>>> HE IS A HERO TO FANS OF COMIC BOOK ART AND GRAPHIC NOVELS.

THE SUPERPOWERS CREATING ALMOST PHOTOREALISTIC DEPICTIONS OF CLASSIC SUPERHEROES.

FOR 30 YEARS FROM HIS HOME NEAR CHICAGO, ALEX ROSS HAS BEEN THE GO TO ARTIST FOR REVITALIZING BELOVED CHARACTERS FROM SPIDER-MAN AND SUPERMAN TO IRONMAN AND THE FANTASTIC FOUR.

CHICAGO TONIGHT'S MARC VITALI MET UP WITH ROSS TO TALK ABOUT A RARE SHOW OF HIS WORK.

>> Reporter: CALLED MORE VELOCITY, THE SHOW FOCUSES ON THE HEROES, SHE AROSE, AND VILLAINS OF THE MARVEL COMICS MYTHOLOGY.

WHERE THE GOOD GUYS OFTEN HAVE FLAWS, AND SO-CALLED FEET OF CLAY.

>> IN A WAY, THE FEET OF CLAY IDEA FOR MARVEL CHARACTERS IS THE SELLING POINT, THE RELATED ABILITY, WHERE YOU SEE AN ASPECT OF YOURSELF, YOUR OWN FLAWED HUMANITY, REFLECTED BACK AT YOU THROUGH THEM.

THERE'S A UNIQUE ASPECT OF MARVEL STORIES THAT MUCH OF THE CHARACTERS ACTIONS ARE ABOUT REDEMPTION FOR HAVING LIVED A SORT OF FLAWED, OR A VERY SELF-IMPORTANT LIFE.

BEFORE THEY HAVE AN EPIPHANY OF HOW THEY BETTER USE THEIR ABILITIES TO BENEFIT OTHERS AND SEE BEYOND THEMSELVES.

>> Reporter: ALEX ROSS'S ART AND STORY BEGAN WHEN, AS A KID, HE FIRST SAW SPIDER-MAN EVICTED ON THE ELECTRIC COMPANY ON PBS.

HE GREW UP IN TEXAS AND MOVED TO CHICAGO TO STUDY AT THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ART.

THAT'S WHERE HE LEARNED TO DRAW FROM LIVE MODELS.

>> FROM MY FIRST WEEKEND OF SCHOOL, DRAWING FROM A LIVE MODEL WAS JUST AN EYE-OPENING THING, BECAUSE I HAD CERTAINLY DRAWN OCCASIONALLY FROM LIVE MODELS IN SMALLER CLASSES BEFORE, BUT THIS WAS NOW A HARD-CORE INTENSIVE SESSION OF REALLY FOCUSING ON IT AND REALIZING JUST WHAT MY CAPACITY WAS , TO BE ABLE TO TRANSLATE WHAT WAS IN FRONT OF ME TO THE PAGE.

I'VE BEEN EITHER CURSED OR BLESSED WITH A SENSE OF SELF-CONFIDENCE OF THINKING THAT I HAD WHATEVER IT TOOK MY WHOLE LIFE, SO I KIND OF CAME INTO THE BUSINESS WITH A , A SENSE OF, LIKE, OKAY, I'VE GOT TO JUST DELIVER THIS THING THAT I GOT IN ME.

PLUS I HAD THE CONFIDENCE COMING FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY AND THINKING, I GOT A WORLD OF ILLUSTRATION HISTORY CHANNELING THROUGH ME.

I'VE JUST GOT TO FIND THE ABILITY TO GET THE JOBS THAT WILL THEN SHOW OFF WHAT I'VE BEEN TRAINED TO DO.

>> THE SHOW AT THE EL HURST ART MUSEUM INCLUDES SKETCHES, A COLLECTION OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL BUSTS, AND STUNNING ARTWORK THAT HE PAINTS WITH SQUASH, A KIND OF OPAQUE WATERCOLOR.

>> WHEN I'M PLANNING ANY COMPOSITION, A COVER, OR STORYTELLING PAGES, I'M ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT THE GRAPHIC IMPACT THAT INCLUDES THINGS LIKE LIGHTING .

AND SINCE WE ARE SKETCHING SOMETHING OUT, WE'RE NOT THINKING OF COLOR YET.

IT'S REALLY ABOUT HOW HEAVY YOUR SHADOW IS, WHERE YOUR LIGHT SOURCE IS GOING TO BE , INFORMING THE SUBJECT, BECAUSE THAT WILL CREATE MOOD AND A SENSE OF PLACE AND TIME, AND THAT'S GOT TO BE FRONT OF MIND FOR ME, BECAUSE THAT'S THE REASON PAINTINGS AS OPPOSED TO PEN AND INK.

>> Reporter: ONE THING HE DOES NOT USE TO CREATE HIS WORK?

A COMPUTER.

>> I AM A LUDDITE, AS THAT TERM GOES.

I DO NOT USE COMPUTER WHATSOEVER.

I CAN OPEN AN EMAIL ON AN iPAD TO READ IT, BUT I DO NOT TYPE , SO I HAVE TO THEN DICTATE WHAT MY RESPONSE IS FOR MY WIFE TO SEND.

I WANT TO MAKE IT TO MY GRAVE WITHOUT HAVING LEARNED A SINGLE THING ABOUT CONTEMPORARY TECHNOLOGY.

>> Reporter: ALEX ROSS HAS BEEN DEPICTED AS SOMEWHAT RECLUSIVE , BUT HE DISAGREES.

>> I AM NOT ELUSIVE.

I GET CALLED OUT FOR THIS, APPARENTLY, IN NEWS MEDIA.

IT'S LIKE, OH, HE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW WHERE HE IS, OR HE'S NOT AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE.

LIKE, I MAKEWORK ALL THE TIME.

WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?

I THINK THE ONLY IMPORTANT THING I EVER WANTED FROM THE, THE SKILLED PEOPLE I'VE FOLLOWED MY WHOLE LIFE WAS JUST FOR THEM TO MAKE MORE.

I LOVED WHAT THEY DID, AND I WANTED TO ALWAYS FOLLOW THEM WITH WHATEVER THEY COULD MAKE.

SO THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO ASPIRE TO AS A PROFESSIONAL.

>> Reporter: FOR CHICAGO TONIGHT, THIS IS MARC VITALI.