Eric Drooker is that consummate artist, the ideal artist that young people generally aspire to be. Take a look at the short film below to gain some perspective on Mr. Drooker. This is a short film he did in New York in 1981, a tumultuous time with undeniable relevance to today; a timeless film. We will always need to remind ourselves we have nothing to fear but fear itself. I had the honor of putting together this studio visit with the artist. We discuss his latest graphic novel, Naked City, published by Dark Horse Comics. In it, we find a set of characters, representative of all humanity, who are basically reminding themselves that they have nothing to fear but fear itself.
Born and raised on Manhattan Island, Eric Drooker began to paste his art on the streets at night as a teenager. Since then, his drawings and posters have become a familiar sight in the global street art movement, and his paintings appear frequently on covers of the New Yorker.
Eric Drooker in his studio.
His first book, Flood, won the American Book Award, followed by Blood Song (soon to be a feature film). Naked City is the third volume in Drooker’s City Trilogy. His graphic novels have been translated into numerous languages in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. After designing the animation for the film Howl, he was hired for a project at DreamWorks Animation.
The City Trilogy: Flood (1992), Blood Song (2002), Naked City (2024).
Drooker’s art is in the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Library of Congress. He is available for speaking engagements and frequently gives slide lectures at colleges and universities. Mr. Drooker’s art is available for sale at his website.
At heart, Eric Drooker is a street artist with all the energy that comes with it: everything from his zest for creating work to his zeal for talking about his art. Just give the floor over to him and he’ll work his magic, maybe even play the harmonica if necessary.
The New Yorker, October 28, 2024, The Money Issue. “Crushing Wealth” by Eric Drooker.
“Troubadour” by Eric Drooker.
The New Yorker, March 6, 1995, “Under Bridges” by Eric Drooker.
“Tomorrow” by Eric Drooker.
While I was in his studio, he picked up a copy of The New Yorker magazine, with his art gracing the cover, an issue published just the prior week, and launched into a talk about how the magazine cover functions as a form of street art. While the magazine has a healthy readership, it also reaches a vast number of people who regularly consume just the art on the cover as they come across the magazine on display in various locales whether in a bookstore or in the dentist’s office.
The New Yorker, November 9, 2009, “Autumn in Central Park” by Eric Drooker.
The New Yorker, August 6, 2007, oil on canvas, 20″x16″, “Urban Jungle” by Eric Drooker.
Naked City got on my radar earlier this year and I’m so grateful that I got an advance copy. My friend, and colleague in the comics world, Paul Buhle, wrote the review for us here at Comics Grinder. Without a doubt, Naked City is a significant graphic novel with the added distinction of being part of a trilogy, part of a great artistic process. We, as artists, can and must do some planning ahead on projects while, at the same time, allow the art process to do its thing. Such is the case with Naked City. It is as much a graphic novel about being an artist as it is simply about being human and being true to yourself.
“The Argument” by Eric Drooker.
Wonderful interview. I didn’t know Drooker’s name before but I do think his art has sunk into my subconscious as he says because although I’m not a New Yorker subscriber, I feel like I recognize his style. I appreciate his business man cover “stepping on our face”!
I liked that he spent so much time thumbing through his graphic novels. I love the style which is quite different from the NYer covers. I pretty much limit my budget for graphic novels to French authors but I might have to break that trend. Naked City looks too cool to pass up.
I also checked my local library and will be walking over there shortly to borrow their copy of Howl. I’m told Alan Ginsberg visited my living room (before I lived here) on several occasions to recite his poetry to students at the University of Michigan.
Anyway, thanks again. Great work. Killer interview.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this very special interview. There’s a lot going on leading up to it and, once it kicked off, we got into a groove. All three books that make up the City Trilogy are just priceless. So, I’m you’ll get a kick out of reading them.
Picked up Howl and read through it. I’m a bit lame when it comes to poetry so can’t even weigh in about what I thought. Drooker’s animation looks cool but that kind of thing doesn’t transfer well into book form. Your interview, however, convinced me that Drooker is a brilliant comics artist. I will definitely look for more. Thanks again.
You’re welcome! Yeah, the Howl book is a different kind of project.