Comicraft
Encyclopedia
Comicraft is a company which provides graphic design and lettering
services to various (primarily comic book
) companies.
in 1992. Starkings had been working for Marvel UK
for five years, but left London for New York, circa 1990. Lettering large numbers of pages overnight for Marvel editor Gregory Wright
, Starkings decided to move away from the New York Marvel offices to California, partly hoping that the increased distance would bring increased deadlines. A year later, Starkings (now based in Los Angeles) found himself offered the prestigious task of being asked to letter issues of Marvel's premier title Uncanny X-Men
.
Unable to meet the deadlines of then-editor Bob Harras
, he turned his mind to think of ever-faster methods of lettering, and turned to computers. Digitizing his lettering in readiness, and joining with designer John Roshell, Starkings unwittingly found that the formation of Image Comics
created a perfect opportunity for his innovative lettering practices. The 'superstar artist' status of the Image founders, and the money they were able to sink into production allowed Image to woo many letterers away from DC and Marvel, creating a vacuum made all the more stark by the concurrent comics boom inspiring all companies to produce an ever-increasing volume of output. Although meeting resistance in some quarters (most famously from Harras at Marvel), the higher-paychecks offered by Image allowed some letterers to produce less work, further snow-balling the demand for Starkings' services.
Unsure of what to call themselves, Starkings recalled a friend's carpentry business being called "Proudcraft", and the two settled on Comicraft. Overcoming the reluctance of the comics industry with such titles as Ghost Rider 2099
, Astro City
and Generation X
, although unable to challenge the legendary Todd Klein
for the "Lettering" title, Starkings and Comicraft nevertheless managed to win an Eisner Award
in 1994, for "Best Publication Design" for Busiek
and Ross
' Marvels
. The Comic Buyer's Guide and Wizard: the Comics Magazine
also went against the Eisners, and named Comicraft the best letterer for 3 and 7 years in a row respectively.
publishes, among other titles, Richard Starkings
' own comics Hip Flask
and Elephantmen
.
, Marvel Comics
, Dark Horse Comics
and Image Comics
; as well as for magazines and books produced by Active Images
, Mad Magazine, Nickelodeon Magazine, Scholastic
and Titan Books
.
Many of the company's fonts, created by Starkings and designer Roshell are commercially available to individuals and institutions as software applications through the Active Images
publishing company via their website, ComicBookFonts.com.
Letterer
A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer's use of typefaces, calligraphy, letter size, and layout all contribute to the impact of the comic. The letterer crafts the comic's "display lettering": the story title lettering and...
services to various (primarily comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
) companies.
History
The company was founded by Richard StarkingsRichard Starkings
Richard Starkings is a British font designer and comic book letterer, editor and writer. He was one of the early pioneers of computer based comic book lettering and as a result is one of the most prolific creators in that industry.-Career:...
in 1992. Starkings had been working for Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
for five years, but left London for New York, circa 1990. Lettering large numbers of pages overnight for Marvel editor Gregory Wright
Gregory Wright (comics)
Gregory Wright is an American comic book editor, writer, and colorist known for his work on such Marvel Comics characters as Spider-Man, the Defenders, the Fantastic Four, Deathlok, and Silver Sable, and such DC Comics characters as Superman and Batman.- Biography :Wright grew up in New Castle,...
, Starkings decided to move away from the New York Marvel offices to California, partly hoping that the increased distance would bring increased deadlines. A year later, Starkings (now based in Los Angeles) found himself offered the prestigious task of being asked to letter issues of Marvel's premier title Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
.
Unable to meet the deadlines of then-editor Bob Harras
Bob Harras
Robert "Bob" Harras is an American comics writer and editor, who was editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics from 1995 to 2000 and currently serves as editor-in-chief of DC Comics.-Career:...
, he turned his mind to think of ever-faster methods of lettering, and turned to computers. Digitizing his lettering in readiness, and joining with designer John Roshell, Starkings unwittingly found that the formation of Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
created a perfect opportunity for his innovative lettering practices. The 'superstar artist' status of the Image founders, and the money they were able to sink into production allowed Image to woo many letterers away from DC and Marvel, creating a vacuum made all the more stark by the concurrent comics boom inspiring all companies to produce an ever-increasing volume of output. Although meeting resistance in some quarters (most famously from Harras at Marvel), the higher-paychecks offered by Image allowed some letterers to produce less work, further snow-balling the demand for Starkings' services.
Unsure of what to call themselves, Starkings recalled a friend's carpentry business being called "Proudcraft", and the two settled on Comicraft. Overcoming the reluctance of the comics industry with such titles as Ghost Rider 2099
Ghost Rider 2099
Ghost Rider 2099 is a comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics, under the Marvel 2099 imprint, from 1994 to 1996.The series is set in the year 2099, in a dystopian possible future of the Marvel Universe, and features Kenshiro "Zero" Cochrane, a hacker who was killed but resurrected as...
, Astro City
Astro City
Kurt Busiek's Astro City is a comic book series centered on a fictional American city of that name. Written by Kurt Busiek, the series is co-created and illustrated by Brent Anderson with character designs and painted covers by Alex Ross...
and Generation X
Generation X (comics)
Generation X is a fictional comic book superhero team, a spin-off of the X-Men franchise published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, the team formed during the 1994 "Phalanx Covenant" storyline, and appeared in their own monthly series in September 1994...
, although unable to challenge the legendary Todd Klein
Todd Klein
Todd Klein is an American comic book letterer, logo designer, and occasional writer, primarily for DC Comics.- Early career:Todd Klein broke into comics in the summer of 1977, hired by DC Comics as a staff production worker...
for the "Lettering" title, Starkings and Comicraft nevertheless managed to win an Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
in 1994, for "Best Publication Design" for Busiek
Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Early life:...
and Ross
Alex Ross
Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
' Marvels
Marvels
Marvels is a four-issue comic book limited series written by Kurt Busiek, painted by Alex Ross and edited by Marcus McLaurin, and published by Marvel Comics in 1994....
. The Comic Buyer's Guide and Wizard: the Comics Magazine
Wizard (magazine)
Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011...
also went against the Eisners, and named Comicraft the best letterer for 3 and 7 years in a row respectively.
Active Images
A sub-company, "Active Images" was initiated in 1995 as an online arm initially simply to "make Comicraft's library of comic book fonts commercially available", but in 2002 its role was expanded into the world of publishing. Active ImagesActive Images
Active Images is a publisher of fonts and comic books based in the United States.Founded by Richard Starkings the company publishes fonts which are used by their commercial comic book lettering division Comicraft and comic books featuring the character Hip Flask....
publishes, among other titles, Richard Starkings
Richard Starkings
Richard Starkings is a British font designer and comic book letterer, editor and writer. He was one of the early pioneers of computer based comic book lettering and as a result is one of the most prolific creators in that industry.-Career:...
' own comics Hip Flask
Hip Flask (comics)
Hieronymous "Hip" Flask is a fictional anthropomorphic hippopotamus who appears in comic books published by Active Images and Image Comics. He was created by Richard Starkings.-Overview:...
and Elephantmen
Elephantmen
Elephantmen is an American ongoing monthly comic book published by Image Comics and written by Richard Starkings with art by Moritat and a number of other artists...
.
Clients
Comicraft's work and fonts have appeared in hundreds of products produced and distributed by all four of the major American comics companies: DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
and Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
; as well as for magazines and books produced by Active Images
Active Images
Active Images is a publisher of fonts and comic books based in the United States.Founded by Richard Starkings the company publishes fonts which are used by their commercial comic book lettering division Comicraft and comic books featuring the character Hip Flask....
, Mad Magazine, Nickelodeon Magazine, Scholastic
Scholastic Press
Scholastic is a global book publishing company known for publishing educational materials for schools, teachers, and parents, and selling and distributing them by mail order and via book clubs and book fairs. It also has the exclusive United States' publishing rights to the Harry Potter book...
and Titan Books
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
.
Many of the company's fonts, created by Starkings and designer Roshell are commercially available to individuals and institutions as software applications through the Active Images
Active Images
Active Images is a publisher of fonts and comic books based in the United States.Founded by Richard Starkings the company publishes fonts which are used by their commercial comic book lettering division Comicraft and comic books featuring the character Hip Flask....
publishing company via their website, ComicBookFonts.com.