Young artist turns brother into superhero in first comic book

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- A year after impressing attendees at Comic-Con with his artwork and charitable efforts, young artist Maddax Mendonca has reached a new milestone: publishing his first comic book.

"I wrote it and I did the covers for it," he said, "I also lettered it. And it is right here."

Maddax, who was 11 years old when he was first featured selling prints of his comic-inspired artwork, is now 12 and has released a comic book titled "Infi-Mind."

"It's based off my little brother," Maddax said. "I turned him into a superhero. So, he basically gets a chip in his brain and then he gains access to the internet and he learns everything ever written so then he can end up warping reality and stuff like that."

The young artist says his brother has had to deal with some eye issues. And what Maddax continues to do at this young age kind of makes him a bit of a superhero.

"I donate to Children's Hospital Los Angeles for kids with the same diagnosis as my brother," he said. "It's actually really cool. I get to give kids glasses and I really enjoy doing it."

In addition to the comic book, Maddax has continued creating artwork. He showed off several recent pieces, including 5-foot-tall oil paintings of Venom and the Hulk, as well as a Lego Stan Lee creation.

While he continues to expand his artistic portfolio, Maddax said comics are now his primary focus.

"This year I have pivoted more to, like, comics," he said, "You know, I realized I wanted to become, you know, a comic artist and I want to make my own universe. So I thought, you know, I started with this first book."

The money he donates to CHLA goes to buy glasses for kids who need better vision.