Hekker, Martin
From ManMachine
Martin Hekker (born January 25th, 1957) was the author of the graphic novel, Manmachine[1], published by Epic Dawn comics. He is survived by his brother, David Hekker and wife, Leslie Hekker. Martin Hekker died when his vehicle caught fire near Los Angeles in January 2009, shortly before the publication of Manmachine and during the Israeli bombing of Gaza. Some of his work for Lockheed was being used by the drones operating over Gaza. The irony of this did not escape him, according to friends and family. Life and Career: Martin Hekker was born in Irvine, California. In his early childhood, he was interested in military history and flying machines. This led to graduate work in engineering and mathematics at UCLA and Caltech, followed by an un-spectacular, aborted career at Lockheed. The bulk of the graphic novel Manmachine was written while still working as an engineer at Lockheed. Although Martin never discussed his career in the defense industry, it is probable that his ambivalent feelings about it is reflected in his work. He was a self-taught artist and seldom gave interviews or discussed the process. 1. Manmachine, Epic Dawn Comics, Chicago 2009.
