Up close with Calavera Comics

Posted Dec 4, 2009 by Angus Shafer

Updated Dec 4, 2009 at 10:53 AM

Local art collective Calavera comics arted up the artist window at Urban Outfitters in November. The window was pushing their new book Mekano Turbo.

Here are some photos of the installation along with Q&A with Mike Houlihan.

Tart: What is Calavera?

Calavera: Calavera Comics was founded in 2005 in Tampa, FL with the intent of bringing together like-minded artists to collaborate on comic book and illustration projects. Inspired by cult and genre cinema, Japanese and European comics, Mexican culture, movie poster design, plus the whimsy and aesthetics of the Silver Age of Comic Books

Tart: Who are the men behind the pens?

Calavera: Consisting of lead illustrator Alexis Ziritt (hailing from Venezuela), designer/colorist/letterer Mark Malazarte (Philippines), and graphic designer/Renaissance Man “AZN Mike” Houlihan (Boston-by-way-of-S. Korea), the Calavera team is not only diverse in style but also in content. Like the United Nations of comic books, the Calavera Universe has expended globally with contributions from artists in the UK (David Gibbons), Peru (Diego Rondon), Guam (Josh Agerstrand), Germany (Ralph Niese), Italy (Christian G. Marra), and Venezuela (Gustavo Rugeles, Pablo E. Peña). Other notable artists and frequent contributors have been: Sabdiasep Mercado, Frank Gonzales, Dennis Brown (Bagger43), Jason Keene, writer Elliot Blake, Andrew Bargeron (Gimetzco), Zachary Trover, and anyone else interested in our quest for global domination.

A look at the new book “Mekano Turbo”

Tart: What’s next for Calavera?

Calavera: Our current titles are Rudo, Mekano Turbo, MT-3000, as well as a short Mekano Turbo comic to be published in the comic anthology Popgun: Volume 4 from Image Comics in Feburary 2010. Be on the lookout soon for even more things Calavera including posters, t-shirts, stickers, and of course, comics in the near future.

Poster work

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