers.
You’ve worked on such a diverse range of Marvel characters – from Elektra to Thor to Deadpool. How do you adapt your artistic style to capture the essence of such different characters while maintaining your signature style? Are there particular characters that have pushed you in new directions?
For me, the trick is not worrying about maintaining a “signature style.” Chasing that can break the creative flow and get in the way of trusting my gut. This art book reflects that mindset, it showcases a wide range of styles because I’ve always approached covers quite the opposite way, like an art director, asking myself “What style best tells this story?”
Sometimes a Thor cover asks for a fully rendered, painted look. Sometimes an Elektra piece works better with a bold, graphic approach. And sometimes a Deadpool cover just needs that classic Norman Rockwell vibe. It’s all about finding the right voice for each story, rather than forcing them into one box.
The press release mentions you’re “pushing artistic boundaries and redefining visual storytelling.” Which I can’t argue with! What does that mean to you personally as an artist, and can you point to specific techniques or approaches you’ve developed that you feel have moved the medium forward?
I think it means constantly searching and experimenting with new techniques to keep things fresh and exciting. Once I’ve discovered, explored, and mastered a particular style, I can’t stick with it for long. It’s like eating pizza every day, it eventually gets stale. Art is the same way for me. I need to find that new flavor to satisfy my creative appetite all over again.
When it comes to finding a specific approach, I often look for inspiration outside of comics, whether it’s film, or even something unexpected like dance and explore how those ideas could translate into comic form. I’ve always been drawn to animation, and one of my all time favorite films is The Secret of NIMH. I love the beauty of that movie the moody, dark retro ’80s color palette and the way the painted backgrounds contrast perfectly with the simplicity of the foreground characters. That technique has stuck with me and continues to influence my work, especially in how I separate backgrounds and foregrounds through color.
Being featured in The Marvel Art Of… series puts you alongside artists like David Mack, Alex Maleev, Michael Allred and more. How does it feel to be recognized at this level, and what do you hope readers and fellow artists take away from seeing your work collected in this high-end format?
Man, it’s incredibly humbling to be included among these art legends. Each of these artists has inspired me in different ways throughout my journey, especially when I was still learning the craft. To now stand alongside this legendary lineup is both flattering and something I’m truly grateful for.
Readers will finally get the chance to experience my body of work as a whole, rather than just catching a cover here and there. I’ve often heard people say things like, “I’ve never seen this cover before,” or “I must have missed this one.” Now, with this beautiful hardcover, you’ll be able to see most of it collected in one place.
My hope is that this book not only excites readers but, more importantly, inspires fellow artists and aspiring creators to keep pushing, keep experimenting and keep creating.
Finally, I wanted to ask about your collaboration with the Three Worlds / Three Moons crew on Substack. I think it’s been going for about four years now, and has outlasted several other Substack comics that were launched around that time. What’s kept it going, and what’s the overall experience been for you helping to build out a universe like that?
All four of us at 3W3M have always shared the same goal: the relentless pursuit of a great story. We never get in each other’s way. The goal is to create in harmony, offering suggestions rather than delegating, all in service of the world we’re building together. And I think that’s the key word: building.
For the past four years, we’ve been constructing this world even before diving into the main storyline. That’s been the most fun part, because anything goes. If we have a cool idea, we can add it in and these four years have been all about ideas, and for me, that’s the most exciting part of the creative process.
Check out the Kickstarter campaign page for more information on The Marvel Art of Mike Del Mundo.