JORDAN SCHECHTER
Paired With: Kenneth John Bissett
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Kenneth John Bissett (1967-1988) was among the 270 victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988. He was a Cornell University junior studying with Syracuse University's DIPA program. He was concerned about terrorism and turned the subject into his advertising project in London. Ken had hoped to become a writer, He wanted to be the next Stephen King. Among Ken’s belongings in the Syracuse archives is a diverse collection of Ken's drawings, original comic books, paintings, and sketches. The majority of the material consists of superhero character sketches, both original and of his favorite Marvel heroes, as well as drafts and final versions of his own comic books and storylines. When I looked through this collection, I saw myself in Kenneth’s work. I too love to tell stories through comics. As an illustration major, this connection stuck with me.
After reading Kenneth’s pitch to Marvel Comics, I decided to draw Kenneth’s original character, Star Knight. Kenneth loved his characters and didn’t have the chance to share them with the world. Kenneth wanted his characters to be admired by others, so here I continue his legacy as a comics creator by drawing Star Knight.