At SCENES Media, we have a passion for discovering new talent. Often times, however, the best talent of tomorrow is not brand new. Sometimes the highest quality of emerging talent has been tirelessly toiling under the radar for years, sometimes decades, developing something rare and beautiful, not unlike the way a diamond is only formed by colossal pressure, radical temperatures and a seemingly infinite span of time.
Recently, at SCENES Media, we have discovered a comic-book publishing diamond: an indisputable talent whose power in story and artistry is matched only but the publisher’s remarkable story.
Mario DeMatteo, the founder of Beartruth Collective, fits the description of a renaissance man. He writes and publishes some of today’s most compelling new graphic novels, but that is not the sum of his life and talents. DeMatteo is also an award-winning beat poet, an avid gardener, and with his fiancé, Karla Cordero, tutors scores of underprivileged youth each month, helping them with literacy, and, frankly, to feel connected and loved.
DeMatteo conceived of, co-wrote and published an astonishing graphic novel, aptly entitled, Paul he Apostle: A Graphic Novel. DeMatteo recruited uber-talents in the areas of graphic-novel writing (Ben Avery) and character drafting (Mark Harmon), and together they have created a masterpiece.
The evocative project is true to the scriptures, and it is action packed with inspired creatures amid a wholly-original alternate universe. It’s the type of ultra-rare piece of literature that a teenage boy just might pick up, unprompted, and not put down until he’s reached the end.
Drama, spiritual adventure and action are not foreign to DeMatteo. As a college student he was an impressive soccer player, San Diego surfer and super-social guy. What happened fifteen years ago, however, was what changed his life forever and led him to the comic-book creation world.
In his own words, “While on a surf trip in Costa Rica my sophomore year of college, I dove into a shallow swimming pool and incurred a permanent spinal cord injury, ultimately confining me to a wheelchair. Crazy, right? I thought the same thing.”
“I thought my life was over, kapoot. I laid in bed that first month praying that God would take me to heaven. Then a close friend of mine brought me a few books: the Bible, Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, and some Silver Surfer comics. The Bible fed me, Frankl taught me I would have to find meaning and purpose in my suffering, and Silver Surfer gave me a vision of my future – maybe one day I could make comic books.”
Don’t for a second feel sorry for DeMatteo. While the journey has been a long, steep uphill battle, filled with too many challenges to dignify in this single article… Mario DeMatteo is thriving. And he could not be more inspired to create his epic graphic novels, among his other pursuits in life.
DeMatteo has given SCENES Media the amazing news that a prequel for Paul is well underway:
“I am in full production mode for the prequel Peter. I am super excited and blessed. The company I have partnered with is called Broadstreet Publishing. The re-printing of Paul under Broadstreet is coming out this September, 2019 and Peter for July of 2020.”
This is just the beginning for this unstoppable creative powerhouse. For more information on DeMatteo’s work, how to see the original Paul, and the forthcoming republication of Paul and the brand new Peter, connect with Mario DeMatteo and Beartruth Collective on social media… and given: SCENES Media is keeping track of this extraordinary talent.
