Moncton illustrator having a MARVEL-lous year

Moncton-based artist and illustrator Nick Bradshaw is getting ready to take part in a very special project for Marvel Comics.

Known for his work in X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man, Bradshaw has been drawing superheroes and villains in publications like Marvel and DC Comics for 20 years.

Now he's been asked to help Marvel celebrate its 80th anniversary with Marvel Comics #1000.

"Think of it like when the birthday card gets passed around at the office and everybody puts their signature in it. But it's on a creative scale," Bradshaw said.

"They've got writers and artists who've been working with Marvel from the golden age, the silver age right up to the modern age. They're going to be contributing one-page stories to make one big edition of a book, a big 80-page edition. I'm really fanboying out about being able to contribute to this … pretty stoked."

Bradshaw, who is working with a writer, says he can't give away too many details about what his page will feature.

"It's all under wraps, unfortunately," he said.

But it does involve one of Marvel Comic's classic characters, and one that Bradshaw has never drawn before.

The 80th anniversary book is scheduled to come out in August, but Bradshaw says there will likely be a preview in July at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Bradshaw said that as a young boy, he never dreamed he'd have these kinds of opportunities.

He said the internet has changed everything and given him a global audience.

"Getting to work for a company like Marvel or DC Comics … now I've worked for both and it blows me away," he said.

He's also excited about an event this weekend, a little closer to home.

Bradshaw is involved in the East Coast Comic Expo, which he describes as a "mini comic-con we put on in Moncton."

It's being held at the Moncton Coliseum on Friday and Saturday, and it will feature a number of special guest artists.

Bradshaw says it's a good chance for kids to ask questions and learn more about comics and their impact on culture.

It's an opportunity he wishes he'd had at a young age.

"As a kid we didn't have access to these things. There were comic-cons we read about in magazines but the fact that we now have one in Moncton and to get to be on a committee with a bunch of my friends … it's a lot of fun," Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw says he's lucky to be able to have his dream career and take a place in comic book history in the 80th anniversary edition of Marvel Comics.