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Geek Vibes Nation
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
GVN Talking Comics: Tyler Kirkham On The Marvel Art of Tyler Kirkham From Clover Press (Now on Kickstarter)
Artist Tyler Kirkham has showcased his talents with various publishers throughout his career, including Top Cow, Dynamite, Image, DC, and Marvel. Along the way, Tyler has been impressing fans and critics alike with his artistic skills. Currently, Tyler is teaming with Clover Press and Marvel with another addition to their quality art books, The Marvel Art of Tyler Kirkham. This collection has just started its Kickstarter Campaign. Before the launch of their campaign, we had a conversation with Tyler about his artistic beginnings, his initial work with Top Cow, his experiences at DC, and his new book for Clover Press. Join us in welcoming the talented artist Tyler Kirkham to GVN Talking Comics. Comics Introductions and Creative Beginnings GVN: Thank you for spending a bit of your time with us, Tyler. Since it is our good fortune to talk to you for the first time, let's start with your creative beginnings. When did you first take an interest in comic art, and whose work inspired that ambition? TYLER: Happy to do it! Let's go way back. I feel like comics have been a big part of my life for so long. I'm gonna guess second or third grade. Around then. My first interaction with comic books was from my older brother. He was growing a pretty decent-sized Spider-Man collection. He had them all hung up on his wall, and it really inspired me every time I saw them. Well, being the rebellious younger brother. I wanted to be different. Enter Wolverine and the X-Men! I was heavily inspired and tried to mimic Mark Texeira early on. When Image Comics came out, I knew I wanted to pursue comics. Art for Local Newspapers GVN: I've noticed that we share a common starting point: both of us began drawing for our local newspaper. However, our paths diverged from there. You had the opportunity to get your foot in the door at Top Cow Comics, while I found myself working in a retail store—though that's a story for another day! 😊 With that opportunity, you worked alongside Mark Silvestri and eventually secured a full-time position. What lessons did you learn during your time with Silvestri and Top Cow that have stayed with you? TYLER: Yeah, I was always doing something with art growing up. I actually drew for both Jr High and High school newspapers as well. Then got the gig at my local city newspaper. Marc had a treasure trove of useful info and tips. One thing I learned working under Marc was how helpful it was having other artists around, to learn form and inspire you. It pushes you to be better after you see what others are working on. I follow a lot of artists on social media now, and it has a similar effect. Art inspires art. A New Chapter at DC GVN: In time, you were offered an exclusive job at DC. When that opportunity came about, did you have any reservations about writing for such beloved and iconic characters, or were you more excited to have a steady source of work? TYLER: Well I was only doing the art. Not writing. I had already worked on multiple iconic characters for Marvel and Image/Top cow. So wasn't really worried. It was a new chapter for me though. Working on 'Final Boss' GVN: Along with Top Cow and DC, you have worked for just about every other mainstream publisher including Marvel and Dark Horse. As I have looked, you have done about every cool character there is to do with style. You have also tackled your own original series, Final Boss, with Ifansyah Noor. Is there a difference in working for established characters as opposed to working on your own? A freedom perhaps? TYLER: I really have been lucky to draw so many characters across multiple publishers! It's so fun tackling them and giving my spin on them. As far as Final Boss goes, it's been a very slow but rewarding experience. It's so fun creating! I love telling stories and building my own worlds. It's completely different than doing it for another publisher. Both are great in their own way. The Marvel Art of Tyler Kirkham GVN: Now let's talk about the recent announcement of your Clover Press Art book, The Marvel Art of Tyler Kirkham, joining such luminaries as Mike Allred, Russell Dauterman, David Mack, and others. How did this opportunity come about, and did they have to do much selling to you to make it happen? TYLER: It's an honor for sure! I was excited when they asked me. It really came down to me getting them the material to actually build the book. I took while to do that but in the end I'm super happy with the progress of the book I've seen so far. I think people will love it! Choosing the Art for the Book GVN: One only needs to visit your website to see the breadth of great work you have done, just for Marvel alone. How did you decide which of your pieces to put in the book, and did the good folks at Clover Press have any input? TYLER: I think I picked a good variety of my Marvel work. Not everything will be in there obviously. There will be a good mix of Marvel Art for sure from interiors to covers. Some behind the scenes stuff like prelims, pencils and inks were also sent in! Not just complete covers and pages. A good collection of work from across the years. The Kickstarter Campaign GVN: Clover Press will be bringing The Marvel Art of Tyler Kirkham to a Kickstarter campaign. Will this be your first crowdfunding effort and what will fans (like myself) find when they visit your campaign (besides a fantastic art book)? TYLER: I've done a few actually. My first was an art book years ago called Separation. I've also done a couple others. Children's books and Final Boss. I'm pretty familiar with the process. I'm leaning a lot on Clover though. They are pros in this and have had some amazing campaigns. So they are leading the way! Visiting the Campaign GVN: Thank you once again, Tyler. Before we conclude, I want to allow you to promote this book and any upcoming projects you have. TYLER: I think this book will have something for everyone in it. You don't just have to be a fan of mine to enjoy it but any Marvel or comic art fan will appreciate it. Clover builds beautiful books and they have a proven track record of quality products and successful crowdfunding campaigns. I think it's worth backing em! We will be offering some amazing rewards as well. Definitely don't miss it! Clover Press 'The Marvel Art of Tyler Kirkham' is now on Kickstarter. You can check out this exciting campaign here.
Geek Vibes Nation
03-06-2025
- Business
- Geek Vibes Nation
GVN Talking Comics: Michael Schwartz On Armored Deluxe Edition From Clover Press (Now on Kickstarter)
In August 2023, we had the chance to speak with writer Michael Schwartz about his debut issue of Clover Press's Armored and its initial Kickstarter campaign. Now, Michael and artist Ismael Hernandez are launching the complete first volume of Armored on Kickstarter, paving the way for future expansions of the story. It feels appropriate to reconnect with Michael to see how the project has evolved since our last discussion. So, let's welcome back the talented Michael Schwartz to GVN Talking Comics. The Learning Curve GVN: Welcome back, Michael. We last spoke about your book, Armored , back in August of 2023. This was in advance of your FIRST Kickstarter campaign. So, with that experience in mind, what did you learn during that initial stage of development that you feel benefited you as you worked on the following issues? MICHAEL: Thanks for having me back! It's hard to believe our first Kickstarter was nearly 2 years ago. I had the first and second arcs of Armored mapped out back then, but the space between the campaigns gave me the opportunity to further develop the next story arc. There were a few elements I wasn't entirely sure about, and seeing how readers reacted to issues 1–5 allowed me to reshape parts of the story in ways I hadn't originally planned. A Great Team GVN: In our first interview, you discussed the similarities and differences between your work in television and screenplays and creating your comic Armored series. As you continued the Armored story, did your workflow diverge even more from your film writing format, or did they move closer together? MICHAEL: I'm incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by such a talented group of collaborators, including my editor Chris Stevens and illustrator Ismael Hernández. Thankfully, Chris established a solid workflow for our team early on and we've pretty much stuck to that, even into the second arc. On the writing side, I've loosened up quite a bit with my details when writing descriptions of every page in each issue. It's still not quite like writing a screenplay, which is actually quite sparse, but I'm definitely looking for more input from Ismael as we move forward together telling this story. The Pressure of Past Success GVN: In time, Armored began to gather steam and was embraced by both fans and critics, selling out multiple issues. Did you anticipate that kind of broad-based support, and how much pressure did it put on you for the next installments? MICHAEL: Honestly, I didn't know what to expect, since I've always been on the other side of the comic industry – as a fan. I'm so grateful the story has resonated with readers because that word of mouth is so important for an independent book. Without it, I'm not sure some of the issues would have sold out. Now that there is a small but growing fanbase, I definitely feel the pressure to deliver with the second arc, but also so excited to finally get to this point in the Armored story. The Premise of 'Armored' GVN: For those not familiar with the premise of Armored , can you share the premise of your book? MICHAEL: Armored follows the story of a 13-year-old named Andy, whose parents vanished two years ago. After months of bouncing around foster homes, he's adopted by a strange couple whose son, Myles, died under mysterious circumstances. An amateur sleuth at heart, Andy decides to investigate Myles's death, which leads him to a set of old castle ruins. While there, he falls into a medieval tomb and discovers a magical suit of armor being haunted by the original wearer from hundreds of years ago, a ghostly knight, Sir William. With Sir William as his mentor, Andy must learn to harness the armor's powers and uncover the truth behind Myles's death! The Deluxe Hardcover Edition GVN: In our first chat, you mentioned that you hoped we could discuss the second arc in the future. Now, nine months later, we're back talking about Armored and a new Kickstarter campaign for a deluxe hardcover edition. Can you explain how this exciting project came about? Additionally, do you feel more confident about the crowdfunding aspect this time, given your experience from the first campaign? MICHAEL: With the success of the single issues released by Clover Press, it was the natural next step to collect them all in a hardcover edition packed with extra content. These days, many comic readers prefer to wait for collected editions, so I'm excited by the prospect of new readers. As for Kickstarter, I don't know if I'll ever feel confident going into a crowdfunding campaign. It's always tough to predict what will resonate with comic collectors. That said, I'm genuinely excited because not only are we offering the collected edition, but we're also including issue 6, which is completely new material, the first part of the second arc. New Campaign, New Extras GVN: This new campaign offers some great extras, including: An exclusive dust jacket featuring the stunning Armored artwork by David Mack, a collectible trading card set, and art prints by Jae Lee, David Mack, and Francesco Tomaselli. In addition to an exclusive Preview Comic (Issue 6) for the next story arc, with a cover by Jeff Dickson. How much input do you have when deciding on these great benefits, or does Clover Press make those calls? MICHAEL: Clover Press and I collaborate closely when deciding what kind of extras to include in the Kickstarter. We both bring ideas to the table, but Clover makes the ultimate decision. They've run so many successful Kickstarter campaigns that I really trust their judgement when it comes to tiers and rewards. Next Projects GVN: Thank you for visiting again, Michael. Before we finish, I would like to allow you to share any upcoming projects you have. Also, feel free to promote the exciting new hardcover edition of Armored , which features art by Ismael Hernandez and is edited by Eisner Award-winner Chris Stevens. MICHAEL: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. I can't wait for readers to get their hands on this edition. I know they won't be disappointed with all the bonus content we have planned. Comic fans can also look forward to my next book with Clover Press, Till Death , co-written by Rachael Schaefer and illustrated by Gaia Cardinali. Rachael and I worked with Eisner-winning editor Chris Stevens on the project, and we're excited to share more about it very soon. Clover Press Armored , the deluxe hardcover edition by Michael Schwartz, Ismael Hernández, and Ferran Delgado, is now on Kickstarter. You can check out their campaign here.
