ROGER KUPELIAN TO PRESENT MULTI-MEDIA GRAPHIC NOVEL IN CHICAGO
PanARMENIAN.Net
February 21, 2012 – 17:04 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – On Feb. 26, Roger Kupelian will bring his multi-media
graphic novel and film works to Chicago and will speak on “The Warrior
Myth and How We Draw Strength From It.”
Kupelian has taken a tale of bloody struggle and transcendent triumph
from the 5th century Middle East and used it as his inspiration to
create the astounding reality of his latest graphic novel series and
accompanying footage for his film “East of Byzantium: War Gods and
Warrior Saints.”
Kupelian is the Hollywood visual effects artist who helped create the
wondrous worlds of “The Lord of the Rings,” “Alice in Wonderland,”
“Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Pirates of The Caribbean,” “X-Men,” “The
Mummy,” and “Dark Forest in the Mountains,” the music videos for
Serj Tankian of System of a Down, and numerous other projects. His
graphic novels and film are his re-imagining of the battle between
the Persian Empire and the warriors of Armenia in 451 AD.
“With the art style I used in the graphic novels, I wanted to give the
readers a cinematic experience of the story,” he says. “That’s why I
put so much effort into creating a very lush and yet impressionistic
rendering of the pages.”
Kupelian was born in Beirut, Lebanon, lived in Sierra Leone for the
first 12 years of his life, and now works out of Hollywood. With
his transcontinental cultural background it’s no wonder that his
watchword for his “East of Byzantium” heroes is “Who we are is worth
fighting for.”
“To me, that’s a powerful motivation for anyone living in 451 AD,
or in 2012 for that matter,” he says.
The event will take place at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian
Church Hall, 6700 W. Diversey, in Chicago at 3:30 pm.
This event is free and open to the public.