Legendary Marvel Comics Illustrator Adam Kubert on his Forthcoming Citizen x Marvel Collaboration

If you’re a fan of Marvel Comics or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then you’re in for a treat, as Adam Kubert – true comic book royalty – has established a relationship with Citizen, illustrating Marvel characters on watch dials.

As watch enthusiasts, I know you won’t shy away from a history lesson. So, before I launch into my interview with Adam, it’s important to understand the impact the Kubert family has had for over 70 years in comics. The prolific Joe Kubert, Adam’s father (who we lost back in 2012), began illustrating comics in the 1940s. He became renowned for his work, especially with DC Comics characters like Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. Joe Kubert was also the founder of The Kubert School in Dover, New Jersey that is still the only accredited school dedicated entirely to cartooning. The institution is responsible for churning out many of the great illustrators we have today. Adam Kubert and his brother, Andy Kubert, went on to become staples in the comic book industry, as well as teachers at The Kubert School. Adam and Andy’s niece, Katie Kubert, was an editor for both Marvel and DC Comics, and Andy’s daughter Emma Kubert is also a comic book illustrator. In essence, not only does talent for art and storytelling run in the blood, but for decades they’ve instilled that creativity in others. 

Adam has been in comics for five decades, illustrating comics for 35 years, the last 30 with Marvel, and has been hands-on with all our favorite characters: Wolverine, Spider-Man, The Avengers, Ghost Rider, X-Men, The Fantastic Four…the list literally goes on and on. But, it all started with Adam’s relationship with his father. 

“My first professional drawing job, because I started lettering for comics professionally when I was 13, but my first drawing job was for The Kubert School in 1983, and published in Heavy Metal Magazine, as an assignment from my dad. My dad was really proud of Andy and me, and having one of his assignments as my first published drawing job is pretty awesome.” 

In speaking with Adam it’s so apparent the love and admiration he has for his father, and yet feels that the accomplishments of his father can still inspire others.

“I donated everything in my dad’s office to my other alma mater, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and we just opened up an archive with his desk on display, and all his materials. It’s different from a museum. It’s meant to be a hands-on learning experience for students. So that they can sit there and let the creativity wash over, just like I did.” 

So, how did Citizen get a hold of Adam’s talent and creativity? 

“At the beginning of the pandemic my wife and I moved from Brooklyn down to Florida, and it just so happens that my neighbor in Florida, now a friend of mine, is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for Disney, and worked with a director over at Citizen. I love the Citizen brand and love watches in general. So, long story short, my neighbor put the two of us together. It’s a great thing to have two passions align.” 

Adam’s passion for watches existed well before his collaboration with Citizen. 

“I’ve always been interested in watches. Experimenting with all different styles and sizes. And you know, so many watches do so many different things. I started out maybe 20 years ago with one or two, but then I started seeing others and I thought ‘well that’s kind of cool.’ So I got another and another, and before you know it I had a couple dozen watches. I’m also into motorcycles. Right now I have four, and I bought one of my Disney watches specifically to ride my motorcycles because it’s thin and will fit under my motorcycle jacket. You know, I can’t fit my Eco-Zilla under there.” 

Now that Adam has established that he is indeed ‘one of us,’ and respects the fit, form, and function of watches, I wanted to know what kinds of challenges he anticipates for this collaboration. 

“In comics, and what I find most interesting as I begin to start designing the watch dials, it’s more of an individual approach to the art. Unlike with animated cartoons where you might have hundreds of people working on one product, comics can be a much more personal form of expressing yourself where you may only have four or five people on a project. I look forward to seeing my personal expression happen on this level in watches. And like comics, this will be a collaboration as I’ll have the people at Citizen working with me. Because you know, my thing is to push and push and push until someone steps in and says ‘you know, Adam, you may be going too far. Come back to reality.’ So, I’m going to push the envelope.” 

It’s comforting to know that we have a true professional on the job with this collaboration, but I personally feel like it’s often rare that we get thoughtful character watches, so I asked Adam what kind of thought process he anticipates going into the illustrations, especially when it comes to striking a balance between functionality and aesthetic appeal.

“An important part of what I do is telling a story with pictures,” Adam told me. “My dad taught me if a reader doesn’t understand what’s going on in a comic from the illustrations, then you’re not doing your job. And I’m going to carry that with me when it comes to designing watch dials. Because the most important function of a watch is telling time. There are some watches I come across where I can barely see the hands. A watch can look great, but if you can’t tell what time it is, then you gotta wear two watches like me.”  

 

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As Adam said that, he positioned his arms in what nearly amounted to the ‘Wakanda Forever’ pose to reveal that he was indeed double-wristing. We both had a good laugh, and as we quieted down Adam continued. 

“What you’re trying to do is marry the idea of telling time with something that can be visually appealing. But also slick, and cool, and fun. So, tying that into Marvel watches with the bank of characters that they have is an exciting thing.” 

Adam pulled off one of the watches he was wearing. It was a Citizen Loki watch that he picked up from the D3 Disney Fan Convention earlier this year. “It’s a beautiful design. I love the rose gold style finishing, and how big it is. I’ve been into large watches recently, like this and my Eco-Zilla, because I just find them fun.” Adam’s level of excitement was so magnetic that it caused me to pull a little closer to my desk. He followed up with a memory from a vacation he took with his wife. “Watches are like picking up mementos of a special occasion,” he said. “My wife and I, we went on a Disney cruise and we picked up a Disney anniversary watch and we each picked out the same ones. And it’s cool to come home with these little memories in the watches that you have.” 

After Adam’s mention of the D3 convention, he reminded me of the culture we have as comic book fans. And as someone who has one foot firmly in both watches and comics myself, I was curious to ask: how do you think your collaboration with Citizen can bridge the gap between comic book culture and fashion? 

“This is totally in my mind. When I’m at a comic book convention, what bridges the gap between myself and the people that like the work I do is that we are both fans of the characters. I think the idea of fandom can bridge the gap between us all. I look forward to having my watch designs out there and maybe have fans come up and we just talk about watches. It’s another level of discussion I’m really looking forward to. I think the shared love of the characters is going to make that product more personal.” 

Through that personal connection, I asked Adam what impact he hopes he will have as the artist developing the dials of these watches on his fans and Marvel fans alike? He said, quite humbly, “I hope they like it,” and after a few moments followed up by saying, “I hope other artists have the opportunity to put their stamp on products like this that are distributed worldwide.”

We may sometimes forget, when staring at 30-foot tall versions of our heroes on silver screens, that we only have this privilege because of artists and writers like Adam who tell these stories first, and have told so many more than have appeared on the big screen. After 30 years of living and breathing these characters, Adam carries them around with him and every time he shares them with us it’s coming from a place of passion that started in his home with his father, Joe. A family so influential in building our modern mythology through work that will now, quite literally, stand the test of time.