A Comic Book Hero’s Exit

For nearly 50 years, The Joe Kubert School has trained artists to create superheroes and villains that entertained millions. Now, a former student is writing a new chapter. 

By: Mariana Simioni 

“If these walls could talk…” 

It’s a familiar feeling for anyone who’s moving out. But if the voices at 37 Myrtle Avenue in Dover echoed today, you’d hear Bam! Pow! Splat! and the raucous dialogue of modern-day mythology. The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, a world-renowned creative cornerstone of sketched-out lives in bold lines and inked-in futures, has relocated from Dover to Madison.

Joe Kubert was 2 months old when his family moved to New York City from Poland in 1926. He illustrated his first comic book, Voltan, when he was 12 years old. He was famed for creating comic-book legends such as Hawkman, Sgt. Rock and Tarzan. Kubert was as hardworking as he was talented, setting the standard for visionary artists who brought comic books into the mainstream and fueled the dreams of fans and aficionados worldwide.

But he and his wife, Muriel, envisioned a place where comics were treated as serious crafts, a career path, not side hustles. Less beret-wearing artiste, more sharpen-your-pencil-and-get-to-work. So they moved to Dover and, in 1976, created the school that became a three-year boot camp of figure drawing, narrative storytelling, and unrelenting deadlines. 

It worked. It drew students from around the world—and even from the Kubert’s own home, where two of their sons, Adam and Andy, enrolled and went on to produce a prolific body of work crafting comic images and storylines for DC Comics and Marvel Comics.

 It created other careers, too.

Fernando Ruiz arrived as a student in the early ’90s. After making his mark at Archie Comics, he returned to his alma mater in 1995. “Teaching here feels like coming home,” he says.

His former student, Anthony Marques, followed a similar arc—walking in as a young artist, rising through the industry, and ultimately returning as president of the school. Ruiz recalled the full-circle moment with a laugh: “And now, you know, he graduated, went to all these different comic book companies, and then he came back and he bought the school. And luckily, he didn't fire me because I gave him some good grades.”

Marques, who bought the school in 2019, made a name for himself in the industry, working as an editor for major publishers like DC Comics and Dynamite Entertainment. As an artist and storyteller, he helped breathe life into classic characters like Batman, the Green Hornet, and the Ghostbusters.

RESPECT THE ROOTS

The building, for both of them, was more than bricks and drawing tables—it was the place that turned ambition into livelihood. But even the best panels need a page turn.

“With about a quarter of our students now online, the need to house everyone under one roof just isn’t there anymore,” Marques explains. “At the end of the day, a building is a building. The school is really about the people.”

The creaky floors and weathered halls of the former Dover High School, which the Kuberts bought in the 1980s, symbolized the school’s grit and well-drawn history. But the Madison space offers a plug-and-play chance to modernize. “One of the really nice things about going into a new space is that you’re able to update,” Marques said. “So the students are coming into a more modernized version of the classroom.”

The Madison campus brings modern classrooms, updated technology, and a clean slate, at the cost of losing 50 years of lived-in charm and nostalgia-soaked staircases.

Kubert died in 2012 at 85, but his curriculum has evolved over the years to reflect changing industry demands. Marques says the school has implemented new initiatives since he took over, including 19 scholarships and a robust community-outreach program. This ensures that local or remote students are equipped with the tools they need to succeed in the competitive world of comics.

“We’re always pushing for more opportunities for our students,” Marques adds. “The opportunities will be exactly the same. Number one for us always comes from making sure that the students learn and get a great education in cartoon graphics.”

The school’s history, though, remains central to its identity. As it leaves Dover behind, both Marques and Ruiz expressed a deep appreciation for the town’s role in shaping the school’s legacy. “Dover has a really rich history ... more so the memories that you build with one another—going to Delicia’s Pizza down the road … participating in the Christmas events every year,” Marques said, reflecting on the small town’s significance.

DOVER WILL ALWAYS BE HOME

Ruiz and Marques are determined to remain involved in the local community. “Even though we have left the building in Dover, I’m positive that we’ll still be in Dover doing different things,” Marques says. “We just donated art supplies to the Dover Free Public Library ... it has been our home for so long, and to try to say that we’re just gonna leave is silly.” 

The Joe Kubert School has also partnered with several extended-stay hotels near the Rockaway Mall to house students who wish to stay in the area. “They will continue to provide that housing to our students for those who are happy there and want to stay there,” Ruiz explained. “They may have to hop the train over here on Blackwell Street, but, you know, that’s the best thing about really North Jersey—it’s easy to navigate. Especially being on the train line like Madison and Dover, it’s easy to get from one to the other.”

The shift leaves a lasting impact, but this isn’t a vanishing act. It’s just a scene change. And somewhere between Dover and Madison, the next chapter is already being drawn.

Mariana Simioni is a journalism student at County College of Morris. She is an intern for DOVERNOW.