Artist’s Street-Level Heroes Fan Art Draws Huge Comic Fan Buzz
Viral comic artist Mert Özkaya known online as @pizza990 posted a crossover fan art piece on Wednesday evening featuring nine street-level heroes, which racked up 42,000 likes, 4,500 reposts, and over 350,000 views within hours, sparking a fierce fandom debate about who truly qualifies as “street level.”
TL;DR
- Mert Özkaya (@pizza990) posted his “Category: Street Level” artwork Wednesday, featuring Batman, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Moon Knight, Red Hood, Nightwing, Orphan, and TMNT’s Donatello and Michelangelo.
- The piece hit 42,000 likes, 4,500 reposts, and 350,000 views, triggering heated fan debate.
- Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man showrunner Jeff Trammell publicly praised the Red Hood inclusion.
- Özkaya followed up with a Clip Studio speedpaint video, fresh off landing an IDW TMNT #19 variant cover.
Who is Pizza Mert?
Mert Özkaya, 22, operates under the handle @pizza990 across X and Instagram (@mozkaiofficial). The Turkish comic artist has built a following of more than 80,000 on X with bold, expressive character work spanning DC, Marvel, and indie titles.
His profile recently climbed significantly after he secured his first professional cover — a variant for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #19 from IDW Publishing, one of the most respected imprints in the UK comics market. IDW titles are stocked widely across British comic shops and Forbidden Planet stores nationwide.
The artwork that broke the internet
On Wednesday evening, Özkaya posted “Category: Street Level” — a single, densely composed illustration placing Batman, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Moon Knight, Red Hood, Nightwing, Orphan (Cassandra Cain), and TMNT’s Donatello and Michelangelo side by side.
The numbers moved fast. Within hours the piece had 42,000 likes, 4,500 reposts, and over 350,000 views on X.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Likes | 42,000 |
| Reposts | 4,500 |
| Views | 350,000+ |
Source: @pizza990 on X, 14 May 2026
The “street level” debate ignites
The image immediately split fans into two camps — those who celebrated the roster and those who challenged the very premise.
The core argument: can Spider-Man, who has lifted buildings and tangled with cosmic threats, honestly share a bracket with Daredevil, who settles things in a Hell’s Kitchen alley? Moon Knight’s divine connection to the Egyptian god Khonshu raised similar eyebrows.
Fans flooded the replies with memes, counter-rosters, and lengthy power-scaling threads. The Cassandra Cain pick drew particular praise, with many noting she is one of the most underrepresented characters in fan art at this scale.
Jeff Trammell weighs in
The most notable industry reaction came from Jeff Trammell, showrunner, head writer, and executive producer of Disney+’s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Trammell publicly praised the Red Hood inclusion in the piece.
The response carries weight. In a January 2025 interview with IndieWire, Trammell said his show deliberately keeps Spider-Man grounded: “This isn’t a Spidey in space story. This isn’t hugely fantastical, for the most part. It’s very grounded dealing with street-level stuff.”
His engagement with Özkaya’s post signals that the “street level” conversation matters beyond fandom — it is a creative philosophy actively shaping Marvel Animation’s output.
Speedpaint and the Clip Studio process
After the post went viral, Özkaya released a behind-the-scenes speedpaint video showing his full Clip Studio Paint workflow from rough sketch to finished piece. The video gave fans a rare window into how professional-grade fan art is built at pace, and added another layer of engagement to an already buzzing thread.
An IDW cover artist on the rise
The timing of the viral moment is no accident. Özkaya recently announced his IDW TMNT #19 variant cover — his first professional commission from a major publisher. For UK readers, IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series is available through Forbidden Planet, Gosh! Comics in London, and via Comixology Unlimited, priced from £3.99 per digital issue.
His trajectory — from fan art to professional variant cover to viral sensation — mirrors the path taken by many fan-favourite artists now working regularly for DC and Marvel.
For more on Marvel’s animated slate, see our coverage of Marvel Rivals Season 8 and the Hero 50 Cyclops tease. For broader superhero film news, our Kenneth Branagh Thor deep dive is worth a read.
What fans are saying
Reaction across X has been overwhelmingly positive, with debate focused on the roster rather than the art quality — a sign that Özkaya’s execution is beyond dispute.
The Nightwing and Red Hood inclusions prompted the most discussion: both are Bat-family members who operate without superpowers, which many fans argued makes them the purest case for the “street level” label. Others pushed back on Moon Knight, noting his god-avatar status puts him closer to Thor’s bracket than Daredevil’s.
The Donatello and Michelangelo picks also drew cheers, as TMNT’s Turtles are rarely invited into these crossover conversations despite fitting the archetype almost perfectly — teenagers trained in ninjutsu, fighting organised crime in New York’s sewers.
Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed 14 May 2026.
Elena Vane is an award-winning comics historian and pop culture journalist. Specializing in the DC/Marvel universes and independent graphic novels, Elena has been documenting the rise of cosplay culture for over a decade . She is a frequent panelist at New York Comic Con and provides in-depth biographies of industry pioneers. Elena’s expertise ensures that every comic-related update is factually grounded and community-focused .
